Rear Admiral Kujaku carefully observed the three people standing before her. For a moment, she had trouble reconciling what she saw with the bounties posted above their heads.
Certainly, their appearance matched the wanted posters: the straw hat, Koby's lean silhouette, and the young woman with light-colored hair holding several books against her chest. But nothing in their attitude resembled the pirates she had been taught to hunt. They weren't shouting, didn't seem worried, and weren't even trying to flee. They were simply standing there, arms full of books.
Behind them, the bookstore owner even waved goodbye to them, completely unaware that he had just sold his merchandise to wanted pirates. Kujaku frowned slightly.
They paid for their purchases? she wondered internally, unsettled by the scene.
Luffy's question pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Did we already do something?" he asked out loud, sounding genuinely curious.
The young officer froze for a moment. She had always been told that pirates were arrogant, violent, unpredictable, that they would attack the Marines on sight or flee without hesitation. Yet the trio's behavior did not match those descriptions at all.
Still, she quickly regained her composure and lifted her chin.
"You are the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. Your bounty is eighty-five million Berries. As a Marine, it is perfectly normal for me to come and arrest you," she declared firmly.
She cracked her whip through the air.
The leather struck a nearby terrace table and several chairs violently. At the moment of impact, a strange energy surged through the furniture. The tables trembled, the chairs creaked… then suddenly straightened as if they had gained a will of their own.
Wooden legs slammed against the cobblestones as the furniture came to life before the astonished eyes of the bystanders.
"Capture them!" Kujaku ordered.
The tables leapt forward while the chairs slid across the ground, trying to surround the three pirates.
Luffy reacted instantly.
"Elise, stay back and protect the books!" he shouted, glancing toward her.
The young woman quickly retreated toward the nearest wall, clutching the volumes tightly to keep them from being damaged.
"Understood!" she replied, creating a massive solid cocoon around herself.
Luffy then turned to Koby, who was already ready to act.
"You handle the soldiers moving in. I'll deal with her!" he said enthusiastically.
Koby nodded as he took his stance.
"Got it!"
At the same moment, several Marine soldiers were already advancing to seal off the street, sabers drawn and rifles ready to fire.
Luffy launched himself toward Kujaku.
His body bent with surprising flexibility as he easily dodged a table that tried to block his path. He vaulted over two animated chairs and slid beneath a third that slammed down where he had been standing a second earlier.
In the same fluid motion, he pulled out his shield, which briefly gleamed in the sunlight.
The furniture continued to hurl itself at him in a chaotic storm of wood and metal, but none of it managed to slow his advance.
In just a few seconds, Luffy had already crossed half the distance separating him from the rear admiral.
Kujaku narrowed her eyes as she watched how easily he maneuvered around her attacks.
A drop of sweat slid down her temple.
This pirate isn't simple… she thought uneasily.
A disturbing idea suddenly crossed her mind.
Don't tell me… she panicked internally.
Does he already know Observation Haki…?
She took a deep breath and immediately steadied herself.
After all, she was not just any officer.
As the granddaughter of the famous Vice Admiral Tsuru, she had been trained from a young age in the basics of the two main forms of Haki. She was still far from mastering them fully, but she at least possessed the foundations necessary not to be completely overwhelmed.
With a sharp flick of her wrist, she snapped her whip toward Luffy the exact moment he entered her range. The leather cut through the air with a piercing whistle. Contrary to what she expected, Luffy didn't try to dodge. He simply raised his shield and took the blow.
"Stop!" Kujaku ordered with authority.
Instantly, the animated furniture around them froze, as if the will that had been driving them had suddenly been suspended. Luffy also stood still for a few seconds, blinking in confusion.
"You don't want to fight anymore?" he asked, genuinely puzzled.
Kujaku sighed, visibly annoyed.
"Not you… I was talking to your shield."
She had assumed the object would naturally submit to her power, like every other object she usually animated. But instead, a clear and indignant voice suddenly rang out.
"Who do you think you are, giving me orders?" the shield protested.
Kujaku's eyes widened.
"I am a shield given by Zeus to my master. I will not submit to the first person who comes along!"
The shield vibrated slightly before detaching itself from Luffy's hands and floating around him with surprising ease.
The rear admiral froze, completely stunned.
It was the first time an object she had tried to animate had developed its own consciousness… and refused to obey her.
Luffy, meanwhile, burst into delighted laughter.
"Sugoi! That's awesome—you can talk!"
He looked up at the shield floating beside him.
"And I'd rather be your partner than your master."
The shield rotated slightly in the air, as if thinking, before replying proudly.
"No problem, partner. I am Aspida… the shield!"
