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"It's our flare!"
"That direction is... Merry!"
"Usopp is in danger!"
On the rain-soaked streets of Loguetown, Nami and Sanji, who had already gathered plenty of supplies, looked up to see a flashing straw hat-shaped red light in the sky.
Thanks to Usopp's craftsmanship, even in the heavy rain, the flare still lasted for nearly a minute before being extinguished by the downpour.
There was no time to waste.
Golden arcs of electricity flashed beneath Nami's feet as she moved swiftly through the rain using her Zippy Zap. Sanji was equally quick to respond, flames erupting from beneath his feet as he jumped directly into the sky.
Though he hadn't yet mastered the Moonwalk technique, and his aerial movement wasn't as fast as Nami in her electrically-charged state, with the advantage of traveling in a straight line through the air, he wasn't far behind her.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Luffy and Zoro, who were rushing back to the ship, also noticed the signal flare fired by Usopp.
"Trouble's brewing!" Zoro frowned.
The signal flare meant there was a problem their crewmate couldn't handle alone.
A look of concern flashed in his eyes, but he still turned to Luffy and said, "We've got no choice, Luffy!"
"Use that technique! We need to return to the Merry right now!"
The "technique" Zoro referred to was naturally the fastest way for someone with Gomu Gomu no Mi abilities to travel, and also the method he hated most – the human slingshot!
"Sounds good!" Luffy, worried about the Merry, didn't hesitate at all. He quickly stretched one arm and wrapped it around Zoro's waist.
Without delay, his eyes began searching for a suitable building overhead.
Out at sea, the marine remained unaware that Smoker, who had broken into the Merry alone, had been captured by the Straw Hat crew.
The imposing fleet continued approaching the Merry, ready to surround the entire port.
"No! Merry's ammunition reserves are almost gone!" Usopp cried, holding the last Buggy Bomb and staring at the empty ammunition storage. His brows furrowed instantly, regret washing over him.
"I never expected this to happen! If Luffy and the others don't come back soon, I'll have to use the last two Special Usopp Buggy Bullets."
"We were too cautious before! We should have made more shells and filled the ammunition room!"
At this moment, Usopp's fear of insufficient firepower grew worse.
After loading the last Buggy Bullet into the barrel, he adjusted the cannon's aim and forced himself to remain calm. Though panic was setting in, as a sniper, he knew the more anxious he felt, the calmer he needed to be.
He quickly targeted the marine battleship closest to the Merry.
Before Usopp could ignite the fuse, he heard the sound of someone landing on the deck.
Thud.
"Usopp! I'm back!"
After landing, Nami immediately assembled her Clima-Tact, using the recovery effect of the grassy deck to replenish the energy she'd spent rushing back.
When Usopp heard her voice, surprise immediately flashed in his eyes.
"It's Nami!"
The next moment, he was so relieved he couldn't hold back anymore, and tears flowed involuntarily from his eyes.
"You're finally back!"
Crying with relief, Usopp lit the fuse.
With a deafening BOOM, a naval warship opposite them lost its combat capability in a brilliant flash of light.
Usopp then collapsed weakly on the deck, gasping for breath.
Damn, this was stressful!
If his friends hadn't returned, he felt he might have had a nervous breakdown!
Fortunately, Nami's return finally allowed the weight on Usopp's shoulders to lift.
Either way, Nami was also a formidable fighter who could take on the Arlong Pirates alone... so dealing with dozens of battleships... cough cough... shouldn't be a problem, right?
"No, now's not the time to rest!" Usopp, though clearly exhausted, stood up again.
Nami alone couldn't stop so many enemies. She still needed his support!
After organizing the ammunition in his satchel, Usopp quickly walked out of the cabin.
Stepping onto the grassy deck, a comforting sensation swept through him like a gentle stream. The physical energy he'd expended and the pressure weighing on his heart were slowly restored under the effect of the green grass.
"Are you the only one who came back?" Usopp quickly asked, looking at Nami standing on the bow.
