In the blink of an eye, a massive black blur streaked forward at terrifying speed. Before anyone could fully process what was happening, three figures materialised directly atop the Sea King's head.
One held a spear, while the other two wielded swords.
The spearman struck first, driving his weapon straight into the monster's brow, plunging it nearly a meter deep into the flesh.
Puchi!
Fresh blood cascaded down the Sea King's massive face. Its gargantuan body thrashed violently as it opened its maw to let out an agonizing shriek.
However, the two swordsmen gave it zero opportunity. Moving in perfect synchronization, their blades cut through the air and slammed into the monster's neck at the exact same microsecond.
BOOM!
The two flying slashes merged into a single, monumental arc, sundering the very fabric of the atmosphere. The Sea King's colossal head was cleanly split in two.
"Whoa!"
The Straw Hat Pirates gasped in unison. Zoro's eyes narrowed to sharp slits; the combat capabilities of these newcomers were far from ordinary.
SPLASH!
The gargantuan corpse crashed heavily into the sea, whipping up a massive wall of ocean spray. The three figures drifted gracefully out of the sky, landing firmly atop the floating carcass.
"To cleanly liquidate a Sea King of that scale in a single blow..."
"You're the Straw Hat crew, right?" the spearman asked, turning his gaze toward them. "So, this day has finally come..."
"Who exactly are you?" Luffy asked, blinking in confusion. He had absolutely zero record of these three in his memory; it was an absolute certainty they had never met.
The Straw Hats closed ranks, locking their eyes onto the trio. Were these men adversaries?
"The Red Hair Pirates!"
The three men stood with their heads held high, their expressions dripping with absolute pride. To carry the banner of the Red Hair Pirates was their ultimate, sacred honor.
In the rear of the formation, Mitian's elegant brow twitched slightly as she cast a highly peculiar glance at the trio.
"I am Bawei, a member of the Red Hair Pirates," the spearman smiled warmly. "We know your Straw Hat crew inside out."
"If the Boss knows you've arrived, he'll be ecstatic."
"However, the question I must put to you is... what exactly is your strategic objective here?"
The remaining two men squared their shoulders. The earth-shattering intelligence detailing the Straw Hats' formal ascension to the tier of the Yonko had saturated every corner of the world. They were not about to fall behind in momentum.
Regardless of the unique history shared between their crews—even though they constantly heard the Captain and the veteran officers reminiscing about Luffy—one thing was absolute. Every single time news regarding the Straw Hat rookie reached their camp, the Red Hair Pirates would invariably throw a massive banquet! It had practically evolved into a sacred institutional tradition.
But sentiment aside, this was a formal meeting between two pirate armadas. Under these parameters, protocol demanded absolute gravity. The opposing captain was no longer a mere rookie, but an Emperor of the Sea whose status matched their own! A clash of this scale would ripple across the global balance of power. It was no game.
Luffy froze for a beat, before the corners of his lips curled into a precise, lethal smirk, his eyes burning with intense focus. "I... came here to defeat Shanks!"
As he spoke, he took his iconic straw hat into his hands, adding, "And to finally fulfill our sacred promise!"
Hearing his words, Bawei's pupils shrank to pinpricks before he smoothly relaxed his posture. Had anyone else declared their intent to bring down their Boss, they wouldn't waste a single brain cell—they would simply unleash their weapons to liquidate the fool.
But because the individual speaking was Luffy, they could only take it as a natural progression. Luffy's history with the Red Hair Pirates ran far deeper than their own.
As late additions to the fleet, they were technically rookies. Every time they witnessed the veteran officers passionately debating the exploits of this Straw Hat kid, they couldn't help but wonder what manner of individual he truly was to command such endless praise from their Captain and executives. Even when the higher-ups were in a foul mood, merely mentioning the name "Straw Hat Luffy" would instantly bring a radiant smile to their faces.
To the crew, Luffy's name functioned like a sacred ward. As long as you praised the kid, no matter what structural blunder you committed, absolutely no one would break you. His reputation within the Red Hair Pirates was just that miraculous.
Luffy himself likely had zero understanding of how thoroughly legendary his name was within their ranks.
