Gulp.
This golden fellow... he's as strong as that Whitebeard uncle!
From Sanguinius, Luffy felt a terrifying pressure no less than what he had experienced two years ago at Marineford—the rage of the man the world revered as the strongest of the Four Emperors.
Stronger? By how much?
Sorry. Luffy had no such concept.
Among the top-tier powerhouses Luffy had encountered, the three Admirals aside, the Pirate King Roger was long dead. His grandfather Garp would never truly fight him. As for his father, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, he had no real memory. Fleet Admiral Sengoku had only made a fleeting move.
And regarding the guide who led him onto the path of piracy—the Four Emperor "Red-Haired" Shanks—Luffy's impression still lingered in Windmill Village of the East Blue. His understanding of Shanks' true strength was vague at best.
So in Luffy's experience, from his perspective, the strongest man he had ever met in his life was Whitebeard.
Spitting out bloody saliva, Luffy squeezed his eyes shut. His entire body trembled.
The searing pain from every cell in his body clearly told him he was far from Sanguinius' match.
But so what?! He wasn't afraid! He would rather die than yield!
"Pirate King! I will become it!"
Luffy suddenly opened his eyes, staring at Sanguinius—radiant under the sunlight like a descending god—and spoke word by word through blood-streaked teeth.
"It's a promise between me and Shanks! A promise between men! I will never give up, you bastard!"
"Even if it means death, you still won't abandon it?"
Lifting his foot from Luffy's chest, Sanguinius rested one hand on the hilt of the Crimson Blade.
"Never! I'm going to become the Pirate King!" Covered in blood, Luffy struggled to his feet, one trembling hand pressing down on his straw hat, eyes unwavering.
Thud.
"Hmph. A stubborn child. I do not dislike such resolve—but regrettably, farewell. In your next life, do not be a thief."
Perhaps compared to other pirates, Luffy resembled more of a seafaring adventurer.
But Sanguinius had no interest in understanding his life story.
Showing mercy. Asking once more in a gentle tone. That was already Sanguinius' display of humanity—he was considered one of the more moderate among the twenty Legion Commanders.
Yet if Luffy insisted on being a thief—even if only in name—then there was nothing more to say.
If it had been Leman Russ or Budo who arrived instead, Luffy would likely already be a corpse.
Sanguinius did not shy away from staining his sacred body with blood. For the Empire—for Selene—he was willing to shoulder any sin.
Warm as spring toward comrades. Cold as winter toward enemies.
That perfectly described him.
"Gum-Gum Red Hawk!"
Sensing the chilling killing intent rushing toward him, Luffy leapt up with determination. His right arm stretched backward using rubber elasticity, completely wrapped in jet-black Armament Haki.
Whoosh!
With a sudden snap forward, friction ignited the hardened rubber, blazing flames enveloping his fist as it shot toward Sanguinius' face.
"Uaaah—!"
Boom!
The flaming black fist stopped several meters from Sanguinius' face.
It was as though an invisible barrier filled the air, rippling within the firestorm, firmly blocking the attack.
Expressionless, Sanguinius shifted his grip. Instead of defending, he seized the hilt of the Crimson Blade and, with lightning speed, swung it toward Luffy's head.
Clang!
Step step step!
Just as the blade, wrapped in crimson-gold particles, was about to reach Luffy, a rapid series of footsteps echoed.
A weathered figure suddenly stepped in, kicking the stunned Luffy aside. Taking his place, he swung a plain black-and-red blade wrapped in dark crimson Haki, directly intercepting the Crimson Blade.
Clang—!!
"Don't stand in the way of young people chasing their dreams at sea."
The simple red-black blade and the ornate crimson-gold sword collided, unleashing a tremendous shockwave. Carried by the impact, Luffy rolled far away.
Rolling clumsily across the ground, Luffy's eyes nonetheless lit up with joy.
"Rayleigh!"
"And you are?"
Holding the golden hilt of his Western sword, Rayleigh—white-haired and white-bearded, glasses perched on his nose—smiled at Sanguinius.
"Just an old man who makes a living coating ships and is about ready to retire."
"You don't look like Navy. How about we call it a truce?"
"Refused."
"So it was you who led a promising recruit down the crooked path of theft. An old thief saving a young thief? Thieves, all of you. Imperial law leaves no room for your kind."
