Zoro frowned, then stepped forward toward Saint Rosward, his fists tightening as a series of sharp cracking sounds echoed from his knuckles.
The slave standing in front of Saint Rosward trembled violently, his face filled with terror as if silently begging Zoro not to come any closer. Saint Rosward swallowed hard, his finger trembling as it hovered over the trigger of the golden pistol in his hand.
At that moment, several figures appeared at the far end of the street.
It was Luffy and the others, rushing over after hearing the commotion.
Luffy glanced at the devastated surroundings, then shouted,
"Hey, Zoro! Did you do all this? What happened?"
Zoro stopped, turned his head toward Luffy, then pointed at the corpse on the ground.
"This guy suddenly shot at me, so I cut him. After that, it turned into this mess."
Sanji lit a cigarette, took a slow drag, and exhaled.
"What an idiot. The moment I look away, he causes this much trouble."
Nami placed her hands on her hips, clearly annoyed.
"Zoro, don't you have any sense of direction? Why are you wandering off like this?"
Usopp quickly added from the side,
"Exactly! And you even injured so many Marines. This is right next to Marine Headquarters! What if someone powerful shows up?"
Zoro gave a cold snort.
"Let them come. Worst case, we just leave."
Franky immediately objected, striking a pose.
"No way! The ship is still being coated!"
Zoro blinked in surprise.
"Huh? You already found a coating mechanic?"
Luffy grinned widely.
"Yeah, we did. It's all thanks to Kozuki Toki!"
As he spoke, he stepped aside.
Kozuki Toki walked forward calmly, followed by a scruffy old man with white hair.
The old man glanced at Saint Charloss lying in a pool of blood, then spoke in a low tone,
"Toki, your companions have stirred up something serious."
Kozuki Toki nodded, her expression grave.
"An Admiral is coming. I don't know which one, but I hope it isn't him…"
Nami and the others were startled.
"An Admiral!?"
Luffy scratched his head, looking confused.
"What's an Admiral? Are they strong?"
Kozuki Toki let out a soft sigh before answering,
"An Admiral represents the highest combat power of the World Government. They are on a completely different level from anyone you've faced before."
She looked directly at Luffy.
"No matter which Admiral arrives, we are not capable of facing them right now."
Nami's face paled as she hurriedly asked,
"Sister Toki, are they stronger than Crocodile and Gecko Moria?"
Kozuki Toki inhaled deeply, then replied in a firm tone,
"There is no comparison. Even if those two worked together, they would not be a match for a single Admiral."
Nami froze where she stood, unable to speak.
Sanji frowned slightly.
"Miss Toki, how are you so certain an Admiral will come?"
This time, the old man answered first.
"Because the one who was attacked is a Celestial Dragon. And judging by his condition, he is already dead. Once a Celestial Dragon is harmed, the Navy will definitely dispatch an Admiral."
Chopper hurried over to confirm, then shouted back,
"He's really dead!"
Zoro's expression hardened as he understood the gravity of the situation. He picked Chopper up and placed him on his shoulder.
"Then we leave now. We'll figure things out on the way."
He stepped forward, preparing to move ahead of the group.
But just then, a furious roar erupted behind him.
"You filthy commoners! You killed my son!"
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
In an instant, Luffy appeared behind Zoro, his rubber body stretching forward to block the bullet. With a simple motion, he deflected it, sending it flying back.
The bullet struck one of the slaves standing in front of Saint Rosward.
Before Saint Rosward could react, Luffy had already closed the distance.
His fist shot forward, shattering the protective bubble over Saint Rosward's head and slamming directly into his face.
Saint Rosward's body spun through the air before crashing onto the ground and sliding several meters, losing consciousness instantly.
At that moment, Saint Charlos stirred awake.
She looked around in confusion, but the moment her eyes fell on the lifeless body of Saint Charloss and the unconscious Saint Rosward, she let out a piercing scream.
Luffy ignored her completely. He stared coldly at Saint Rosward's fallen figure.
"No one gets to hurt my crew."
With that, he turned and walked back toward his companions, completely unfazed.
Together, they left the ruined street behind, their figures gradually disappearing into the distance.
Only Saint Charlos remained, kneeling on the ground and crying hysterically, surrounded by trembling slaves who had no idea what to do.
After the Straw Hat crew disappeared, civilians who had been hiding cautiously began to emerge.
Among them, several groups stood out.
A young man wearing a red coat, his hair resembling flames, clicked his tongue.
"So that's the Straw Hat crew? They're nothing but trouble. We should leave this place quickly."
Nearby, a thin man wearing a white spotted hat crossed his arms.
"This is bad luck… running into them of all people."
The leaders of the other groups also voiced their complaints, all blaming the Straw Hats for the chaos.
Then, a man with a bare upper body and freckles across his cheeks stepped forward with his crew.
"I'm really sorry, everyone. The one with the straw hat just now is my younger brother. If he caused any trouble, I apologize on his behalf."
He bowed deeply.
Several people's expressions changed the moment they recognized him.
"That face… it's him! The Supernova with the highest bounty, captain of the Spade Pirates, Portgas D. Ace!"
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
Ace straightened up, removed his hat, and smiled casually.
"Looks like I've been recognized. I didn't think I'd become this famous already. I'm honored."
The red-coated man stepped forward, narrowing his eyes.
"I didn't expect to run into you here. That bounty of yours is quite impressive. How about a fight?"
Ace lowered his hat slightly, a faint smile on his lips. A flicker of flame briefly appeared on his body before fading away.
He waved his hand dismissively.
"You're Eustass Kid, right? An Admiral is about to arrive, now isn't the time to fight. Besides, I still have to catch up with my little brother, so… see you around."
With that, Ace turned and led his crew in the direction Luffy and the others had gone, leaving behind a tense and uneasy crowd.
===
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