"What did you say?"
Inside Amazon Lily, the living room was dimly lit.
Gloriosa stared at Shakky on the sofa, dumbfounded. She wondered if she had misheard those astonishing things just now.
"You heard correctly."
Shakky lounged in the sofa, a long, slender woman's cigarette between her fingers. Amid the swirling smoke, her smile was knowing.
"What, Flamflower? Can't believe it? There are even more astonishing things behind it. If I sold the information I've compiled about young Monkey to information brokers, they would doubt the events themselves."
"Of course they would."
Gloriosa said, covering her face. "It's hard not to question things like this. Anyone would be shocked that such a person has been a pirate for less than a year."
The teacup in her hand hovered in midair, the tea trembling slightly.
"Pirates are indeed rarely famous at a young age. When my Rayleigh was young Monkey's age, he was still wandering around because his home had been burned down."
Shakky exhaled a puff of smoke. "Many people wouldn't have believed it if they hadn't seen most of what happened at Impel Down."
Gloriosa slowly put down her teacup.
She was digesting the information.
"So in the end, the war took place at Impel Down?"
Amazon Lily was too secluded, and Hancock had not returned, so Gloriosa had only received fragmented information.
Things like the Marines suffering a crushing defeat in the war, the Whitebeard Pirates breaking through, vague reports like that.
Now Shakky had brought detailed information, making Gloriosa feel like she was listening to a fairy tale.
"I originally thought it was already the limit for Straw Hat to be able to rescue Fire Fist Ace," Gloriosa murmured.
Though the underwater prison was very dangerous, given Straw Hat's strength and abilities, if the Marines had not transferred Fire Fist Ace early, he might have been able to take advantage of the Marines' attention being on the Whitebeard Pirates to rescue Ace.
That was already the best outcome Gloriosa could imagine.
If they could not rescue him from the underwater prison, they would have to participate in the huge war at Marine Headquarters.
A war of that level would be very dangerous. One misstep and you could die there.
Even an Emperor-level strong fighter would not dare to say they could escape unscathed from a battlefield of that scale.
Gloriosa knew how strong Whitebeard was, yet she had made that judgment.
And yet, it was Straw Hat Luffy who had stirred up that war?
"The truth is, young Monkey and Newgate's combined attack nearly claimed the life of an Admiral-level combatant. Looking at the result, it's a bit of a shame."
Shakky exhaled another smoke ring, the smoke rising slowly in the light. "I don't know if Newgate's situation counts as a blessing in disguise."
He had lost the power of the Gura Gura no Mi, and his appearance had changed, looking like a demon.
But his strength had, in a way, been restored.
Gloriosa's pupils suddenly contracted.
"Newgate was attacked like Rocks? What happened at God Valley back then?"
For a moment, Gloriosa could not believe it. She had only learned fragments about God Valley from Newgate and the others.
Shakky and Gloriosa were both former officers of the Rocks Pirates, and they knew a few secrets.
The war that had changed the entire pattern of the sea, they had, in a way, experienced it themselves.
But only a handful had participated in the deeper battles.
Only three had participated throughout.
Rocks, Garp, Roger.
"It should be related to the truth of the world, the Void Century, something like that."
Shakky stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray, her expression uncharacteristically serious. "Besides the Five Elders, there is another ruler hiding in the shadows within the World Government. In this Impel Down War, that person personally acted."
"The Five Elders?"
Hancock was listening quietly. Now she could not help but interrupt. "Aren't they already the five people with the world's highest authority?"
For her to become a Warlord, she had also needed the Five Elders' approval.
In Hancock's understanding, the Five Elders were the highest leaders of the World Government, the ones standing at the peak of power.
She did not know there was a ruler beyond the Five Elders.
Because the Five Elders were technically the World Government's highest leaders, its highest authority.
Everyone knew that.
"No. Those five do not represent the world."
The world?
Even Hancock felt a twinge of tension.