Sanguinius' gaze sharpened. The muscles of his right arm tensed, Honkai crystals within his master-crafted power armor activating alongside Tyrant-cell fiber musculature. With a second surge of force, he brought his blade down.
Boom!
The tree island beneath their feet exploded outward as if blooming from the center. Within nearly a thousand meters, the ground shattered instantly, fractures racing outward in all directions.
The earth quaked violently. Countless trees were uprooted. Mud and stone shot skyward. Area 60 of the Sabaody Archipelago trembled.
Thick smoke billowed. Sand and debris filled the air. The mangrove roots supporting the tree island groaned under unbearable strain.
Grabbing Luffy, Rayleigh retreated at explosive speed.
"Luffy, you really know how to stir up trouble."
"Huh?! Rayleigh, why are you here?"
"To save you. Your crew has already arrived. Though... you might need a new ship."
As he spoke, Rayleigh shifted aside, narrowly evading a sweeping crimson-gold energy slash from Sanguinius.
Rumble—!!
The crimson-gold torrent brushed past them, instantly grinding everything in its path into dust.
"No! I'll never abandon the Sunny!"
"Honestly... do as you wish."
Sensing the terrifying presence closing in from behind, Rayleigh gave a faint, wry smile. Facing toward Area 50, he hurled Luffy away.
"Go chase your dream, Luffy!"
Whoosh!
Before his words even finished, Rayleigh vanished from where he stood.
A hundred meters away, a mushroom cloud erupted as Sanguinius drove him straight through the battlefield.
Sword in hand, white wings spread wide, holy light enveloping him, Sanguinius looked like an angel descended upon the mortal world—majestic and awe-inspiring.
This old body of mine might truly be left here today.
With that thought, amid the dust-choked skies of Area 60,
A golden and a black figure clashed repeatedly, explosions roaring without pause. Every collision sent heaps of stone flying.
...
Beneath the red banner bearing the golden double-headed eagle, a squad of Imperial Servitor Army soldiers stood guard over the main routes connecting the various GR areas of the Sabaody Archipelago under the supervision of an Auxilia officer.
"Hey, curly-brow over there. The Empire is currently suppressing resistance in Area 50GR. Civilians should not be wandering outside to avoid unnecessary casualties."
Seeing a man with no visible weapons—cigarette between his lips, tie neatly fastened, black suit jacket on, and distinctive curled eyebrows—looking around curiously, the soldier instinctively raised his weapon but still called out with relative restraint.
"Hahahaha! Curly-brow! Did you hear that, Sanji? They're calling you curly-brow!"
Behind Sanji, a man with short green hair, a downward scar over his left eye, wearing a long green coat with a red sash and black boots, burst into laughter.
As he laughed, the three swords at his waist and the three teardrop-shaped golden earrings on his left ear clinked noisily.
"Hey! Moss-head over there! You too. Put your weapons away and go back!"
"Ahahaha! Moss-head! Zoro, they're calling you moss-head!"
This time it was Sanji's turn. Twisting his body exaggeratedly, he swaggered up to the Imperial soldier and praised him.
"Nice eye you've got there, buddy. That guy really is called moss-head."
Zoro's face darkened.
"A mere Number Seven dares to act arrogant before Number One? What is it, perverted cook? Looking for a fight?"
"Why are we ranking ourselves by arrival order anyway?! And with Sabaody in chaos like this, war breaking out everywhere—if it weren't for keeping an eye on you, you directionless idiot, do you think I'd want to team up with you to find Luffy?!" Sanji shot back.
At that point, he erupted into a wail.
"Ahhh! Miss Nami! Miss Robin! I want to be with you! I finally escaped from hell—why am I stuck in the same group as this damned moss-head?!"
"You damn perverted cook!"
Watching the two press their foreheads together and trade insults, the Auxilia officer standing nearby was utterly dumbfounded.
"...W-What is wrong with these two? Are they idiots?!"
He recalled the shared assessment of Lady Arisa and Legion Commander Sanguinius.
The tactful phrasing: The people of this world seem somewhat lacking in common sense. Many behave rather strangely.
The blunt phrasing: The average intelligence level of this world is rather low, accompanied by a wide variety of peculiar quirks.
