At the Foosha Village harbor—
After saying goodbye to Makino, Mayor Uwoop Slap, and the other villagers, Kairo stepped onto his ship.
"Mr. Kairo, please take care!"
Watching him board the deck, Uwoop stepped forward, unusually emotional.
"If your travels ever tire you, come back to Foosha Village. The village will always welcome you!"
"Alright."
Kairo turned back to look at the mayor and Makino standing on the dock and smiled.
"Head back now. If fate allows it, we'll meet again—"
Then he suddenly frowned.
"…Wait a second."
Because on the deck, aside from the sleeping Green Rabbit, there was another unexpected presence.
The strange stowaway was none other than Luffy, the blockhead himself.
At the banquet he had eaten the most and drunk the most. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that one third of the Lord of the Coast had ended up inside Luffy's stomach.
Looking at the idiot sleeping soundly while hugging Green Rabbit, Kairo didn't hesitate.
He grabbed Luffy by the collar like he was lifting a chicken and tossed him straight toward the dock.
There was no way he wanted to get too involved with this blockhead.
After all, Luffy was the destined protagonist of the pirate world.
Right now he might seem harmless.
But in three years, when he set sail, he would become a walking disaster magnet. Trouble followed him everywhere he went.
If Kairo got tangled in that kind of fate, his peaceful travels would definitely be ruined.
The sleeping Luffy traced a smooth arc through the air—
Then landed gently at Mayor Uwoop's feet.
Strangely enough, he didn't crash into the ground.
Instead, he drifted down lightly, like a falling feather.
"Take care, everyone."
Before the mayor or Makino could react, Kairo waved once more.
Then he grabbed Green Rabbit and carried him into the cabin.
Meanwhile — Goa Kingdom
Central Street
After smashing through the city gate and entering the capital, Da Hong stopped in front of a shoe store.
The display window was filled with all kinds of shoes.
But Da Hong's eyes instantly locked onto a pair of red canvas sneakers.
In that moment, he looked like someone completely enchanted.
"You seem very happy."
Standing beside him, Droopy lazily raised his head and spoke in an unhurried tone.
"You caused such a huge disturbance just for those canvas shoes?"
Da Hong said nothing.
His gaze remained fixed on the shoes, as if he had been hypnotized.
Just then—
"Red Rabbit! Droopy Dog!"
"Damn it, they're here!"
"Quick! Surround them!"
Shouts erupted behind them.
The soldiers of the Goa Kingdom, who had been chasing them relentlessly, finally caught up.
In moments, the entire street was surrounded by layers upon layers of troops.
The soldiers at the front quickly spread out around the entrance of the shoe store, staring nervously at Da Hong and Droopy as if facing a terrifying enemy.
Then the soldiers parted slightly.
A path opened.
And Simon, the captain of the royal guard, hurried toward the shoe store with two aides beside him.
"Captain Simon!"
One of the soldiers guarding the entrance rushed forward to greet him.
Simon stared intensely at Da Hong and Droopy and asked in a deep voice,
"Are these the ones?"
"Yes!"
The soldier nodded hard, trembling despite himself.
"That red rabbit is unbelievably strong. We… we couldn't stop him at all!"
"Useless."
Simon glared at him.
Then he snatched the rifle from the soldier's hands and raised it, aiming straight at Da Hong.
"Rabbit. You're surrounded. Surrender immediately—"
He paused.
"…Wait. Why am I negotiating with a rabbit?"
Without hesitation, Simon pulled the trigger.
At that exact moment, Da Hong turned his head.
BANG—
The sharp gunshot echoed through the street.
The bullet shot forward and struck Da Hong directly in the middle of the forehead.
But the expected scene of blood and brains flying never appeared.
Instead—
The bullet simply embedded itself in his forehead.
Like a large red mole.
"Damn it!"
Seeing that the bullet hadn't harmed him at all, Simon cursed loudly.
Then he barked,
"What are you all waiting for? Fire! Fire now!"
At Simon's command, the soldiers surrounding the store pulled their triggers almost simultaneously.
In an instant, deafening gunfire filled the air.
Bullets rained down like a violent storm.
At the same moment the shooting began, Droopy stepped forward calmly.
In the midst of the hail of bullets, he strolled casually through the gunfire.
Each bullet passed by him harmlessly.
He moved as though he were taking a leisurely walk through a garden.
Graceful.
Unhurried.
Not a single shot touched him.
Meanwhile, Da Hong didn't even bother to dodge.
He simply stood there, letting the bullets slam into him.
Within seconds, his body was covered with embedded bullets.
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