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Rumble...
The clouds above the port suddenly lit up with a dim flash, followed by a thunderous roar that echoed across all of Loguetown.
In the port, everyone's eyes widened in disbelief, as if they had forgotten everything else, and stared at the three Straw Hat Pirates falling from the sky back to the Merry.
Their gazes finally settled on the light sailing ship, which despite its cute appearance, now filled them with deep fear.
The Bartolomeo Group, which had originally planned to seek revenge on Sanji and Nami, stood frozen in place. No one dared to take a step forward.
Revenge?
For some reason, the very idea seemed ridiculous at this moment.
Looking at the boiling sea and the destroyed Marine fleet, Bartolomeo, who had previously needed his gang's help, pushed away the two delinquents beside him and stumbled forward, shock evident in his eyes.
"Is this... is this what pirates are?" he muttered to himself, his voice barely audible from his crooked mouth.
Buggy's group at the back of the port were also shocked beyond words by what they had just witnessed.
Buggy floated in the air, clutching his pounding heart, unable to calm down.
"It's been a long time... since I've seen such a display of power!"
By now, not only pirates and gangsters had rushed to the port.
Although most of the Marines were defeated by Luffy and Zoro, Tashigi finally assembled a small team and hurried to the port.
Immediately...
They saw the Marine fleet completely defeated!
"How... how could this happen?!"
Finally unable to maintain her composure, Tashigi collapsed to the ground, staring blankly at the distant sea.
The next second, her palms pressed against the ground suddenly clenched. She lowered her head and shouted to the subordinates beside her:
"Quick... quickly organize a rescue team!"
In this battle to pursue the Straw Hats, both the Marine base in Loguetown and all the Marine bases involved in the operation had suffered heavy losses.
More importantly...
All their efforts and dedication had accomplished nothing except making the Straw Hats more infamous.
It was simply...
Like a joke!
At the same time...
"You guys are having fun without me again~"
Red's teasing voice suddenly came from the sky above the Merry.
Faint arcs of lightning burst from beneath his feet as he slowly descended onto the grassy deck.
But in front of him were three Straw Hats who looked as if they'd been starved for days, completely drained of energy!
Who would have thought...
To outsiders, these three appeared as powerful as gods, but now they were so weak they could barely move.
This was precisely why Red had cautioned against using Hyperbeam indiscriminately!
He had already asked the three to test the power of the Hyperbeam back in the game world.
Unlike the game where negative effects last for just one round after use, in the real world, the negative effects of the Hyperbeam were even more terrifying! It instantly depleted all the Pokémon energy in the user's body, leaving them weak and exhausted.
So far, Red didn't know what caused this situation...
Was it because Luffy and the others weren't proficient with the Hyperbeam, or was the Pokémon energy in their bodies insufficient to unleash the complete move?
However, since each use immediately robbed them of their combat ability, Red rarely allowed them to use it in the game world, despite equipping them with this powerful technique.
"Red, you're finally back!"
Seeing Red land, Usopp and Nami immediately ran over excitedly.
The three collapsed figures on the ground weakly raised their heads.
"Red, you're back," Luffy said, sticking out his tongue but still managing to greet his friend.
"Indeed."
Seeing this scene, Red smiled helplessly and shook his head slightly.
In the next second, he flipped his wrist and extracted three bottles of PP Up from his game backpack.
Items that restored move usage in the game could directly replenish the Pokémon energy lost by the user in the real world.
As soon as they each drank a small bottle of the supplement, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji instantly revived!
Although they hadn't fully recovered, at least they no longer felt weak from energy depletion!
For the rest, they just needed to let the healing effects of the grassy deck slowly restore them!
After Usopp's explanation, Red learned what had happened at the port during his absence.
"I really didn't expect the Marines would go to such lengths to arrest us."
Red was a little stunned, but then looked at Luffy and smiled.
"It seems we can't stay in the East Blue any longer."
"Luffy, it's almost time. Should we get ready to depart?"
In an instant, everyone in the Straw Hat crew turned to Luffy at Red's words!
Because at this moment, they were standing at the final stop before the entrance to the Grand Line!
And if they set sail again, their destination would be...
What countless people yearned for - the Grand Line!!!
"Shishishi!!!"
Luffy suddenly lowered the straw hat on his head, stepped onto the ship's railing, and jumped onto the Merry's sheep figurehead.
"All right!!!"
In full view of the Straw Hats and thousands of spectators in Loguetown, Luffy slowly spread his arms, took a deep breath, and shouted at the sea before him with all his might:
"Everyone!!! Set sail!!! SET SAIL!!!"
"Grand Line, here we come!!!"
WHOOSH!
