"You want to join the Shichibukai?"
Luffy, as blunt as ever, burst out laughing.
"The World Government already asked Shirogai to be a Shichibukai, but he turned them down!"
"What?!"
Masira's eyes widened in shock.
"Shirogai? Who's that supposed to be?"
Clearly, he hadn't seen any bounty posters with that name.
Luffy pointed proudly at Shirogai, who stood at his side with an easy smile.
"Shirogai is Shirogai!"
"Hi."
Shirogai waved casually, looking completely unconcerned.
"What the… You're the one competing with me for a Shichibukai seat?" Masira narrowed his eyes, scanning the seemingly harmless young man before him. He scoffed.
"Hah! I thought it'd be someone impressive. Do you even understand my strength? I haven't cut my hair once since I was born twenty-five years ago!"
Silence fell over the Going Merry.
Shirogai only smirked faintly. He didn't even bother replying. This was entertainment. Luffy could deal with him. After all, one was a gorilla, the other a monkey. They understood each other.
"Uh…"
Luffy held it in for a long time before finally blurting out, "That's so stupid! Why don't you just cut it?!"
Masira froze, stunned by the indifference on the Straw Hats' faces.
"Ah! You scared me!"
Luffy doubled over laughing.
"Ha! You're hilarious! Just like Shoujou!"
Masira tilted his head, looking at Luffy, whose mannerisms reminded him of a monkey.
"Little monkey, have you seen Shoujou recently?"
"I'm not a monkey! My name's Luffy!" he snapped back. "We just escaped Admiral Kizaru with him!"
"What? Admiral Kizaru?"
Masira shot to his feet in shock.
"Don't tell me Shoujou was killed?!"
Luffy puffed out his chest with pride.
"Nope! Shirogai made Kizaru run away!"
Masira pointed in disbelief at Shirogai.
"You're telling me this guy made an Admiral retreat?"
"Mm-hmm!"
Masira's crew exchanged baffled glances.
"An Admiral, chased off by a rookie pirate? Do you take me for a fool?!"
The tall man roared, his long hair shaking as he shouted,
"Damn pirates! How dare you insult the brilliant Masira sama with such lies!"
With a flourish, he produced a heavy microphone.
"You underestimate my intelligence! Do you think I'd fall for such nonsense? Take this!"
He inhaled deeply, then bellowed into the mic,
"Sound Wave, Destructive Roar!"
"Wait! Boss, stop! You'll destroy us all!"
His own men scrambled, clutching their ears in terror.
Too late.
"AAAAHHHH!"
A thunderous shockwave ripped across the sea.
Buzz—
The air itself vibrated violently, the sound breaking planks apart, tearing open the ship's deck. Timber flew into the sky as men were hurled into the air, slammed down, then blasted back up again by the relentless shockwaves.
"Ugh! My ears!"
"Big Boss, stop!"
Their desperate cries were drowned out by their captain's attack.
On the Going Merry, Nami pinched her nose in disbelief.
"Are they… are they destroying themselves?"
Sanji exhaled smoke, raising an eyebrow at the wreckage.
"What the hell are they even trying to accomplish?"
Luffy grinned, thumbs-up raised.
"That's amazing!"
Robin's expression turned sharp as she pointed at the water.
"Nami, steer us away now. His sound waves are reaching the fish. Soon, they'll reach us too."
"Huh?"
Everyone leaned over. Schools of fish floated belly-up beneath Masira's ship.
"Oh no!" Nami's face went pale.
"If those waves hit us, the Going Merry won't hold together! Luffy, Zoro, change the sails—full speed ahead!"
Usopp fumbled with the ropes, panicking.
"This is bad! If the Merry takes a direct hit, she's done for!"
Chopper darted back and forth in a frenzy.
"Run! Run! Hurry!"
Zoro unsheathed a sword, his eyes cold.
"I'll cut that howling idiot down."
Sanji flicked away his cigarette, crouching with a smirk.
"You're too slow. I'll do it first."
But Shirogai raised a hand, chuckling.
"Relax. I'll handle it."
Before anyone could argue, he leapt straight into the sea.
"Shirogai!"
The crew panicked.
"Wait, he's a Devil Fruit user!" Nami cried out, gripping the railing in horror.
"He can't swim!"
"What's he thinking?!" Usopp yelled.
Without hesitation, Zoro dove in after him.
Luffy flung himself off the ship, his arms stretching as he shouted,
"Shirogai! I'm coming!"
"Idiot!" Sanji swore, leaping in too.
"You're a Devil Fruit user as well!"
On deck, Usopp clung to Chopper in alarm.
"Don't even think about it!"
"But they'll drown!" Chopper squealed.
Robin simply folded her arms, a quiet laugh slipping from her lips at the chaos.
Then, something happened.
Instead of sinking, ice spread beneath Shirogai's feet, holding him above the waves.
He dropped to one knee, pressing his palm flat against the surface.
"Thousand Miles of Ice, Freeze."
A surge of frigid power rippled outward.
Crack—crack—
In an instant, the sea turned solid, freezing in every direction.
Zoro's eyes widened mid-leap, only to slam headfirst into the newly formed ice with a grunt, sliding helplessly across it.
"Wha—ugh!"
Luffy landed next, bouncing like a rubber ball across the frozen surface.
"Wooo! This is fun!"
Sanji, quick-witted, activated Moonwalk in midair and redirected himself, landing gracefully on the ice. He stomped the surface in disbelief.
"Shirogai, what is this?!"
Shirogai stood calmly, hands in his pockets, a sly smile on his face.
"A Devil Fruit ability. I can freeze the sea itself. Don't worry. Unlike Luffy, I'm not a brainless idiot."
The crew on the Merry stared in awe.
The ocean stretched out before them, completely frozen. Masira's ship was locked in a block of ice, his crew encased like grotesque sculptures. Even Masira himself, mouth wide, microphone raised, had become a crystal statue mid-roar.
"The entire sea…" Nami's jaw dropped.
"No human should have this kind of power."
Chopper touched the frost with trembling hooves.
"It's… it's real ice."
"Unbelievable!" Usopp shouted. He dashed off to grab a sled from storage, his eyes sparkling.
"Chopper, it's sled time!"
"Yeah!" Chopper transformed into his heavy form, letting Usopp strap him up, the two racing joyfully across the frozen sea.
Meanwhile, Robin's gaze darkened. She wrapped her arms around herself, trembling.
"This ability… the Ice-Ice Fruit. The same as Admiral Aokiji's."
Her voice dropped, almost a whisper.
"Shirogai Yamikuro… you've inherited the power of Aokiji."
_____
Happy New Month.