Chapter 86: sandai kitetsuHearing this, the girl hurriedly bowed and apologized."S-sorry! I didn't know it was so terrifying! I shouldn't have spoken out of turn!"Seeing the girl's reaction, the shopkeeper chimed in, grumbling."Tch, you little brat, acting like an expert when you only know half the story. And you, you little white-haired kid, you can feel that something is wrong with this sword, right! So why did you give it to your companion? Are you trying to get him killed!"After chiding the girl, the shopkeeper turned his complaints toward Alex."Huh? It's fine, I believe Zoro can master this sword."Zoro did not disappoint Alex; he raised the sword and said to the shopkeeper."That's right, I've got my eye on it! I want this one!"Facing this scene, the shopkeeper immediately tried to stop him."I-idiot, I'm not selling this one! If you die, it'll be like I killed you myself!"Suddenly, a woman appeared behind the shopkeeper and punched him right on the head."You fool! Just sell the thing and get it over with!""W-wife..." The beaten shopkeeper dared not speak back.Zoro was indifferent to this: "How about this. Let's make a bet to see if my luck is stronger, or if the curse of the sandai kitetsu is stronger... If I lose, it just means I'm a mediocre swordsman... How about it!"After saying this, Zoro tossed the sandai kitetsu high into the air.Then, he extended his left arm, placing it in the path where the sandai kitetsu would fall.It appeared he wanted to use his own luck to defy the sword's curse; if Zoro's arm were severed, it would prove he was indeed mediocre.Seeing this, both the shopkeeper and the young girl nearby wore expressions of horror.The shopkeeper shouted, "Don't do something so stupid! Hey, kid over there, hurry and stop him!""I won't. I believe Zoro will be just fine."Just as Alex finished speaking, the sandai kitetsubegan to fall from the sky, spinning in the air.The next scene left everyone's jaws on the floor.The sandai kitetsu seemed to have a consciousness of its own; the blade bypassed Zoro's arm and plunged directly deep into the floorboards.Seeing this, Alex knew Zoro had succeeded.Zoro opened his eyes at that moment and smiled at the shopkeeper."I'll take it!"After doing this, Zoro sheathed the sandai kitetsu, while the shopkeeper and the young girl collapsed to the floor in fright."Hey, shopkeeper, help us settle the bill. How much for this sword and that one?""...Wait a moment, I'll go get something...""Hey, wait... sigh, never mind. I'll look around to see if there's anything I can use."Seeing the shopkeeper leave, Alex began to browse again to see if he could find any other good treasures.Unfortunately, aside from the sandai kitetsu, there wasn't anything else of value. Then again, the fact that he even had a sandai kitetsu spoke to the shopkeeper's keen eye.Not long after, the sound of footsteps came from the stairs nearby; the shopkeeper had gone upstairs to retrieve something.He came stumbling over, carrying something wrapped up, and placed it on the table.He unwrapped the black cloth to reveal the item beneath—it was a fine sword.The shopkeeper pointed to the precious sword and introduced it."This sword is coated in black lacquer and features a small cross-shaped hamon pattern. It is a Skilled Grade sword named yubashiri. I guarantee this sword is extremely sharp! Although this is a small shop, this is the best sword we have."Alex walked over, picked it up to inspect it, and drew the blade slightly; it was indeed a fine sword."Shopkeeper, how much for this one plus the kitetsu?"Alex assumed that since both were famous swords, they would cost three or four million Berries.To his surprise, the shopkeeper's answer caught Alex completely off guard."Neither one needs to be paid for! Let that swordsman take them! Also, I was trying to swindle you earlier; if it weren't for that young brother stopping me... I am truly sorry. It's been a long time since I've seen the eyes of such a fine swordsman. As they say, a precious sword should be gifted to a worthy master. Good luck!"Seeing the shopkeeper say this, Zoro and Alex didn't say much, but after thanking him, they left the shop.Once outside the shop, Alex and Zoro parted ways. After all, Alex hadn't found what he was looking for yet and wanted to keep searching.Zoro, on his end, was quite happy looking at the three swords in his sash."It feels so much better to have three swords again."Inside the weapon shop, the shopkeeper's wife patted the shopkeeper on the shoulder and teased him."Oh my, oh my, you stingy old man, you actually gave away a family heirloom."To his wife's teasing, the shopkeeper simply replied indifferently: "Woman, go away! A man entrusting his dream to another man, what's wrong with that!"Hearing her husband's words, the shopkeeper's wife just sighed."Hurry up and clean the bathroom!"The shopkeeper used the toughest tone to say the most cowardly words: "Yes, ma'am!"The young girl, having watched all of this, was covered in sweat and only breathed a long sigh of relief after a long while."I was so scared my legs went weak and I couldn't stand up..."On the other side, Alex walked for a long time until he arrived at a plant shop. He wanted to select some seeds to use as raw materials for creating Chakrapaper."Shopkeeper, do you have any plants that grow fast, are hardy, and can be made into paper!"The shopkeeper of this shop was an old man with a tuft of grass on his head and a long white beard. His appearance reminded Alex of someone."Slow... Slow Goat Village Chief! Why are you here!""You brat! Who are you calling Slow Goat! My name is Takuma, and I am a botanist."The old man put down the book in his hand and came before Alex."Oh, I see. I thought you were Chief Slow Goat. Never mind, Chief, can you help me see which plants meet the criteria I mentioned?""I told you, I am not Chief Slow Goat. And you wanted fast-growing plants that can be made into paper, right? Then I recommend this."Takuma took some small, pointed, brown seeds out of a cabinet and placed them in front of Alex."These are moso bamboo seeds. Under suitable conditions, they can grow one meter in height in a single day."Alex looked at the bamboo seeds in front of him; these were exactly what he wanted."Great, Chief, I'll take these. By the way, do you have any gourds here? I want a small one."Takuma didn't want to correct Alex's address anymore. He went to the top of the cabinet, took out a jujube-red gourd, and handed it to Alex."Here, this one. It can hold about six taels of water."Alex took the gourd and was very satisfied: "Good, that's all. Chief, help me calculate how many Berriesthese are.""I told you, this old man's name is Takuma. These add up to 430 Berries; I'll round it down to 400 Berries for you."After paying and calling him "Chief" one last time, Alex left the plant shop amidst the other man's shouting.After walking just a few steps, Alex saw his companion, Sanji.At this time, Sanji was picking out fresh ingredients at a nearby seafood market. He arrived at a fish stall and immediately set his eyes on a fish with a long, elephant-trunk-like nose."Welcome!""Shopkeeper, what kind of fish is this?""Good eye, young man. This fish is called an Elephant-Nose Tuna. You haven't seen it around these parts, right? It must have swum over from the South Blue. And I caught it myself!"The fishmonger talked endlessly as he saw Sanjiapproach.Sanji was amazed that the fish had been caught by the shopkeeper himself."How about it, do you want me to fillet it?"Facing the shopkeeper's question, Sanji would normally have agreed when he didn't have much money, but this time he had plenty of funds."No... I want the whole thing.""You're quite generous, young man... Thanks for your patronage."Seeing this, Alex left; he still had other things he wanted to look at.Not long after Alex left, Usopp also walked over and squatted nearby to pick out some eggs.Leaving the market, Alex arrived at a place selling calligraphy brushes, wanting to buy some brushes and ink sticks.After buying the items and paying, he had only taken a few steps when a memory transmitted into Alex's mind.One of his shadow clones had been destroyed—it was the one with Luffy.He created another clone and had it take the purchased items back.He began to use the Body Flicker Technique to head toward Luffy's location."Damn it, what is going on? Is that woman Alvida? And how is Buggy still alive?"Through the memory transmitted by the clone, Alexknew that Buggy and Alvida had joined forces to besiege Luffy.Rewinding time slightly, Luffy and Alex's clone had climbed up to the execution platform together.Luffy sat on the execution platform, looking at the scenery below."Wah—ha— This is the view the Pirate King saw! And then he died?"The clone on the side couldn't help but complain."Luffy, who says things like that? Your way of speaking makes it sound like you're going to die in a moment.""Hey! You can talk!""No kidding. Not only can I talk, but I also have a certain level of consciousness! Otherwise, how would I transfer the consciousness back to the main body after training and reading materials!""Well, forget it. By the way, Alex, why are you collecting this wood?"At this moment, the clone was squatting on the ground, selecting pieces of wood with more blood on them to seal into a scroll, intending to later activate and extract the blood from them."Nothing, just a personal hobby."Knowing this was Alex's personal hobby, Luffydidn't ask further and continued to enjoy the scenery.At that moment, someone nearby began to shout at the two of them."Hey! You two brats! Get down from there immediately!""Why?" Luffy's words left the man stunned; what did he mean by "why"?But he still explained."Because that is a special execution platform under the jurisdiction of the World Government! And that white-haired kid, don't damage..."Unfortunately, before the policeman could finish, he was sent flying by an iron mace."Forget it, why be so forceful? Mr. Policeman. And finally, I've found you, Luffy, and you must be Alex! I didn't expect you to change so much; if not for the wanted poster, I wouldn't have recognized you. But, long time no see."The clone and Luffy looked carefully and saw a beautiful older sister standing there, holding an iron mace."What, you haven't forgotten what I look like, have you..."The crowd nearby, upon seeing her appearance, turned into lechers and began to whistle at her."So... so beautiful!""Simply a peerless beauty!""So pretty!"Unfortunately, when the clone searched the main body's memories, it found no one who matched her; the only thing it had a slight impression of was that iron mace."I don't know you. Who are you?"Hearing Luffy's answer, the woman didn't get angry, but instead began to recount their past."I will never forget you... because you were the first man to strike this beautiful face of mine. Back then, that heavy punch of yours... made my heart flutter."At this moment, everyone else had already been captivated by her beauty.
