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Lodestar Island, East.
As they neared the island, the Straw Hat Pirates quickly discovered the battle raging on the island. The terrifying fluctuations caused all of them to change color.
"Who's fighting?!"
"What is that? A dragon?!"
"Waaahhh, I've caught a disease where I'll die if I go ashore!"
Even from a great distance, everyone could still feel a chilling cold. The continuously spewing flames from the giant dragon, along with the mountains being sliced apart, constantly emphasized the horror of the battle.
This was definitely not something ordinary powerhouses could do!
"Such a familiar aura."
Luffy stared blankly at the island's interior.
He didn't know why, but he felt the aura of the powerhouse fighting the giant dragon was unusually familiar, as if he'd seen it somewhere before.
But he'd clearly never witnessed such powerful Haki before!
A figure suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Well, we'll know once we go see."
Luffy grinned, adjusting his hat brim.
They'd be on the island soon, and then they'd know.
"Boom!"
Just then, the ship suddenly jolted.
"Waaahhh! Cannon fire!"
Everyone stumbled. Usopp and the others, who were timid, screamed in fright, thinking they were under attack.
"Don't panic, it's not cannon fire!"
Zoro ran to the side of the ship and looked at the reefs emerging from below.
"The ship's bottom hit a reef."
"No, the land is rising!"
Sanji explained, his face pale.
Before everyone's astonished gaze, the land slowly rose. A massive amount of seawater spread outward, instantly revealing a piece of land before them.
Their ship was right in the center.
The earlier tremor was caused by the land colliding with the ship's bottom as it rose.
"Rumble~~~"
The ground trembled again, and giant stone pillars rose from the edge of the land, like the railings of an arena.
"This is—"
Sanji and Robin exchanged glances, their faces instantly losing all color.
In this world, there was only one person who could do such a thing!
God of Earth, Daichi!
Fighting him, there was no chance of winning!
Sanji urgently shouted. "Franky, quickly use a Coup de Burst to escape from here!"
"Escape?"
Franky couldn't understand.
They'd come all this way with great difficulty. Unless Luffy didn't intend to become the Pirate King, they had no reason to leave.
Therefore, even if the enemy was a Yonko, they would still defeat him!
Sanji wanted to explain, but his body stiffened.
It was too late.
Unbeknownst to them, two figures had appeared above the ship's deck.
The Straw Hat crew was greatly alarmed. No one had noticed how the opponents had appeared, as if they'd materialized out of thin air like ghosts.
"Clang!"
Zoro drew his sword, sweat beading on his forehead.
The newcomers... were very strong!
The others also stood ready for battle.
"Yo, Sanji, Robin."
Daichi stood above the deck, smiling as he looked at the Straw Hat Pirates, greeting Sanji and Robin first.
"Long time no see!"
"Daichi-san!"
Sanji took out his cigarette case, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag, easing the pressure that kept welling up inside him.
He was well aware of the opponent's strength.
"Sanji, Robin!"
His crewmates looked at the two, asking anxiously.
"You know him?"
"Yes, we do."
Sanji slowly nodded, his eyes filled with gloom. "During those two years we were separated, Robin and I worked for the organization he founded."
"Is he a friend?"
The others looked at Daichi, growing more confused.
Looking at the familiar face, Nami recalled something. Her pupils suddenly constricted, nearly suffocating in shock.
"I've seen him in the newspaper!"
"I seem to have seen him too!"
They'd been too nervous earlier to observe the intruder's appearance closely, and they hadn't connected him to that important figure. But now that they'd calmed down, they gradually realized something was off.
"He's the Hoenn Supreme Commander!"
"God of Earth – Daichi!"
"I remember, he's also the Supreme Commander of the Yonko Beast Pirates!"
In the past few years, Daichi's photo frequently appeared in newspapers, causing many world-shaking major events. He also founded a political organization that could contend with the World Government.
It could be said that no one didn't know Daichi.
However, in the past year, Daichi had become much more low-key, rarely appearing in public, which was why Nami and the others hadn't immediately recognized Daichi's identity.
"Since you all know me, I won't beat around the bush."
Daichi asked with a smile. "You have Road Poneglyphs, don't you?"
"..."
Everyone's expressions changed.
As expected, it was for the Road Poneglyphs!
Having arrived at Lodestar Island, the most important thing next was to compete for the Road Poneglyphs. They'd been mentally prepared for this.
It was just that no one expected the strongest man in the world to come looking for them.
Jackpot!
Facing Daichi's question, Luffy answered simply and directly. "That's right, we have two Road Poneglyphs!"
"Idiot, why would you tell him?!"
The others collectively exploded in anger.
At this time, they should've tried to bluff their way through, avoiding conflict as much as possible. Otherwise, how could the opponent possibly let them go?
"Two, you're very impressive!"
Daichi praised them unreservedly, then pondered for a moment and proposed.
"I need your Road Poneglyphs. How about this: I have three Road Poneglyphs on my side. If you can defeat me, you can choose two. If I win, your two Road Poneglyphs become mine. How does that sound?"
"Hey, are you serious?!"
Usopp asked excitedly.
They had two, and the opponent had three. As long as they weren't all duplicates, it meant they could gather all four Road Poneglyphs.
Even if they were all duplicates, the opponent still had one Road Poneglyph they didn't have.
"Of course."
Daichi's lips curved into a smile.
"Also, I want to add another wager. If I lose, I can grant you any request. If I win, the Straw Hat Pirates will disband on the spot. Is that alright, Captain Monkey D. Luffy?"
"No problem!"
Luffy agreed without hesitation.
He'd already prepared for death before setting sail, and he understood that to become the Pirate King, he had to have the courage to abandon everything.
"Wait, Luffy!"
Usopp anxiously pulled Luffy, looking at Daichi. "Hey, in this battle, our enemy is only you, right? You didn't bring a lot of subordinates, did you?!"
The man in front of them had countless elite strong generals under him. If the opponent didn't play fair and summoned his subordinates to join the battle, they'd be exhausted to death.
"Don't worry, it's just me."
Daichi slightly raised his chin, his gaze cold.
"To deal with you, one hand is enough."
"One hand?!"
Usopp swallowed hard.
This guy, so terrifying!
Daichi shook his head slightly and walked past the Straw Hat Pirates. "Let's change the location if you don't want to damage the ship."
The battlefield was below.
Watching Daichi leave, the Straw Hat Pirates looked at each other.
After setting off again, they'd defeated many powerhouses, making their way here. During this time, the enemy leaders were always dealt with by Luffy, and they also had their respective opponents.
But this time, there was only one enemy!
"Let's go!"
"Oh oh oh!"