Inside the VIP prison beneath Rain Dinners, the situation had turned critical.
Rumble...
With Crocodile's departure, the hidden intake valves behind the walls fully opened. Cold groundwater surged in like a broken dam.
The water level rose with terrifying speed, submerging everyone to their knees in the blink of an eye.
"Ugh... no strength..." The moment the water touched Luffy, his skeletal structure seemed to turn to jelly. He collapsed, face-planting into the rising tide.
On the other side, Smoker was equally pathetic; the combination of the Seastone bars and the sea-energy in the water reduced the Logia user to a helpless husk. He knelt, gasping, unable to lift a finger.
Just as despair began to settle in once more—
BAM!!
A dull thud echoed. The giant Banana Crocodile guarding the cage was sent flying by a black leather shoe, crashing into the wall and passing out.
"I've got Klay watching the door." A blonde figure in a suit and sunglasses landed stylishly. "Sorry to keep you waiting."
Sanji—acting as Mr. Prince—pushed up his glasses with a confident smirk. "Is everyone alright? The Prince is here to rescue you... Though I took a look around, and it seems the key was swallowed by a crocodile. I'm just not sure which one..."
The crew looked at the dozens of snapping crocodiles circling the tank. Their hearts sank. In another timeline, Mr. 3 would have used his wax powers to forge a key. But here?
Viktor looked at the empty space where the "Wax-Man" should have been and sighed. "The grass on Mr. 3's grave is probably two meters high by now. There's no wax key coming."
"If there's no key, we cut it!" Zoro clamped Wado Ichimonji between his teeth. He struggled against the water's resistance, exerting every ounce of strength into a downward strike.
CLANG!!
Sparks flew. The recoil numbed Zoro's arms, but the grey bar remained unmoved—not even a scratch. "No use... this stuff is harder than steel!"
The water reached their chests. Glug, glug... Luffy was already rolling his eyes and blowing bubbles. Under the water's pressure, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji couldn't find the leverage to break the cage.
"Hm."
Viktor took a deep breath. Blue chakra began to swirl and gather beneath his feet. To the shock of everyone—especially Smoker—Viktor didn't soak in the water.
Instead, he stood firmly upon the undulating surface! He reached down, grabbed the back of a drowning Luffy's collar, and hoisted him up like a wet kitten so the captain could breathe.
"Guren... you're standing on water?!" Smoker rasped.
Viktor ignored the shock. He stared at the indestructible Seastone bars, his mind racing. The Butterfly Effect... because I killed Mr. 3, the original escape route is gone. Seastone hardness is comparable to that of diamond. Physical attacks are useless. However...
Viktor's eyes sharpened. System! Exchange Ninjutsu!
[Ding! Consumed 1,500 Ninjutsu Points. Exchanged Water Style: Water Severing Wave.]
A smirk touched Viktor's lips. If physical force failed, he'd use science. He looked at Zoro inside and Sanji outside. "Zoro, Sanji! Get ready! On my mark, hit this bar with everything you've got!"
"What? It won't work!" Zoro shouted. "The blades will snap!"
"Who said I'm just cutting it?" Viktor's fingers blurred into hand signs. "Everything has a weakness, even Seastone."
Step 1: Extreme Heat. Viktor's chest expanded. Fire-natured chakra compressed in his throat. He unleashed a high-pressure, pinpoint jet of flame. "Burn!!"
[Fire Style: Great Fire Destruction!]
BOOM—!! A concentrated line of fire, white-hot and terrifying, slammed into the center of the Seastone bar. Even above the water, the radiant heat was suffocating. Under the sustained, ultra-high temperature, the "indestructible" metal began to glow—first dull red, then a translucent, brilliant orange!
Step 2: Extreme Cold. "NOW!!"
Viktor ceased the fire and instantly switched hand signs, drawing from the cold lake water beneath his feet. Tiger - Hare - Boar - Dog - Ox!
[Water Style: Water Severing Wave!!]
This was the signature technique of the Second Hokage—a high-pressure water jet with enough cutting power to slice through the roots of the God Tree.
PSHHH—!! A razor-thin stream of ice-cold water blasted from Viktor's mouth, striking the glowing, red-hot bar with incredible kinetic energy.
SIZZLE————!!! A massive plume of white steam erupted. The Seastone, having just endured thousands of degrees only to be hit by near-freezing water in a millisecond, suffered catastrophic thermal shock. The internal molecular structure shattered.
CRACK! A crisp, musical sound rang out in the prison. A visible fissure appeared on the glowing bar.
"DO IT!!!" Viktor roared.
The two powerhouses struck simultaneously. "One Sword Style: Iai... ONI GIRI!!" "Mutton... SHOT!!"
Blade and kick slammed into the fracture.
SHATTER!!! The Seastone bar, rumored to be uncuttable even by diamonds, let out a final metallic scream and disintegrated into fragments.
"It's open!!" "Move, move!!"
As the water touched the ceiling, the group grabbed the half-dead Luffy and Smoker, darting out of the cage like fish just a second before the room was fully submerged.
Cough! Hack! On the corridor of Rain Dinners, the group lay soaked, gasping for fresh air. Smoker spat out several mouthfuls of bitter water, his strength finally returning as he moved away from the Seastone debris.
He looked up, his gaze complex, watching this group of pirates wringing out their clothes and bickering.
As a Marine, he should have arrested them on the spot. But... Smoker gripped his jitte. "Why save me?" he asked hoarsely. "I'm a Marine. As long as I live, I'll hunt you."
Luffy, who was currently acting like a fountain and spraying water out of his mouth, turned around with an expression that suggested it was the simplest thing in the world. "Because if we didn't, you'd die."
No grand philosophy. No calculation. Just... not wanting to watch a man die in front of him.
Smoker froze. He looked into Luffy's clear eyes and remained silent for a long time. Finally, he exhaled, sheathed his weapon, and turned his back.
"...Get lost." Smoker bit down on his cigars. "This time... I didn't see anything. But Straw Hat, Guren... next time we meet, I'll arrest you with my own hands! For my Justice!"
Luffy grinned. "Shishishi! See ya next time then!"
As the crew turned to leave, Viktor paused beside the Smoker. He reached out and patted the soaked captain on the shoulder.
"Don't be in such a rush to catch us, Captain," he said with a smile. "Instead of chasing pirates, why don't you go see the truth of this country for yourself?"
Viktor pointed meaningfully toward the city outside. "Sometimes, the 'Justice' you see with your eyes... isn't the whole story." With a flicker, Viktor vanished to join his crew.
Outside Rain Dinners, a massive long-legged "Moving Crab" was waiting—an old friend of the camel "Matsuge."
"Where are we going? Alubarna?" Nami asked.
Luffy stood on the crab's back, looking toward the royal palace in the distance. His eyes burned with a ferocity they had never seen before.
"No. He's there."
"Crocodile... I'm going to kick your ass for real this time!!!"
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