Chapter 87: SmokerLuffy couldn't take in a word of what the other person was saying."Annoying! I don't want to. Also, who are you?"The police officers stationed here ran over and surrounded the person."We are the police! You woman standing there! Stand still and don't move! We are arresting you for the crime of harming the police chief!"Then, some of the officers shouted loudly at Alexand Luffy on the execution platform."And you two! Get down from the execution platform immediately!""Oh my, are you trying to arrest the beautiful me?"The lady stood there, completely unafraid.Only then did the officers clearly see the person's appearance."Deputy... Deputy Chief! This is bad! It's a beautiful woman!"The deputy chief was looking at Luffy and the other at that moment and wasn't looking in that direction, which was why he could say:"So what if she's a beautiful woman! Arrest her!"Just as the officers were about to move, the fountain nearby was blown up!"Die, all of you!"A large number of officers were blown away, and the fountain flew towards the lady."The destroyed fountain is flying towards that beautiful woman!""It's going to hit her, look out!"The crowd nearby was still looking at the lady with lecherous expressions, standing motionless.However, she was completely unafraid; she threw off her cloak, revealing her figure underneath.The clone thought the other person was going to swing a metal club to defend herself, but unfortunately, she made no move, letting the fountain fly towards her.The moment of contact, the fountain flew past the lady's side; it was as if it had struck something slippery, deflecting off its course and flying to the side."Hey, hey, that was too dangerous just now!""Alex, what just happened!""I suspect she used some kind of technique to deflect it, or it's a Devil Fruit.""My apologies, but with that slippery skin of yours, of course you'd be unharmed, so don't mind it, the beautiful Alvida!"Upon hearing the name Alvida, the clone and Luffylooked around."Luffy, did you see Alvida?""No, I don't see where she is."The lady below shouted at the two of them."Isn't it me, Alvida! You guys are so slow!""Isn't Alvida a chubby auntie? How are you anything like her?""...Is that so... Maybe her appearance changed?"The clone couldn't see any resemblance between the person and Alvida, and Luffy was also struggling to think of any similarities between the two.Alvida threw away her trench coat, exposing her hot figure underneath."Hehe! It's your loss for not noticing. I ate a Devil Fruit and turned into this! That fruit is called the Sube Sube no Mi. No matter what kind of attack it is, it cannot harm my beautiful skin! It's just a pity that my beauty hasn't changed! But you are right, the biggest change is... the freckles on my face have disappeared!"Hearing the other person's statement, the clone began to think rapidly; even with its head nearly smoking, it couldn't see any similarity between the two.No wonder she looks at the mirror with max-level beauty filters, but if that's the case, the freckles should have disappeared too.Luffy was even more incisive: "No, no, no, the freckles aren't the point."Alvida continued to be self-absorbed."However, if you want to be my man, you have to defeat this person first! He was also looking for you, so we joined forces. It's this man."The man behind Alvida threw off his coat to reveal his appearance."Ever since I was sent flying by you, I have experienced many things, adventuring everywhere because my body became small. I painstakingly built a raft, but not long after I started rowing, I encountered a school of piranhas. On an island, I wanted to eat meat and chased a small bird, but I was sent flying by its mother. I ended up on an island full of monsters, and it was there that I met a good brother. With the help of my good brother, I set sail again, but my raft was smashed by a giant crab. Fortunately, I later met the beautiful Alvida; she saved me, and we agreed that we were both looking for you. Although I don't know why you, Alex, have become like this, the wanted poster can't be wrong. After drifting all the way, we finally saw my pirate ship. At the same time, I also found the body that was sent flying. So I have always looked forward to killing you with my own hands; it was with this belief that I didn't die and was able to regroup. It can be said that it was a great adventure! It was a great adventure filled with both laughter and hell! After all the effort we've been through! What else do you have to say!""Oh, so it's Buggy.""Yeah, I thought it was some expert."The clone listlessly put the collected scrap scrolls into a scroll and handed it to Luffy.And Luffy also had an expression of "So it was you.""Enough! Stop messing around! You are still so ungrateful!"Other pirate minions who threw off their cloaks threatened everyone present not to move."Citizens, stand still and don't move! Now, let me show you the horror of yours truly!"Suddenly, Cabaji took out a shackle to lock Luffy up.Unfortunately, the clone was here, and with just one kick, it kicked the shackle apart."Haha, Alex, we know how strong you are, how could we not be on guard against you? Cabaji, hurry and dodge!"When Cabaji saw Alex kicking towards the shackle, he immediately left the spot.Bang! An explosion came, and the intense blast shattered Alex's clone; this was the information Alex's main body received."Damn it, damn it, bastard Buggy!"Alex accelerated again, rushing towards the execution platform.At this moment, another pirate appeared on the execution platform and locked Luffy in place."From now on, I will publicly execute you! Ya hahahaha, it's an honor, right! To die in the same place as the Pirate King."When he said this, a tear drifted from the corner of Buggy's eye, but no one saw this tear.The chaos on the execution platform was also seen by someone and reported to the Marines; after all, this was a pirate matter, and it was better to leave it to the Marines.Loguetown Marine headquarters.A big man with a head full of white hair, smoking two cigars, and shirtless was sitting on the sofa playing with stacking stones."Colonel! Colonel Smoker! Something terrible has happened! Pirates are causing trouble in the plaza of the execution platform."The sound of the door being pushed open startled the man, and the pile of stones in front of him scattered.He looked at the Marine with a gloomy face, and the other person felt like he was going to die.He turned his head again to look at the fallen pile of stones and just exhaled a cloud of smoke."...Hoo! No. So tense; this really won't do. Everyone has their own rhythm, don't you think?"It seems that Colonel Smoker was using this method to train his emotions, but unfortunately, he failed."I... I... I am very sorry..."He seemed not to see the other person, putting on his coat from the hanger on his own, and asked the other person again."Forget it, by the way, what did you just say happened?""Let... let me think." It seemed the soldier was still afraid.Smoker remembered."Oh, I remember, there is a group of pirates causing trouble at the execution platform. Then, call the first-class unit to the port, the second-class unit to take secret action through the streets to surround the plaza, and the rest of the people to stand by within shooting distance of the plaza, over.""Yes... Yes—" The Marine immediately left to give the orders.The troops were deployed, and Smoker walked towards the execution plaza.Perhaps he was too anxious, or perhaps his body was too tall, which led to him not seeing the little girl in front of him.The three-layer ice cream in the little girl's hand rubbed against Smoker's pants.The little girl watched her ice cream get knocked off and squatted on the ground, crying.The father nearby saw this and immediately apologized."Re! Re... Really sorry, my daughter she..."Smoker glanced at the person, squatted down, rubbed the little girl's head, and took a few coins out of his pocket."...Sorry. It looks like my pants ate your ice cream. Next time, buy a five-layer one."On the other side, the girl who met Zoro and Alex at the weapon shop ran over from a distance."Ah... I am so sorry... Mr. Smoker! I am late!"Smoker looked at the person's slow appearance, and anger welled up inside him."Tashigi! What on earth are you doing, dawdling like that!""So... sorry! I'll get ready immediately."At this time, the sergeant next to her took a jacket and handed it to Tashigi."Sergeant, here is your jacket.""Tha... thank you! Sergeant."After putting on the jacket, Tashigi explained to Smoker why she was late."Be... because I was so scared just now that my legs felt a bit weak..."Hearing Tashigi's words, Smoker became even angrier."It's one thing that you lack spirit, but are you also getting weak in the knees from fear!"Tashigi was even more frightened and kept apologizing."So... sorry."Smoker didn't have time to waste with her and chose to let her go."Forget it, come with me quickly, something happened in the plaza.""Yes!"A large crowd of onlookers gathered on the outskirts of the plaza.Sanji and Usopp arrived at the plaza carrying a large amount of ingredients."Ah, you came at just the right time, Usopp. By the way, I just saw a lion, and there was a strange person wearing animal skin clothes sitting on it..."Usopp was complaining on the side because, besides that huge Elephant Tuna, he had many other ingredients on him."Why do I have to carry such heavy things?"Zoro was also a bit puzzled; there were fewer and fewer people on the streets.And Nami sighed that the air pressure was getting lower and lower, so they should hurry back to the ship.Finally, the four of them met on the outskirts of the plaza.Everyone looked at each other and found that Luffyand Alex were missing."Where are those two guys?""Luffy said he wanted to go see the execution platform, and wasn't Alex walking with you, Zoro?""Isn't this the execution plaza?""Alex left after I finished buying things, and I don't know where he is either."Just as they were discussing where Alex was, they didn't notice that on the third floor not far away, several snipers were aiming at the situation in the execution plaza.The snipers heard someone approaching from behind, and when they turned around, they saw Smoker and Tashigi."How is the situation?""The citizens are being held hostage! And there are three wanted criminals on the scene. They are Iron Mace Alvida, Buggy the Clown, and Straw Hat Luffy."