From that moment on, Aspida floated freely around Luffy, instinctively positioning itself to protect him without him needing to hold it.
Kujaku felt her patience cracking.
"You've got to be kidding me!" she exclaimed, completely thrown off. "You have to obey me! I'm the one who awakened you!"
She cracked her whip a second time, trying to strike Aspida and break its newly awakened will. But Luffy reacted immediately. He stepped forward and grabbed the whip with his bare hand before it could reach the shield.
Seeing her attack caught, Kujaku gave a confident smile.
"Now… obey me and surrender without making a fuss."
Her power traveled through the whip and tried to impose itself on Luffy's will.
For a fraction of a second, the pirate felt the command press into his mind, like a force trying to bend his will. But something deep within him awakened.
A raw, indomitable force.
His eyes darkened.
"I refuse to submit!" he suddenly shouted. "I'm the man who will become the King of the Pirates!"
At that exact moment, an invisible pressure exploded around him.
Conqueror's Haki burst through the street like a crushing wave.
Marine soldiers collapsed one after another. The terrified civilians lost consciousness instantly. Even the windows of nearby buildings vibrated under the impact of that overwhelming will.
Kujaku felt her legs tremble beneath the pressure.
She clenched her teeth to keep from falling.
A few meters away, Koby and Elise also felt the wave of power. The ground seemed to waver beneath their feet, and their breathing grew heavier.
But it was the second time Koby and Elise had been exposed to Luffy's royal Haki. And more importantly… they were not the direct targets. The pressure was crushing, as if the air itself weighed on their shoulders, but they managed to remain standing. Their legs trembled slightly and their hearts beat faster, yet they resisted where everyone else around them had collapsed.
The street had fallen silent. Marine soldiers lay unconscious on the ground. The civilians as well. Only a few faint groans broke the heavy stillness.
Suddenly, an explosion erupted about a hundred meters away.
A pirate who had been running through the street with several improvised grenades strapped to his belt had fainted under the pressure of the Haki. When he fell, one of the grenades had triggered. The blast shook the street and blew out the windows of a nearby building.
The old building, already weakened, creaked ominously. Cracks spread along its time-worn walls, and the entire structure began to tilt dangerously toward the street… where dozens of unconscious civilians were lying on the cobblestones.
"Shit!" Luffy shouted.
Without thinking, he launched himself toward the building using the elasticity of his legs, shooting forward like an arrow over the collapsed crowd. Behind him, Kujaku immediately chased after him, believing he was trying to escape.
Luffy, completely focused on the building threatening to collapse, no longer paid attention to her. Kujaku took advantage of that moment of distraction.
Her whip whistled through the air.
Aspida reacted instantly and positioned itself in front of Luffy to absorb the strike. The impact echoed like thunder. The shield vibrated violently… then fell to the ground, once again inanimate, as if the will animating it had been abruptly cut off.
The whip tightened around Luffy's arm.
"Got you!" Kujaku shouted.
Luffy was immobilized for a moment.
"What the hell are you doing?!" he yelled, struggling. "The building's about to collapse, they're going to die!"
Kujaku looked up at the structure creaking dangerously overhead. She suddenly understood what he had been trying to do… but it was already too late for her to intervene from where she stood.
The building tipped.
At that exact moment, a shadow burst from the sky.
Launched from the Vogue Merry after hearing the explosion, I tore through the air at incredible speed. The moment I saw the street filled with unconscious civilians and the structure about to collapse, I immediately understood the situation.
Without hesitation, I took my hybrid form.
Dark scales appeared across my body, my arms became massive and powerful, and my silhouette transformed into the terrifying shape of a humanoid crocodile.
I intercepted the building the moment it gave way.
My monstrous arms drove into the structure to support it. Contrary to what I expected, the building actually felt surprisingly light. Seeing several pieces about to break off, I froze the building.
Ice spread like a white tide along the cracked walls, enveloping the entire structure. Within seconds, the whole building was encased in a thick shell of solid ice, completely stabilizing the ruins.
Jordan quickly scanned the shattered interior.
The building was empty.
No one had been trapped inside.
Kujaku froze when she saw the scene.
"Heartless D. Jordan…" she murmured, immediately recognizing the Straw Hats' vice-captain.
She suddenly realized she was standing alone against several members of that crew: Luffy, Koby, Elise… and now Jordan.
Luffy took advantage of the distraction to yank violently on the whip. The leather slipped from her grip and he freed himself without difficulty.
"Nice one, Jordan!" he shouted as he ran back toward the shield lying on the ground.
He picked up Aspida and shook it slightly.
"Hey… you. Bring him back to life."
Kujaku lifted her chin, trying to regain her composure despite the fear tightening in her chest.
