"Chopper! Usopp!"
Pinned at the very bottom, Luffy's vision was swallowed by darkness.
In his ears echoed the triumphant laughter of the pirates, the frantic shouts of his comrades, and Chopper's agonized, out-of-control roars.
Rage and desperation burned fiercely in his chest, as if threatening to burst his body apart.
"I'm going to—"
"Knock all of you away!"
Hearing Chopper's roar once more, a violent imposing aura erupted from within Luffy.
Hum—
An extremely deep, resonant hum abruptly filled the space, followed by low-frequency vibrations spreading across a hundred-yard radius.
The triumphant grin on the face of the pirate at the top of the pile instantly froze.
He felt an overwhelming force that made his very soul tremble slam into him, then his eyes rolled back as he collapsed stiffly backward.
Immediately after, within a hundred-yard radius, every pirate still standing—whether those besieging Luffy, chasing Usopp, or locked in combat with Sabo and Zoro—simultaneously froze in place.
The next second.
"Thud, thud, thud..."
The sound of bodies hitting the ground fell like heavy rain.
Thousands of pirates collapsed unconscious almost instantly!
The "human pyramid" of pirates piled on top of Luffy crumbled apart.
Luffy propped himself up from the ground, staggering to his feet as he gasped for air.
He glanced blankly at the scattered "corpses" around him, completely bewildered about what had just happened.
But he had no time to ponder further—Chopper's agonized roar echoed once more, snapping him back to reality instantly.
"Chopper!"
With a furious roar, Luffy pushed off the ground with explosive force, charging toward the rampaging giant monster.
Meanwhile.
Atop the tallest buildings on Hachinosu Island, several Pirate Captains who had pledged allegiance to Wang Zhi were observing the fully erupted battle across the island through binoculars.
"Goddammit! Another Conqueror's Haki?!" the lead captain couldn't help but curse, his eyes filled with terror.
"Where the hell did Orion dig up these monsters?!"
A scar-faced captain beside him wore an equally grim expression. "Just a bunch of interns have pushed us to this point. If that slaughter god Orion himself shows up... Hachinosu Island would be lucky to have one-tenth of its population left!"
"One-tenth?" The lead captain let out a cold laugh. "Still dreaming? Have you ever seen Orion show mercy to any Pirate since he launched his coup? The Charlotte Family of the Big Mom Pirate Crew survived, but what about the Beast Pirate Crew? Wiped out! Every last one of them! Now he's brought these monsters to Hachinosu. Do you really think he'd be kind enough to leave even one-tenth of us alive?"
"Abandon your illusions and prepare for battle!" The lead captain's tone turned icy. "In this war, our only choice is to stand firmly with Lord Wang Zhi! Even if we can't win, we must unite as one to have any chance of survival!"
As he spoke, he raised his binoculars again, focusing on the giant monster Chopper, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.
"Our survival depends on capturing these interns alive!"
He lowered the binoculars and issued rapid-fire orders.
"Pass the command! Concentrate all forces to capture that monster at any cost! And that long-nosed guy at its feet!"
"Especially the long-nosed one! He's the weakest among these interns! Capturing him alone will double our chances of victory!"
"Yes, sir!" A nearby underling immediately grabbed a Den Den Mushi.
But before he could dial the number, three sharp sonic booms erupted from below them.
Three figures in combat suits shot upward with astonishing speed, landing directly on the rooftop as if springing from the ground.
Iji hovered at the forefront, his crimson cape flapping dramatically behind him.
He looked down at the group on the rooftop with a bloodthirsty grin.
"Found you."
Before the words faded, the three brothers dove simultaneously!
"Spark!"
"Electro!"
"Winch!"
Three beams of different colors intertwined into a deadly net, instantly enveloping the entire rooftop.
These captains, who held some reputation in the New World, had no time to mount any effective defense.
In the first exchange, three were pierced by the beams, screaming as they plummeted from the skyscraper.
The remaining two narrowly avoided the initial assault thanks to their rich combat experience, but Ichiji and his brothers pressed their attack relentlessly, allowing no moment of respite.
...
On another street.
Basil Hawkins walked down the street expressionlessly. Behind him, a massive straw figure brandished a nail, smashing all the charging pirates into pulp.
Cold shots rang out incessantly, bullets accurately striking Hawkins' body only to be eerily transferred to the straw figure, leaving behind wisps of bluish smoke.
After bulldozing his way out of the street, Hawkins headed straight for Wang Zhi's massive castle with clear purpose.
Just as he was about to rush into the square before the castle, a cold shout came from ahead.
"Room·Slaughterhouse!"
Trafalgar Law's figure had somehow appeared in the center of the square, and a massive blue hemispherical domain instantly expanded.
A flash of blade light followed, and the heads of dozens of Pirates guarding the castle shot into the air while their bodies remained standing in place, creating an extremely eerie scene.
"Am I still a step too late?"
Hawkins looked up toward the castle gates, narrowing his eyes.
Before the castle gates stood Wang Zhi's obese figure, resembling a mountain of flesh.
Behind him were dozens of formidable Pirate captains, his most elite forces.
His small eyes glinting with a cold light, Wang Zhi looked at Law and Hawkins who had arrived one after another and praised without restraint.
"Impressive, to have fought your way here so quickly. Truly worthy of being trainees personally nurtured by the Fleet Admiral."
After a brief pause, Wang Zhi suddenly shifted his tone, the terrifying aura of a veteran powerhouse bursting forth from within him.
"However, do you two brats really think so little of a legend like me, Wang Zhi, to dare charge here with just the two of you?"
Hawkins drew a tarot card. "Since setting sail, this is the first time I've heard someone call themselves a legend!"
Hearing this, Wang Zhi revealed a cruel smile, his gaze burning as he stared at Hawkins and Law.
"You brats are quite confident!"
"As your senior, let me give you some advice before you die!"
"In the Grand Line, especially on the vast seas of the New World, overconfidence will cost you your life."
"So, are you prepared to die here?"
Wang Zhi's words were filled with the arrogance of a veteran powerhouse, as if he had already sentenced Law and Hawkins to death.
However, no sooner had he spoken than an even more arrogant roar exploded from behind the two.
"Who said there were only two of them?"
Before the voice faded, flames arrived first!
A damaged outer wall of the castle exploded and collapsed as a figure wreathed in blazing flames shot forward like a cannonball.
Any rubble or bricks in his path instantly melted upon contact with his high-temperature body.