She asked, "Then who is it?"
"We do not know the specifics either."
Gloriosa shook her head. "It was Shakky who told me there was a hidden ruler behind the Five Elders."
Shakky knew many things. Rayleigh also knew many things, knew the truth of the world.
But Shakky could not say these things.
Some secrets were dangerous to know. And voicing them could lead to unforeseen consequences.
"Regardless, young Monkey and Newgate returned safely."
Shakky smiled easily, changing the subject. "Let the new era answer the truth of the world. We remnants of the old era will just watch from the sidelines."
Gloriosa nodded, but she could not help but remark.
"Newgate really did leave alive."
Then the corner of her mouth twitched. "And Shiki got out too."
At the thought of Shiki's "Jihahaha" laugh, Gloriosa rolled her eyes.
Back in the Rocks Pirates, Golden Lion had also been a single-minded bastard.
This could be seen from later events.
Like when Roger refused him and he started the Edd War, only to suffer heavy losses himself.
Twenty-four years ago, Shiki could not believe that Gol D. Roger, his recognized rival, had been captured. So he single-handedly stormed Marine Headquarters at Marineford to confirm it.
Golden Lion really was a single-minded idiot.
"But, Shiki following that Straw Hat? That's not like him."
In Gloriosa's memory, Golden Lion Shiki was proud of his core.
He worshiped power. He sought dominion.
He dreamed of becoming the king of the world.
How could such a person willingly follow a young man?
There was indeed an indescribable charm about Straw Hat.
Great heroes like Shiki. Women like Hancock. They were all drawn to him.
Shakky laughed and lit another cigarette.
"In a way, it's a reunion of the Rocks Pirates. Shiki. Me. You. If the Marines knew about this, they'd be scared shitless."
"More than just scared shitless," Gloriosa snorted.
If that old man Sengoku knew that Roger's first mate, Golden Lion, who had nearly destroyed Marine Headquarters, and remnants of the old era like them were all gathered around Straw Hat, he probably would not be able to sleep.
Not to mention the Warlords, Kuma and Jinbe, that Shakky mentioned.
A small part of the top combatants from the Impel Down War had quietly gathered again, enough to make the Marines' nerves twitch.
"By the way, Snake Princess. Does Straw Hat know all this? About Rayleigh and Shiki's past, and the Rocks Pirates?"
Hancock had been holding her cheeks in her hands, her eyes glazed over, clearly lost in fantasy about Luffy.
Being called by Gloriosa, she suddenly snapped out of it.
"Huh? Luffy-sama? Luffy-sama knows Rayleigh was Roger's first mate, and Shiki is a legendary great pirate. As for the Rocks Pirates, Luffy-sama doesn't really care about that. He said the past is the past; what matters is now and the future."
Gloriosa and Shakky exchanged glances, both seeing something complicated in the other's eyes.
That attitude, that way of thinking, was just like him.
Like that man with the straw hat.
"But Luffy-sama is very serious about training. He has been developing the Gura Gura no Mi these days, and he even learned to swim!" Hancock said.
"Learned to swim?"
Gloriosa was taken aback. "Isn't he a Devil Fruit user?"
"Yes!"
Hancock said excitedly, "Luffy-sama uses the Gura Gura no Mi to cover his body with a layer of vibration, keeping the seawater away!"
Gloriosa and Shakky looked at each other again. This time, both their eyes were full of shock.
Using the Gura Gura no Mi to counter the weakness of seawater?
They had never heard of such an approach.
Did this mean that as a Devil Fruit user, Luffy would no longer fear seawater?
"Currently, among the Marines, the only one capable of doing that was Aokiji, due to the unique properties of his Devil Fruit."
After a long moment, Gloriosa could not help but say, "He is a monster."
Shakky smiled. "Isn't this the new era we were waiting for?"
Just then, Hancock twisted her body again, her cheeks flushing, muttering, "Luffy-sama looks so handsome when training seriously. The way he moves among the waves... ah~"
Seeing Hancock like this, Gloriosa could not help but hold her forehead.