"Why should I do that, pirate?" she replied with forced coldness.
Jordan then looked at her.
He had noticed something few people could perceive: the color of her heart. Golden. Pure. Almost identical to Luffy's.
So he decided to play a role.
His gaze hardened and his smile turned threatening.
"Because otherwise…" he said slowly, "I'll take you prisoner. And we'll use certain methods… to get what we want."
The tone was deliberately menacing.
Kujaku instantly turned pale.
Every terrible story she had heard about pirates since childhood flashed through her mind. Torture. Humiliation. Crimes.
She thought about her grandmother Tsuru.
About how she would feel if her granddaughter were captured by pirates.
"I… I'll do it!" she said quickly, her voice trembling slightly. "But don't hurt me!"
She knelt beside the shield and gently tapped the metal surface with her whip.
The strange energy of her power flowed through the object once again.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then the shield vibrated slightly.
Aspida slowly rose into the air… regaining consciousness.
"Hm? What happened?" he grumbled while floating in front of Luffy.
Luffy immediately burst out laughing.
"You're back, partner!"
I slowly returned to my human form, the dark scales fading from my skin as my silhouette returned to normal. A faint smile appeared on my face as I noticed the tension in the rear admiral's shoulders.
"Don't worry," I said in a much calmer tone. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just wanted to scare you. Just leave… but give me your Den Den Mushi connected to Marine Headquarters. I need to make a call."
Kujaku froze for a second, her gaze wary, before letting out a sigh of relief. Even though her body remained tense, her shoulders relaxed slightly. She knelt beside her unconscious adjutant and searched his pocket to retrieve the small gray Den Den Mushi of the regiment.
She handed it to me with visible hesitation.
"Here…"
I took the Den Den Mushi and dialed the Marine Headquarters directly.
The little snail immediately lifted its head, its eyes opening wide as the connection was established.
"Marine Headquarters, central switchboard."
I hadn't even had time to open my mouth when another voice reacted immediately.
"Rear Admiral Kujaku? One moment, I'll connect you directly to Vice Admiral Tsuru."
Beside me, Kujaku turned bright red.
She had just realized that, because she constantly called Headquarters, she had insisted that all her communications be redirected to her grandmother whenever she made an official call.
A few seconds later, a calm and composed voice echoed through the Den Den Mushi.
"Kujaku… are you alright, my dear?"
On the other end of the line, in a peaceful room at Marine Headquarters, Tsuru was drinking tea.
Across from her, Garp was slouched in a chair, his arms crossed behind his head, with a tray of biscuits already nearly empty in front of him. He had just returned from yet another unsuccessful hunt.
Buggy had escaped him again… this time in an absurd way.
The pirate clown had literally been swallowed by a whale right before his eyes.
Garp chewed on a biscuit in a foul mood.
"It's your granddaughter, Tsuru. At least she joined the Marines!" he grumbled. "Unlike those two walking disasters I call my grandsons…"
Tsuru frowned slightly when she noticed the silence on the other end of the line.
"Kujaku?"
I spoke up then, with an amused smile.
"So old man Garp is there too? Looks like you missed us again."
On the street below, Luffy froze instantly.
His face went from surprise to panic in a fraction of a second.
Grandpa?!
He suddenly leaned toward the Den Den Mushi before stopping himself at the last second when he realized the voice was coming from the device.
On the other end of the line, Garp almost choked on his biscuit.
"Huh?!"
He leaned abruptly toward the Den Den Mushi sitting on the table.
"That voice…"
His eyes widened.
"You… you little brat!"
Tsuru calmly set down her teacup, but her gaze grew noticeably more serious.
"Jordan…" she said softly. "Why are you using my granddaughter's Den Den Mushi?"
Her tone remained composed, but a hint of concern crept into it.
"Kujaku, are you alright?"
A few meters away from me, Kujaku stiffened even more.
She almost didn't dare breathe.
Between the vice-captain of the Straw Hat Pirates… and her own grandmother on the phone.
The situation was becoming increasingly surreal.
I gently held out the Den Den Mushi toward Kujaku. She froze for a second, as if simply taking the device back would condemn her. Then, when she finally took it in her hands, something inside her gave way.
Her shoulders began to shake.
And to everyone's surprise, the young rear admiral started crying.
Tears quickly slid down her cheeks, soaking the edges of her pink hat.
Luffy blinked.
"Uh… why is she crying?"
Koby and Elise exchanged an awkward glance. None of the three had expected such a human reaction from a Marine officer who had tried to arrest them just minutes earlier.
Kujaku sniffed and spoke into the Den Den Mushi with a trembling voice.
"Grandma… I'm sorry…"
On the other end of the line, Tsuru straightened slightly.
