Chapter 149 The Sun's Magic Shatters the Icy SeaEvery muscle on his body seemed sculpted from granite, bulging and brimming with explosive power.
"At noon, I reign supreme above and below!"
Luffy felt the boundless magical power within him, threatening to burst his veins, and finally understood why the "Sin of Pride" was so arrogant.
This overflowing power made everyone look like ants beneath his feet.
It was like a nouveau riche in a cultivation novel whose cultivation level suddenly skyrockets but whose mindset hasn't kept pace—utterly arrogant.
Luffy slowly extended one index finger, a tiny ball of light gathering at its tip—the magic of the sun.
Instantly, a terrifying heatwave swept outwards from him.
"It's so hot! Why is it suddenly so hot!"
Those around him screamed in terror, retreating hastily, driven by the heatwave.
"Merciful Sun, Arrogant Explosion!"
Luffy casually tossed the ping-pong ball-sized "mini sun" from his fingertip onto the ice floes outside the island.
The sea, previously frozen by the chilling aura of his Zanpakuto, instantly melted and boiled upon contact with the ball of light!
Tons of white steam rose instantly, enveloping the entire island, and the sea level visibly dropped due to the terrifying heat.
Then, seawater from the outer perimeter rushed back in, creating towering waves in the still, windless seas.
This breathtaking spectacle lasted only a minute. As time passed, Luffy's exaggerated physique shrunk several times over. Although he still looked like a muscular man, he was far less imposing than before.
The immense emptiness that followed the loss of power made Luffy feel as if his body had been hollowed out…
"Alright, stop looking, let's get back to Marine Headquarters." Luffy waved his hand, his muscular arms sweeping out to scoop Hancock and the other two up like chicks onto his biceps.
This kind of masculine, violently aesthetically pleasing pose could only be executed flawlessly by Luffy in his muscular physique.
The girls from the Kuja Pirates behind him stared wide-eyed, letting out adoring screams.
Luffy strode across the surging waves to the deck of the waiting warship.
The Kuja Pirates, not to be outdone, steered their giant sea serpents towards the spot where their ship had been moored.
"Vice Admiral Luffy! Something terrible has happened! Vice Admiral Garp is calling!" A messenger rushed over, clutching a Den Den Mushi, as soon as they boarded the ship.
"Monkey D. Luffy!!"
Sengoku's ear-piercing roar exploded from the receiver. "Four days have passed! Were you on vacation over there? Did Empress Hancock approve or not?"
Luffy casually took the Den Den Mushi, picking his ear with his pinky: "Coming, coming. What's all the fuss about? I brought them all back for you, even their entire crew."
Sengoku on the other end of the line was stunned. He knew that Hancock, ever since becoming a Shichibukai, was notoriously unresponsive, never even visiting Mary Geoise once.
Sending Vice Admiral Momonga was originally just a formality; after all, the Seven Warlords of the Sea were only there to maintain appearances. Although Sengoku didn't think these pirates were very useful, the World Government still had to put on a show.
But now, Luffy actually said he brought the entire Kuja Pirates?!
"Are you kidding me?" Sengoku's suspicious voice came through again.
"Insolence! How dare you question my husband! Utterly rude!" Hancock suddenly leaned forward, pointing at the Den Den Mushi with her chin raised, her tone as if reprimanding a servant.
Sengoku on the other end of the line was completely dumbfounded, his head buzzing.
What the hell? Husband? You son of a bitch, I told you to go find someone, and you went on a blind date?!
Sengoku, looking at the Den Den Mushi in his hand whose expression had suddenly become extremely arrogant, suppressed his disgust and said to Luffy, "Alright, alright, now that the mission is complete, get back here. On the way back, make a trip to Impel Down and bring those prisoners who are going to be publicly executed!"
Luffy was slightly taken aback. It seemed the sudden disappearance of the Whitebeard Pirates had driven this old man, Sengoku, into a panic, wanting to transfer the prisoners so many days ahead of schedule.
"Okay, I got it. I'll go. By the way, where's my old man?"
Luffy asked casually.
At the mention of Garp, Sengoku's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot: "What kind of bewitching potion did you give your grandfather? After dropping you off, he just sailed off in his warship and disappeared! Do you know what kind of juncture we're in? At this crucial moment, he actually..."
"Click."
The Den Den Mushi was unilaterally hung up by Luffy.
Sengoku was so angry his mustache stood on end. He yelled into the busy signal, "Damn it! Those two bastards! Neither of them is any good! Someone! How's the execution platform construction going?! If there's even the slightest mistake, you'll all be cleaning toilets!"
Meanwhile, Luffy, who had just hung up, wore a strange, excited expression. "Looks like it's true? If that's the case… that kid Ace… hehe."
Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral's Office.
Sengoku put down the receiver and let out a long sigh.
"I never expected that willful woman to agree to participate in the war. Now we have five Shichibukai." Sengoku frowned, lost in thought.
"Aside from Bartholomew Kuma, who's been modified to the point of being unrecognizable even to his own mother, and that single-minded Jinbe, the rest of the fighting force is basically in place."
"How's the one causing trouble in prison doing?" Sengoku turned to a rear admiral standing beside him. "He should have calmed down by now, right?"
"Reporting, Fleet Admiral, that... Jinbe seems determined to oppose the war, saying he doesn't care even if he's stripped of his Shichibukai title." The rear admiral reported, wiping sweat.
"Damn it, I thought that guy was the only reliable ally." Sengoku's brow furrowed even deeper. "I never expected him to cause such a ruckus in a place like this. Is Jinbe's brain filled with mush?!"
Just then, another naval captain rushed in, flustered: "Reporting to the Fleet Admiral! There's trouble! Because of the Sabaody Archipelago incident, Admiral Kizaru and Vice Admiral Luffy, trying to take the blame, captured over five hundred pirates. Impel Down says they don't have time to file them!"
"Meow?"
The goat beside Sengoku bleated.
Sengoku: "..."
"Let them be. These damned guys, causing trouble at a crucial time! Right now, besides Whitebeard's movements, don't bother me with other trivial matters!"
"But... the World Noble Roswald is still causing trouble..."
Sengoku's face turned ashen, as if he'd swallowed a fly. He instinctively yelled, covering his face, "Get him out of here!"