Boom!
A violent explosion rocked the area. Before the crowd could react, a flash of light tore through the canopy of the Yarukiman Mangroves, easily slicing through trunks so thick ten men couldn't encircle them.
Massive logs fell from the sky, crashing onto rooftops and pedestrians. Immediately following the sword energy, a wave of intense heat swept through, incinerating a trunk into fragments and raining fire down upon the area.
In the path of the falling fire rain, amidst the fleeing civilians, was... Eustass "Captain" Kid!
Kid glared at the sky with a ferocious gaze. He balled his right hand into a fist, and before the fire rain could land, he absorbed all the surrounding metal, forming a mechanical arm as large as a Giant's. He punched upward.
Boom!
Like a baseball player swinging for the fences, Kid swatted away the fire rain that would have hit him. However, he only cared about his own safety; the flames still rained down on other fleeing civilians. Kid didn't care in the slightest.
"Amazing!"
"As expected of Captain Kid!" his subordinates cheered.
"Who is it? Who's fighting?" Kid looked toward the source of the attack, where the sounds of battle continued to roar.
One must never cause a scene on Sabaody Archipelago, or it will draw a massive Marine mobilization. This was a rule every pirate entering the island had to know. To cause trouble here was to make an enemy of every other pirate.
"Judging by the attacks, we're looking at a fire-user and a master swordsman," Vice Captain Killer analyzed, arms crossed.
"Hmph, interesting. I want to see who's brave enough to ignore the rules like this," Kid said, waving his coat as he prepared to head toward the battle.
"Wait, Kid. Given the scale of this fight, the Marines will be here soon. We should take this chance to evacuate," Killer advised.
Behind every powerful but hot-headed captain, there is usually a wise first mate. This was true for many pirate crews.
…
Shakky's Rip-off Bar.
If Rayleigh hadn't spoken with such flawless conviction, Luffy and the others would never have believed this scruffy old man was the First Mate of the King of the Pirates.
Luffy, however, believed him instantly; he was the gullible type, after all.
"Ohhh!" Luffy sat cross-legged on a barstool. "So cool! Shanks and the others were on the Pirate King's ship? That's amazing!"
Rayleigh blinked. "He never mentioned it? Back then, he and Buggy were both apprentice pirates on our ship."
"Not once!" Luffy shook his head, then asked, "By the way, Old Man, how is Shanks doing now?"
A flicker of awkwardness crossed Rayleigh's face. Shakky, smoking behind the bar, glanced at Rayleigh, wondering how he'd handle the question. Rayleigh coughed and hesitated before saying, "The answer... is for you to find yourself."
Looking at the successor of the straw hat, Rayleigh couldn't bring himself to say, "Shanks was killed." The truth was for Luffy to discover on his own.
BOOM!!!
A violent tremor shook the ground, accompanied by a series of explosions. Chopper, who was enjoying a piece of cotton candy, had his entire face buried in the fluff.
"What happened? What happened?!" Chopper cried as he struggled to free himself.
Pere pere pere...
The miniature Den Den Mushi on Nami's wrist rang. She answered, and Robin's voice came through: "Nami, the Marines have entered the island. Get everyone back here quickly; we need to evacuate."
"What's going on, Robin?" Nami asked urgently.
"There's a fierce battle happening on the island that drew the Marines in, though we don't know who the combatants are yet," Robin replied.
Nami hung up and turned to the other three. "Everyone, move! Back to the Sunny!"
"Hey, hey! Has Zoro made it back yet?" Usopp asked frantically.
"That lost cause..." Nami sighed, slapping her forehead. "Regardless, we have to get back first."
The Straw Hats prepared to leave the bar, waving goodbye to Rayleigh. "See ya, Rayleigh!"
Once only Rayleigh and Shakky remained, Shakky put her cigarette out in the ashtray. "It's Beckman and the others, isn't it? Do you really have no intention of saving your Captain's son?"
"Roger's wish was that we shouldn't interfere with his son's path as a pirate. That's why I didn't help Shanks either," Rayleigh shook his head. After a long silence, he added, "However, this time, I want to act on my own feelings for once."
"Nurturing a newly sprouted seed?" Shakky lit a new cigarette.
…
Grove 25.
The melee continued. After a clash of steel and claw, Sabo pulled his pipe back and swung it hard at the side of Cavendish's head.
"Biken: Arthur!"
Cavendish parried the pipe with Durandal and followed up with a high-speed thrust. For a split second, it looked like the tip of his sword had formed a dense, inescapable web.
Sabo was no weaker than Cavendish. He spun his pipe like a helicopter rotor, creating a shield that blocked the secret technique.
Ace... Sabo thought, glancing at his brother. Ace was currently locked in combat with Ivalis and was gradually falling into a desperate struggle.
The situation was worsening. They had to retreat.
"Harley!" Sabo shouted to the man who had been fighting Augur. "Use your ability! We're retreating! Now!"
Teach, who had paused his fighting when Ivalis intervened, shouted in a panic, "Hey! Stop them! We can't let them escape!"
It was no joke. He had already failed once. If he failed again, Alucard would skin him alive.