"It's our signal flare!"
"That direction is—the Going Merry!!!"
"Usopp's in danger!"
On the streets of Loguetown—
Nami and Sanji, returning with a bountiful haul, looked up almost simultaneously and spotted a flickering red light shaped like a straw hat in the sky.
Thanks to Usopp's modifications, even in the pouring rain the signal flare burned for dozens of seconds before being extinguished.
There was no time for unnecessary talk.
Golden electric arcs instantly burst beneath Nami's feet. Using Zippy Zap, she shot through the rain at high speed.
Sanji did the same—flames erupted beneath his feet as he leapt straight into the air.
Though he hadn't mastered Sky Walk, meaning his aerial mobility couldn't quite match Nami's speed under Zippy Zap, the straight-line advantage of flight ensured he wasn't far behind her.
Meanwhile—
Luffy and Zoro, who were on their way back, also noticed the signal flare Usopp had launched.
"Something's wrong," Zoro said, frowning.
Once a signal flare was fired, it meant trouble that their crew couldn't handle alone.
A flash of reluctance crossed his eyes, but he still said to Luffy:
"There's no choice, Luffy!"
"Use that move! We have to get back to the Going Merry immediately!"
The "that move" Zoro referred to was, of course, the fastest—and most hated—method of travel when paired with a Gum-Gum Fruit user…
Human projectile delivery.
"Got it!!!"
Equally worried about the Going Merry, Luffy didn't hesitate for a moment. His arm stretched out and wrapped around Zoro's waist as he scanned the rooftops above for a suitable anchor point.
…
…
Out at sea—
The Marines had no idea that Smoker, who had charged onto the Going Merry alone, had already been captured by the Straw Hats.
Their massive fleet continued to close in relentlessly, nearly surrounding the entire harbor.
"This is bad! We're almost out of Buggy Bombs!!!"
Clutching the last Buggy Bomb and staring at the empty ammunition room, Usopp's expression tightened with regret.
"I can't believe it still came to this!"
"If Luffy and the others don't get back soon, I'll have to use the last two Usopp Special Concentrated Buggy Balls."
"I was too conservative before! I should've made more shells and stocked the armory!"
At that moment, Usopp's fear of insufficient firepower reached a new peak.
Loading the final Buggy Bomb into the cannon, he adjusted the barrel and forced himself to calm down.
His heart was already racing, but as a sniper, the more panicked he felt, the colder his mind had to be.
He quickly locked onto the nearest Marine warship.
But before he could ignite the fuse—
A heavy impact echoed above his head.
Thud.
"Usopp! I'm back!"
Landing on deck, Nami immediately assembled her Clima-Tact and used Grassy Terrain to restore the energy she'd spent racing back.
Usopp's eyes lit up the instant he heard her voice.
"It's Nami!"
The tension finally snapped. Tears streamed down his face as he lost control.
"You're finally back!!!"
Sobbing, Usopp lit the fuse.
BOOM!
With a deafening roar, a Marine warship across from the Going Merry was engulfed in a brilliant explosion and rendered combat-ineffective.
Usopp slumped backward, collapsing onto the deck and gasping for air.
Damn it—The pressure was insane!
If his crewmates hadn't returned soon, he felt like he might've completely cracked.
Fortunately, Nami's return finally lifted the weight from his heart.
After all, she was someone who could take on the Arlong Pirates alone. Dealing with a few dozen warships should—
Cough, cough…
Probably be fine, right!?
"No, now isn't the time to lie down!"
Exhausted as he was, Usopp forced himself back onto his feet.
Nami alone couldn't stop all those enemies.
She needed his support.
After organizing the ammo in his satchel, Usopp hurried out onto the deck.
Standing on the Grassy Terrain, a pleasant sensation washed over him like a gentle stream.
His drained stamina—and even the pressure weighing on his mind—slowly recovered under its effect.
"Did only you make it back?" Usopp asked quickly, looking at Nami at the bow.
But Nami only grinned.
"Of course not!"
Thud!
A dark silhouette suddenly dropped onto the deck.
The impact made the Going Merry rock violently.
Sanji set all the ingredients he'd brought down, sheltered himself from the rain, lit a cigarette, and said to Usopp:
"Nice work, Usopp."
"You did great."
"Leave the rest to us."
"S-Sanji!"
Seeing one crewmate after another return, Usopp beamed.
Then—
From high above their heads came a wild, screeching cry.
"WOOOOAAAAHHHH!!!"
Luffy, howling like Tarzan, streaked over the Going Merry like a shooting star—then flew straight past it toward the open sea.
"HEY!!! LUFFY!!! YOU OVERSHOT IT!!!"
Zoro, bundled up and being "transported," screamed in panic.
Luffy, too distracted having fun, only realized the problem when he looked down at the ocean and went pale.
Luckily, he wasn't far from the Going Merry.
"Gum-Gum… Whirling Rope!!!"
Startled, Luffy flung his arm out and latched onto the mast.
Using the rebound, he spun violently around it at high speed.
"AAAGHH—!!!"
Zoro let out a painful scream.
A few seconds later—
BANG!!!
Both of them slammed into the mast and slowly slid down.
"Pfft!"
Sanji burst out laughing in schadenfreude.
That laughter stabbed straight through Zoro's ears.
Rubbing his reddened face, Zoro first growled at Luffy:
"One day, I'm paying all of this back."
Then he turned sharply to Sanji.