"Snake Princess, stop twisting. You are the queen of Amazon Lily. Could you be a little more dignified?"
Hancock was still lost in her fantasy. Gloriosa lightly tapped her head with her staff.
"Th-This lady..."
"What are you saying, you old hag?"
Hancock had been about to kiss him, but her fantasy was broken.
She angrily reached out to pinch Gloriosa's face.
Gloriosa fought back, and the two argued.
Shakky could not help but laugh. "This might be the inevitable fate of the queens of Amazon Lily. Flamflower, you were like this too, weren't you?"
"Oh?"
Hancock glanced at Gloriosa, her expression strange.
"You were the same? And you dare to criticize this lady?"
Gloriosa's face immediately turned red.
Shakky chuckled.
She and Gloriosa both saw Hancock as their daughter.
All parents wanted their children to succeed, but when they did, their first reaction was worry.
Having been out to sea, Gloriosa knew what the outside world was like.
At first, she had also thought Hancock's personality was too arrogant. She would probably never look at any man. It would be rare for her to treat anyone as an equal.
Of course, there was a reason for her arrogance.
Gloriosa had long worried about Hancock's personality. Due to the trauma of being enslaved, she suppressed her own heart and closed off her emotions.
She had worried that Hancock would never recover.
But now, Hancock had recovered, but she had fallen for a man!
Originally, Gloriosa had thought that even if any man was lucky enough to be liked by Hancock, that would already be enough.
As the queen of Amazon Lily, Hancock had great authority. Even if she had a man, no one would say much.
Amazon Lily might reject men, but if it was Hancock...
She could already imagine the scene.
"If it's Hancock-sama, she must be right!"
The people on the island would surely say that.
She understood that there were always people stronger than you, but she had never thought it would happen to the man Snake Princess loved.
Straw Hat Luffy. The hat he wore was exactly the same as the man she had fallen for.
Men like that dreamed of the stars and the sea, of the throne of the Pirate King, of sailing freely on the Grand Line.
People like that would never be restrained by love.
Especially since Snake Princess was in a worse state than she had ever been.
Hancock was completely sunk.
"Snake Princess, how far have you and Straw Hat progressed?" Gloriosa asked.
She needed to find out.
Hancock blinked. "What do you mean?"
"You know..."
Gloriosa racked her brain, but she had no personal experience.
She had heard it from pirates on Hachinosu.
She had always thought, hadn't she seen a pig run before?
But now, to describe the taste of pork, she lacked the words.
"What is your relationship?"
"R-Relationship?"
Hancock blushed. Her fingers twisted. Her voice was small. "Luffy-sama's and my relationship."
Shakky could not stand it. She said directly, "Flamflower means, have you held hands? Kissed? Or gone all the way?"
"Shakky!"
Hancock shrieked. Smoke practically rose from her. "What are you saying?!"
And, what did "all the way" mean?
Gloriosa's heart sank.
Hancock's reaction said everything.
Shakky smiled. She exhaled a smoke ring. "It's not that serious. It's just, you know, holding hands and walking straight to the room, not looking back, right? I saw it on the boat."
Gloriosa's mouth fell open. What, it had only been a few days?
And it had already reached that level?
She and Roger... had not even held hands.
At most, they had looked at each other from across the deck, exchanged a few words, to ease the pain of lovesickness.
Unlike young people today, who moved so fast.
Were they, the remnants of the old era, falling behind in every way?
"Th-This lady was only learning with Luffy-sama."
Hancock covered her flushed cheeks, her voice muffled. "Luffy-sama said he needed my help with Haki training."
Learning?
What could a man and a woman learn alone?
Gloriosa's mind was a mess.
She looked at Hancock, totally sunk, and thought of Luffy. That boy had no idea what was going on.
Did he even think about men and women?
This silly girl was probably just lovesick.