The port of Loguetown, which had finally calmed down, once again erupted into turbulent waves without warning!
Just as everyone at the port looked on in fear, thinking the waves would hit the coast...
The waves magically split in two, quickly moving behind the Merry, pushing the hull and lifting it steadily.
Suddenly!
People watched as if seeing a master surfer riding the waves, avoiding the wreckage of Marine ships and all obstacles, heading toward the vast open sea.
A bright beam of sunlight broke through the clouds and shone on the Merry's sail.
The image of the pirate with the straw hat was firmly engraved in everyone's minds.
The strong wind and heavy rain stopped at that moment.
Bright sunshine appeared again, as if heralding that a new day... had begun!!!
"The Straw Hats are leaving."
At the port, people's thoughts still lingered on the moment when Luffy and the others destroyed the Marine fleet.
Watching the ship disappear on the horizon, Bartolomeo's eyes flashed with something as he approached the edge of the port, and suddenly asked Alvida beside him:
"Alvida, do you know what preparations you need to make to go to sea?"
The rescue fleet organized by the Marines quickly set sail to help the sailors in distress.
Merchant ships at the port also joined the rescue efforts.
Buggy and his crew put on their hoods and disappeared into Loguetown again, preparing for their next move.
After all, before long, they too would follow in the Straw Hats' footsteps and enter the long-lost Grand Line.
At this moment.
Silence belonged to Loguetown, and the noise also belonged to Loguetown.
Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army, who had originally intended to protect Luffy, mysteriously appeared on a clock tower in Loguetown.
Watching Luffy and the others leaving on the massive wave, there was a look of surprise in his eyes.
"Has the wind of destiny already reached you, Luffy?"
"It seems I need to accelerate my plans as well!"
A hurricane roared.
Dragon's figure suddenly vanished into the tempest.
"Look at that light!!!"
"That should be the guiding lighthouse at the entrance to the Grand Line!"
After sailing on the waves for a while, Nami suddenly pointed ahead and explained to everyone.
"In other words, we'll soon enter the Grand Line, right?"
Zoro showed an excited smile, resting one hand on his sword, brimming with fighting spirit.
"The Grand Line, where strong warriors gather like clouds!"
He hadn't forgotten what Red told him before he joined the Straw Hats.
At Nami's signal, everyone's eyes instinctively looked toward the distant light.
At this moment, Sanji suddenly remembered something and brought a huge wine barrel out from the cabin, placing it on the deck.
He grinned, the cigarette in his mouth seemingly never going out, and suggested:
"To celebrate our upcoming entry into the Grand Line, let's have a launching ceremony!!!"
"Great!!!"
Luffy instantly raised his arms in support.
The other Straw Hat crew members gathered around.
Sanji, who had made the suggestion, was the first to put his foot on the barrel.
This was a common ritual during sea voyages.
It wasn't very formal, but for the Straw Hats at this moment, it became more meaningful because of its spontaneity.
He said seriously:
"To find the All Blue and become stronger!!!"
Luffy laughed and immediately placed his foot on the barrel.
"To become the Pirate King!!!"
"Interesting!" Zoro followed closely and grinned: "I want to defeat that man and become the world's greatest swordsman!"
"Then I'll say..." Nami hesitated for a moment. After placing her foot on the barrel, she said:
"To draw the best sea chart in the world! Let us explore every corner of the world without fear of any weather!!!"
"Ah, ah, ah..."
The nervous Usopp stuttered twice, unsure what to say as he placed his leg on the barrel.
After struggling, though lacking confidence, he finally spoke:
"To become a brave warrior of the sea..."
Then Usopp paused, before suddenly raising his voice:
"To become the world's greatest sniper!!!"
In the next second, everyone's eyes turned to Red, who stood aside with a smile, as if waiting to hear his dream.
"A dream, huh..."
Looking at the wonderful scenes from the anime unfolding before him, Red's eyes instantly showed a touch of emotion.
He recalled how he had hurriedly followed Luffy to sea without preparation, thinking something was wrong with his Pokédex.
But now, having understood the correct use of the device, those worries were gone, yet he couldn't leave the ship.
Thud!
Red followed everyone's example and placed his foot on the barrel. Then he suddenly laughed and said:
"To make up for those regrets with my own hands!"
"To see the ending of the story with my own eyes..."
Regrets? Ending?
Red's words immediately caught everyone's attention.
But at this moment, no one asked for clarification.
Luffy grinned widely and suddenly raised his leg.
"Let's go!!!"
"Our destination is..."
"The Grand Line!!!"
CRASH!
With everyone's combined effort, the barrel shattered.
At this moment, all their faces were filled with sincere and expectant smiles.