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"Surround the Straw Hat crew! Don't let them get away!!!"
By now, light rain had started falling over the square, soaking the cigar in Smoker's mouth.
He wasn't hurt from falling off the execution platform, but a chunk of debris did hit him. He was still feeling it.
"Yes, sir!!!"
Hearing Smoker's order, the navy soldiers who had finally come to started rushing toward Luffy and the others.
"Stop right there, Straw Hat crew!!!"
Yelled the lead Marine, shouting pointlessly as they charged.
"Luffy, what did you do?! Why are there so many Marines?!"
Usopp was freaking out. Even though their strength had improved a lot, fear was still fear.
"Guess we've got no choice… we'll just have to take them down first."
Zoro didn't say much. He unsheathed Wado Ichimonji, along with his new swords Snow Walk and Kitetsu III, and got into his three-sword stance.
Just then—another green-haired figure suddenly popped up in front of him.
Zoro blinked, stunned.
[Barrier Shield]
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bartolomeo extended his right hand, and a massive barrier appeared right in front of the charging Marines.
It was so sudden that the soldiers didn't have time to react—smashing right into it one after another.
The surprise move left not just the Marines confused, but Zoro and the others too.
"Could he be someone Bai Ye sent to help us?"
Zoro guessed instinctively.
But unfortunately, this time… he guessed wrong.
At that moment, Bartolomeo turned his head with an expression full of admiration and shouted to Luffy:
"Luffy-senpai! Let me hold off these Marines for you!!!"
"Huh? That rooster-head guy???"
Luffy froze for a second but quickly broke into a grin.
"Got it! Thanks, Rooster-head!"
That's just how Luffy is. Most of the time, he doesn't even ask why someone's helping him. As long as they are, that's enough.
"Leave it to me, Luffy-senpai!"
Bartolomeo, clearly not the least bit upset, kept going excitedly:
"And all of you, Luffy-senpai's crewmates—don't worry about things here, I got it covered."
Hearing that, even though they were a bit confused, they knew this wasn't the time for chit-chat.
After thanking him, they turned and made a break for the harbor.
White Fist!
Smoker arrived just then and saw Bartolomeo blocking his men, so he immediately attacked.
Barrier Impact!
Bartolomeo swung his right fist, and a glowing barrier appeared in front of him, blocking Smoker's strike.
"You're really gonna interfere with the Marines capturing pirates?"
Smoker stopped and locked eyes with Bartolomeo, gripping his jitte tightly.
"Huh?"
Bartolomeo's face suddenly changed. That cocky, mob-boss look appeared on his face.
"I don't know anything about pirates, man. I just lost my little bro and was hoping the Marines could help me find him."
That line made Smoker's veins pop in frustration.
And just then, a man in dark sunglasses came running over from a distance.
"Boss! I finally found you! Just now I saw someone from the Straw Hat cr—"
Bam!
Before the guy could finish his sentence, Bartolomeo punched him straight on the head.
"Idiot! I told you not to run off like that, didn't I?"
Bartolomeo pressed the guy's head down in a deep bow.
"Thanks, officers. Really appreciate all the help. They've been working real hard to help me find this moron."
Then, right in front of everyone, Bartolomeo dragged his confused little bro and left through another route.
"Captain Smoker?"
One of the Marines came up beside him.
"Forget them for now. Keep chasing the Straw Hat crew."
"Yes, sir!!!"
Meanwhile, once they were out of Marine sight, Bartolomeo turned to his lackey.
"What were you about to say about Straw Hat just now?"
"It was the Straw Hat Pirates' first mate—'Celestial Master' Bai Ye."
"Bai Ye, huh…"
Bartolomeo looked a little disappointed. That guy actually had a bounty higher than Luffy-senpai's.
Too bad he didn't get to meet him. Who knows when there'll be another chance?
Suddenly, an idea popped into Bartolomeo's head and he burst out laughing.
"Well then, why don't I just head out to sea too?"
He gave himself a mental high five.
"Yeah, but I should probably get ready first…"
He started thinking:
"Can't bring all my boys with me…"
"And I still need to seriously train my own skills."
"But before all that, I better check with Granny first."
With that thought, Bartolomeo and his lackey took off again.
He didn't go to the port to say goodbye to Luffy-senpai. After all, he was already preparing for the next time they'd meet.
As for Bai Ye, who'd been spotted by that little bro by accident—he'd already said goodbye to Dragon and was heading to the harbor himself.
Before Bai Ye left, Dragon's last words to him were:
"Take care of that Luffy guy for me."
"Go where the wind guides you… I'll give you a push."
That left Bai Ye totally speechless.
Seriously, these big-name types… why can't they just say "I'll use my powers to help you" and be done with it?
Of course, grumbling aside, Bai Ye still rushed back to the Merry and rejoined the crew.
Before that, Zoro had found time to beat up Tashigi and the team trying to surround the Merry. He even tied them up and left them somewhere dry.
Once everyone was back, Nami gave the command, and the sails on the Merry were dropped.
Then, out of nowhere, a crazy gust of wind hit them, totally out of sync with the storm around them.
It pushed the Merry forward, speeding away from the port under heavy clouds and pounding rain.
By the time Smoker and the Marines got to the harbor, they could only see a tiny black dot vanishing into the distance.
"Sorry, Captain Smoker…"
Tashigi, finally rescued, walked over and bowed to the… empty air beside Smoker.
All the nearby Marines: …
After a long silence, Smoker finally spoke:
"Prepare a battleship."
"We're heading to the Grand Line too!"
"Grand Line, here we come!!!"
Even with the pouring rain above, Luffy's excitement was unstoppable.
He stood proudly on the figurehead of the Going Merry, arms raised high and yelling with joy.
Then Sanji showed up with a wooden barrel and said to the crew:
"To celebrate entering the Grand Line, let's have a little launch ceremony!"
Sanji put his left foot on the barrel first. Rain dripped off his soaked cigarette as he said:
"I'm going to find All Blue!"
Luffy couldn't wait and jumped in next:
"I'm gonna be the Pirate King!"
Zoro placed his foot on the barrel, face dead serious:
"I'm gonna be the world's greatest swordsman!"
"I wanna draw the best world map ever!"
"I wanna become a brave warrior of the sea!"
And finally, Bai Ye stepped forward, placing his foot with the others:
"I'm gonna change the whole damn world."
"Alright then, everyone—"
"Let's set sail!!!"
With Luffy's shout, the Going Merry carried the whole crew straight toward Reverse Mountain, cutting through wind and waves!
"....."