Chapter 88: Luffy's Execution"So that's how it is; it's pirates fighting pirates.""Then... should we... should we set off immediately?""You fool! What's the rush..."Before Smoker could finish, the Marine soldier beside him began to ask."But if we continue to watch, will it..."Smoker looked at the soldier, asking with a stern face."Have you ever seen me... let a pirate escape from this town?""No... never.""Then shut up. This is called pirates fighting, Marines profiting.""It saves time and effort!""But everyone remember, as soon as that Straw Hat's head hits the ground.""You surround Buggy, Alvida, and their accomplices and round them all up."After hearing Smoker's words, everyone finally understood his strategy.On the other side, at the edge of the square, after asking around, Zoro, Sanji, and the others finally learned what was happening.Looking over, they discovered that the person currently on the execution platform was none other than Luffy."Look over there, it's Luffy.""Damn Luffy, what is he doing?""Right, Alex, where is Alex's clone? Why isn't he here?""Damn it, Luffy is being executed, what kind of joke is this?"At this moment, Alex had also just arrived via the Body Flicker Technique, and as soon as he arrived, he heard everyone discussing the matter."Sorry everyone, I didn't expect the enemy to install explosives in the execution device. After my clone kicked the shackles apart, it was shattered by the shockwave of the explosion.""But I will have the clone take the things everyone bought back to the ship.""In that case, Usopp and I will go back.""Hey, hey, Nami, even though here..."Before Usopp could finish, the others agreed to Nami's proposal."Sure, then you go back with the clone. Although we don't understand your thoughts, you must have something important to consider."Zoro didn't speak either; instead, he drew the sword at his waist and stared at the enemies in front of him.Sanji indicated that he would definitely save Luffy.Alex then quickly used the Body Flicker Techniqueto fly to the execution platform, because Buggy's blade was about to fall.Turning back the clock a bit, to when the five of them hadn't yet met up.On the execution platform, Buggy raised the blade in his hand and began to declare Luffy's 'crimes'."Sinner! Monkey D. Luffy, you have committed the crime of offending me by acting recklessly.""You are now sentenced to capital punishment! So everyone, let's make some noise!"After Buggy declared Luffy's crime, he let the underlings below cheer to liven up the atmosphere.Luffy, however, looked around with a happy expression; he wanted to know where the person being executed was."Execution! This is my first time seeing a death penalty."Buggy yelled at Luffy: "You idiot, the one being executed is you!"Hearing this, Luffy realized something was wrong.He panicked and started shouting at Buggy."Ah! It's me! What kind of joke is this!"Although he knew about Luffy's denseness, it still exceeded Buggy's expectations, and he shouted an explanation to Luffy with some resignation."I'm not joking with you!""Alright, now beginning the public execution, death penalty!"On the other side, Nami and Usopp, who were rushing towards the ship, were following behind the clone."Hey, Nami, if you have things to do, you could have just gone back yourself. Why did you have to call me? Even though Alex is there, I can still provide cover.""After all, I'm a brave warrior who can take down a Fishman!""Don't talk about that, we have more important things to do.""A storm is coming.""What!"Usopp looked at Nami in disbelief, and the other clones also looked at her in astonishment.Nami knew they wouldn't believe it and would be surprised, so she explained it to everyone."The air pressure and temperature have been dropping continuously since just now.""Plus, I saw a large cumulonimbus cloud in the eastern sky.""All of this indicates that a storm is approaching.""And there's about to be a riot in that square; the Marines might have already been deployed.""What if the ship gets washed away while we're trying to escape?""So we need to prepare an escape route."After hearing Nami's explanation, everyone finally understood why she wanted to return; so that was it.The clones looked at each other, immediately picked up Nami and Usopp, and began moving quickly towards the ship.On the ship side, the clone left behind on the ship saw a figure swaying over, singing a very terrible song."Who is that guy riding Richie around? Who is it? It's me! It's me!"He sang while arriving here, sitting on the lion. He wasn't sure about the big ship in front of him, but upon seeing the Jolly Roger on the mast, he confirmed the owner of the ship."This ship belongs to that rubber man; I didn't expect it to become so big all of a sudden.""Now that I think about it, that guy should be getting executed by Captain Buggy right now.""But nothing is absolute; what if that rubber guy escaped? So this is my job.""If he escapes, then burn this ship. Let's start, Richie!"Richie, who Mohji was sitting on, also roared in agreement."I say, you two are taking me a bit too lightly, aren't you?"Mohji looked up and discovered a white-haired youth on the ship. At first, he didn't recognize who it was, but the scroll behind Alex left an impression on him."You... it's you! Alex, I still remember the pain you caused me and Richie to this day.""Hmph, I didn't expect to meet you here, but don't worry, I...""Ice Release: Crimson Lotus Hell!"Really not wanting to listen to the other guy's nagging, the clone directly used Ice Release to freeze him, then returned to the deck to continue resting.On the other side, at the execution square, Luffy was pinned to the execution platform, asking Buggy in an extremely perfunctory tone."Sorry, can you spare my life?"Hearing Luffy's request, Buggy stepped on Luffy's head and yelled at him again."You idiot, do you think I would spare you!"Knowing it wouldn't work, he immediately put on a miserable expression.Alvida, below the platform, was quite moved by this scene.Although she didn't know where Alex had gone, disappearing suddenly meant he was either dead or had left, so it was about the same to her.The former proved the other's strength was lacking, and the latter meant the person wasn't worth it.On the contrary, Buggy knew something about Alex's abilities and believed the other person had fled.However, seeing Luffy about to be executed, Alvidasighed."Is the man I have my eye on about to lose his life..."And Cabaji, next to her, cheered at Luffy's plight."Hmph, going against us; not only have your crewmates left you, but you're also going to die here. This is your fate."On the execution platform, Buggy raised the blade in his hand."Do you have anything else to say? It's rare to have so many spectators."But when he saw Luffy's expression, that trace of kindness vanished."Eh, forget it. Regardless of whether you have anything to say, nobody is interested in listening anyway..."Hearing this, Luffy reversed his previous state.He shouted earnestly."I am the man who will become the Pirate King!"This sentence shocked the audience present.You have to know that this is the place where Rogerwas executed; shouting about being the Pirate Kinghere, isn't that a bit overestimating oneself!The crowd below also showed different reactions.Some felt shocked."Pi... Pirate King!"Some were just watching the show."Saying such big words in a place like this?"But Buggy had no reaction to this and began to mock him."Is that all you have to say, you rubber idiot?"Buggy directly raised his blade to hack down.Feeling the blade above him approaching, Luffysmiled and said the following words."Alex, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Nami! Sorry, I'm going to die!""Spare his life!""Stop!"The former was shouted by Zoro, and the latter "Stop" was shouted by Alex.Alex was seen grabbing Buggy's hand, then looking at him with murderous intent."What did you say you were going to do! Clown!""Xi... Alex, didn't you run away!""Run away? That was just one of my clones. Also, who did you say you were going to behead!"Seeing that he had blocked him, Sanji cheered loudly."Well done, Alex."Then Alex kicked Buggy hard in the stomach. Just before he was about to break the other's spine, Buggy separated his body, thus dodging the fatal injury.Unfortunately, the power of that kick was not something he could withstand, and he ended up being kicked away by Alex.Seeing Buggy fall to the ground, Alex didn't have time to pay much attention, but instead unlocked Luffy's shackles.Just as the two were about to leave, a bolt of lightning struck the location where Luffy and the other were without any surprise.Luffy seemed to have sensed something in advance and immediately pushed Alex away.And he was bathed in the lightning.Alex knew the other had a rubber body, but a rubber body didn't mean he could withstand lightning."Luffy!"Zoro and Sanji also rushed over quickly, knocking away the minions along the way in no time.The lightning didn't last long before dissipating, and the entire execution platform was shattered by the lightning.After the lightning struck, heavy rain began to fall, and the rainwater extinguished the fire on the execution platform caused by the lightning.Luffy patted his body and walked to Alex as if nothing had happened."Yahahaha, I survived after all. Thank you, Alex."Smoker, on the third floor in the distance, was watching everything in front of him in shock.He didn't expect that someone could really smile in the face of death. That Straw Hat definitely didn't know someone would save him, which meant that person really thought he was going to die.So was his smile a way of welcoming his own fate of death...Smoker watched everything before him, while the person beside him reported the intelligence on those people.Tashigi couldn't see the situation in the distance clearly and asked the person beside her who was where just now."The people who appeared just now were Roronoa Zoro, and the White-haired Xize who is as famous as the Straw Hat."Upon hearing that Zoro was also there, Tashigiasked the person: "Is it that Pirate Hunter?""Yes."Smoker, coming back to his senses, looked at the scene before him with a grave expression."Why would that Pirate Hunter come here? Is it for the bounty or...""Report, the intelligence we received is that he is currently on the Straw Hat Pirates."This news made quite a few Marines feel a headache.
