"Shut up!"
Luffy's head snapped around, his glare piercing Spandam.
The cold killing intent in his eyes, combined with the pressure of Haoshoku Haki, made Spandam feel like a prehistoric beast was bearing down on him. All his words caught in his throat. His legs gave way, and he collapsed with a thump, his pants instantly soaked.
Just then, a tall figure emerged slowly from the shadows behind Spandam. He wore a Marine Admiral's coat of justice draped over his shoulders, and his expression was one of weary resignation.
It was Admiral Aokiji.
"So you actually came here, Straw Hat."
Cold spread from his presence as Aokiji stood with his hands in his pockets. "There's no turning back now."
Spandam looked at him like a savior. He scrambled behind Aokiji, pointing at Luffy and shrieking:
"A-Admiral Aokiji! Did you see that?! This lawless pirate dared to glare at me! He has no idea who he's provoking! Arrest him!"
Though Aokiji ignored him, Spandam had found his backbone. He regained some confidence and yelled at Luffy:
"Straw Hat! Do you even know who this is?! This is Admiral Aokiji—the Marines' highest combat power!"
Luffy was getting irritated. "Shut up. Anyone listening would think you were the Admiral."
Spandam choked, his embarrassment turning to fury.
"Foolish pirate! It's you people who throw the seas into chaos! You ungrateful wreches have no idea how insignificant you are! Look at that flag!"
Spandam pointed to the World Government flag flying overhead.
"It's the symbol of the four seas and over 170 franchised countries of the Grand Line!"
"This is the world!"
"You pirates are like gutter rats! You have no idea how vast this sea is, or how vast the organization that rules it is! That woman Nico Robin has been hunted by this colossal organization for over twenty years! What makes you think you can stand against the entire world?!"
As his words ended, Luffy moved.
He didn't speak. He simply raised his right arm. It turned red in an instant, the heat so intense it distorted the air. Flames coiled around it.
Gomu Gomu no: Hiken!
BOOM!
A colossal blast of flame—like a roaring fire dragon—shot from Luffy's arm. Unstoppable, it pierced the towering World Government flag.
The flag ignited instantly. A blazing inferno burned in the sky, like a fallen sun, casting the entire Enies Lobby in its crimson glow.
The waves of flame rippled outward, striking deep in the hearts of all who witnessed it.
In that moment, Enies Lobby fell completely silent.
Every Marine, every World Government official, even some CP9 members, stared in stunned disbelief at the burning flag. Their minds went blank.
He actually did it?
Did they know what attacking that flag meant?
It was a public declaration of war against the World Government—an institution that had ruled for 800 years!
"H-heaven is falling..."
A Marine soldier whispered, his gun slipping from his fingers unnoticed.
A pirate declaring war on the World Government?
Unthinkable in the past.
Across different battlefields, the Straw Hats all saw the pillar of flame and the burning flag.
Zoro forced Kaku back with a slash, a grin spreading across his face. "Well done, Captain."
Sanji kicked Jabra aside and lit a cigarette. "Now that's more like it."
Nami, Usopp, and Chopper were shaken by the consequences of this act, but even more, they felt a surging pride.
Robin gazed up at the burning flag, tears streaming silently down her face. But at the corner of her lips was a smile of release—of liberation.
Twenty years of nightmare seemed to burn away with those flames.
"Do you have any idea what you've done, Straw Hat?!"
Spandam let out a piercing shriek, his face deathly pale. "Don't think you can defy the world and survive! You're dead! You're all dead!"
Luffy lowered his arm, the flames dissipating. He grinned, his white teeth showing, his voice ringing clearly across the plaza:
"Then bring it."
"No one ever let Robin live before. Now I'm taking her back to these seas!"
"Who's in favor? Who's opposed?"
No one spoke. Then no one opposed.
Luffy's eyes narrowed as they met Aokiji's.
Now all he had to do was defeated this man.
But that was going to be hard.
Luffy had already fought Aokiji before. This man, with his lazy demeanor, in Luffy's eyes was...
Terribly strong!
Aokiji finally spoke. He ruffled his sleep-tangled hair, his tone still languid, but his gaze sharpened. "I knew it would come to this. I let you off last time. That doesn't mean I'll let you do as you please again."
His expression chilled. The temperature around them began to plummet.
Luffy met his gaze without fear, his fists coated in jet-black Busoshoku Haki. "Then come!"
Spandam listened to their exchange, cold sweat pouring down him like a waterfall. His teeth chattered.
W-was he supposed to be hearing this?
"Let you off"?
An Admiral going easy on a pirate?
What kind of corruption was going on here? Was he about to be silenced?
The next moment, as if to confirm his fears, Aokiji's cold erupted. Luffy's Haoshoku Haki crashed against it without yielding!
The invisible shockwave from the collision of two top powerhouses washed over Spandam, caught in the middle. His eyes rolled back, and without even a whimper, he completely lost consciousness.
"Ice Ball!"
The moment Spandam fell, Aokiji clasped his hands together. Two rapidly spinning ice balls shot forth. The beneath ground Luffy's feet was instantly covered in ice, freezing his feet in place!
Crack!
Crack!
The ice spread rapidly up his body, threatening to seal him completely!
"That trick again."
Luffy snorted. The surging power within him erupted. The black-red lightning of Haoshoku Haki flickered violently around him!
CRACK!
CRACK!
The ice encasing him shattered instantly!
Aokiji seemed to have expected this. He casually broke off a huge block of ice from a nearby ruined building, instantly shaping it into an ice saber. He flickered before Luffy, the saber descending with bone-chilling cold!
At the same time, countless sharp ice spears materialized in the air around Luffy, raining down on him from all directions like a violent storm!
"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!"
Luffy ducked nimbly, his rubber body twisting at impossible angles to evade most of the ice spears. At the same time, his arm stretched, grabbing several of the spears that came close. His Gomu Gomu no Mi ability activated, and the ice spears were instantly imbued with rubber properties.
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!