Next Bonus, 100!!
<><><><><><>
Five days later.
The Going Merry docked at the port of Hannabal.
Having missed the conflict in Alabasta, the Straw Hat Pirates' bounties remained modest—nothing too outrageous.
Their arrival in Hannabal, therefore, went largely unnoticed.
Hannabal had become a central hub connecting the first and second halves of Paradise, a bustling crossroads teeming with pirates. The island's coliseum, its concert hall, and its comprehensive facilities drew visitors from every corner of the sea.
Their recent crushing defeat on Ukkari hadn't dented Luffy's confidence in the slightest. He was as optimistic as ever.
Luffy was a single-minded force of nature; once he set his sights on something, there was no stopping him. He never second-guessed himself.
In the idealistic world of pirates, this was an advantage—a will of unwavering, unyielding steel.
He would never give up, never admit defeat.
And a captain as cheerful, resilient, and slightly idiotic as Luffy had a way of lifting the spirits of his entire crew.
That was the power of a great leader. He led by example, setting the tone for his subordinates.
The members of any great team are a reflection of their captain.
Their style, their actions—they all subtly shift, aligning with the core of the group.
Get close to the light, and you become the light.
This was especially true of pirate crews.
Different crews had different styles, all a direct reflection of their captain.
The most obvious examples were the Four Emperors.
The Straw Hat Pirates, on the other hand, were a collection of individuals from all walks of life, drawn together by Luffy's personal charisma.
And then there were crews like Blackbeard's—pirates in their purest form, cunning and treacherous, their subordinates all cut from the same cloth.
Birds of a feather flock together.
Luffy was infectious.
After five days at sea, everyone was back to their usual selves, laughing and joking around.
Luffy gazed out at the town.
Hannabal was undergoing a constant process of renovation and expansion, gradually transforming into a modern metropolis.
Skyscrapers rose into the air, shops lined the streets, and electric trams crisscrossed the city.
The lights were dazzling.
The construction of a power plant had become the engine of the city's growth, and all sorts of new and wonderful things were appearing.
The Straw Hat Pirates were amazed.
"Look! It's a poster of Uta!" Usopp said, pointing at a giant poster hanging on a wall. It was Uta, now a world-famous pop star with a massive global fanbase.
"Heh heh! Awesome!" Luffy grinned.
"I'm gonna go find Uta!"
"HUH??"
"Luffy, don't cause any trouble!"
"Heh heh! It's okay, Uta and I are friends."
"EH??"
Everyone was stunned.
—————————
The sound of their boisterous laughter caught the attention of Sabo, who was at the docks to meet someone. When he saw Luffy, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.
"Sabo? What is it?" Koala asked, walking over to him.
The intelligence station run by Sabo and Koala had become a crucial hub for the Revolutionary Army after the destruction of Baltigo.
The unique status of Hannabal as a "free island" made it a place where even the Marines, Cipher Pol, and the CIU had to tread carefully.
Troublemakers were swiftly dealt with, a fact which had, over time, established a certain "authority."
That was why the Revolutionary Army's intelligence station could operate here in peace.
And because Hannabal was a crossroads of goods from all over the world, it was the perfect place for the revolutionaries to purchase much-needed medical supplies.
The person Sabo and Koala were here to meet was a comrade who had been injured during an operation in the West Blue.
Sabo's gaze shifted from Luffy. "It's nothing," he said. "I thought I saw someone I knew, but I can't place him."
Luffy had also glanced in their direction, but all he had seen was the back of Sabo's head as he turned away. He'd also felt a faint sense of familiarity, but he couldn't place it either.
After all, in Ace and Luffy's minds, Sabo was dead.
The weeds on his grave would be overgrown by now. They had built it themselves.
Instinctively, they wouldn't even consider the possibility that he was alive. They just assumed it was someone who looked like him.
—————————
Luffy was a man of action. He said he was going to find Uta, and he went.
He stood outside the concert hall, shouting her name for a while.
The security guards thought he was a troublemaker and tried to drive him away.
Suddenly, the ground began to shake with the sound of giant footsteps. A giant approached, and Luffy and his crew jumped back in surprise.
It was Brogy. He asked what was going on.
As a guard and bodyguard here, he had a pretty good life. The work was simple, and when he was off duty, he could hang out with the other giants who guarded the coliseum, like Hajrudin, play some cards...
"If you want to fight, you can go to the coliseum," Brogy said, kindly pointing them in the right direction. "All fighting is prohibited outside the designated areas."
"The coliseum?" Zoro said with a grin. "Lots of strong fighters there, right?"
He'd heard about this place from the Bounty Hunters' Guild.
"It's decent," Brogy said. "Pirates from the Four Blues, martial artists from all over the world, even the top fighters from the Winter Blossom Kingdom... whether you're looking for a sparring match, a chance to make a name for yourself, or a place to settle a score... you'll find it there. Some of the hotter crews right now—Hawkins, Drake, Kid—they're all here."
A glint appeared in Zoro's eye. "Then we've got to check it out."
Sanji was also interested. "I heard you can find ingredients from all Four Blues here."
"Not just the Four Blues," Brogy said. "The New World, Skypiea... as long as you have the money. There's a huge food market not far from here. You'll find what you're looking for there."
—————————
Uta's assistant told her that Luffy had arrived. She happily came out to meet them, cleared up the misunderstanding, and brought them inside.
They were in the middle of rehearsals for her solo concert.
While Luffy and Uta were catching up, a Cipher Pol ship docked at the port.
A CP0 agent disembarked.
He was as tall as an admiral, dressed entirely in white.
A white top hat.
A pure white coat.
The CP0 insignia on his collar.
A white shirt.
White pants, white shoes.
Beside him was a member of the CIU. They gazed out at the bustling, modern city.
"Looks a lot like Egghead," the CIU agent commented.
Egghead was home to the ruins of an ancient, technologically advanced civilization. After Vegapunk had moved his laboratory there, he had reawakened it. The whole island had a sci-fi feel.
When CP0 and the CIU showed up together, their objective was clear.
They went straight to the municipal hall, where they were warmly received by the Mayor.
The CIU agent produced a stack of documents, a notice demanding the mayor's cooperation in the capture of members of the Revolutionary Army.
The Mayor smiled. He didn't agree, but he didn't refuse either. He said he had to make a phone call.
On any other island, they would have just started making arrests.
But in Hannabal...
Everyone knew how terrifying the "King of Paradise" was.
Cipher Pol and the CIU had both learned that lesson the hard way.
And with the Five Elders and the World Government staying silent, what were their dogs supposed to do? Bark out of turn?
<><><><><><>
~ 70 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)