And their height, age, presence... putting Hancock and Luffy together was a bit strange.
But Gloriosa had seen the world.
She knew Neptune and Otohime. Height was not a problem.
She had heard that Gaban was with a giant woman. Height and race combined were not a problem.
And she thought of Big Mom... well, that was another level. Anything was okay as long as she could have children.
Seeing Gloriosa's brain about to overload, Shakky stopped teasing her.
"Young Monkey was indeed discussing Haki with Hancock. I saw it myself. The two were sparring on the deck. Luffy was asking Hancock very seriously about Armament Haki techniques," Shakky said.
Gloriosa was taken aback. "Straw Hat didn't feel anything with Hancock right next to him?"
The Pirate Empress was called the Most Beautiful Woman in the World. Her looks, figure, presence, status... were even more than Shakky's back then.
How many people in the Rocks Pirates had fallen for Shakky?
Hancock's charm was only greater.
How beautiful was the woman the Mero Mero no Mi had chosen?
Even Shakky was silent for a moment.
Finally, she slowly spoke. "To be honest, I have never seen a man like young Monkey."
Hancock was no different from anyone else around Luffy.
If not for occasional masculine reactions, she would have doubted whether Luffy was a man.
Shakky and Gloriosa exchanged glances.
Now even Gloriosa felt a bit miffed.
It was like parents who, when someone shows interest in their child, try to hide them away, afraid of losing them.
But when their beautiful, innocent child shows no interest in a wild man, they are offended.
Hancock was the queen of Amazon Lily, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World, the one many dreamed of.
And Straw Hat Luffy felt nothing?
Shakky and Gloriosa exchanged another look, both seeing the same concern.
Looking at Hancock now, they both sighed inwardly.
Based on their experience, it was probably inevitable. Hancock had fallen, and fell hard.
What to do?
Gloriosa glanced at Shakky. Only she could advise her now.
Shakky had experience. She knew how to handle such things. And she understood men better.
After all, she had run a bar on the Sabaody Archipelago for so many years and had seen countless men.
"How far have you gone with young Monkey?" Shakky asked directly, not letting Hancock avoid it.
Hancock blushed. She covered her face, her voice low. "H-Held hands."
Did hugging count?
Y-Yes, that too.
Shakky nodded. "And how far do you want to go?"
Steam practically rose from Hancock's head. She was dizzy. "M-Marriage?!"
Shakky looked at Hancock and sighed.
This girl was completely gone.
"Then,"
Shakky sat up, her expression serious. "Hancock, you can't just go along with young Monkey like this. You need to take the initiative."
"Take the initiative?"
Hancock's eyes lit up.
If she had a pen and paper, she would have run in front of Shakky like a student!
This was what she had wanted to hear!
These days, though she spent time with Luffy every day, she always felt like something was holding her back.
Luffy was polite to her, respectful, and listened seriously when she explained Haki, but that was it.
She wanted more.
She wanted Luffy to look at her as a woman.
"Wait, Shakky."
Gloriosa tugged Shakky's hand, lowering her voice. "Should you be saying these things?"
She had wanted Shakky to say something else.
Hancock was still the queen of Amazon Lily. Was she supposed to follow Luffy out to sea like she had?
What about Amazon Lily?
What about the citizens?
"You set the precedent."
Shakky looked at Gloriosa, her gaze significant. "Do you have an excuse to stop Hancock?"
Gloriosa was silent again.
There really was no reason to stop Snake Princess.
There was no helping it when it came to this.
Or rather, she and the other queens of Amazon Lily were still lucky.
The men who made them fall in love were so excellent, so dazzling, so trustworthy.
Roger had become the Pirate King. Though his life was short, his legend remained on the sea.
Rayleigh, though in hiding, was the Dark King, the Pirate King's right hand, one of the strongest men in the world.
And now, Hancock had set her sights on Straw Hat Luffy, a man who had just shaken the world in the Impel Down War and was called the Fifth Emperor.
