The forest clearing buzzed with anticipation.
Luffy stood at the center, his coat fluttering faintly in the breeze, that confident grin plastered across his face.
Snap!
"All right, listen up," He said, raising his hand. His fingers cracked, drawing every eye to him. "For this mission… none of you have to hold back at all."
The words rippled through the group like a shockwave.
Zoro smirked, hand already brushing the hilt of his swords. "Heh. That's more like it. Been itching for a real workout."
Kuina gave him a sideways glance, lips quirking. "Try not to cut the capital in half while you're at it, Zoro. We need a Wano to liberate."
Zoro snorted but said nothing, though his eye gleamed with challenge.
Gion leaned forward, arms crossed. "Are you certain about this, Luffy? No restraints at all?"
Luffy's grin widened, teeth flashing like lightning. "Why else would I bring monsters with me? If you're holding back, you're insulting the people we're trying to save."
A murmur of agreement rippled through the crowd.
Even Doll, the strict voice of reason, folded her arms with a grudging smile. "Tch… reckless as always. But for once, I agree. Discipline doesn't mean shackles."
But Luffy's gaze landed on Issho. His grin softened into something more thoughtful. "Except you, Issho-san."
Tok… tok...
The blind admiral tilted his head, his staff tapping the earth with a quiet rhythm.
"Oh?" He asked with calm curiosity.
Luffy shrugged lightly, though his eyes held iron. "I know you've got meteors up your sleeve. But the prison's full of innocent people. If you drop a star in the middle of them…"
He spread his hands, mimicking an explosion, making Ain flinch and Kujaku laugh nervously. "Boom... What's the point of saving Wano when there is no one left to see it?"
Issho chuckled warmly, bowing his head. "A wise precaution. Fear not, Vice Admiral… I'll keep the meteors on a leash, until they're truly needed."
The tension broke with a ripple of relieved laughter.
"Good," Luffy said, clapping his hands. "Then let's move."
The teams began to split, boots crunching against leaves.
Team One consisted of Issho, Chaton, Hina, and Prince Grus, and they mounted a large Wanizame, its jaws snapping with a guttural sound as water cascaded off its scaly hide.
GROARHHH!
"Yeesh…" Grus muttered, eyeing the beast as its maw opened wide enough to swallow a house. "Couldn't we have gotten… I dunno, a rowboat?"
Hina blew a stream of smoke from her lips, smirking. "Relax, it's just a big fish."
She patted the creature's snout, which earned a thunderous thud as its tail slapped the water.
Chaton chuckled. "Come on. It is much better than walking, isn't it?"
The beast roared again and walked forward; his speed was quite fast despite his large size.
On the other side of the clearing, Luffy turned to his group consisting of Team Two and Team Three.
The capital awaited them.
Luffy stretched his arms, joints popping audibly like firecrackers. "Heh. Guess it's our turn to cause some trouble."
"Trouble?" Kuina teased. "You mean chaos."
"Chaos is just justice in disguise," Luffy shot back with a wink, earning groans from Gion and Doll.
With laughter and tension mixing in the air, the two groups marched in opposite directions.
------
The looming silhouette of the Flower Capital stood proudly against the horizon, its pagodas stretching toward the sky, lanterns swaying gently in the breeze. The air smelled faintly of incense, mingling with the metallic tang of weapon forges.
The group 2 crouched behind a rocky ridge, shadows dancing across their faces.
Luffy tilted his head toward Team 3, his grin sharp as lightning. "Oi… you guys stay low. Once we've caused enough trouble and got all eyes on us, that's your cue to slip in. But don't get cocky."
His eyes narrowed, serious for just a second. "Stay alive. That's an order."
A hush fell over Team 3, and Gion gave a curt nod, her gaze hard.
Kuina smirked, brushing her sword's hilt with her thumb.
Doll muttered something about reckless brats, though the faint blush on her cheeks betrayed her hidden respect.
With that, Luffy straightened, rolling his shoulders. "Heh. Time to wake up, Wano."
Zoro was already standing at his side, swords rattling in their sheaths. He stretched lazily, a wolfish grin tugging at his lips. "So… how do you wanna do this?"
Luffy tapped his chin theatrically, humming like he was deciding what to eat for lunch. "Hmm… we could blow up a few places and kill some officials."
BOOM!
He clapped his hands together, mimicking an explosion with a boyish laugh.
Zoro scoffed. "Tch... Nah, that's too flashy. I say we cut some samurai. One swing, clean, straight down the middle."
He raised his hand and slashed the air with an audible SHHHKK! sound, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Cutting it in half is boring!" Luffy shot back, crossing his arms. "Where's the style? If you just cut it, they'll patch it back up. But if I fry it with a thunder dragon—"
bzzzt! bzzt!
He raised his fist, sparks crackling around his knuckles. "—it'll be ashes. No fixing ashes."
Zoro leaned forward, veins bulging on his forehead. "Oi, idiot, this isn't about 'style'... It's about intimidation. A clean cut tells them there's no one strong enough to stand against us."
Pfft-!
Luffy blew a raspberry, grinning wider. "Or maybe it just tells them you're a carpenter's nightmare."
The two glared at each other, grins and tempers flaring, their voices rising with every exchange.
"You're all brawn, no brains!"
"You're all brains, no sense!"
"Wanna bet who causes the bigger scare?"
"Hell yeah, I do!"
CRACK!
A nearby tree split in half from the tension between them, a stray spark from Luffy's knuckles sizzling the bark.
Behind them, Kujaku was quietly losing her mind. Her facial muscles twitched as if fighting a war of their own. 'These two… are they seriously competing over who can cause the dumbest disaster?'
She sighed, rubbing her temples, but a smile still tugged at her lips. 'Monsters, both of them. Absolute monsters… but damn if it isn't entertaining.'
She raised her whip with a fwip! and pointed it toward the entrance.
"Enough arguing, you two!" She snapped, though her voice trembled between exasperation and laughter. "Just cause trouble already before my head explodes listening to you!"
Luffy and Zoro blinked at her, then at each other, before bursting into identical wide, feral grins.
"Heh. Fine." Luffy's voice dropped to a dangerous purr.
"Yeah. Let's make them scream." Zoro's hand curled around his swords.
BZZZTT! SHHHK!
Lightning arced across the ground, and blades whispered free from their sheaths.
Kujaku exhaled sharply, steeling herself. 'Here we go. The Flower Capital has no idea what kind of storm is about to hit.'
And with that, the three of them marched toward the Capital's entrance, ready to cause some problems.
---- ✦ ✦ ✦ ----
Spoilers for the next five chapters!
Chapter 181: Disrupted Banquet
Chapter 182: Two Monsters
Chapter 183: Capital's Battle
Chapter 184: The Oniwabanshu
Chapter 185: Yamata no Orochi
--- ✦ ✦ ✦ ---
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