But Nami just raised the corners of her mouth in a confident smile.
"Of course not!"
Thud!
As she spoke, a dark figure suddenly landed on the Merry's deck.
Because he was carrying a heavy load, the Merry shook for a moment.
Sanji set all the ingredients on the ground, shielded them from the rain, lit a cigarette, and said to Usopp:
"Thank you, Usopp."
"Well done!"
"But from now on, leave this to us!"
"Sanji!"
As Usopp watched his friends return one after another, joy spread across his face.
Just then, a strange squeaking sound came from overhead.
"WOOOOOAAAHHHHH!"
Luffy's Tarzan-like roar filled the air as he shot past the Merry like a fleeting meteor, flying toward the distant sea.
"Hey, hey, HEY! Luffy! You went too far! TOO FAR!" Zoro, who was tied up and being transported by Luffy, screamed in panic.
But Luffy, who had been enjoying himself, hadn't realized until he looked down at the seawater below. His expression suddenly changed.
Fortunately, they weren't far from the Merry.
"Gomu Gomu no...Rope!"
The startled Luffy hurriedly threw out his arm and caught hold of the Merry's mast.
Then, due to his elasticity, he spun rapidly around the ship's mast.
"WHAT THE—!" Zoro let out a painful cry.
A few seconds later...
CRASH!
He and Luffy slammed into the Merry's mast together, then slowly slid down.
"Pfft!" Seeing this scene, Sanji couldn't help but laugh at their misfortune.
But his laughter was like a needle pricking Zoro's eardrums.
The swordsman rubbed his reddened face and said to Luffy: "Sooner or later, I'm going to get you back for this!"
Then he immediately glared at Sanji: "Hey, Eyebrow, what are you laughing at?!"
"...Nothing. I'm not laughing at anything," Sanji suppressed his laughter and fell silent.
Because of their previous bet, if he and Zoro quarreled, Sanji would be the one to suffer in the end.
Just wait! When the one-month period passed, he would definitely let Zoro know... what it meant to be at sea and never to offend the cook!
In fact, Red had already seen through Sanji's thoughts and kept reminding Zoro to restrain himself and let Sanji off the hook.
But Zoro seemed to be having fun and didn't care at all.
All that could be said was...
These two were destined to bicker and fight forever.
"Huh, what happened?" Luffy stood up, dusted himself off, and asked Usopp.
"Oh, right!" Usopp suddenly remembered and pointed at the marine fleet in the distance.
"Luffy, we're surrounded by the Marine!"
"Wow! Really! So many battleships!" Luffy exclaimed in surprise.
Nami frowned. "With this many ships, they must have sent half the East Blue fleet to capture us."
"By the way, isn't Red back yet?"
"Hmm..." Zoro, who had just separated from Luffy, said, "He seems to have gone to find the Buggy Pirates."
"I guess he didn't see Usopp's flare. He probably won't return until he's finished whatever he's doing."
"I see." Nami nodded in understanding, then looked at Luffy again. "In that case... it seems we can only fight these battleships ourselves."
"Is that okay with you, Luffy?"
"Shishishi! Of course!"
"We can't leave Red behind, can we?!"
Luffy slammed his fist into his palm with a crisp sound.
"But..." Zoro, who had stopped teasing Sanji, suddenly had a thoughtful look in his eyes.
"There are so many battleships. If we get surrounded, it'll make it harder to leave the port, right?"
"Indeed." Sanji rarely agreed with Zoro's opinion.
He looked at the distant battleships and said: "Since we have to wait for Red and can't set sail yet..."
"It's best to force them to stop where they are and not let them come any closer."
"So... we need to use that technique, right?"
Luffy's eyes flashed with excitement as he laughed.
Zoro and Sanji also raised their eyebrows.
The three of them moved to the bow of the ship in perfect harmony.
Luffy stood on the sheep-headed bow, while Zoro and Sanji stood on the rails on either side.
"Yosh! Here I go!"