"No—more accurately, they definitely are!"
"Huh? What were we doing again?"
After arguing themselves slightly out of breath, Sanji and Zoro paused, glanced at each other—and suddenly remembered in unison.
"Luffy!"
"According to Shakky's intel, the Thousand Sunny is docked near the harbor in Area 50GR. Let's hurry over—Luffy might already be there!"
Realizing belatedly, Sanji immediately broke into a run. Eyeing the iron-gray uniforms of the Imperial soldiers ahead, he muttered,
"Marines? No... World Government CP? Doesn't look like it. Must be the force that attacked Sabaody not long ago."
Recalling that they had not seen a single Marine on the way here, shock flashed through Sanji's eyes.
"They occupied Sabaody that quickly—and already replaced the World Government in maintaining order... This is bad. We have to find Luffy fast. Something huge is about to happen!"
"Moss-head, let's go!"
Flames ignited beneath Sanji's feet as he kicked off into the air, sprinting forward midair.
"Open fire!" the Auxilia officer ordered without hesitation.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
"One-Sword Style: Thirty-Six Pound Phoenix!"
Dense sword energy slashed outward like a storm, carving a path straight through the metallic barrage.
"Moss-head! Stay close. Don't get bogged down—head straight for Luffy!"
With that, Sanji, hovering midair, surged ahead at full speed.
...
Sabaody Archipelago, Area 50GR—Harbor.
"Lady Arisa, the battle in Area 61 has concluded. The Navy has been completely eliminated," a Blood Angels officer reported.
As he spoke, he activated the projection device on his helmet.
The next instant, the projection displayed a stout, rotund figure wearing a red bib-like garment, a massive rope knot around his waist, short trousers, and carrying an enormous axe—his body visibly damaged.
"According to the captives, he was the highest-ranking naval commander stationed in Sabaody."
"In addition, we discovered an interesting war trophy."
The projection shifted again, revealing two figures—two machines.
Half their bodies had been blasted away by Astartes. Though their internal structure was entirely metallic, their outer skin resembled that of a human.
Broad-shouldered, wearing trapezoidal white hats with bear ears, black coats bearing a target emblem, and with markings on their necks reading 'PX-5' and 'PX-7.'
"PX-5... PX-7?" Arisa read aloud in confusion.
The projection then displayed footage of them firing laser radiation cannons.
"Their technological level is completely mismatched with their productive capacity," she remarked.
"Yes. It's strange. The enemy troops we encountered were using flintlocks and muzzle-loaded smoothbore cannons, yet they possess constructs of this level of technology."
"It seems this world is not as simple as we assumed... Hmm?"
Looking up, Arisa narrowed her eyes at Luffy, who had been hurled back and now lay in a newly formed crater.
"He can still crawl back? Is Sanguinius testing the data of this world's stronger individuals?"
"Well, whatever. I'll handle it."
Raising a hand to stop the Blood Angels and Sisters of Battle from moving, Arisa stepped forward in her purple high heels, approaching the crater's edge and looking down at the so-called Pirate King—who was barely taller than her even among Imperial soldiers.
"Hey, Pirate King over there. Sanguinius didn't kill you. Did you surrender?"
Luffy's eyes rolled upward slightly. Hearing that, he flipped out of the crater and landed five steps in front of Arisa.
"Even though I'm happy you're calling me Pirate King, I haven't reached the end yet—so I'm not one. But no matter what, I'll never give up. I'm the man who's going to become the Pirate King!"
"I don't want to fight you. Move aside."
Blood dripped from his cheek as he spoke seriously.
"Impudent!"
At those words, every Imperial soldier present except Luffy darkened in expression.
"It's fine... Hm?"
Just as tension peaked and Arisa was about to act—
Buzz—
Beep—
Arisa calmly retrieved a Honkai Cube. A projection flickered to life above it, revealing a refined, silver-haired middle-aged commander clad in violet armor.
"Legion Commander Liver? Why are you here?"
"Sigh, Lady Arisa, it's a long story. Her Majesty kicked me out of the Imperial Capital—ah, I mean, ordered me to come reinforce you and Sanguinius."
"Her Majesty told me to urge you both to conclude this conquest quickly. There's a major operation coming up. The other Legions have already begun preparations. Only the Ninth Legion is left."