"Hey, Number Six! What are you laughing at!?"
"…Nothing. Nothing at all."
Sanji forced himself to stop, shutting his mouth tight.
Thanks to their earlier bet, if he got into an argument with Zoro now, he'd definitely be the one suffering in the end.
Just endure it!
Once the one-month deadline passed, he'd show Zoro exactly—
Why you should never offend a cook on the open sea!!!
In truth, Red had already seen through Sanji's thoughts, which was why he kept reminding Zoro to rein it in.
Unfortunately, Zoro was having too much fun to care.
It could only be said—
These two were destined for a love–hate relationship.
"So… what happened?" Luffy asked, dusting himself off as he turned to Usopp.
"Oh, right!" Usopp suddenly remembered and pointed toward the horizon.
"Luffy, we're surrounded by the Marines!"
"Whoa! You're right! There're tons of warships!!!"
Nami frowned. "Did half the East Blue Navy come just to catch us!?"
"Wait—Red still hasn't come back?"
"…Uh." Zoro replied, "He went to deal with the Buggy Pirates."
"Probably didn't see the signal flare. He won't be back until he's done."
"I see." Nami nodded, then looked at Luffy. "In that case… we've got no choice but to fight."
"Is that okay, Luffy?"
"Hehe! Of course!"
"There's no way we're leaving Red behind!"
Luffy clenched his fist, bone cracking loudly.
"But—" Zoro said, suddenly thoughtful.
"With that many warships, if they box us in, won't it stop us from leaving the harbor?"
"True," Sanji said, unexpectedly agreeing.
"If we're waiting for Red and can't move…"
"Then we should stop them right where they are."
"So…" Luffy's eyes sparkled.
"It's time for that move, right?!"
Zoro and Sanji smirked.
The three moved to the bow in perfect sync.
Luffy stood atop the sheep-head figurehead, while Zoro and Sanji took position on the rails to either side.
"Alright—let's go!"
Luffy bit his thumb and blew into it hard, cheeks puffing up.
Zoro entered Three Sword Style, and Sanji ignited his Diable Jambe.
A terrifying aura began to build around them.
Under the pitch-black storm clouds, it was as if a demon god had descended upon the bow of the Going Merry.
The sea boiled. Waves churned violently.
"So… so strong!!!" Usopp whispered in awe, feeling the tangible pressure radiating from them.
…
…
At the Loguetown harbor—
Red waved to Buggy, Johnny, and the others.
"That's far enough!"
"We've got Den Den Mushi and Vivre Cards now—just contact me if anything comes up."
With that, Red floated up into the air.
Too many people around. Flying was easier.
But then—
His gaze landed on a bizarre group charging into the harbor from another street, led by a bruised, green-haired man with an explosive afro.
Among them, he spotted a strangely familiar figure.
"This is…"
"Alvida and Bartolomeo?!"
"How did those two end up together?"
"And why does Bartolomeo look like that? He already has the Barrier-Barrier Fruit—how did he get beaten this badly?!"
"Is he just inexperienced with the power?!"
Questions flooded Red's mind.
But he didn't dwell on it, chalking it up to butterfly-effect chaos caused by himself, and continued flying toward the Going Merry.
Then—
Three familiar figures suddenly leapt into the sky.
The Straw Hats' three main fighters.
Their voices roared in unison:
"Three Sword Style Secret Art · Dragon Flash—!!"
"Gum-Gum · Giant—!!"
"Diable Jambe · Full Course—!!"
"HYPER BEAM!!!"
In an instant—
Zoro spun violently in midair, razor-sharp blades of light spreading outward yet held in perfect control.
The compressed slashes formed into a massive, twin-winged dragon suspended in the sky.
ROOOAAAR—!!!!
A dragon's cry thundered through the heavens as the living slash-dragon charged the Marine fleet!
At the same time, Sanji hovered midair on flaming legs. He aimed his right foot at the warships and kicked—
A raging firestorm erupted, blinding white heat screaming forward like a roaring inferno, engulfing the fleet!
Both Zoro and Sanji had fused the Normal-type move Hyper Beam into their own swordplay and kicks, transforming it into techniques uniquely theirs.
Only Luffy used it in a manner closest to its original form.
After inflating violently, his massive body swelled to several dozen meters tall in midair.
A blazing sphere of energy condensed before him—Like a miniature sun illuminating the storm-dark harbor.
Then—
BOOM—!!!!!!!!
The sheer beam of energy fired forth, obliterating every warship directly ahead of the Going Merry.
For a moment—
The world lost all color and sound.
Everyone in Loguetown—no matter who they were or what they were doing—froze, staring at the three beams blasting into the sea.
Then—
CRASH!!!!!!
Towering waves dozens of meters high erupted, swallowing the Marine fleet whole.
Explosions thundered endlessly.
Water poured from the sky, turning fading rain back into a torrential downpour.
And when the massive waves finally crashed back into the ocean—
The Marine fleet that had surrounded Loguetown was reduced to shattered wreckage, barely floating amid the raging sea.
The Straw Hat Pirates' three main combatants—
With a single strike, destroyed the grand fleet the East Blue Marines had painstakingly assembled.
There was no doubt—
Tomorrow's news would set the entire East Blue ablaze once more!
And the Straw Hat crew's name would officially enter the sightlines of the world's true powers.
A powerful individual—
And a strategic, battlefield-dominating force—
Were never the same thing.
(End of Chapter)