"Luo Chen!"
Nami ran closer before calling out in a low voice, her tone filled with joy.
Carina, Vivi, Usopp, and Chopper also hurried over from a distance.
Luffy, with a look of delight, waved his arms and shouted, "Luo Chen!"
Beside him, Zoro and Sanji each punched him on the head, scolding him, "Keep it down! Do you want the Marines to know Luo Chen is here?"
Luo Chen was different from them.
He had long been a primary target of the Marines, and not long ago he had killed a Celestial Dragon and robbed the Heavenly Tribute.
If he was exposed, it would surely attract the pursuit of an Admiral again.
By now, Zoro and the others were all aware of what a Celestial Dragon was.
If they were to attract Admiral Aokiji again, it was uncertain whether Luo Chen and they could escape.
Luo Chen smiled at the group and said seriously, "First, listen to me. There are many World Government agents in Water 7. You have probably been under surveillance for a long time."
As soon as he said this, the expressions of Luffy, Nami, and the others all changed drastically.
Luffy's eyes widened, and he looked around the dock.
He asked, puzzled, "There's no one here. Where are they hiding? Zoro, did you see anyone?"
Zoro and Sanji only searched with their eyes covertly and both shook their heads.
Luo Chen said slowly, "These World Government agents are disguised as shipwrights, which is why you didn't notice."
He said to Luffy, "The Marines have probably been lying in wait on the island for a long time, possibly waiting for me to appear. Let's head out to sea first. Can the Going Merry still sail?"
Since the Straw Hat crew hadn't gone to the sky island, Luo Chen estimated that the Going Merry should still be able to hold out.
Hearing that they were disguised as shipwrights, the expressions of Luffy and the others changed. They subconsciously looked at Rob Lucci and Kaku on the deck of the Merry.
Carina's face was grave as she said, "The Merry can still sail. Those two said before that they needed to replace the keel, but the suitable wood has not yet been delivered."
Luo Chen nodded. "Then let's head out to sea first. Leave Water 7."
Nami now directly held his hand, looking at him with worry.
Luo Chen lowered his head slightly and whispered his follow-up plan in her ear.
The worry in Nami's big eyes grew even stronger. She anxiously tried to dissuade him.
"Impel Down... isn't there only one person who has ever escaped from there? Luo Chen, can we not take the risk? Let's go together."
"If there are no Admirals, we'll go together," Luo Chen said. "If there are, you guys go first."
He pointed in the direction of the Wood Dragon. "You'll head out to sea from this direction later. My clone and Robin will be there to meet you."
"Don't worry, nothing will happen. As long as my clone is still around, it means I'm completely fine."
Seeing that Nami was still worried, Luo Chen comforted her in a soft voice.
"Then... you have to be extremely careful," Nami could only say, pursing her lips.
She knew that Luo Chen was not a fool who would willingly go to his death.
Since he had decided this, the success rate must be quite high.
While they were talking, a conflict arose between Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, who had gone to ask for the ship, and Lucci and Kaku on the deck.
The two sides had already started fighting.
"Give us back the Merry!" Luffy's arm stretched out, and he threw a punch.
"The ship hasn't been repaired yet," a voice came from the mouth of the pigeon on Rob Lucci's shoulder.
Kaku also kicked out. "As a shipwright, I can't let you sail out to sea in a ship that's about to fall apart."
Zoro and Sanji charged forward.
However, the other shipwrights of the Galley-La Company also intervened.
The shipwrights naturally wouldn't trust a group of pirates like Luffy's, and they all helped Rob Lucci and Kaku fight.
The situation was a stalemate for a moment.
Seeing this, Luo Chen decided to make a move.
His main purpose in landing in Water 7 was to help Nami and the others leave.
Only after they had left could he fight the enemy with peace of mind.
In an instant, a massive Wood Golem burst through the ground.
The shipwrights were aghast and cried out.
Rob Lucci, Kaku, and Kalifa, who had run out of the office building, looked over, their gazes locking onto Luo Chen.
"It really is him."
The three's gazes met, and there was no doubt.
The tens-of-meters-tall Wood Golem threw a punch, and the shipwrights in its path screamed as they were sent flying.
Luo Chen did not strike a heavy blow, but it was enough to render these people immobile for a short time.
The Wood Golem's hands reached out, grabbing for Rob Lucci and Kaku, who were fighting on the deck of the Merry.
