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Dressrosa, Sunflower Field.
The two were dozens of meters apart.
"Room!"
Law opened his surgical space, covering the entire flower field, his burning gaze fixed on Daichi, his whole body trembling.
He hadn't expected the opportunity to challenge the strongest to come knocking. He knew very well that to ascend to the Pirate King's throne, he would inevitably clash with the overlords of the New World.
The man before him was one of those overlords!
And the "strongest" one at that!
"Captain, go!"
In the distance, the Heart Pirates were all excitedly jumping up and down, cheering for their captain.
If they defeated the opponent, they would be just one step away from the Pirate King's throne.
Trust the captain!
Daichi yawned and picked up a wooden stick from the ground.
"Are you ready?"
"Of course!"
Law gripped the hilt of his sword, Kikoku, with his right hand, his body leaning slightly forward, sweat trickling down his cheeks until it dripped from his chin.
At this moment, in his eyes, Daichi was full of flaws. His lazy demeanor clearly showed he was looking down on him.
Although he was annoyed, the opponent had the right to look down on the world!
However, despite being full of flaws, he felt the aura of death, as if moving even slightly would result in a fatal blow.
"Rustle~~~"
His hands were trembling!
"Damn it!"
Law gripped Kikoku with both hands and took a deep breath.
As a doctor, he understood that his body was being dominated by fear. This situation was actually very common—when gripped by fear, many creatures experience symptoms of body paralysis.
He hadn't expected it to happen to him.
"I can't wait any longer!"
Law's eyes narrowed, and he charged toward Daichi.
First, get the body moving!
"Charging head-on?"
Daichi grinned, stepping forward with his left foot, placing the wooden stick behind his right hand, and Haki enveloped it!
Black lightning burst forth!
"Thunder—"
"It's coming!"
Law's pupils contracted, and all the hairs on his body stood on end. He clearly felt the arrival of death.
It's coming!
There were still thirty meters between them!
What should he do?
Teleport to the side to launch an attack? Or use Shambles to manipulate surrounding objects to disrupt the opponent's rhythm?
"Bagua!!!"
In just a brief moment, several attack routes flashed through Law's mind, but the moment he was about to act, he suddenly found himself in a blank space.
"Where is this...?"
Law looked around in confusion.
"Law!"
An incredibly familiar voice entered his ears.
Law's body trembled, and he immediately turned around.
A man with a cigarette in his mouth and clown makeup stood a dozen meters behind him, walking toward him with a smile.
"Corazon!"
"Law, don't give up!"
Corazon came to his side, knelt down, and placed his hand on the head of a small boy covered in white spots.
That was him when he was little!
"There must be a doctor who can cure you!"
As his voice faded, the two figures slowly disappeared, then reappeared elsewhere.
"Cheer, Law!"
Corazon shouted in surprise.
"As long as you get the Ope Ope no Mi, you'll live!"
"It worked!"
Corazon shoved the fruit into Law's mouth.
"Law, this is the Ope Ope no Mi, eat it quickly!"
Corazon was covered in blood, leaning against a treasure chest.
"Law, cough, cough, I'm a Marine. I'm sorry for deceiving you."
The memories of their initial encounters appeared one by one before Law, until the very last moment, Corazon smiled foolishly at him.
"I love you, Law!"
"Corazon!"
Law reached out to grab Corazon, but his arm twisted and bent.
Flames burned, and space shattered.
His senses returned to the real world. His vision was filled with only darkness, and the faint shouts of his companions.
"Captain! Wake up!"
"Bring the medical tools quickly!"
"Emergency surgery!"
The members of the Heart Pirates frantically surrounded Law, desperately treating him.
No one had expected Daichi to defeat their captain with just one move, leaving him severely injured and on the verge of death.
Even though they were very skilled in medicine, they weren't 100% confident they could save their captain from the clutches of death at this moment.
"Too weak."
Daichi stood not far away, shaking his head in dissatisfaction.
"This kid is more than just a little weaker than Straw Hat."
The Thunder Bagua he just used was based on Kaido's full power in his normal state, and its destructive power was almost identical.
The same Thunder Bagua, when used on Straw Hat Luffy, could only severely injure him and knock him unconscious, still a considerable distance from death.
However, when used on Law, this single blow nearly took his life. Whether he would survive depended on the medical skill of his crew.
From this, it was clear that the physical differences between the two were quite significant.
"The rest is up to you."
Daichi waved his hand and turned to leave.
The members of the Heart Pirates were so angry they almost spat blood, but their captain's life was paramount, and they had no time to argue with Daichi.
A moment later, Daichi returned to the city.
Speed instantly appeared beside Daichi and whispered, "Daichi-sama, traces of the Kozuki Remnants have been found. There are two samurai on this island, and Kozuki Momonosuke is likely here too."
"Good."
Daichi nodded slightly.
"Issue a wanted poster. Those who capture the samurai will be rewarded with 100 million Berry, and those who capture Kozuki Momonosuke will be rewarded with 500 million Berry!"
"Understood!"
Speed instantly disappeared.
Not long after, with the assistance of the Riku Royal Army, wanted posters for the Kozuki Remnants were distributed throughout the streets and alleys.
Especially for Kozuki Momonosuke!
Hoenn had not deployed many troops on various islands, mainly relying on the property management department of Hoenn settlements. Their intelligence gathering efficiency was very high, but finding people required the help of local forces.
"What's the deal with this kid?"
At this moment, countless pirates had arrived in Dressrosa. As soon as the wanted poster was released, it immediately attracted the attention of the pirates.
A total of 700 million Berry!
A huge sum!
The problem was that the wanted person's portrait was a hand-drawn version, which was quite abstract. Fortunately, the samurai's attire was still distinctive.
Lover's Avenue, a certain restaurant.
"Captain Kid!"
His subordinates brought Momonosuke's bounty poster to Kid, quite interested: "Should we look for this guy?"
"We're not here to do such boring things!"
Kid sneered and refused.
The bounty was indeed very generous, even he was a little tempted, but what interested him more was the bounty issuer behind it.
Beast Pirates!
That Kozuki Momonosuke must be very valuable!
However, he had more important things to do now. Other matters could only wait, no matter how much money was offered.
Kid grinned, looking at the pirate sitting on the other side of the restaurant.
"Roar of the Sea" Apoo!
"Long time no see, you're still as disgusting as ever!"
"Be careful or I'll kill you!"
Apoo raised his hands, as if ready to fight.
"This is not the place to fight."
By the bar, a burly monk turned to face the two.
"Mad Monk" Urouge!
Urouge looked at Kid.
"Is that masked man not here?"
"Killer went to the coliseum!"
The others answered Urouge's question on behalf of Kid.
Kid, Urouge, Apoo.
Among the Supernovas of the Worst Generation, only a few remained unaligned. Besides the reckless Bonney and the recently revived Straw Hat, everyone else was here.
Apoo was the first to break the silence.
"I'm here to form an alliance!"