"Th… this is…"
Cold sweat broke out uncontrollably on their faces. Completely robbed of all ability to move, the few of them could not even squeeze out a single word.
Luffy's eyes were bloodshot, and a muffled "uhh— uhh—" vibrated from his throat —
Clearly, he was already using every ounce of strength he had left to resist this overwhelming force.
However…
Even giving it everything he had, he still couldn't move an inch.
"Tap…"
"Tap…"
Unhurried footsteps echoed on the deck. But the Straw Hat crew standing at the railing and looking into the distance couldn't even turn their heads now.
They could only judge some details through sound.
In the blind spot of everyone's field of vision, a tall figure walked beneath the sun umbrella.
Then came a crisp snap of fingers, followed by the faint clinking of plate and fork, along with the soft, leisurely sound of chewing.
This kind of relaxed and bold posture — if not acting like the place was completely empty…
Then it at least showed he hadn't put the Straw Hat crew in his eyes at all.
After a long while,
They finally heard his voice.
But the moment they heard those words, Robin — and the others who had once met that man — shuddered instantly. Cold sweat streamed down their faces.
Even Nami and the others, who had never seen him before, trembled as they caught sight of the others' expressions from the corner of their eyes.
C… could it be?!!!
"Such a weak pirate crew — even if you reach the New World, what difference will it make?"
The voice paused slightly, as though thinking.
"Why don't I just… wipe you all out here?"
That tone — that voice!!!
It really was that man!!!
Black Gun Orin!!!
Everyone revealed shock and horror. Bloodshot veins spilled across their eyes. Orin noticed that they wanted to speak, so he released his restraint over Luffy's mouth.
The moment the seal lifted, a loud shout burst out —
"You're Orin-san, right!!!"
"Let me go!!!"
"I'm the man who'll become Pirate King — I won't end my journey here!!!"
Orin's lips curled upward slightly. Sitting with one leg crossed over the other, he looked at Luffy's powerless fury.
"Become Pirate King? Sure~"
"Want to know what the One Piece is? I'll tell you."
"Once you learn what the great treasure really is, go home obediently. The New World isn't a place for rookies like you ~"
After tasting Sanji's cooking, Orin wiped his mouth, satisfied, then stood up and pulled out a pocket watch.
Before Luffy could argue back, Orin continued,
"There are some troublemakers in the Sabaody Archipelago. I don't have time to play with you right now. If you want to prove yourselves, come to Sabaody Archipelago, Area 23. Otherwise, go home obediently, little kids."
The man with the Black Gun at his waist slowly faded away from the deck after saying this.
Only then did everyone's bodies collapse as they regained their freedom.
During their desperate attempts to struggle earlier, everyone had already drained themselves. Now they could only slump onto the ground, panting heavily.
Usopp's face turned purple as he clutched his head, shouting first —
"S… so scary!!! My body didn't feel like my own — I couldn't move at all!!!"
Chopper was about the same. His cute little face was full of terror.
"If we fought an enemy like that, we'd definitely be killed instantly!!!"
Nami, however, was the first to notice that something was wrong with Luffy and the others.
"Luffy, Zoro, Sanji…"
The three of them were sitting slumped at the ship's edge, leaning against the railing, their faces shadowed and unreadable.
Only at close range —
Could one see the unwillingness burning on their faces!!!
"You heard what Orin-san said earlier."
"Mm…" ×2
"Then… let's get ready to go."
The three stood up almost simultaneously and cast their eyes toward the Sabaody Archipelago ahead — startling everyone else.
Robin's mouth dropped open in disbelief.
"Luffy? You three don't tell me you actually intend to—"
"Mm—"
Luffy's gaze was unwavering. The other two were the same.
"I don't want to end my journey here. I don't want to know what Orin-san calls the great treasure. Right now…"
"I only want to defeat him!!!"
Zoro tightened his grip on his swords, his eyes equally fierce.
"If someone blocks my ambition — even if it's my teacher, I'll cut them down!!!"
Sanji didn't say any tough lines, but he lit his cigarette with equal resolve.
"I'm not that crybaby kid anymore."
Everyone stared at the three in disbelief. In the end, it was Brook who lifted his cane and stepped forward lightly.
"If that's the case, then I'm willing to go as well. Even dying is fine…"
The next second, Brook clapped his hands as if suddenly remembering something.
"Oh!! I forgot — I already died once. Yoh-ho-ho-ho-ho!!!!"
The rest of the Straw Hat crew watched this silently, then finally — without hesitation — followed after them.
They had made it through countless powerful enemies already.
This time, too, they chose to believe in themselves.
"Alright!!!"
"Everyone, let's head to the Sabaody Archipelago first to rest and replenish supplies. After regrouping, we head to Area 23!!!"
...
Meanwhile—
Something was happening on the Sabaody Archipelago.
The Supernovas had already begun arriving one after another, along with many miscellaneous pirates.
The sudden influx of clueless fools from Paradise and the Four Seas — who had no idea how dangerous this place really was —
They acted recklessly, with no restraint, disrupting the order.
Some Supernovas even started fighting directly in the streets, houses collapsing one after another.
"Orin-sama!!!"
On the outer edges of the Sabaody Archipelago, some guards rushing to quell the chaos were busy organizing panicked civilians.
Suddenly, a tall figure appeared moving against the crowd. They froze for a moment — then excitement and respect filled their eyes.
"You guys…"
Orin of course couldn't remember every grunt soldier's name, so he simply pointed at them.
"Tell the Marines they don't need to worry about the pirates causing trouble. Not that they have the manpower anyway…"
After all, everyone had gone to prepare for the upcoming Summit War. Sabaody probably didn't have many Marines left.
"From here on, I'll play with these newcomer pirates myself."
Taking the Supernova list handed over by his underlings, Orin lit a cigarette.
A few names on the list genuinely interested him.
Like Hawkins — whose fortune-telling was rumored to be extremely accurate.
Like Bonney — that rebellious kid who slipped out to sea looking for Kuma.
"Well then… where should I go first?"
Orin was still deciding when he overheard chatter from within the crowd —
"Did you hear? A Celestial Dragon has arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago!"
"Yeah…"
"Ever since the last one got taken out by that guy, no Celestial Dragon has dared to come here for a long time. I heard they went to the Auction House."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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