"Luffy's injuries are much more severe than Usopp's. Usopp only has fractures all over his body, but his vital signs, including his internal organs, are actually stable."
Chopper, who had returned after two years of training, displayed superb medical skills. Even top-notch doctors couldn't heal Usopp's injuries, but in his words, they weren't a big deal.
However, Chopper's face was still incredibly grim. "Why aren't any of you talking? Luffy... what kind of enemy did he encounter? I've never seen anyone so heavily injured."
"All his bones are shattered, all his internal organs are ruptured, and there are severe signs of concussion in his brain. You could say there isn't a single intact part of his body."
Chopper, busy, continued to apply medicine to the dying Luffy. Completely focused, he was racing against death and didn't notice anything unusual.
"Hey! Sanji! Quickly get me some painkillers!"
"..."
No one responded to Chopper. On the deck, to the terrified gazes of Zoro and the others, there was an extra person.
"The ocean is so vast, how did you find us?" Zoro drew his three swords, his voice serious.
"Are you kidding me? How did he catch up to us?" Sanji likewise extinguished the cigarette in his hand, his left foot rubbing against his right to ignite high-temperature flames.
In the gloom of the deep sea, Nami, who hadn't yet clearly seen Renji's face, quietly hid behind the others.
"Catch up? What are you talking about, Sanji? He must have hidden on the ship beforehand, right? How could he catch up to the Thousand Sunny in this deep sea?"
"This guy... what a terrifying aura!" Franky's arms enlarged, ready for battle at any moment.
Robin looked at the suddenly appearing figure, her mind completely blank.
"This figure... Could it be..." Brook drew his cane sword, looking at the familiar figure before him. It seemed like he had just seen him not long ago.
"Yo, long time no see."
As Renji's voice fell, a school of deep-sea luminous fish happened to pass by. The ethereal blue light emanating from their almost transparent bodies, reflecting the special patterns on their scales, was like a lantern festival on a night river, illuminating the previously dark seabed with breathtaking beauty.
However, the Straw Hats had no leisure to appreciate this beautiful scenery.
With the light from the deep-sea luminous fish, a face that was deeply etched in their memories emerged from the darkness.
"...Renji!" Nami's pupils suddenly contracted.
The annihilation two years ago was still vivid in her mind. Thinking of Luffy and Usopp's injuries, and Zoro and Sanji's silence, Nami vaguely guessed the culprit who had injured Luffy and Usopp so severely.
Brook's entire skeleton stiffened. This guy was just at a concert not long ago, how did he chase them all the way here?
"How could this be... we just set sail." Nami's eyes lost their focus, her voice already tinged with tears.
As the navigator and intelligence analyst of the Straw Hat Pirates, Nami not only observed various weather patterns every day for two years but also read every daily newspaper without fail.
And in these two years, the newspapers published the deeds of the new Admiral Seiryu almost every day, with a layout rate of over 90%.
This made Renji like a nightmare, constantly lingering in Nami's mind, even appearing in her dreams.
"Why are you here! Where's Rayleigh! How is he?!"
Sanji held onto a last shred of hope. As the former right-hand man of the Pirate King, even if he couldn't win, he should at least be able to escape.
Hearing this, Renji smiled slightly. "Ah, you mean him? I've already killed him."
Not long ago, Sabaody Archipelago was enveloped by a dense Haki. On ships in the nearby waters, whether passing pirates or Marine, they all witnessed this scene.
The sea itself was surging and fluctuating under the influence of this Haki's power.
"Quickly report to Captain Bullet! Something big is happening at Shambles!"
"Is that Captain Teach? I have important information!"
"Quick, quick! Contact Marine Headquarters with the Den Den Mushi! Not long ago, Straw Hats reappeared on the sea, and now a huge change has occurred on Sabaody Island."
"The entire island is enveloped by powerful Haki. The reason... is temporarily unknown."
Somewhere on Sabaody, what was once rolling hills and grasslands was now covered in mud and ravines, with deep scratches leaving indelible marks on the earth.
The battle between Renji and Rayleigh continued.
Admiral VS Pirate King's right-hand man.
Such a battle, rarely, had hundreds of spectators who could watch it up close.
After all, in the past, no one was able to protect the crowd from the effects of Conqueror's Haki while fighting a peak expert, like Renji could.
"You will regret your arrogance, fighting me and still having the mind to worry about others."
Rayleigh's sword strike shook, and its terrifying power widened the distance between him and Renji. He then seized the opportunity to flash away, moving at his fastest speed towards the hundreds of Marine soldiers.
Boom... Boom...
Red Conqueror's Haki surged from Rayleigh's body as if it were free, finally intertwining and converging into a dense net like tree branches.
Using Conqueror's Haki in this way not only poses a huge threat to the opponent in battle but also blocks their perception and Observation Haki.
Even Future Sight-level Observation Haki cannot glimpse the future amidst such dense Conqueror's Haki.
Pluton: Chaotic Strike!
Buzz!
The powerful slash and Haki mixed to form a dazzling silvery light, like starlight falling into a red ocean of Haki, transforming into a brilliant and dazzling falling star crashing into the world.
The brilliant light rapidly expanded in the eyes of hundreds of Marine soldiers. Its speed and power were so great that it could obliterate their consciousness before they could even react.
Even Miguel, the strongest among the many Marine soldiers, didn't have time to make a defensive move.
"Remember, the one who killed you is Renji! Don't blame me!"
Rayleigh's eyes were filled with murderous intent. Just as that Pluton: Chaotic Strike was about to flatten the Marine forces,
One-Sword Style: Crimson Flash!
Whoosh—
With extreme speed, a figure instantly blocked Rayleigh's path. A blue-white light reflected in the depths of the latter's eyes.
This speed... even during his peak, he was only this fast.
Rayleigh was greatly alarmed. A swirling blue current flowed along Kurai's blade, and Renji swung it towards him.
Whoosh!
Clang!
A sharp sound vibrated. Although One-Sword Style: Crimson Flash, when performed at Lv. 7, wasn't as powerful as other skills, it was enough.
Even with Conqueror's Haki wrapped around Rayleigh's blade, it was still firmly locked by the gravitational force.
Rayleigh, with his rich combat experience, realized the strangeness of Renji's move in less than a moment.
If he couldn't pull it back, then he would go all out, putting all his strength into it.
Rayleigh's eyes hardened, intending to press Renji with full force. However, Renji's trump card was already prepared.
A point of crimson light rapidly rushed from behind Rayleigh, then instantly pierced his chest, bringing out a string of connected blood beads.
***
40 Advanced Chapters on
patreon.com/alex_1000