Chapter 89: EscapeNow, these two individuals were Alex, who was as famous as the Straw Hat, and Zoro, who was renowned throughout the East Blue.The most critical point was that all three of them were on the same ship.Smoker looked in that direction with a gloomy face, while Tashigi peered through her binoculars and saw the two figures from the weapon shop."Luffy, are you okay!""Seriously, you scared us to death.""Stop talking nonsense, you two. Let's leave here quickly before the Marine surrounds us."Alex interrupted their conversation and began to move toward the direction where their ship was docked.Sure enough, before Alex could finish his sentence, a group of Marines arrived."Hurry up, surround the entire plaza and try to capture all the pirates in one go!""Zoro, Sanji, run!""Which way should we run?""Follow me. Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu."Alex quickly formed the hand seals, and a massive torrent of water instantly washed away the enemies in front of them."Everyone, rush through quickly.""Oh!" × 3The three followed behind Alex, just running, while the Marines here were scattered to the sides by the suddenly appearing water.Smoker moved from his command post on the third floor to the primary combat position.At this moment, his mind was still occupied with what had just happened.Because that smile of Luffy's was the same as the smile of Gol D. Roger before he died.And that bolt of lightning; if it weren't for the white-haired kid going over there, that lightning would have been there to help Luffy out of his predicament.Coupled with this westerly wind, which was the best tailwind for them.All of this indicated that it was as if Heaven itself was favoring this Straw Hat.Since that is the case, then I, White Smoke Smoker, swear on my name as a Colonel of the Marine Headquarters.To capture them on this island!On the other side, a man wearing a dark green coat with unknown markings on his face stood in the distance, watching the movements of Luffy's group."Pirates, huh... That's not bad..."At the execution platform, due to the appearance of the lightning, the platform was destroyed, and Buggy was buried under the debris."Unbelievable! That damn Rubber jinx! And that white-haired dwarf!""Captain Buggy, you're not dead yet!"Cabaji looked at him with a disappointed expression."You want me to die?!" Buggy shouted at him.Alvida, who was nearby, stopped the two from arguing."Buggy! Stop arguing. These people are Marinesoldiers from Headquarters! It won't be good if we provoke any big shots into taking action!"Buggy got up and said to Alvida with a look of disdain."Hmph... Marine soldiers or whatever, I can deal with them with just my nose..."Buggy realized something was wrong, slapped one of the lackeys nearby, and shouted: "Whose nose did you say was weird!"The slapped lackey looked at Buggy in disbelief: "I didn't say anything!"Unfortunately, Buggy didn't care about that."Alright, don't be discouraged, boys. The Rubber kid and that white-haired kid won't escape from here! They can't even imagine that their ship has already been burned to ashes, right!""So brothers, take out these Marine soldiers and then fight our way off this island! Give me my motorcycle!""Coming! Captain!" A group of pirate lackeys threw over a few strange parts.Buggy took the parts, then disassembled his body, and the next moment he appeared in the public view in a strange form.After assembling himself with those parts, Buggyturned into a strangely shaped vehicle."Bara Bara Car—""Let's go! West Port!""Set up the ski track."Alvida's voice came from not far away, and a few pirate lackeys ran over eagerly to set up a slide."Yes, ma'am! Big Sister Alvida!"Seeing the slide set up, Alvida ran and jumped into the air, then took off her shoes.Because of the Sube Sube no Mi, the friction on Alvida's feet was zero.As everyone knows from junior high school physics, for two U-shaped slides of the same height, if there is a small block with no friction or gravity influence sliding down from one end, it can slide to the same position on the other end.And Alvida's move used this theory; although she couldn't slide infinitely like that small block, she could still slide a very long distance."Bomb Engine!""Slippery Ski Track!"Just as the two were preparing to capture Luffy and the others, a cloud of smoke enveloped them."What!""Where did this smoke come from!"But they would soon find out what this smoke was all about."White Smoke Bomb!"The smoke instantly enveloped all the pirates on the scene.At this moment, the pirates saw who it was."Colonel Smoker!"Smoker didn't pay much attention to these lackeys."I don't have time to deal with you now. Bring my Billower Bike over!"After Smoker left, the remaining Marines fired an iron net at Buggy and Alvida.Trapped by the iron net, the two felt as if they had entered the water, unable to muster any strength.Because they couldn't use their strength, Alvidacould only sit on the ground, back-to-back with Buggy.Alvida asked Buggy lazily: "What on earth is this hateful wire net! Was it shot over with those guns!"Buggy was clearly knowledgeable and knew what this thing was."This is a capture shell developed by the Marines specifically to target Devil Fruit users. Most Devil Fruit users will end up like us!"The other pirate lackeys were tied up with ropes and tossed to the side.The onlookers sighed after watching this."Too... too amazing! This is the power of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit!""He captured the entire Buggy Pirates in just an instant."And where was Smoker, who had captured the Buggy Pirates, now?In Loguetown, on a street with many water stains, Smoker was riding his motorcycle, chasing along the water stains.It turned out that the power for that Billower was provided by Smoker himself; he turned his legs into smoke and put them into the wheels on both sides.Then he started rotating his legs, causing the tires on both sides to spin accordingly.In this way, the speed of this vehicle depended on Smoker's own speed.Nami and Usopp quickly arrived on the going merrywith the help of the clone.The two also saw the large block of ice next to the going merry."Alex, what is that ice block?"Usopp didn't recognize the two people, but Namihad a faint impression."These two were sent by the Buggy Pirates to burn down our going merry, but I took them down, so don't worry about them."At this moment, Alex, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were heading toward the going merry.In order to put some distance between them and those behind, Alex had to release Ice Release to block them."Ice Release: Crimson Lotus Hell!""Ah—"Another group of Marine soldiers was frozen."Alex, great job!"Facing the praise from his companions, Alexnodded. He just wanted to leave here quickly now, although he didn't know why they were running.However, a sudden change occurred as a figure appeared in front of the four."Roronoa Zoro!"Alex and Zoro realized that this was the girl they had met at the weapon shop.Judging by her stance, she was actually a Marine."Alex, what happened to those Marines? Why are they frozen!"Alex didn't understand what she meant by that."Forget it. I didn't expect you to be Roronoa and Alex, and even less did I expect you to be pirates! You fooled me! I will never forgive you!"Sanji heard what she said and turned to look at Zoroand Alex."You two, what did you do to that lovely lady!""How would I know? It's inexplicable."Alex didn't even know what she was talking about. Was she just saying whatever came to her mind?Zoro didn't hear Sanji's question; he was staring at her at this moment."I didn't expect you to be a Marine either!"The girl in front of them drew her sword and shouted at Zoro and Alex."I am going to capture you and reclaim the famous sword wado ichimonji!""Is that so? Then come and try to reclaim it...""I see. Then come on. Fire Release...""Stop, Alex. Leave this person to me."Zoro stopped Alex and drew his sandai kitetsu, slashing toward Tashigi."Leave this to me. You guys go!"The three nodded and quickly moved past Tashigi. In that instant, Tashigi prepared to slash at Alex, but Zoro blocked her."Hey, your enemy is me..."With one move, Zoro knocked away her weapon, pushed her against the wall, and placed his sandai kitetsu in front of her neck."No matter what happens... I will never give this sword to you..."After speaking, Zoro coolly sheathed his sword, turned around, and was about to leave."Goodbye, I have to be on my way."Facing this display from Zoro, Tashigi felt humiliated."Why didn't you kill me!"Zoro didn't speak but stood there looking at her."Because I am a woman?"This sentence made Zoro recall all his past with Kuina."Although a woman's strength is not as great as a man's, you holding back in a real sword fight is a humiliation to me! I really wish I could become a man; you wouldn't understand that feeling! I don't carry a sword just for fun!"Tashigi's words could be said to be rubbing salt in Zoro's wounds.After all, a close friend who grew up with him had died after saying these very words, and now someone who looked exactly like her was standing in front of him, saying them again.It was clear what Zoro's mood was like right now.Zoro angrily pointed at her and shouted: "Your very existence makes me extremely annoyed!""Huh?"Tashigi didn't know what he was talking about.Zoro didn't care; he stared at Tashigi with dead fish eyes."Do you know that? Your face looks exactly like my deceased friend! And that's not all; even your way of speaking is just like that girl's! You loud-mouthed woman, stop imitating others everywhere!"After hearing Zoro's words, Tashigi also began to counterattack."Huh? Why are you acting like a child... How rude! And I am me; I have lived like this until now! I don't know what kind of person your good friend was, but I should be the one who is surprised! And you're the one who is loud-mouthed!""What did you say!"The two just stood there arguing like two children.The frozen soldiers were wondering if they would ever get out; they were freezing to death.