The two used Shave, quickly breaking away from Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, and landed on the ground.
The Wood Golem placed the Going Merry on its shoulder. With its other hand, it scooped up Nami, Carina, Chopper, and the others from the ground and placed them on the ship.
Then, the Golem took a large stride and ran toward the ocean.
Luo Chen activated the Flying Thunder God mark on the Going Merry and also teleported onto the deck.
Seeing that they were about to run, Rob Lucci and Kaku used Moonwalk to give chase through the air.
The two were very fast and closed the distance in a flash.
Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were about to make a move, but Luo Chen had already flashed in front of them.
He raised one hand and said silently in his heart, 'Shinra Tensei.'
After receiving the reward from the system, he had tested it a few times on the air, but this was the first time he was using it against an enemy.
An invisible wave instantly emanated through the air.
In mid-air, the expressions of Rob Lucci and Kaku changed drastically. They clearly hadn't seen anything, but it felt as if a giant wall had slammed into them.
The two were hit solidly, spat out blood, and were sent flying back, crashing to the ground.
Kalifa hurried over and asked if they were alright.
Kaku shook his head. He tried to stand up but his face contorted in pain, and he fell back to the ground.
Rob Lucci's body, however, gradually began to expand, transforming into a leopard-man with yellow fur and black spots.
His own cold, stern voice spoke, "Before Admirals Aokiji and Kizaru arrive, I will try to hold them."
With that, Lucci violently stomped, shattering the ground, and used Moonwalk to give chase again.
Kaku said worriedly, "I hope the Admirals get here soon. Luo Chen's strength might be even greater than Lucci's."
Kalifa frowned. "He didn't even use that massive Guanyin statue, and he injured you and Lucci with a single blow?"
Kaku nodded with a bitter smile.
Not far away, Rob Lucci caught up again.
Luo Chen assumed the same posture, raising a palm toward him from a distance.
This time, Rob Lucci stared intently and sensed the air in front of him being compressed and accelerating. He immediately launched his strongest attack.
His thick, leopard-fur-covered arms both punched out.
A giant shockwave shot from between his fists like a cannonball.
The two invisible attacks collided, and the air let out a sharp, explosive sound.
On the deck, Luffy and the others only felt a gust of wind blow against their faces.
In mid-air, Rob Lucci once again spat out blood and was sent flying back more than ten meters, crashing heavily to the ground.
Zoro and Sanji looked at each other in amazement.
They had never seen this ability of Luo Chen's before.
It was like a repulsive force that could both deflect an enemy's attack and be used on the enemy themselves to cause damage.
After being injured this time, Rob Lucci was unable to get back up.
Even with the tenacious life force and powerful healing ability granted by his Zoan-type Devil Fruit, he could not withstand Luo Chen's attacks.
After two Shinra Tenseis, most of the bones in Rob Lucci's body were shattered.
'Not at the Admiral/Emperor level. Not even close to enough.'
Luo Chen said to himself.
His strength had increased dramatically during this period.
If it were back in Alabasta, to defeat Lucci, he would have had to activate Sage Mode and summon the Thousand-Armed Guanyin.
Now, two Shinra Tenseis were all it took.
The giant Wood Golem leaped through the streets of Water 7, heading for the port.
Since the residents had all gone to high ground to escape the tsunami, there was no possibility of collateral damage.
But less than a minute after leaving the Galley-La Company, the area ahead in Water 7 suddenly began to freeze.
The houses, roads, and waterways were all quickly covered in a layer of ice. A cold, white mist rose up, as if the area around the Wood Golem had been turned into a frozen hell.
On the ship, the faces of Luffy, Nami, and the others all changed.
Far in front of the Wood Golem, more than ten Marine figures appeared, all wearing "Justice" coats.
The hems of their coats fluttered in the clean, white mist as they walked briskly.
Judging by their shoulder pauldrons, their ranks were all Rear Admiral or higher.
Ten Rear Admirals, five Vice Admirals.
The two tall figures at the very front were nearly three meters tall. Their pure gold pauldrons indicated their Admiral rank.
"Admiral Aokiji..." Luffy's, Zoro's, and Sanji's pupils shrank.
Carina's gaze fell on the old man in the yellow and white suit next to Aokiji. Her voice was dry.
"Admiral Kizaru is here too."
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]