A man with two legendary Devil Fruits, who had defeated a Marine Admiral and fought the hidden ruler of the World Government to a standstill.
If she missed him, there would be no one else.
"Then you two continue."
Gloriosa could not find any excuse to stop her, so she just sat and watched.
Because, in a sense, only Shakky had succeeded. Gloriosa had only been lovesick.
"From what I know, the women on his ship are also quite excellent."
Shakky turned to Hancock, and her next words made Hancock bite her finger. "If they compete, their chances are far better than yours."
They were partners who spent every day together.
Changing that relationship would be too easy.
"And I can tell their feelings for young Monkey are not ordinary either," Shakky said.
Hancock's nails dug into her palms.
"W-What should I do?!"
"If you truly like young Monkey and want to be with him, you cannot just wait. You must take the initiative."
Hancock nodded repeatedly, her eyes sparkling. "Then what should I do?"
Shakky first sorted through information with Hancock, learning that Luffy came to train with Hancock at nearly the same time every day.
"In a way, young Monkey is asking for your help. So as a woman, you can use your advantages. You can ask for some things in return."
Shakky said, "One-sided effort will not be rewarded."
Hancock nodded eagerly.
That was a good idea.
Even Gloriosa could not help nodding. Why had she not thought of this?
Was that why she had failed?
Hancock noted it down carefully.
"Second, when teaching him Haki, increase physical contact. Not deliberately, but naturally. Show your charm as a woman. For example, when correcting his movements, stand closer. Touch his hand. His shoulder."
Hancock was fascinated, completely immersed in Shakky's teaching.
Gloriosa bit her lip.
Truly worthy of the woman who ushered in the "Shakky Era" of the sea.
Shakky was formidable.
"If possible, what would you like to ask of young Monkey?" Shakky asked casually.
"M-Marriage, perhaps?" Hancock said, covering her face.
Shakky paused, her cigarette midair. She was between laughter and tears.
She had wanted Hancock to take the initiative, to set some conditions. But they should be feasible. What was this all-or-nothing approach?
"Luffy-sama would not agree?"
Hancock asked innocently, her beautiful eyes wide.
"P-Probably not."
Shakky did not want to hurt Hancock's confidence.
Would he? Only if young Monkey's brain was controlled by his lower body.
...
Meanwhile, on the desert island beside Amazon Lily.
Sunlight played on the sea, shimmering.
Waves lapped the shore, lapping rhythmically.
On an open space in the center of the desert island, Luffy was training.
An invisible wave surrounded his body. The air vibrated faintly.
"Shinken!"
Luffy shouted, punching a large rock before him.
His fist did not touch it. When his fist was still half a meter from the rock, countless cracks appeared on its surface. Then, with a bang, it shattered. Fragments flew.
"Oh?"
Golden Lion, watching from the side, raised an eyebrow. "Internal destruction?"
The rock fragments took the shape of a pet.
Nika.
She was already linking the Gura Gura no Mi with Haki.
Compared to the Gomu Gomu no Mi, the Gura Gura no Mi seemed truly like an authentic Paramecia.
Seeing Nika, Luffy felt a bit nostalgic.
After unleashing that terrifying Conqueror's Haki on the Impel Down battlefield, she had been...
"You want to die? Am I dead? Why are you making a statue of me? Do you want to find a coffin, put the statue in it, and bury it?"
An unhappy voice muttered in his mind.
Nika's voice sounded energetic, but she just did not want to come out. Even the promise of sake would not lure her out.
After that battle, she had seemed severely damaged, but after sleeping a few days, she had woken up as if nothing had happened.
Luffy's abnormal recovery was due not only to himself but also partly to Nika.
"Why won't you come out?" Luffy asked.
"I told you, I'll be targeted."
After unleashing that terrifying Conqueror's Haki in the Impel Down War, Nika now lay on a shelf, the small tanuki boredly playing with her tail.