Chapter 90: The Legend BeginsThe three people running toward the going merryencountered another obstacle."Why are there more people ahead? Will this ever end!""What? There are still people ahead?""More?"Alex saw someone standing next to a motorcycle."You've arrived. Straw Hat Luffy, White-haired Xize."Hearing the other person call out his and Luffy's names, the two quickly asked."Who are you?""Why are you blocking us?"The man, smoking a cigar in the rain, looked at them with a serious expression."My name is Smoker, and I am a Colonel at the Marine Headquarters! For certain reasons, I will not let you set sail!"After speaking, Smoker extended his fists, and his arms instantly turned into smoke, encircling Luffyand Sanji.Just as the opponent tried to grab Alex, he quickly dodged the smoke."Wind Release: Breakthrough!"Alex quickly formed hand seals, and a large amount of wind blew out from in front of him, scattering the smoke that had trapped Luffy."Hmph, a bounty of 30 million Berries. It seems it wasn't given in error, but is that Straw Hat kid over there really worth that much?"Freed, Luffy and Sanji launched another attack."Damn it, take this! Gomu Gomu no Pistol!""Collier Shoot!"Luffy punched Smoker, and Sanji raised his leg to kick the other man in the face.Unfortunately, their attacks passed right through. Seeing this, Alex immediately activated his Byakugan.In the world of the Byakugan, the smoke before him was his body, but the smoke was also real smoke.Therefore, his body had turned into smoke, and as long as his will did not dissipate, the smoke would not vanish."Luffy, Sanji, fall back! His body has turned into smoke; your attacks cannot hit smoke. Hurry back to the ship; I'll hold him off!"Smoker looked at Alex, surprised that someone here could see through his ability. Was it those eyes?Thinking this, Smoker stopped toying with them; he wanted to quickly finish off the people in front of him."Sanji, let's retreat!"Sanji looked at Smoker unwillingly but turned and left. He knew that staying here would only cause trouble for Alex."Want to run? Take my White Smoke Bomb!"Smoker's arms turned into a large amount of smoke, sweeping toward them."Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"Alex breathed out a fireball, blocking the opponent's attack."Wind, ice, flames… what kind of Devil Fruit did you eat to have so many abilities? But it doesn't matter; no matter how many abilities you have, it's useless. Because! I will capture you all one by one!""In your dreams! Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!"This time, Alex sprayed out a large amount of smoke. Since the opponent was smoke, this technique could allow his own smoke to fuse with the opponent's. Even if it didn't injure him, it would at least delay him.Smoker looked at the gray smoke sweeping over, somewhat confused. He thought, this kid doesn't actually think I'm afraid of this, does he?Thinking this, Smoker didn't pay it much mind and continued his attack."White Blow!"His smoke arms turned into smoke, accelerating his fist as he shot it out to attack Alex.At this moment, Alex created sparks on the edges, igniting the large amount of gray smoke and dust in front of him.Explosions rang out one after another. Realizing something was wrong, Smoker immediately retreated. Of course, his legs were slightly injured because they were entangled with the smoke Alexhad sprayed.Seeing his pant legs scorched, Smoker looked at his opponent and drew the Jitte from his back."Kid, I acknowledge your strength. It seems the Headquarters priced you a bit too low. But it's not too late; capturing you now is just right.""Stop talking big. If you can do it, come and try."Smoker turned his lower body into smoke and attacked Alex.Alex also knew that simple wind and fire could only entangle the opponent.Since Devil Fruit users fear water, then: Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!If anyone were to look at Alex with a Byakugan, they would see his Chakra rapidly depleting.With him as the center, a sphere of water with a radius of 300 meters appeared.Everything on this street was inside this water sphere, even Luffy. If not for Sanji discovering it in time and pulling Luffy out, he would likely have drowned here.As for why Alex was able to cast such a large water sphere, it was mainly because he had manipulated the surrounding rainwater.After all, he was afraid that water created by Chakrawouldn't be able to suppress a Devil Fruit user."Glub, glub..."Sure enough, Smoker gradually sank into the water, his life or death unknown.Even Sanji and Zoro in the distance were complaining that Alex had gone too far this time.Seeing Smoker unconscious, Alex created a Shadow Clone and immediately dispelled the Ninjutsu, causing the water sphere to vanish.A large amount of seawater flooded the street, causing significant damage. Seeing this, Alex left 10 million Berries as compensation.As the water sphere disappeared, the weakening effect on Smoker began to fade.But before he could be happy for long, a small water sphere continued to trap him inside.Water Release: Water Prison Technique."Colonel Smoker of the Marine, the money here is compensation for the damage I just caused. Well, I'm leaving now, bye-bye!"Just as Alex turned to leave, Zoro followed. It seemed the outcome had been decided on his end.But why was Zoro's expression so strange?"You bastard Alex, watch me kill you!"At this moment, Alex realized where the weird feeling came from; Zoro was running over with his sword drawn, haha...Thinking this, Alex ran forward quickly, asking as he ran."Zoro, what are you doing? We're partners!""Let me slash you once, and after that, we'll be partners!""No way, and stop messing around. The water prison won't hold that guy for long. The main task now is to get back to the ship!"Hearing Alex's words, Zoro sheathed his long sword and began running with Alex toward the going merry.Not far ahead, the two saw Sanji and Luffy.Luffy's stomach was bulging, swaying with every step.The two ran over immediately after seeing Alex."You bastard Alex, can you look around next time you attack!""Yeah, yeah, that water didn't taste good at all!"Sanji looked at Luffy, speechless, while Zorocovered his face; it was over, this Captain was a lost cause."Alright everyone, let's get back to the ship quickly. I'm afraid someone else might come to intercept us."The four of them advanced toward the going merryonce again.Bang! With the Shadow Clone disappearing, Smoker, who had been trapped in the water prison, walked out.Just as he was about to take his Jitte to pursue Luffy, a figure appeared in front of him."You are..."The person in front of him wore a dark green coat and had a special pattern on his face.After seeing the other person's appearance clearly, Smoker became tense."The World Government has always wanted your head."But the other person didn't answer, instead saying something to himself."The world is waiting for our answer..."His voice was not deep; instead, it had a sense of familiarity.He spread his sleeves."Squall!""Hehehe... Go! If this is how you do things!"A strong wind swept through the entire town.Even Luffy and the others were swept away by this wind. Alex was just about to resist when he saw they were being blown in the direction of the going merry.Meanwhile, in the square, this strong wind also blew away the special wire nets on Buggy and Alvida.Then, they took advantage of the chaos to hide in a nearby tavern.Smoker looked at the person in front of him; he didn't understand why the other person would do this."What is your purpose in doing this? Why help them! Dragon!""What reason could there be to stop a man from setting sail!"The gale continued to blow through Loguetown.At this moment, the group of four had reached the port, because the sudden gale had made Namirealize that something was wrong.Seeing them return, Usopp immediately shouted."Luffy! Hurry up, the ropes aren't going to hold!"Nami was also anxiously urging them from the side."Hurry up and get on, the ship is leaving!"The four quickly boarded the going merry.On the other side, Smoker returned to his base, and an officer reported to him."I'm truly sorry, but because of this unexpected gale, the Buggy pirates escaped..."Smoker didn't care about those things; at this moment, he gave instructions to the people around him."Prepare a ship quickly; I'm going to chase the Straw Hat!""Eh, where are you going to chase them?""Entering the Grand Line!""Huh!"Before the corporal next to him could react, Tashigialso expressed her thoughts."Let's go! I'm going too!""Even the Sergeant Major wants to go!""I will not forgive Roronoa! I must take him down with my own hands!"The officer next to him was clearly panicked: "That... that, but Colonel, if you leave, what will happen to this town? You know this is under your jurisdiction; how will you answer to the superiors..."Before the other person could finish, Smoker looked at him with a gloomy face."Just tell them not to tell me what to do."In the tavern, the Buggy pirates were resting. Suddenly, what Buggy said next shocked everyone."Go... go to the Grand Line!""Captain, are you okay!"Buggy ignored the crew's attitude."Now is the best time to enter the Grand Line. Plus, we can settle the score with those two bastards!"After speaking, a look of indescribable emotion appeared on Buggy's face, and he said with a slightly nostalgic attitude."We will sail into that nostalgic Grand Line just like this!"Leaving the port, the going merry sailed along with the wind, but unfortunately, the heavy rain made the ship rock back and forth.In such bad weather, they shouldn't have continued sailing, but fortunately, there was a light ahead guiding everyone."Everyone, look at that light! That's the navigation light! The entrance to the Grand Line is right in front of that light. What do you all say?"Nami looked at everyone excitedly, and expressions of excitement appeared on everyone's faces—though Usopp was afraid.Just as Usopp asked if they were really going to sail through the storm, Sanji brought over a wooden barrel."Alright! Let's perform a ceremony for entering the Grand Line!"After speaking, he placed his foot on the barrel."I'm doing this to find the 'ALL BLUE'!"Next was Luffy, who was closest; he said with a serious face."I'm doing this to become the Pirate King!"Zoro placed his foot on it with a relaxed expression."I'm doing this to become the greatest swordsman!"Next was Nami."I'm doing this to draw a map of the world!"Then Usopp."I... I'm doing this to become a brave warrior of the sea!"Finally, Alex; he was a bit short, so he stood on his tiptoes."I'm doing this to challenge all the masters in the world!"After everyone stated their respective goals, they kicked the barrel beneath their feet with all their might, shattering it.The sound of the shattering barrel pierced the heavens and the earth!"Let's set sail! Toward the Grand Line!"
