Hearing that, Crocodile was clearly frustrated, his anger simmering. In the end, he begrudgingly turned his head away and said coldly,
"Yes, Captain!"
What?!
The former Warlord of the Sea,
The Desert King,
Actually called that purple-haired young man Captain?!
Whoa!
That was way too much information to process at once.
Everyone in the Straw Hat crew and Franky Family had their jaws on the floor.
Just how terrifying was this young man to be able to tame a monster like Crocodile?
But thinking back to that punch just now, they slowly came to terms with it.
Yeah... someone who could flatten Luffy in one hit was pretty much a monster.
After that wave of shock passed, the Straw Hats didn't dare pick a fight anymore. The power gap was just too wide. They were rational people, they could tell when there was a gulf between them and their opponents.
The brief confrontation came to an end, and both groups boarded the Sea Train "Rocketman." Surprisingly, everyone remained civil, and there were no further clashes.
Still, compared to Hakusei's crew's calm demeanor, the Straw Hats seemed rather tense.
After all, that single punch from Hakusei had left a deep impact. Although it was just a physical blow, the expression on Luffy's face looked like he'd eaten a whole plate of bugs. For someone made of rubber to feel that kind of pain, it was unheard of.
It was downright terrifying.
While everyone was lost in thought, the Sea Train to Enies Lobby officially departed!
Under the fierce driving of the mermaid granny, Rocketman quickly found the track across the roaring sea and locked onto it!
The train surged forward at high speed, headed straight for the Judicial Island.
But as luck would have it, things never went smoothly.
Just after departure, the Sea Train encountered a massive tidal wave. It loomed over them like a mountain, about to crash down with unstoppable force. Everyone on board was thrown into a panic.
"Holy crap, this wave is ridiculous!"
"That's gotta be at least 100 meters high! What do we do?! Is this the end before we even get started?!"
"We're done for! Boss, we can't save you now, we're sorry!!"
As the colossal wave came barreling down like a giant beast opening its jaws, the Franky Family completely lost hope. It felt like they were about to be swallowed whole.
At that moment, Shiranami Hakusei, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them slightly with a frown, annoyed by all the noise.
One glance, and he saw the wave looming right in front of them.
He waved his hand lazily and said, "Count Red, take care of it."
Red the Count nodded slightly, didn't say a word, and calmly walked to the front of the train, drawing his blade.
To the mermaid granny driving the train, he said clearly, "Keep going. Don't panic."
Just eight simple words. To some, it might have sounded ridiculous, but Granny Kokoro had seen enough in her life to understand.
She could feel it. This old man, although aged, radiated a domineering aura, the presence of a true powerhouse.
She gritted her teeth and answered without hesitation.
At the same time, Luffy and Zoro, who had been preparing to charge forward and resist the wave, felt an overwhelming pressure and instinctively stepped aside, giving Red a clear path.
He stood alone at the front of the train.
In the face of the towering tidal wave, Red's figure should've looked small, but somehow, it didn't.
The longer they stared, the more majestic he seemed.
The old man's presence felt like it could rival the wave itself.
Even more terrifying.
The wave drew closer.
But Red just stood there, sword in hand, unmoving.
Everyone's hearts clenched.
Was he the real deal or just showing off?! Could he do it or not?! Old man, if you can't handle it, switch out already!
Of course, that was only in their heads. No one dared say it out loud.
Just then, the wave struck.
In the split second before impact...
Red moved.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes!
Raigū was drawn!
It moved like lightning.
None of the onlookers could see how many times he had slashed. All they saw was that the blade left the scabbard and returned in the blink of an eye.
They didn't even catch the glint of the blade clearly.
But Zoro, he noticed something no one else did.
Thanks to his swordsmanship instincts, he vaguely saw eight sword flashes! Though they were hazy, he was sure of it, eight strikes in an instant!
So fast it was ridiculous. So precise it left him speechless.
That level of swordsmanship... he had never seen anything like it!
Even Mihawk might not be a match...
What kind of monsters were these people?!
Zoro's eyes narrowed as he sized up the crew again.
Wait, could it be that Crocodile was the weakest one among them?!
This old man had sword skills that defied imagination, and he wasn't even the captain?
Then just how terrifying was that calm, purple-haired youth?
Before he could finish that thought, the next scene left everyone in utter shock!
The towering tidal wave suddenly... split open!
One slash split into eight vertical parts!
Then a final horizontal slash, dividing it into sixteen cube-like pieces!
The entire wave shattered into neatly sliced blocks, floating in the air like sculpted ice.
Each cut was so perfect, so geometrically precise, you could hardly believe it was water.
Water, wasn't it supposed to flow?
Was the slash just that fast, so fast that even water didn't have time to react?
No one knew.
The sixteen seawater blocks drifted past the train and slammed into the sea behind them, kicking up a massive spray.
No one moved.
Everyone seemed to have turned to stone.
No thoughts, no reactions, minds completely blank.
Baroric Redfield.
In the age of the Pirate King, he fought the Roger Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates alone, and still stood his ground. A man known as the Count Red.
His strength was real. And utterly terrifying.
As everyone remained stunned beyond words…
Back at Marine Headquarters, in the middle of a report from Magellan, the doors to the meeting room were flung open.
"Fleet Admiral! An urgent call for you!"
A Rear Admiral rushed in with a Den Den Mushi in hand, his face pale.
Sengoku frowned.
The Rear Admiral's expression clearly meant something serious.
He raised a hand to pause the report and picked up the call.
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter