...
*Party Resort*
The radio in the corner played upbeat, passionate music. Slices of lemon clung to the sides of iced mojito glasses, and steaks sizzled on the barbecue grill.
The pool party was filled with the cheerful laughter of men and women.
Wearing sunglasses and loose floral swim trunks, Allen lay on a lounge chair by the pool, soaking up the sun.
Picking up the whiskey highball from the small white round table beside him, Allen took a sip. The cool mint and tart lemon bloomed together on the tip of his tongue.
*Refreshing!!*
In the pool, Nami, wearing a sexy swimsuit, lay on a duck floatie. Holding a mojito, she drifted comfortably with the ripples.
On the other side, Sanji's eyes had turned into hearts. He was mingling with several bikini-clad beauties, playing water volleyball. The happiness on his face was practically overflowing.
He really hit the jackpot this time.
Allen turned his head to look at the other side of the table. Gin lay on a lounge chair with his hands behind his head and his legs crossed.
He wore a trendy purple T-shirt printed with the Doskoi Panda logo and black athletic shorts, looking somewhat stylish.
"It's rare to see you this relaxed for once. I thought you only knew how to keep a straight face," Allen said with a light chuckle.
Hearing his voice, Gin glanced back at him uncertainly before realizing what he meant. He smiled in relief.
"Ah, I like to relax like this occasionally. After all, living as a pirate means spending more than enough time on edge."
"Gin is right."
Nami drifted over on her duck floatie and smiled, raising her glass. "Life should be spent enjoying every day to the fullest. Cheers to our vacation."
"Cheers to our vacation."
"Cheers."
The three of them clinked their glasses and drank.
Setting down his glass, Allen was just about to lie back comfortably and bask in the sun.
Suddenly, two figures not far away caught his eye.
"Mr. 3..."
"Whatever it is, save it for later. Also, do not call me by my code name in a public place like this."
Wearing a blue-and-white striped collared shirt and sporting a bizarre "3" shaped topknot on his head, Mr. 3 took a sip of black tea and spoke slowly.
"That will expose... that I am Mr. 3...!"
"Is that so..."
Wearing a pink top hat, Miss Goldenweek slightly raised her head, staring at the "3" on his head, lost in deep thought.
Allen silently lowered his sunglasses and lay back down to continue sunbathing.
*As expected of the strongest Yonko Commander, Brother 3. This leisurely and cozy posture, every movement displays the demeanor of a true powerhouse.*
*To think I would encounter such a formidable enemy here. It seems I have no choice but to avoid battle for today.*
"Captain! Something terrible has happened, Captain!"
Just as Allen was beginning to enjoy his sunbath, an untimely shout ruined his mood once again.
A crew member ran up in a panic, clutching his bloodstained shoulder.
Seeing this, Allen knew his vacation was over. He sat up, faced the pirate, and frowned. "What happened? Who did this?"
"Captain!"
The pirate hurriedly dropped to his knees and cried out, "We got into a fight with another pirate crew at the tavern! Several of our brothers were badly injured!"
Hearing this, Gin stepped forward and asked in a deep voice, "Which pirate crew are they from?"
"Well... they didn't announce themselves. He took us all down in an instant, so we didn't even have a chance to ask."
The injured pirate answered guiltily, as if too ashamed to show his face.
Getting beaten up without even knowing who the opponent was left a trace of dissatisfaction in Gin's eyes. He then looked down at Allen and said, "Captain, let me take some men and handle this."
"Forget it, let's all go together."
Allen sighed, completely stripped of his vacation mood. He stood up, looking down at the pirate. "Lead the way."
"Yes, sir!"
...
"They got beaten up pretty badly..."
"I heard these guys are from the Demon Lion Pirates..."
"I wonder if a full-blown battle is going to break out."
At the entrance of a bar in the tourist plaza, seven or eight pirates lay sprawled on the ground, each bearing various injuries.
Many onlookers had stopped on both sides of the street. Seeing the fallen pirates, the pedestrians whispered and discussed among themselves.