"We can safely escort you to the Boss's coordinates, but protocol dictates we trade blows first," Bawei said, throwing up his hands nonchalantly. They had meticulously rehearsed the scenario of Luffy's eventual arrival countless times, and they had unanimously determined to settle it via standard pirate etiquette.
"Excellent. I'll keep you company," Zoro muttered. His three blades cleared their sheaths with a flash of cold steel as he stepped forward.
"Zoro..." Nami and Chopper cried out in concern. But seeing that neither Luffy nor the senior executives made a move to intercept him, they shut their mouths. Silence was absolute endorsement.
"Good!" Luffy grinned. "Everyone, fall back."
The exact microsecond the perimeter was cleared, Zoro exploded into motion. His three blades carved through the air simultaneously, unleashing a violent, cross-shaped flying slash.
"We've got this!" The two swordsmen behind Bawei poured their full power into a heavy counter-strike.
CLANG!
The moment the steel collided, a faint purple aura rippled within Zoro's eyes. He channeled Advanced Armament Haki into his three blades simultaneously, unleashing a localized shockwave that cleanly blasted both swordsmen off their feet.
"Incredible strength!" Bawei gasped in surprise, before his combat instincts took over. Thrusting his spear forward, he lunged straight toward Zoro. Since this was a Yonko-caliber crew, possessing this caliber of power was only logical.
Concurrently, the blades of his two comrades shattered into pieces. Zoro spun on his heel with supreme velocity, projecting a tempestuous gale of flying slashes.
"Black Rope Dragon Twister!"
Just as Bawei's spear was about to breach Zoro's perimeter, the violent cyclone erupted, lifting him off the deck and launching him straight into the upper sky. Countless razor-sharp blades of wind tore through his trajectory. Bawei gritted his teeth, frantically spinning his spear to deflect the incoming wind cuts, but the momentum was too oppressive, driving him a hundred meters into the air.
BOOM!
Zoro kicked off the deck, rocketing upward like a human cannonball. Mid-air, he smoothly anchored his frame, gathering raw, crushing power into his shoulders before snapping a monumental three-blade strike.
"Three Sword Style: Ogura!"
KABOOM!
The devastating impact slammed square into Bawei's chest. He managed to cross his spear at the absolute last microsecond to brace for the blow, but the raw kinetic force sent him blasting back down, crashing heavily onto the stone deck as a streak of crimson leaked from his lips.
This was the result of Zoro explicitly holding back. Though the final blow appeared visually devastating, he had intentionally withheld his Advanced Armament Haki. Had he deployed it, the strike would have pulverized the spear entirely.
Bawei understood this reality perfectly well.
"Exceptional mastery! My defeat is absolute!" Bawei stated cleanly, picking himself up from the deck. "I shall guide you to our main camp."
The Straw Hat Pirates exchanged a collective glance and smiled warmly.
Before long, under the guidance of Bawei's trio, the alliance vessels dropped anchor alongside a secluded, pristine cove. Before they could even execute their disembarkation, a booming chorus of shouts drifted from the interior of the island.
"Hey! Daolang, your son has actually arrived this time! Your garbage mouth was actually accurate for once!"
Son?
The Straw Hats and Drake's crew were left entirely bewildered by the data. But right behind them, a stroke of pure amusement curled upon Mitian's lips.
"Hahaha! Didn't I explicitly tell you bastards that my boy would cross the horizon soon?" a rough, booming voice resonated from the trees.
"And Yasopp's kid has arrived concurrently! Today is an absolute, sacred holiday for our Red Hair Pirates! Bwahahaha..."
"Exactly, exactly! Quick, track down Yasopp and get him over here!"
A crowd of figures quickly emerged from the foliage. One burly man scanned the incoming lines, his eyes darting back and forth before locking directly onto Drake's coordinate. His mouth stretched into a massive, unbridled grin.
Breaking into an explosive sprint, he tore through the crowd to materialize right against Drake's chest, throwing his massive arms out to wrap him in a crushing bear hug.
However, Drake's tactical reflexes were peerless. Executing a seamless spatial shift, he smoothly wove out of the trajectory, causing the man to grasp nothing but empty air.
"Hey! You brat, I am your old man!"
Drake's nose nearly twisted from pure irritation. Pointing an angry finger at the burly man's face, he barked back fiercely, "Pui! I'm your old man!"
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