"Kujaku?"
"I failed…" she continued, sobbing. "I couldn't arrest the pirates… and I almost put civilians in danger…"
She held the Den Den Mushi tightly against her.
"I… I've brought shame to you…"
I sighed softly as I watched the scene. Without thinking any further, I placed my hand on her head and gently patted her hat.
"There, there… it'll be alright," I said calmly. "We didn't hurt you. And you still have all the time in the world to improve."
She looked up at me, surprised by the unexpected gentleness.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the line, Tsuru also spoke in a reassuring voice.
"Kujaku, listen to me carefully."
Her tone was calm and firm, yet filled with affection.
"Your safety is the only thing that matters to me. Nothing else."
The old vice admiral set down her teacup with a soft clink.
"Mistakes are part of the journey. What matters… is learning from them."
Kujaku wiped away her tears, but her voice remained fragile.
"I… I also almost caused an accident…"
She glanced toward the building that had been completely frozen by my magic.
"A pirate blew himself up… and a building collapsed. There were unconscious civilians lying in the street…"
She struggled to take a breath.
"It was… it was the pirates who saved them."
A silence followed.
Then suddenly—
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Garp's thunderous laughter exploded on the other end of the line.
Luffy grimaced.
"Ah… yeah, that's the old man's laugh…"
Garp leaned toward the Den Den Mushi, practically slamming his hand on the table.
"Operetta pirates!" he burst out laughing. "It's just a name!"
He scratched the back of his head while continuing to laugh.
"But they're good kids!"
He shot an amused glance at Tsuru.
"No civilian has ever had problems because of them so far."
Then he spoke again in a more serious tone, though his grin remained wide.
"At least that reassures me, Tsuru."
He pointed at the Den Den Mushi.
"Unlike Akainu, your granddaughter truly represents the values the Marines are supposed to defend."
Tsuru remained silent for a few seconds, calmly observing the Den Den Mushi in front of her.
Then a very faint smile appeared on her lips.
In the street, Kujaku sniffled again, but her shoulders already seemed lighter.
I let Kujaku calm down slowly while the Den Den Mushi remained open between us. Then an idea crossed my mind and I spoke again in an almost relaxed tone, as if we were simply chatting over a drink.
"Oh right, before I forget, old man…" I said while looking at the Den Den Mushi. "I'd like to request another bounty poster for one of our crew members."
On the other end, we heard Garp chewing something.
"Huh?"
"You already know him, it's Charles," I continued with a smile. "And as for the bounty… just know he took down the Immortal Duo of North Blue."
Beside me, Kujaku looked at me as if I had just said something incomprehensible.
A pirate… asking for a bounty for one of his own men.
For a second, there was no sound on the other end of the line. Then Garp burst into roaring laughter.
"BWAHAHAHAHA! Seriously, kid?!"
A chair scraped across the floor.
"You're sure Charles will be happy to have a bounty on his head?"
He continued in a teasing tone.
"While you're at it, why don't you take Tsuru's granddaughter along with you too?"
At those words, Kujaku froze instantly.
Her face went pale and she looked at me in total panic, as if she had just realized that might actually happen.
"Huh?!"
A dull sound echoed from the other end of the line.
BONK.
Tsuru had clearly just hit Garp.
"What are you talking about, Garp?" she said sharply. "You're talking about my granddaughter."
Garp grumbled while rubbing his head.
"Ow! It was a joke, Tsuru!"
I smiled slightly as I saw color return to Kujaku's face.
Luffy, meanwhile, had moved closer to the Den Den Mushi and was staring at the little creature as if it were a stage play.
Finally, he raised his hand and spoke cheerfully.
"Alright, we'll leave you guys to it!"
He waved enthusiastically at the Den Den Mushi.
"Don't worry, we're leaving your granddaughter here, grandma!"
Before anyone could respond, he hung up.
Click.
I calmly handed the Den Den Mushi back to Kujaku.
She took it mechanically, still a little stunned by everything that had just happened.
"Thank you…" she murmured almost automatically.
Without waiting any longer, I turned toward Luffy, Koby, and Elise.
"Alright, let's head back."
I grabbed all three of them by the arm before they had time to protest.
Then I launched into the air.
The wind began to whistle around us as we left the streets of Spider Miles behind. Below us, the Marines were slowly beginning to regain consciousness, and the rescued civilians were already being taken care of.
Kujaku remained standing in the middle of the street for a few seconds, watching the sky where we disappeared.
She held the Den Den Mushi tightly against her.
(Author's note: Hang in there guys, one more chapter before we return to the Kingdom Hearts dungeon storyline ^^. Also, if possible, could you give the story a rating in the comments so it can become more visible? Thanks!)