Suddenly, someone caught a glimpse of movement in the distance out of the corner of their eye.
"Hey, look over there."
"That's a lot of people. Are they coming to get revenge?"
The crowd turned their heads and saw a massive group of figures appearing at the end of the street, marching forward imposingly with swords drawn and guns at the ready.
"Their captain and officers are all here..."
"Things are about to get lively on this island."
"Hey, let's go. We need to get out of here."
The pedestrians had varying expressions; some were excited and ready to watch the fight, while others were worried and dragged their companions away.
The street plaza instantly descended into chaos as a large number of civilians, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire, evacuated in a panic.
Inside the tavern.
"Captain, that pirate crew is back for revenge. Demon Lion Allen is with them."
"I know."
At the bar, a man wearing a blue Western-style swordsman outfit and a black eye mask replied indifferently. He looked thoughtfully at Allen's wanted poster on the table.
Picking up the two weapons leaning against the bar and strapping them to his waist, Drake stood up and walked toward the door.
"Let's go. We'll meet them in battle."
"Yes, sir!"
The pirates inside the tavern quickly grabbed their weapons and followed.
Outside, Allen led nearly a hundred pirates into the plaza. He glanced at the tavern, raised his hand, and twitched his fingers toward the men behind him.
"Bazookas."
"Yes, sir!"
Three subordinates stepped forward in response, each shouldering a bazooka. They aimed at the tavern and pulled the triggers.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Smoke erupted as three shells shot toward the tavern, trailing long tails of flame.
Right at that moment.
*Bang!!*
The tavern doors suddenly blasted open, and a figure leaped out at blinding speed, wielding a sword and an axe to unleash a flying slash at the incoming shells!
*Boom!! Boom!!*
The flying slash, resembling a cyan crescent moon, accurately struck the shells, detonating them in mid-air.
Drake landed back on the ground, his cold gaze fixed on Allen.
Seeing his figure clearly, the nearby onlookers were all shocked.
"He's here! It's X Drake!"
"He actually shot down the bazooka shells... So strong!"
"No kidding, that's a pirate with a bounty over a hundred million, a Super Rookie from the North Blue!"
"The fallen Marine Rear Admiral, X Drake?!"
Hearing the surrounding chatter, Nami's eyes were filled with astonishment and a trace of panic.
"What's wrong, Nami-san? Have you heard of him?"
"Ah, I saw him in the newspaper. If I remember correctly..."
Facing Sanji's question, Nami's eyes carried a heavy seriousness as she said, "His latest bounty should be... 140 million Berries...!"
"What!!" xN
The row of pirates in the back was so shocked that their eyeballs practically popped out of their sockets.
Wasn't this bounty more than twice as high as their captain's?!
"Don't make such a fuss. This is the Grand Line; it's not strange to run into any kind of monster here," Allen said, the corners of his mouth curling up into a grin as he stared at Drake with a burning gaze.
On the way here, he had already faintly guessed the opponent's identity from his injured subordinate's description.
There were many people who wore swordsman attire, but the only one Allen could think of who simultaneously wielded a rapier and a four-bladed axe was Drake.
The moment he laid eyes on Drake, getting revenge or settling the score no longer mattered. There was only one thing he wanted to do right now.
And that was to fight!
"What do we do now, Allen?"
Nami hurriedly glanced at the Log Pose on her wrist. "The Log Pose still needs a little more time to finish recording. If we retreat now, we'll have to use the Eternal..."
*Swish!*
Before she could finish speaking, a figure flashed out from beside her under Nami's panicked gaze!
"Wait a minute! Allen?!"
Nami hurriedly raised her hand and called out, but she was completely unable to stop him. In just the blink of an eye, Allen had already charged forward!
"So impatient, aren't we..."
Seeing this, Drake spoke in an indifferent tone. He drew the weapons from his waist with both hands, his gaze darkening as his figure instantly launched forward.
The next second.
"Let's go!"
"Charge!!"
"Charge with the Captain!"
The men on both sides erupted, brandishing swords and guns as they fiercely charged at each other simultaneously!
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