"Can you really break through a blockade like that with just one ship?"
The mysterious young man gestured toward the coastline, where the darkness had come alive with threatening lights. Ships bearing Baroque Works flags cut through the night waters, their searchlights sweeping the sea like the eyes of hunting predators. At least a dozen ships formed a tightening net around Whiskey Peak's harbor.
"Eren," Igaram said slowly, recognition dawning in his voice. "You actually have a way to deal with this?"
As the captain of the Arabasta royal guard, Igaram possessed enough tactical sense to recognize an impossible situation when he saw one. The blockade was thorough and professional—even his planned suicide mission to draw attention away from Princess Vivi would fail against such overwhelming numbers.
Zoro studied the approaching ships with a critical eye, his hand resting unconsciously on his swords. "With my current strength, I could handle boarding combat, but I can't exactly slice ships in half from this distance."
"Same here," Sanji admitted, taking a long drag from his cigarette. "I'm better suited for close-quarters combat. My kicks can break bones, but they can't sink ships."
Usopp, their sniper, nervously adjusted his slingshot. "My range is decent, but against that many ships..." He trailed off, the futility of the situation evident in his voice.
Nami bit her lip, her navigator's mind racing through possibilities. "I don't have any long-range combat options yet. And Luffy..." She glanced at their captain. "Even if he could damage their hulls, one wrong move into the ocean and we'd have to rescue him instead."
"I'm not offering charity," Eren said calmly, his tone carrying an odd mixture of youth and ancient weariness. "After this is over, I want passage on your ship to a specific destination. That's my price."
Before Luffy could respond, Nami stepped forward with the quick decisiveness of someone who understood when to cut a deal. "Done. As long as you're not asking for money, we can give you a ride."
Luffy's expression grew serious as he studied their potential ally. Something about Eren's eyes—cold, distant, holding depths that didn't belong to someone so young—set off warning bells in the captain's instincts.
"We can handle this ourselves," Luffy said firmly. "Right, Zoro? Sanji?"
"Whatever the captain decides," Zoro replied with his usual loyalty, though his gaze remained fixed on the approaching ships.
"I'm just the cook," Sanji said with a shrug. "I'll follow your lead."
"You three idiots!" Nami's fist connected with each of their skulls in rapid succession, leaving impressive bumps that would have been comical under different circumstances. "This isn't about pride—it's about survival!"
Rubbing her knuckles, she turned back to Eren with her sweetest—and therefore most dangerous—smile. "Please ignore them, Eren-kun. We'd be honored to have your help."
The Baroque Works fleet had come prepared for war. Crocodile's intelligence network had painted a clear picture: the Sky Screen's revelations suggested an inevitable confrontation between the Straw Hat Pirates and his organization. Better to eliminate both the princess and these troublesome rookies here and now, before they could become a real threat.
"Target confirmed in the harbor," called out a lookout from the lead ship. "That's definitely the Straw Hat Pirates' jolly roger."
"All gunners, load explosive shells," commanded the fleet captain. "Sink that ship and everyone on it. No survivors."
The night erupted with thunder as cannon fire lit up the darkness. Dozens of shells arced through the air toward the Going Merry, their whistling flight promising destruction.
But Luffy was already moving. He leaped into the path of the incoming barrage, his cheeks puffing out as he drew in an enormous breath. His rubber body expanded like a balloon, growing larger and rounder until he resembled a living shield.
The shells struck his inflated form and bounced back toward their sources with equal force. Explosions bloomed across the water as the Baroque Works ships found themselves on the receiving end of their own attack.
"Direct hit on ships three and seven!" someone shouted across the water. "But they're still afloat!"
"Then we attack from multiple angles," the fleet commander ordered. "That freak can't block everything at once!"
"Straw Hat, give me a boost," Eren said, positioning himself next to the still-inflated Luffy. "Launch me toward the center of their formation."
"I can do that!" Luffy replied eagerly. He deflated rapidly, then stretched his arms back like a massive slingshot. "Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!"
The rubbery impact sent Eren flying through the night sky with tremendous force, his trajectory carrying him high above the Baroque Works fleet.
"Oi, I think you overdid it," Zoro observed, watching Eren's rapidly shrinking form against the stars.
"He asked for a boost," Luffy said with a grin. "I gave him a really good one!"
All eyes followed Eren's flight path as he adjusted his position mid-air, somehow managing to orient himself into a standing pose despite the impossible physics involved.
"I've missed this power," they heard him murmur, though the words carried farther than they should have.
What happened next defied everything the Straw Hat Pirates thought they knew about the world.
Golden lightning erupted around Eren's falling form, crackling with an energy that felt ancient and terrible. Steam and light obscured his figure as something fundamental began to change. Flesh, bone, and sinew expanded at an impossible rate, growing and stretching until—
The massive form that crashed into the center of the Baroque Works fleet stood nearly twenty meters tall. Where a young man had been moments before, now stood a titan with pointed ears, wild black hair, and eyes that glowed green with predatory intelligence. Its muscular frame radiated power that made the ocean itself seem small.
Two ships were crushed instantly beneath its feet as it landed. The giant's lips pulled back in a terrifying grin, revealing rows of sharp teeth that gleamed in the moonlight.
"What in the world..." Nami whispered, her voice barely audible over the sounds of splintering wood and screaming men.
"A giant!" Usopp squeaked, his knees knocking together. "How did a human turn into a giant?!"
The Baroque Works sailors were screaming now, their disciplined formation dissolving into chaos as the titan began its work. Since they were still in relatively shallow water, the creature could plant its feet on the seabed, leaving its upper body free to move with devastating effect.
Cannon shells exploded against the titan's flesh, leaving black craters and drawing blood, but the wounds seemed to only anger it further. One massive hand swept through the water, catching a fleeing ship and crushing it like a child's toy. Another ship tried to ram the giant's legs, only to be picked up and hurled into its companion ship with bone-jarring force.
"Don't come any closer!" The desperate screams of the sailors carried across the water as their ships were systematically destroyed.
"Retreat! All ships retreat!"
But there was nowhere to run. The Attack titan moved through the water with terrifying grace, using the ships themselves as weapons. Hull fragments and splintered masts created a growing field of debris around the creature.
When the last Baroque Works ship was reduced to floating wreckage, an eerie silence fell over the water. Only the Going Merry remained intact, her crew staring in stunned amazement at the destruction.
"That was so cool!" Luffy's voice cut through the quiet, his excitement completely genuine. "Eren can turn into a giant! I want to learn how to do that too!"
The titan turned toward them, and for the first time they could see its face clearly in the moonlight. Despite the dramatic changes—the pointed ears, the enlarged features, the rows of predatory teeth—there was still something recognizably human about it. Something that might have once been Eren.
Princess Vivi and Igaram exchanged glances, both thinking the same thing: if this mysterious young man could wield such power, perhaps he truly could stand against Crocodile and the might of Baroque Works.