In the meeting room, the air was so heavy it could almost be wrung out, and Fleet Admiral Sengoku's hands were clasped under his chin, the wrinkles on his forehead deeper than usual.
Time passed by minute by minute.
"It's been three hours, gentlemen," Sengoku tapped the table. "The orders from above must be carried out, but who to send requires careful consideration."
Staff Officer Tsuru pushed up her glasses: "According to the novel's description, although this Straw Hat currently only has a bounty of 100 million, under the influence of the protagonist's halo, his growth rate…"
"Protagonist's halo, my foot!" Akainu slammed his fist on the table, the magma fruit's ability instantly melting the corner of the table. "Let me go, one Great Eruption can solve it!"
Aokiji yawned lazily: "Oh dear… sending an Admiral for a newcomer from the East Blue, where would the Marine's face be if that got out?"
Kizaru, with his legs crossed, golden light flickering between his fingers: "How scary~ But this old man would really like to see this so-called 'protagonist's halo'~"
Sengoku looked at the bickering Admirals and suddenly slammed his hand on the table: "Enough!" He scanned the room, his gaze finally landing on three Vice Admirals: "Onigumo, Strawberry, Yamakaji, the three of you will go."
The three: "Me?"
....
The surface of the Grand Line shimmered with light, as three of the Marine's latest "Hound-class" battleships cut through the waves in a triangular formation. The bow of each battleship was inlaid with the majestic Marine emblem, and the Marine soldiers on deck looked solemn.
Onigumo stood at the bow of the flagship, the "Blade of Justice," the eight famous swords of "Black Spider" on his back gleaming coldly in the sunlight. He narrowed his eyes at the sea chart, scoffing disdainfully: "To rush from Marineford to the waters near Long Ring Long Land just to catch a rookie who just started out?"
His adjutant cautiously reminded him: "Vice Admiral, it is said that Straw Hat Luffy is the protagonist of the novel, who fights whoever he dislikes, and he is also Vice Admiral Garp's grandson…"
"Shut up!" Onigumo's killing intent instantly silenced the adjutant. "What protagonist, in the face of absolute strength, it's all a joke!"
"That's right, let alone Vice Admiral Garp's grandson, even the Fleet Admiral's son, if he's a Pirate, he'll be caught just the same!"
....
On the second battleship, the "Longbeard," Strawberry was meticulously trimming his long beard. This Vice Admiral, known for his wisdom, stared at the latest excerpt from the "Pirate King" novel, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter: "Interesting… very interesting… this Straw Hat's way of doing things…"
A staff officer leaned over and whispered: "Vice Admiral, according to the novel's description, they should be heading to Water 7 next…"
Strawberry suddenly closed the book: "Order! Full speed ahead! We must intercept them quickly!"
On the deck of the third battleship, Vice Admiral Yamakaji held a cigar in his mouth, the smoke he exhaled quickly dissipating in the sea breeze.
He looked at the distant horizon and suddenly laughed out loud: "Hahaha… interesting! Kill whoever you dislike? Isn't that exactly Roger's style back in the day?"
The Marine soldiers behind him exchanged glances, not understanding why their superior was laughing.
Yamakaji suddenly turned around, the spark of his cigar flickering in the wind: "Lads! Are you ready to meet this 'Child of Destiny'?"
.....
Long Ring Long Land,
Deep within the dense forest of an unnamed island, the morning mist had not yet fully dispersed, and Luffy's bare upper body was already covered in sweat. His legs were deeply embedded in the mud, and his arms were inflated to an exaggerated degree.
"Third Gear: Bone Balloon!"
The gigantic fist smashed into the rock wall with a deafening explosion, and the entire cliff instantly collapsed. Luffy gasped for breath as he retracted his arm, his body immediately shrinking to the size of a child.
"Phew… much better than yesterday." He looked at his small hands and grinned, "Now it only shrinks for an hour!"
Zoro leaned against a nearby tree trunk, his three swords simultaneously unsheathed: "Hey, Captain, want to try a new move?"
"No!" Nami slammed an iron fist on Zoro's head. "Sanji just finished lunch! And…" She looked at Luffy worriedly, "The Gear Fourth problem hasn't been solved yet."
At the temporary camp by the beach, the Straw Hat were gathered around a barbecue. Robin's fingertips lightly tapped, and the hands conjured by her ability were flipping through the "Pirate King" novel.
"According to the novel's description," Robin pushed up her scholarly glasses, "Luffy's Gear Fourth requires injecting Haki into his rubber body, forming a special 'muscle balloon' state."
"But that's the problem!" Usopp scratched his exploding afro frantically. "Luffy doesn't even know what Haki is!"
Sanji exhaled a smoke ring: "The novel says Rayleigh will teach Luffy Haki on Sabaody Archipelago, but right now…" He glanced at Luffy, who was wolfing down food, "This idiot hasn't even met Rayleigh."
"That's right, we haven't even reached Sabaody Archipelago yet…"
Usopp continued dejectedly: "I've checked, Haki seems to be an essential ability for strong individuals in the New World, divided into three types: Observation Haki, Armament Haki, and Haoshoku…"
"Hey! Luffy!" Sanji suddenly shouted, "Can you stop using Third Gear when you eat! The dining table is going to break again! This is terrible!"
Luffy, using his inflated giant hand, grabbed an entire roasted ox and stuffed it into his mouth. Hearing this, he mumbled indistinctly: "But it's faster to eat this way…"
As night fell, Luffy, rarely showing a troubled expression by the bonfire, repeatedly flipped through the novel's description of Gear Fourth. He suddenly threw the book aside: "I don't understand! What's with this Haki flow, muscle compression…"
Zoro, wiping his sword, suddenly spoke: "Hey, Luffy. The novel says Rayleigh taught you Haki by 'clashing head-on,' right?"
Luffy tilted his head: "It seems he hit me many times… but he did explain how to train Haki."
A fighting glint flashed in Zoro's eyes: "Then how about I be your sparring partner?"
"No!" Nami and Usopp shrieked simultaneously.
Robin, however, was thoughtful: "Perhaps… this truly is a method. Although Mr. Zoro doesn't have Haki either, a swordsman's slashes, to some extent…"
"I get it!" Luffy suddenly jumped up, his eyes shining under his Straw Hat. "It means I need to take more painful hits, right? Zoro! Come cut me!"
"You idiot!" Sanji kicked Zoro away. "Don't listen to that moss-head's nonsense!"
Luffy sat cross-legged, scratching his black hair in frustration, his Straw Hat askew on the back of his head.
"Ahhh! I totally don't get it!" Luffy flipped through the novel repeatedly. "What exactly does this 'injecting Haki into rubber' mean?!"
Nami paced back and forth agitatedly, her short orange hair bouncing with her movements: "The novel clearly states that Rayleigh will teach you on Sabaody Archipelago, but right now…" She glared fiercely at the calm sea, "That old man isn't even a shadow!"
Robin sat elegantly on the railing, her finger tapping her chin: "According to the novel's plot description, we still have to go through at least three major events—Water 7, Enies Lobby, and the Moriah arc—before we meet Rayleigh."
"Stupid," Zoro suddenly sheathed his wado ichimonji, saying impatiently, "Why don't we just video call that Rayleigh? He's going to teach Luffy Haki eventually anyway, what's the difference between sooner or later?"
....
!!!
The deck instantly became so quiet that only the sound of the waves could be heard.
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