Under the scorching sun, the port city of Nanohana in Alabasta should have been bustling with merchants and filled with the fragrance of spices.
But when the Going Merry dropped anchor in a hidden reef and Ronan's group stepped onto this parched land—
What greeted them was not warm desert wind.
It was the nauseating stench of burning flesh… and blood.
The distant skyline was no longer a pure sandy yellow.
It was torn apart by streaks of pitch-black smoke.
"What… what happened over there?"
Vivi clutched her chest tightly, her voice trembling.
As the princess of this kingdom, she had an almost instinctive connection to this land.
And what she felt now—
Was the land itself crying.
"Noise… killing… and cries of despair."
Ronan tilted his head slightly.
With his enhanced senses, he could clearly hear the hellish symphony unfolding in the city—even from miles away.
"Let's go. Into the city."
For once, Luffy wore no grin.
The shadow of his hat obscured his eyes.
They quickened their pace.
And as they approached—
The truth tore open before them like a blood-soaked canvas.
The moment they stepped through Nanohana's gates—
Everyone felt a chill run through their bones.
The once orderly streets were now covered in shattered debris.
Flames devoured the buildings on both sides, tongues of fire licking greedily at everything.
This was no longer a place for merchants and camels.
It belonged to death.
"HAHAHAHA! Kill them! Kill all these poor rats! Take anything valuable—leave the worthless corpses!"
A group of pirates, their blades dripping with blood, chased a woman clutching a child.
Not far away—
Men in rebel uniforms, their eyes twisted with violence, kicked open doors and dragged terrified civilians out.
They had long forgotten the meaning of "justice."
Greed and chaos consumed them.
"Why… why is this happening…"
Vivi collapsed to her knees in the ashes.
Tears streamed down her face, falling onto the burning sand.
"Please… stop hurting my people!!"
The air warped from the heat.
Dust and blood mist swirled together.
A picture of a dying kingdom—of suffering humanity—unfolded before them.
Luffy stood in the center of the street.
His breathing was slow and deep.
Each breath carried the faint rumble of thunder.
The murderers around him hadn't even noticed—
A true monster had arrived.
"Ronan. Zoro. Sanji. Usopp."
His voice was low.
Like thunder before a storm.
"…Yeah."
Ronan answered quietly.
His ebony staff struck the ground with a dull sound, carving a deep groove into the stone.
Luffy raised his head.
In his dark eyes—
Burned a fury that pierced the soul.
"Kill them all."
"Every pirate… every piece of trash slaughtering civilians…"
"KILL THEM ALL!!!"
The moment those words fell—
Luffy vanished.
No technique.
Just pure, explosive speed.
The next second—
He appeared beside the pirate chasing the woman.
"Die."
He didn't even stretch his arm.
Just a simple punch.
BOOM!!
The moment his fist touched the man's chest—
Armament Haki erupted like a black tidal wave.
No bones breaking.
No time to scream.
The man's chest simply caved in—
His body exploded midair like a crushed tomato.
Luffy moved through the rain of blood.
Too fast to see.
Each punch—
Another life erased.
In his rage—
He was judgment itself.
Ronan moved into another street.
Dozens of attackers had cornered civilians in a dead end, preparing to slaughter them.
"In the fall of a kingdom… it's always the people who suffer most."
He sighed softly.
But his eyes were ice cold.
The ebony staff trembled in his hand, humming like a dragon.
"Xingyi Spear!"
He stepped forward, hips sinking—
And swept the staff out.
The black staff, heavy as a mountain yet fluid as a serpent—
Cut through the crowd.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Every head it touched—
Exploded like overripe fruit.
Ronan didn't use flashy techniques.
He simply walked.
A tap—throats crushed.
A sweep—spines shattered.
He moved like a calm reaper—
Pruning sin from the world.
Each strike—
Erased another piece of evil.
Elsewhere—
Zoro had already drawn all three swords.
"Three-Sword Style: Tornado!"
In the narrow alley—
He became a whirlwind of death.
The rebels couldn't even see the blade.
Under his monstrous strength—
Armor was no stronger than paper.
Bodies fell apart without resistance.
On the other side—
Sanji's legs burned crimson.
"Diable Jambe: Skewer!"
Every kick pierced straight through his enemies.
For those who preyed on the weak—
He offered no elegance.
Only destruction.
Most shocking of all—
Was Usopp.
The once cowardly sniper now stood firm against three gunmen firing at him.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Bullets struck his chest—
And bounced off, sparking harmlessly.
"My body… was trained by Ronan himself!!"
Usopp roared.
He stomped forward, cracking the stone beneath his feet.
Abandoning his slingshot—
He crushed his enemy's jaw with his bare fists.
Thirty minutes.
That was all it took.
Nanohana, once filled with screams—
Fell into dead silence.
The desert wind blew again—
But it couldn't wash away the thick stench of blood.
Not a single enemy remained standing.
The pirates.
The corrupted rebels.
All lay scattered in pieces across the ground.
Ronan lowered his staff.
It was spotless—
A sign of absolute control.
He looked at the civilians emerging from rubble and hiding places.
Covered in dust.
Eyes filled with shock.
Then—
From the crowd—
Came a wave of quiet, uncontrollable sobbing.
Relief.
Grief.
Survival.
Luffy stood atop the ruined clock tower in the center of the city.
The setting sun stretched his shadow long across the broken land.
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