Chapter 91 Reverse MountainAfter finishing their respective oaths, everyone began their work. First, because of the heavy rain, visibility was too low, so Nami entrusted the observation task to Alex, who possessed the Byakugan.Sanji, Zoro, and Usopp took charge of the helm and adjusting the sails, respectively.The only one with nothing to do was Luffy. When he felt bored, he climbed onto the sheep's head of the going merry; according to him, this was his special seat.One wonders what would happen if he were hit by a wave, unable to hold onto the bow, and fell into the sea.Suddenly, Luffy seemed to have discovered a major event and shouted at Nami."Hey, Nami, this is bad! That light went out. Oh no, that's our navigation light!"After hearing this, Nami thought it was some major issue, but it was just the light going out."Lighthouses use lights too, what's so strange about one going out? That's exactly why a navigator is needed! Besides, Alex's Byakugan is also monitoring the surroundings, not to mention I've already memorized the location, so it's fine."Hearing Nami's explanation, Luffy praised her."Wow! You're amazing!""Let's not talk about that for now, get down from there quickly!"Hearing that Nami wanted him to get down from his special seat, Luffy was immediately displeased."No way, this is my special seat, I will absolutely not give this spot to anyone!"Hearing Luffy say this, Nami lost her patience and shouted at him."Who wants your spot!"Confirming that she didn't want his special seat, Luffy climbed down from the bow, and then Namicalled everyone else to the dining room for a discussion.Nami took out the chart of the Grand Line and placed it in the center of the table."Although we have the chart of the Grand Line, the real headache is this, come over and take a look."Everyone gathered around, looked at the content, and saw no issues, or rather, none of them knew where the problem was."So, Nami, what's the problem?""Here, look here."As she spoke, Nami pointed to the middle of the map, to an X-shaped mark there."Everyone look here, the entrance to the Grand Lineis a mountain. Yes, the navigation lighthouse is indeed built on Reverse Mountain on the Red Line."Usopp immediately felt something was wrong upon hearing Nami's words."What? We're going to crash into a mountain?""No, everyone look here, isn't there a canal here?"Nami denied Usopp's statement and then pointed to the canal on the map."A canal? Nonsense! Even if there were a canal, a ship couldn't climb a mountain!""But that's how it's drawn on the map.""Exactly! Do you really doubt Miss Nami could be wrong!""But that map was stolen from Buggy, right? How can we trust it completely?""I, for one, believe Nami. Not for any other reason, but because I've collected some information on this before. After cross-referencing, I can confirm that Nami is right. As for Reverse Mountain, I think it's the Reverse Mountain that appeared when I was gathering information. I was skeptical about why it was called that at first, but now it seems certain. This mountain is composed of four upward canals and one outlet. The entry points from the four seas are all here; you go up the canal to the highest point, then come out the other side, and that's how you reach the Grand Line."Alex integrated the information he had collected and told everyone.After listening, everyone felt it made sense, and even Usopp had to be convinced.Luffy, who was on the side, didn't understand at all."In other words, it's an incredible mountain."Zoro felt this proposal was very dangerous."Why do we have to enter from the entrance? We could just go around to the south or enter from somewhere else!"Luffy pointed at Zoro and shouted at him."You're wrong about that!"Nami looked at Luffy. Although he was usually goofy, she didn't expect him to realize the seriousness of the situation this time. She quickly chimed in."Yes, there is a very big reason."But Luffy's next answer made Nami realize that she was right—Luffy was still the same old Luffy."Entering from the entrance just feels exciting!"Nami punched him: "That's not the reason!"Usopp was leaning against the window looking outside and discovered the sky was clear."Hey! What's going on? The storm suddenly stopped.""It's really quiet."Usopp and Sanji looked outside and found that it was calm.Hearing the two of them, Alex had a bad feeling. He immediately used Body Flicker to get outside. There was no mistake, they had really arrived here.Although he knew the information about this place, he didn't expect it to be completely different from what he had imagined; there was truly no wind here.Nami also realized something was wrong."Eh... what's wrong? It can't be... we should have been able to reach the entrance by following the waves..."Everyone else walked out of the room, saw the weather outside, and cheered, happily celebrating having survived the storm."Hey, Alex, come and cheer with us!"Luffy patted Alex. Usually, he would come over and play along, but now he saw a rather bad scene.Because in the Byakugan, a large group of Sea Kings appeared beneath their ship, but these Sea Kings were just too big!Nami saw that something was wrong and followed them out, instantly realizing where they were."Oh no... we've entered the Calm Belt..."Looking into the distance, one could see that the location of the going merry was sunny and beautiful, but looking back a bit, one could see thunder and dark clouds in the distance. It seemed as if some power was separating the two areas."Calm Belt? What's that?""I don't know, maybe a place with no wind?""It's true, there isn't a breath of wind here.""The Calm Belt is just as you said, there isn't a breath of wind.""Alex, you're back to yourself. What did you see just now?""Monsters!"Nami looked at the people below who were making a racket; it seemed they hadn't realized the gravity of the situation, so she shouted at them."You guys, stop causing trouble here, hurry up and take down the sails, and row the ship back into the storm!"The others didn't understand Nami's words, but Alex knew what she was afraid of."Nami, why are you so panicked? This is a sailboat, why do we need to row?""Yeah, why go back into the storm!"Nami didn't answer Luffy and Usopp's questions and kept shouting at them to do as she said."Don't ask, just do as I say!"Alex, standing to the side, regained his composure and began to speak to Nami."No need, Nami, I can just use Wind Release.""Don't be in such a hurry to leave, it's rare that the weather is this clear..."Before Zoro could finish, Nami knew that if she didn't explain clearly, they wouldn't understand the danger here.Just as Alex was forming hand seals to blow the sails, a violent shaking came from beneath the ship."Whoa, what's going on, is it an earthquake?""Idiot, how can there be an earthquake at sea?""It's coming, everyone hold onto something!""What's coming? Alex, why are you acting all panicked like Nami..."Before Zoro could finish asking, everyone could feel themselves flying upwards.The next moment, a large group of bizarre-looking creatures appeared beneath the going merry, and they were on the head of a huge sea monster that looked like a dinosaur.Through the Byakugan, Alex could see the scene underwater. Compared to the surface, even more bodies were hidden beneath the water.Roughly estimating, these creatures were at least over 4,000 meters, and the highest ones were a full 6,000 to 7,000 meters.You have to know that the highest peak in Alex's original world was only over 8,800 meters, but this was just one creature; how did it grow so big?At this moment, everyone on the ship finally knew what Nami and Alex were afraid of.Nami held onto the mast in fear and spoke to everyone."Now you know what we were afraid of, right? This is the lair of Sea Kings, and giant Sea Kings at that."Alex, Zoro, Luffy, and Sanji each held an oar and stared at the sea surface.Zoro said, trembling all over: "Lis... listen up! Once this monster sinks into the sea, we row for our lives!""Got... got it!"Alex also chose not to use Ninjutsu; he was afraid of accidentally provoking the opponent.The monster beneath the going merry slowly began to move, first slowly opening its mouth."Ugh... ugh... ah-choo!"It turned out it had a cold; with one sneeze, it sent the going merry flying off its head.Fortunately, the going merry was heading in the direction of the storm.But unfortunately, a giant frog lunged over. Seeing this, Alex took out a shuriken."Wind Release: Shuriken!"Blowing wind-attribute Chakra onto the shuriken, the shuriken with added cutting properties flew toward the frog. Unfortunately, the opponent's massive size meant this attack only made it feel itchy.The frog let go of the ship, looked at itself in the water, and started scratching its finger, but Usoppwas thrown out by the jolt.Seeing this, Luffy immediately stretched out his arm to pull him back.With a splash, the going merry safely returned to the storm."...Thank goodness... we've finally returned to the storm..."Everyone was exhausted and lay on the deck, sighing with relief.Alex sat up and looked into the distance; in the Byakugan, he saw something bad.On the other side, Nami was saying to Zoro: "Do you understand now? Why we have to enter from the entrance."Zoro leaned against the mast and calmly said he understood."You understand?"Nami found it hard to believe; what could a blockhead like Zoro possibly understand?"We still have to climb that mountain! You're still talking about that."It seemed he still didn't understand. Just as Namiwas about to explain to Zoro, Alex's voice came over."Everyone get up! Nami, we've veered off course. In front of us is the Red Line, not Reverse Mountain!""What! Alex, how far off course?""Fifteen degrees to the right, not too far!""Very good, Sanji, you and Usopp go take the helm. Alex, you provide specific intelligence, and I'll analyze it. Everyone, get moving!"After Nami finished speaking, Sanji and Usopp went to the helm, prepared to follow Nami's instructions."Now, hard to the right!"At the helm, Sanji felt he couldn't turn it. Just as he was about to exert force to turn it, Alex stopped him."Sanji, don't do that, wait a second. I'll change the water flow around the rudder, it'll be easier to use then."After speaking, Alex quickly formed hand seals, Water Release: Breaking Torrent!A large amount of water appeared near the rudder, beginning to change the water flow around it. Sanjiand Usopp turned it to the right again and felt it was much easier.
