Next Bonus, 100!!
<><><><><><>
The Straw Hats had escaped. In the chaos, they had also rescued Sabo, Koala, and the other Revolutionaries, and had killed a member of CP0 in the process.
The incident sent a shockwave through the citizens of Hannabal.
Nothing like this had ever happened before.
The fallout left both Jin and the Five Elders furious.
In response, Jin ordered a full internal investigation within Hannabal's government to provide an explanation to the people. He made a public spectacle of firing the chief of security and a number of other officials, and put a private bounty on the Straw Hat Pirates' heads.
It was a clear statement—he was at war with all criminals.
The Five Elders, for their part, were livid. But they didn't have the full story. They had their suspicions, but no proof. They had no choice but to simply increase the official bounty on the Straw Hats and intensify the manhunt.
After a single incident, Luffy's bounty skyrocketed tenfold.
It now stood at a staggering 300 million Berries.
—————————
After escaping Hannabal, Sabo and the others took Luffy's crew to one of the Revolutionaries' many bolt-holes.
Hidden in a cave on the island, they had a stockpile of supplies and a small ship—enough to get the Straw Hats back on their feet.
Though Luffy muttered fragments of his past during their time together, his memory still hadn't fully returned.
Sabo invited them to join the Revolutionary Army, but Luffy just said he was going to be King of the Pirates.
Sabo didn't push it.
Their brief reunion was followed by another parting. Sabo and the others had their own mission to complete, and Luffy had his own adventure to pursue, his own dream to chase.
Their paths were different.
After thanking them for the rescue, Sabo and his comrades prepared to set sail. He knew that traveling together would only paint a larger target on their backs.
Before they left, the Straw Hats, their spirits undimmed, broke out the food and ale for a farewell party. Brook, however, was not with them. They had agreed to meet him at Thriller Bark.
The moon rose from the edge of the sea, a silver coin hanging in the sky. It cast a pale light on the rolling waves.
The sea breeze whispered, and the waves lapped against the shore.
They ate, they drank, and they filled the night with laughter.
As the party wound down, Luffy stood, faced the sea, and, completely undeterred by the powerful enemies he had faced, shouted his catchphrase to the heavens.
"I'M GONNA BE KING OF THE PIRATES!"
Sabo and the others smiled, watching him.
"King of the Pirates, huh?"
A voice, lazy and detached, cut through the noise, coming from the bay where the Merry was anchored.
Everyone froze. They whipped their heads around.
A towering figure stood there, his form casting a long, distorted shadow in the moonlight.
Who was he?
From the ship, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp saw the figure and tensed.
Violet squinted, then her eyes went wide. "Marine Admiral... Aokiji Kuzan!"
The name hit them like a physical blow.
"An Admiral?!"
Zoro was on his feet in an instant, his hand on his swords.
Sabo's expression turned grim.
Usopp's jaw dropped, his tongue lolling out.
"Aokiji Kuzan," Violet whispered, her brow furrowed. "What's he doing here?"
"Kuzan?" Luffy said, tilting his head. "A Marine Admiral... why is he here? Did the Marines track us down?"
Violet narrowed her eyes. "No," she said. "There are no warships nearby. He's alone."
Her power was a tactical marvel for spotting fleets, but it wasn't omniscient. It couldn't passively track every single person in her vicinity.
"He came alone?!" Usopp said, his voice a squeak of disbelief.
How could one person cross the open ocean?
Kuzan stood with his arms crossed, studying them. He was incredibly tall, dressed in a white waistcoat over a dark blue shirt. A green eye mask was pushed up on his forehead—a testament to his love of sleeping anywhere, anytime.
He had been at Uta's concert when the call had come in from Headquarters, ordering him to capture Sabo and the Straw Hats.
He hadn't been in a hurry.
He'd waited for the concert to end, then had slowly followed their reported escape route on his bicycle.
And now, he had found them.
"King of the Pirates..." he said, his lazy gaze falling on Luffy. "Is that... really a dream worth having? For someone like you?"
A sea breeze swept over the beach, and an unnatural chill crept into the air.
In an instant, it felt as if the blood in their veins was turning to slush.
Their bodies wouldn't move.
It was an instinctual fear, a primal terror. The kind of fear a student feels before a teacher, a child before a parent.
"So this is a Marine Admiral," Sanji said, his expression grim.
"This guy is terrifying," Usopp stammered. "I don't just lack the strength to run... I lack the courage."
It wasn't an illusion. The gulf between them was absolute. For the current Straw Hats, a fight with Kuzan wouldn't be a fight. It would be an execution.
Only Luffy stood his ground. He stared at Kuzan, a fire in his eyes, not giving an inch.
The tension between them was a palpable thing.
Zoro felt a chill run down his spine, but he held his stance, his hands on his swords. Luffy's dream resonated with him. That unwavering determination to become King of the Pirates... he admired it.
After all, he had his own dream: to become the world's greatest swordsman.
In Zoro's eyes, he and Luffy were the same. They would never give up.
For Kuzan to belittle Luffy's dream... was to negate his own.
And Zoro would not stand for that.
"You're wrong," Luffy said, his voice firm. "It's not just me."
"Oh?"
"We're the ones chasing our dreams."
"And it's not just us!" Luffy continued, his voice ringing with conviction. "All across the sea, there are people fighting for their dreams, for their goals!"
Kuzan cleaned out his ear with his pinky and blew. "Dreams, huh? They're cheap, aren't they? A dream without the power to back it up is just empty talk."
The very air seemed to freeze. The rolling waves began to crystallize.
An overwhelming, soul-crushing pressure washed over them.
Facing a Marine Admiral for the first time... Usopp and the others could only tremble, a helpless, bone-deep cold spreading through them.
This wasn't some story they'd heard. This was real.
"Empty talk?"
Sabo stepped forward, and an aura like a shimmering flame erupted from his body, pushing back the cold.
The future second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army... his strength and potential were undeniable. He had proven as much in the coliseum.
The killing intent receded, blocked by Sabo's presence. The world seemed to split in two, a line drawn between Sabo and Kuzan.
Cold and heat, aura and ice, clashed.
A warmth spread through the group, and they all let out a breath they didn't know they'd been holding.
So this was the true power of an Admiral.
Any pride that Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji had felt was completely shattered. They now understood the vast, crushing difference in their strength.
They were weak.
Too weak.
And Kuzan was just one of the Admirals. Were they all this monstrous?
<><><><><><>
~ 70 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)