Chapter 545 - 385

Chapter 386: The Voice of a Millennium!"Hey! Hey! What are you all dazing off for?!"Yamato's roar snapped everyone's thoughts back to reality. "Is that Zou?! Amazing! Luffy, let's find a way to get up there quickly!!!"This question was like a bucket of cold water poured directly over everyone's heads.Yeah, how do we get up?The height of this Giant Elephant seemed to pierce through the clouds even to the naked eye; it must be tens of thousands of meters high."That's easy!" Yamato was the first to suggest, unable to contain her excitement. "We'll just climb up the elephant's legs! Just like climbing a snowy mountain! This is the path Kozuki Oden once took!!""Are you kidding me?!" Franky immediately countered. "At this height, it would take forever to climb! Watch me—sunny, Wind Laser reverse blast, we'll fly up in one go!!""You'll launch us into outer space!!" Usopp shrieked in terror, clinging tightly to the mast."How about I cut a path open?" Zoro suggested a highly constructive (destructive) idea while rubbing the hilt of his sword.Robin teased with a smile, "Do you intend to give this thousand-year-old Giant Elephant a pedicure, Mr. Zoro?""Everyone, be quiet." Law couldn't take it anymore and was about to reveal the plan he had already prepared.In the midst of this noisy chaos, a change that no one expected occurred.Luffy, who had been sitting on the Lion's Head and was similarly speechless from the shock, suddenly grew quiet.All the expressions on his face—whether shock, excitement, or curiosity—vanished in an instant. They were replaced by an unprecedented, almost sacred solemnity.He raised his hand, making a "shh" gesture, calling a halt to all the arguments on deck."Did you guys... hear that?"Luffy tilted his head, listening toward the empty air, and asked softly."Hear what?" Usopp looked bewildered. "Aside from your stomach growling, I don't hear anything.""No..." Luffy shook his head, his expression becoming more focused as he closed his eyes, as if feeling with his heart. "It's not a sound... it's a feeling... so sad... so weary... and... so lonely..."The crew members looked at each other, completely unable to understand what their Captain was talking about.Yamato curiously leaned in next to Luffy, mimicking him by tilting her ear to listen, but she only heard the whistling sea breeze.Only Law's eyes sharpened instantly at that moment. He stared fixedly at Luffy as a Legendary Talent belonging only to a very few kings flashed into his mind.Could it be...Just then, Luffy's body gave a sudden jolt.A torrent that didn't belong to this world—ancient, distant, as if spanning across endless time and space—washed directly into his mind! It wasn't specific language, but a Soul Resonance mixed with infinite sadness, weariness, loneliness, and a faint glimmer of hope.Then, a voice so old it seemed as if it could dissipate at any moment echoed faintly in the depths of his consciousness.[Joy Boy...][After eight hundred years, I have finally... sensed your presence once again...]The voice carried infinite weariness and a hint of relieved gratification.However, upon hearing that name, Luffy didn't show any confusion; instead, his brow furrowed deeply.He snapped his eyes open. There wasn't a trace of the awe one might expect from being chosen by a divine oracle; instead, there was a strong sense of displeasure at being mistaken for someone else and having his adventurous mood disturbed.He grabbed the straw hat from his back and put it on properly. The shadow of the brim covered half his face, but it couldn't hide his eyes, which were now burning with a steady flame.Ignoring his companions' confused gazes, he faced the empty sea and, with all his might, let out a roar that reached the heavens!"I'm not some Joy Boy!!!""Listen up! My name is—""Monkey D. Luffy! The man who will become the Pirate King!!!"The king's declaration echoed across the silent sea, filled with indisputable dominance and the will of freedom.The whole world seemed to fall silent because of this proclamation.On the deck, the expressions of Robin and Law both turned somber at this moment.A long time passed.That ancient voice, with a hint of distant reminiscence and a nearly inaudible chuckle, echoed in Luffy's mind once more.[So alike...][You and he... are truly so much alike...]