"Hmm!"
Luffy bit his thumb, then puffed up his cheeks and blew into it.
Zoro and Sanji entered their Santoryu and Diable Jambe stances respectively.
Powerful energy began to gather around the three of them.
Under the heavy dark clouds, it seemed as if gods of destruction had descended upon the bow of the Merry.
The sea suddenly boiled, and waves surged violently.
"T-too strong!" Seeing the three men's auras materialize before him, Usopp couldn't help but stare in amazement.
Meanwhile, at the port of Loguetown.
Red turned around and waved goodbye to Buggy, Johnny, and the others: "Alright, I'll leave from here!"
"Anyway, we have Den Den Mushi and Vivre Cards now. If anything happens later, just contact me directly."
As soon as he finished speaking, Red's entire body floated into the air.
With so many people at the port, flying was easier.
But at that moment...
A group of unusual-looking people suddenly appeared in Red's line of sight.
They were led by someone with green afro hair and a bruised face, running into the port from another intersection.
Among their group, he even spotted a familiar yet unfamiliar figure.
"What's this...?"
"Alvida and Bartolomeo?!"
"How did those two end up together?"
"And why is Bartolomeo in such bad shape? Doesn't he already have the Barrier-Barrier Fruit? Why is he still so badly beaten?"
"Is it because he can't fully control his Devil Fruit powers yet?"
Many questions arose in Red's mind.
However, he didn't dwell on them too much. He assumed it was the butterfly effect caused by his own actions and continued flying toward the Merry.
But before he could cross the port, he saw three familiar figures suddenly leap into the sky.
It was the three powerhouses of Red's companions, the Straw Hat Pirates!
The three of them roared in unison: "
Three Sword Style Secret: Flying Dragon Blaze..."
"Gomu Gomu no Gigant..."
"Diable Jambe - Full Course..."
"HYPERBEAM!"
In an instant...
Zoro's body spun violently in the air, sharp sword light spreading but remaining condensed, not dispersing.
In the end, all the slashing waves formed a massive double-winged flying dragon in mid-air!
ROOOOOAAAR!
A dragon's roar echoed through the sky.
The flying dragon slash seemed to come alive, bombarding the distant naval warships!
Sanji hovered in the air, propelled by the flames from his left foot, while his right foot was aimed at the distant warships. Then he kicked hard!
Suddenly, endless heat burst forth in dazzling white light, forming a roaring firestorm that surged toward the naval battleships!
The Hyperbeam technique had been incorporated into their sword skills and kicking abilities by Zoro and Sanji respectively, making them their own.
Only Luffy used a method similar to the original!
After inflating violently, he transformed into a giant over ten meters tall in mid-air!
Fierce energy suddenly condensed before the giant Luffy, making the gloomy port of Loguetown shine like a small sun, illuminating the entire sea.
And the next moment!
BOOOOOM!
The mighty energy beam, compressed to its limit, shot out instantly, covering all the battleships directly in front of the Merry.
At that moment, the world seemed to lose all color and sound!
Everyone at Loguetown's port, regardless of who they were or what they were doing, stopped and stared at the three beams of light striking the sea.
Then...
CRASH!
The calm sea surface suddenly erupted with massive waves tens of meters high, engulfing all the naval warships.
A deafening explosion followed.
SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH!
Endless seawater fell from the sky, turning the already heavy rain into a downpour, approaching the level of a natural disaster.
And when the churning waves finally settled...
The marine fleet that had surrounded Loguetown's port was now reduced to floating wreckage, drifting among the turbulent waves.
The three powerhouses of the Straw Hat Pirates...
With just one combined attack, they had defeated the large fleet that the East Blue Marine had worked so hard to assemble!
It was foreseeable that...
In tomorrow's newspaper, the entire East Blue would inevitably be in an uproar over this news!
And the name of the Straw Hat Pirates would officially enter the sights of the world's most powerful figures!
Strong individuals with powerful strategic capabilities...
Such a combination had never been seen before!