Chapter 92: Entering the Grand Line"It's fine now, the going merry is proceeding along the correct current."After the going merry successfully entered the correct current, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but they didn't understand why they had to be sure it was the correct one; wasn't any current fine?After confirming there was no danger, Nami began to explain to everyone."Of course not. Because Reverse Mountain is a winter island, the currents that crash into it go from the sea surface into the seabed.At that point, if you can't enter the correct current, the ship will crash head-on into the Red Line, which means the ship will be destroyed and everyone will die, understand!""Oh, so it really is the Mountain of Wonders!"This was Luffy's understanding of Reverse Mountain.On the other hand, Zoro nodded from the side; he only understood it now."In other words, once you choose the wrong current, the ship will be destroyed and everyone will die."Sanji pondered on the side: "I have heard a little something about it...""Is it about the Mountain of Wonders?""How could it be? It's about the Grand Line.I heard that half the people lose their lives before they even get in.So it's not that easy to get in.I didn't understand it before, but now it seems that half of them must have died in this special current."At this moment, Luffy shouted: "I see the Mountain of Wonders!"On the towering Red Line, there was a canal flowing upwards, and at the entrance, there were many stone arches standing on both sides of the canal."So big, is that the Red Line!""It's like a dream."Likewise, everyone saw the canal that would lead them into the Grand Line."Everyone, look at the canal entrance!""The ocean is actually climbing the mountain!"Because Alex had sensed it in advance and led everyone successfully into the correct canal, the going merry entered safely."We're in!"Everyone could hardly contain their excitement and began to cheer."This is great! Once we pass through the canal, we'll see the Grand Line. That is where our dreams lie!""Forward, going merry!"This upward canal carried the going merry quickly to the top, where Alex saw three other identical currents.Were those the entrances to the other three seas? However, the one right in front of them was what mattered most now, as the going merry reached the summit."Next, we just have to wait to rush down! Everyone, I see the Grand Line!"Luffy shouted excitedly.The going merry crested the peak and dove downwards, with Sanji and Usopp standing on either side of the mast.Luffy sat on the head of the going merry, admiring the scenery before him."This is... the greatest ocean in the world!Charge, going merry!""Boooooo!"Suddenly, a sound reached everyone's ears. Hearing this sound, the others were a bit puzzled.Zoro asked if anyone else heard anything."Hey, what is this sound? Did you guys hear anything?"Luffy didn't care: "Who cares—charge!"Nami said not to worry: "Could it be the wind? It must be because there are many strange terrains here."Alex realized that it wasn't some strange terrain."Everyone, be careful! There is a huge creature blocking our path ahead!""What? Alex, you're not mistaken, are you!""Alex isn't mistaken; there really is something there."Usopp, one of the duo sitting on the mast, looked through his goggles and saw the thing in front clearly.Sanji also saw that there was a big mountain ahead, and he immediately reported to Nami."Miss Nami! I've discovered a mountain directly ahead; it seems it must be the creature Alexmentioned!""A creature? What kind of creature could be that big! Is it a giant Sea King?""Never mind that, everyone hold on tight! I'm going to slow the going merry down, otherwise if we really crash into it, the ship will definitely be destroyed and we'll all die!"Then Alex created a clone and began to perform a joint Ninjutsu, Water Style: Water Wall!A large amount of seawater appeared in front of the going merry; he wanted to use this to slow the going merry's speed.As for why he didn't use Wind Release, it was mainly for fear of damaging the hull of the going merry.With wave after wave of seawater blocking them, the going merry's speed gradually slowed down.Finally, it stopped three or four meters away from the whale."Wow! Alex, you're amazing! My special seat is saved!"Luffy hugged the bow and rubbed against it for a while. Everyone else also breathed a sigh of relief; otherwise, if they had really crashed, even if they didn't die, their dreams would have stopped right then and there."So what do we do now? Just leave? Let's leave from the side!""Sure, who's going to the helm?"Sanji and Usopp ran to the helm and turned it to the right, and the going merry sailed away from the right side."Boooooo!""Wow, my ears hurt!""Stop talking nonsense, get away from here quickly!"They were afraid that Alex's Ninjutsu would make the other party think it was an attack, so they forbade him from using it.This huge roar made everyone's inner ears feel uncomfortable. Luffy couldn't take it anymore and punched the other party hard in the eye."You bastard, you made my friends uncomfortable! Do you want to fight!"The giant whale saw the thing that had just attacked it, then rolled its eye to look at the going merry."Bring it on, you bastard!"Luffy's punch could be said to have completely driven everyone to despair. Nami was already lying on the deck, unwilling to move, and the others punched Luffy hard on the head."Idiot! Why did you hit it!"The giant whale opened its huge mouth and sucked the going merry into its belly.But because Luffy had been knocked away by everyone's punches, he remained outside.However, he was in the seawater, with a large amount of seawater below him and the whale's mouth in front of him."Ahhhhhh!I'm going to fall! But I'm not going to die!"Luffy stretched his arm to grab the whale's teeth, then took the opportunity to swing onto the top of the whale's head, thereby avoiding death.Luffy was panting on the whale's head when he suddenly realized that his friends had been swallowed by it."What do I do... Everyone got eaten."Then Luffy brought out his fist and attacked the whale's head with all his might."Hey, you guy, spit out my friends! Give me back my friends! Spit them out!Gum-Gum—Battle Axe!"This move, which was enough to shatter a building, hit the whale's head, but only made it feel a little something; there was no other reaction."Boooooo!"After letting out a cry, the whale began to dive into the water.Seeing it leaving, Luffy wouldn't have it; his friends were still in its mouth, so Luffy kicked its head hard."Damn it! You actually want to dive into the sea! Hey, wait a minute!Wait a minute! Give me back my friends! We still have to continue our adventure together!They are very important to me!"Unfortunately, the whale ignored Luffy. It began to dive rapidly, and Luffy could only retreat backwards.Suddenly, he saw an iron door on the whale's back.Meanwhile, inside the whale, Alex looked at the scene before him and then asked everyone."How are you all feeling now!""You ask us how we feel... How do you think I feel... I think we've been swallowed by a whale..."What appeared before everyone's eyes was not the terrifying interior of a whale's belly, but a small island and that expanse of blue sky.It was like a paradise.Seeing this, Usopp was a bit at a loss."This must be a dream...Yeah, it's most likely a dream...""Then, what about that island and that house?"Regarding Sanji's question, Usopp stammered: "...Is it an illusion?"Just at this moment, a giant squid appeared before everyone."It's a giant squid!"The giant squid saw the going merry and immediately extended its tentacles, wanting to wrap around it.But Alex wouldn't let it have its way. With Chakraattached to his Kunai, Alex struck a special pose, then swung the Kunai in his hand, unleashing a flying combat technique that severed the creature's tentacles.Just as Alex was preparing to kill it, three fish spears flew out from the house, pinning the giant squid and killing it instantly.Seeing this scene, Zoro stared at the house with a solemn expression, then asked Sanji on the side."It seems like there's someone inside.""If there's someone, that would be great."Usopp and Nami were almost crying; these successive events were really challenging their nerves.Usopp asked Nami on the side: "By... by the way, where did Luffy run off to?"Nami seemed not to hear, her body having entered a state of shutdown."I don't know, I'm not sure, I just want to go home now...""I saw Luffy go outside; he's probably outside the whale."It was Alex who told Usopp Luffy's approximate location.On the other side, Luffy, who had entered the inside of the whale through the iron door, was stunned by the scene before him.These dense iron corridors, wooden shelves, and wires didn't look like they were inside a whale at all."What's going on? Why is there a door on the whale... and a path..."But Luffy couldn't care about that much; his goal now was to rescue his friends who had been swallowed into the whale's belly.At the same time, his friends encountered big trouble: a person walked out of the house."How about it? Should we fight? If we're going to fight, we can use the cannons to blast that small island..."Bang! Before Usopp could finish speaking, he was hit by Alex."Idiot, this is someone else's territory. We haven't even greeted them, and you want to start hacking away? That's not very polite.""Hmm? A ship?"A person wearing casual clothes walked out of the house, holding three hemp ropes in his hand. It seemed the fish spears on the giant squid had been fired by him."He really came out. What is this? A flower?"Sanji saw someone walk out from inside, and the person had petal-like hair on his head, with the shiny forehead being the flower center."So what kind of person is that guy?""Regardless of who he is or what his purpose is, this old man is quite strong. I just don't know what his purpose was in intervening.Was it just simple fishing, or did he intervene to save us?"The old man glanced over here. Zoro and Sanjithought he was going to attack and immediately got serious. Alex also shifted his body slightly, striving to counterattack the moment the other party made a move.