"Now that I've faced that guy directly, he's probably looking for me everywhere."
"That monster? I really want to fight him again."
Luffy rotated his arm. After days of recovery, his injuries were mostly healed.
Nika thought, even if he was strong enough, would He have a one-on-one, man-to-man fight with him?
That guy's power was the most troublesome.
Luffy was facing the whole world.
Nika looked lazy. "Just keep training."
"Fine."
Luffy felt disappointed.
He had been training intensely these days. He felt he could now kill his opponent with one punch.
He had been training at this high intensity even before he recovered. Now that he was uninjured, even more so.
If there was one word for it, it was "energetic."
Every day, he woke up at 1 am.
First, physical training: push-ups, sit-ups, squats, running... until Perona floated over looking drained, then floated away looking drained.
A one-minute lunch break, using his enormous appetite and Life Return to instantly consume and absorb food.
Then Haki training with Hancock.
His diligence sometimes made Golden Lion, who was supposed to be here to recuperate, feel awkward just watching.
Then Golden Lion would relent.
The other was a monster. He could not compare.
That said, in the New World, he had seen many hard workers and many talented people.
The combination of both was rare.
Take Kaido and Linlin. One liked to drink and die, the other liked to have children. Talented, certainly. But hardworking? Not so much.
All numbers, no sweat.
That said, when Luffy invited him to train, Golden Lion would mutter about being a patient, being tired, but then spar without hesitation.
As if he were anxious to show something.
But you cannot deny old age.
"You're up. This old man is tired."
Rayleigh walked over, took a big gulp from his sake flask, and wiped his sweating forehead. He looked quite worn out.
He had just spared with Luffy for an hour. Though it was only guided sparring, Luffy's progress forced him to take it seriously.
Rayleigh had followed Luffy here partly to be a half-teacher, to teach Luffy some things he had not yet mastered.
But then he realized Luffy knew it all.
Of the three stages of Armament Haki, aside from being slightly unfamiliar with internal destruction, he was very skilled with hardening and flowing emission.
With Conqueror's Haki, it was even worse. He had already worked out his own method for Conqueror's Haki Infusion.
Rayleigh could give a few pointers and see obvious progress.
Rayleigh felt a bit deflated.
Did he have any use here?
It seemed he was just a punching bag.
There was no helping it. Getting old, you felt like imparting knowledge. Watching a student surpassing you was enjoyable. It was not just Rayleigh. These days, Shakky had also been eager to teach Hancock all sorts of things.
"This old man is still a patient. Jinbe, you fight him. Straw Hat already learned to swim, right? A Devil Fruit user in the sea? I have never seen that before."
Golden Lion waved his hand, floating over to a rock and sitting down.
"Hahaha! I have never seen it either," Rayleigh laughed.
"I thought I was the only one who could control seawater. How is it a rubber man is trying to control it too?"
Golden Lion looked ahead, full of complaints.
Not far away, Luffy had somehow gone into the sea.
Above the sea, Luffy was riding the waves.
No other support.
"This is also a good way to control waves."
Luffy was having a great time.
He stepped on the waves, gathering them with vibrations, and used them to carry himself forward.
It was not Geppo or Soru. He was using the power of vibration to create support points on the sea's surface, controlling the water.
It was like Whitebeard's ability to create huge tsunamis with a punch, but Luffy's development of the Gura Gura no Mi seemed more refined.
Whitebeard had never done this with vibrations in his youth.
This might be due to differences in personality and in how they developed their Powers.
The same fruit can show different strengths in different hands.
Luffy's development was different from Whitebeard's. The Gura Gura no Mi could indeed be maximized for pure destructive power, but he could also work on control.
Through vibrations of different frequencies and directions, he could affect the form and movement of matter.
The Gura Gura no Mi still had much untapped potential.
Vibration was not just for internal destruction; it could make the very world tremble.
What he was doing now was one example.