Chapter 93: Inside the Whale's BellyUnfortunately, the old man only glanced at them before walking over to a beach chair nearby and sitting down.Seeing that the other party seemed to ignore them, Sanji couldn't hold it in any longer."Say something! You bastard!"Usopp, standing to the side, was also incredibly nervous, trembling as he pointed at the man and made a threat."If... if you want to fight, we'll take you on, you bastard... We have cannons, you know!"The old man was speechless. I'm just sitting here reading the newspaper for a while, is all this necessary? Although he was speechless, he decided to explain anyway.Then, with a gloomy face and a serious tone, the old man responded to the two of them."...You'd better forget it, people will die.""Huh? Who do you say will die?"But the old man's next words made everyone's jaws drop."Me!"Alex was speechless. What kind of person is this, saying something so cowardly with such a serious face?"You're talking about yourself?!""How dare you look down on us, you guy."Zoro stepped forward to stop Sanji, who wanted to teach the man a lesson."Forget it, don't be impulsive. Alex is right; this is his territory, after all, so we shouldn't cause trouble."After stopping Sanji, Zoro looked at the old man and asked where they were."Hey, old man, can you tell us where this is, and who you are?"The old man looked at Zoro with that same insufferable, arrogant expression."When asking someone a question, you should introduce yourself first. That's just polite, isn't it?"Realizing he was in the wrong, Zoro apologized."Yeah, yeah... You're right. Sorry."Then he prepared to introduce himself."I am..."Before Zoro could finish, the other man started rattling off his own information."My name is Crocus. I am the lighthouse keeper of Twin Capes. I'm 71 years old, a Gemini, and have blood type AB."Seeing him act this way, even Zoro couldn't help but want to slash him.Sanji quickly stopped him: "Forget it, calm down."Hearing this, Zoro knew Sanji was getting back at him for his earlier actions.Alex could see that this old gentleman just had an eccentric way of thinking and wasn't a bad person.Crocus continued to explain their location."You're still asking me where this is? You break into my private vacation spot and dare to talk big? Do you think you're in the belly of a mouse?"Hearing his words, Usopp and Nami immediately felt uneasy.Seeing this, Alex stepped forward to ask him."Excuse me, old sir, how do we get out of here?"The old man pointed to a large iron door nearby."That way will do."Seeing that he was capable of normal conversation, Zoro and Sanji both felt like they wanted to kill the old man, but they were stopped by Alex.After all, it was more important to get out quickly, otherwise the going merry would be corroded by the whale's stomach acid.Seeing him point to the large iron door beside him, Nami was a bit puzzled."So why is there a hole in the whale's belly, and why is this door in the sky..."Usopp noticed something unusual."No, Nami, wait a second. The horizon and the clouds are all painted. The walls of the whale's stomach are covered in paintings!""I painted those for fun."Crocus indicated that he was the one who painted them."What on earth have you been doing in here!"Regarding Usopp's retort, Zoro grabbed him and urged him on."Forget it, don't pay any attention to him. Since there's an exit, let's get out of here now.""What's going on?!""This intense shaking, could it be that the whale is doing something again?"Just as they were piloting the going merry to leave, the stomach acid beneath their feet began to churn."It's starting..."As the stomach acid rolled, everyone was finally able to see what was beneath the old man's feet."Everyone, look! That's not an island! It's a ship! And an iron one at that!""So that means this seawater really is stomach acid! Oh no, if we stay any longer, the going merry will be melted!"Hearing the man say it was starting, Alex quickly asked."Hey, old man! What's starting? Explain!""This whale... has started ramming its head into the Red Line...""What!"Hearing this news left everyone in disbelief.Because the instinct of living creatures is to seek advantages and avoid harm, and whales are among the smartest marine creatures, the best of the best.Alex felt that this whale had suffered mental trauma.Nami also began to explain to everyone."I see. Now I understand. This whale's forehead has many scars, and it also bellows at the sky; everything indicates that it is in great pain."Hearing Nami's explanation, Usopp looked at the old man in front of them."Is that so... So that old man's goal is this! He intends to kill this whale from the inside. What a vicious way to kill..."Alex saw a clue and thought Usopp was wrong."No, Usopp, you're wrong. This old gentleman is here to save the whale. If he wanted to kill the whale, he wouldn't be living here."Zoro, on the other hand, thought nothing of it."Don't worry about what he's doing. Let's get out of here quickly. If we keep dawdling, we'll be melted."Sanji chimed in from the side."That's true, just as Zoro said. Whether this guy is killing or saving the whale has nothing to do with us. The most important thing is to get out of here fast."While they were discussing, the whale had already leapt high into the air and then rammed its head into the Red Line.The violent shaking made it impossible for everyone to stand steady.Even Luffy, who was traveling inside the whale, was sent crashing around the pipes by the impact.In the pipes, two mysterious people appeared, and they were currently discussing how to kill the old man and the whale!One of them was a woman, and the other was a young man wearing a crown.Luffy stumbled his way out of the passage and was now standing by the edge of a water channel."...Where is this again? Is it the sea? A river? Why does it look like a water channel?"Just as he saw an opening ahead and prepared to go over and take a look, the whale rammed into the Red Line once again.Luffy was sent flying again.Everyone in the stomach wasn't having an easy time either; wave after wave of impacts caused the stomach acid to churn, making it impossible for the going merry to get near the door."Hey... the stomach acid is so turbulent, we can't reach the exit!""But if we don't hurry, we're going to lose our lives here!"While everyone was worried about the going merry, Crocus leapt into the stomach acid.Usopp was shocked by Crocus's actions: "Hey, that old man jumped into the stomach acid! What is he doing? He's going to be melted!""Maybe he has a way to make the whale calm down.""He's swimming toward the exit. Let's get out of here too, before this whale goes even crazier.""Alright, leave the rest to me. I don't know if it will work."Alex went to the stern and began forming hand signs: Water Release: Water Colliding Wave.A large amount of fresh water appeared behind the going merry, pushing it toward the door.What everyone didn't see was that there was a small door above the main gate, which had been occupied by two people.These two people were the pair that wanted to hunt down Crocus and the whale.And Luffy, unable to stop, crashed headlong into the two of them.Just like that, the three of them flew out of the small door, and everyone on the ship saw Luffy.In this way, the Straw Hat Pirates reunited in an unimaginable way."Yay! Is everyone okay! Never mind that, save me first!"On the other side, the two people looked at the sea of stomach acid beneath their feet and began to scream."This is bad! Ms. Wednesday! Below is a sea of stomach acid!"The woman had no choice but to scream, shouting "No!"Alex then formed hand signs and used wind to rescue Luffy.The two people fell directly into the sea of stomach acid and began to splash around."Hey, Alex, besides Luffy, there are two strange people. Should we save them?"Usopp pointed at Crocus, who had already swum to the main gate, and shouted."Forget that! Look! That old man is trying to escape!"Crocus went through the small door and arrived in a small room, which was wrapped in iron plating, with only one spot exposing flesh.He first took out a huge barrel, drew liquid from it, and then looked at the empty barrel beside it, sighing: "There's only this much sedative left. Looks like I need to make some more."So these barrels contained sedatives.Crocus injected the prepared sedative into the whale, while praying in his heart that it would stop ramming.That is the Red Line, which divides the world's oceans; even if you rammed it for a lifetime, you wouldn't be able to break it.With the success of the sedative, the whale stopped ramming and lay quietly on the water.As the whale calmed down, everyone felt much more relaxed, but what about the two guys who were rescued?"Luffy, what should we do with these two? Kill them directly, or tie them up and sink them into the stomach acid?"Alex's words terrified everyone, and not just them; even the two guys who were pretending to be asleep jumped right up."Bastard! What are you trying to do!""Oh, you're awake. Since you're awake, introduce yourselves."Alex had realized they were awake when they were rescued; they were just pretending to be asleep on the side.The two looked at each other and said nothing. On the other side, Uncle Crocus, who had calmed the whale down, walked out of the small room.When he returned to the whale's stomach, he saw the two people on the going merry. After recognizing them, he began to curse at them."As long as I live, I will never let you two bastards hurt Laboon!"Luffy didn't know this old man and asked Usopp.However, while everyone was talking, the two nobodies took out two cannons from who knows where and were about to fire at Crocus."Hehehehe... That sounds nice, but we are already inside the whale's belly! If we open a hole in the stomach, it will die, right!"After speaking, they pulled the triggers, and two cannonballs were fired.Earth Release: Earth Spear! Alex formed hand signs to generate two earth spears, which pierced through the two cannonballs.And Crocus fell from the air.It turned out that when he saw the two pull the triggers, he didn't even think and jumped over, preparing to use his own body to block the cannonballs.Usopp saw his actions and quickly asked everyone."Was that old man just trying to use his own body to protect this whale?""It seems so. If Alex hadn't acted suddenly, those two cannonballs would have hit the old man."Zoro's words confirmed Usopp's guess.