"Jinbe, any more moves?" Luffy asked.
"Luffy, this is already quite astonishing," Jinbe could not help saying.
He was now standing on the sea.
As a fish-man, he walked on water as if on solid ground. It was like coming home.
But this was a power only mermaids and fish-men had.
Not even humans, but even mermaids and fish-men struggled to control it.
It was completely different from how Luffy was directly controlling the waves.
And Luffy was a Devil Fruit user.
"However, there is a Fish-Man Karate technique similar to what you're doing, Luffy."
Jinbe thought for a moment, then condensed a ball of dense water in his palm.
Gyojin Karate Ogi: Buraikan.
"Using a shock of water to create a wave, then causing internal damage," Jinbe explained.
This was one of his specialties.
He was confident it could damage even an Emperor.
Luffy nodded thoughtfully.
He used vibrations to gather a wave, forming a ball of water, then compressed and spun it.
"What about calling this Shinsuidama?"
Luffy shoved the water ball toward a distant reef.
The ball shook as it flew, the water inside spinning at high speed. When it hit the reef, it exploded.
Every drop of water, carrying the power of vibration, pierced the reef like tiny bullets.
"Boom!"
The reef was riddled with holes. Then it shattered.
"Good power," Luffy said approvingly.
Then he tried Gyojin Jujutsu: Mizugokoro · Kairyū Seoi Nage.
Using a judo-like throw to toss seawater, creating a large wave.
Luffy was more direct. He just used vibrations.
"Kuma, watch out for the wave."
Luffy looked at the escaping wave heading toward Kuma.
Kuma stood quietly on the beach, looking ahead expressionlessly.
Hearing Luffy's words, he glanced at the approaching wave, removed his glove, and slapped it away.
Bang!
The huge wave was sent somewhere unknown.
Seeing this, Luffy slapped his head.
"You can still use your ability?!"
From the look of it, Kuma's Nikyu Nikyu no Mi ability was still intact.
"What, you want him to slap you again?"
Perona, floating above the sea, said. She sat on a ghost umbrella, floating above the water, far from it.
She had been slapped by Kuma to Amazon Lily.
It had left a lasting impression.
He had suddenly appeared, asked, "Do you have anywhere you want to go?" and then hit her. Anyone would be scared.
In response to Luffy's question, Kuma, as usual, expressionless, silent, simply nodded.
"Could I go see them in person?"
Luffy was wondering how to contact everyone.
He could only contact Nami, Vivi, and Robin.
They had Den Den Mushi and knew the contact channel.
As for the others?
He just hoped Zoro did not get lost, let alone find a Den Den Mushi.
Sanji, Usopp...
Luffy smiled wryly.
The men on his ship were not very reliable.
Either he went to tell them himself, or he found another way to let everyone know.
If they did not know, they would probably be trying to get back to the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Eh, you really want Kuma to slap you away?"
Perona floated over. "You'll be in the air for days again."
Rayleigh walked over. "Going to find your crew?"
"Vivi is already contacting them, but places like Zoro's are too remote. If they hear about the war, they might be coming back now."
How they would get back was another problem.
Luffy scratched his head. He could guess what his crew was thinking.
"Why not just cause another big incident?"
Golden Lion also floated over, his expression arrogant. "Then you can spread the message through the newspapers."
The World Economic Times' newspapers could reach anywhere via news coo. No matter how remote, even a deserted island with people on it, the news bird would fly there.
Do whatever it takes.
"If you're planning something, this old man would also like to help," Jinbe said.
"Jihahaha! Wherever we go, it will be a big incident," Golden Lion laughed.
Rayleigh smiled. "The sea is lively. This old man wants to join the fun too."
Luffy pushed down his straw hat and grinned. "If Gramps saw this, he'd be furious."
Two Warlords.
Two great pirates famous from the old era.
Plus Luffy.
Even Sengoku would break out in a cold sweat and ask, "Do you want to start another war?"
***
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