"I said, you... are too weak!!!"
This bell-like voice echoed in everyone's minds, over and over, lingering for a long time.
That calm tone and proud demeanor shocked everyone and felt like a baptism.
Then, everyone saw, on the execution platform.
Luffy, holding the golden lightning spear, leaped down from the execution platform.
As he reached mid-air, he turned around and threw the lightning at the execution platform.
Crack!
Boom!
Two sounds rang out in succession, and the execution platform crumbled.
The Great Pirate Era, he would end it!
This execution platform no longer needed to exist!!
After doing all this, Luffy passed through the crowd and left the plaza.
And the moment Luffy disappeared from the plaza, the plaza, which had been as if time had stopped, suddenly became active, with a thunderous uproar.
People were as excited as they were when they first heard Roger speak of the Great Treasure, unable to control themselves.
"Hey! Did you see it just now? That Straw Hat! His aura was too strong, so strong it almost suffocated me."
"I saw it! He held lightning, he was simply like a god, it was truly astonishing!"
"That Straw Hat is ridiculously strong! Grabbing lightning, is that really something a human can do?"
"That guy is just like Roger used to be!!!"
An old man with white hair and beard, leaning on a cane, spoke with a voice filled with memories and shock, incredibly excited.
"Roger? Who is that?"
Someone who hadn't heard the name asked.
"He's the Pirate King who started the Great Pirate Era, Gol D. Roger!"
The old man's eyes trembled, his voice excited, and he exclaimed in wonder.
As soon as these words were spoken, the plaza erupted in an uproar again.
"It's the Pirate King!!"
"That Straw Hat, is he really like the former Pirate King?"
"It's truly astonishing, that aura emanating from Straw Hat!"
"Is that Straw Hat really a pirate? He's completely different from other pirates I've seen!"
...
In the plaza, voices boomed.
And among the crowd, a man wearing a green cloak, completely covering himself except for a strange pattern tattoo on his face.
It was none other than the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Dragon!
Dragon was heard muttering.
"Luffy, have you grown so big?"
...
At the same time, another part of the plaza.
A man with a nose ring and a green rooster-comb hairstyle, with a strange appearance, had a dazed expression, his mouth wide open, and a continuous trembling "Ah" sound coming from his throat.
A companion next to him, confused and worried, shook the man's body and asked.
"Hey! Bartolomeo! What's wrong with you? Are you okay? Pull yourself together!"
"Ah! Ah! Ah!"
Bartolomeo continued to emit the trembling "Ah" sound.
Suddenly...
"Ah ah ah ah..."
Bartolomeo suddenly clenched his fists and roared towards the sky.
The sheer volume of his shout caused the entire plaza to turn their attention to him.
Under everyone's confused gaze, Bartolomeo's eyes seemed to sparkle like starlight, his expression excited and emotional, as he shouted with immense enthusiasm.
"I… want to be… a pirate!!!"
As soon as he said this, his companion quickly and frantically covered Bartolomeo's mouth.
He nervously glanced at the surrounding Marines, then lowered his voice and said,
"Are you crazy? This place is full of Marines!"
Bartolomeo, however, didn't care in the slightest; his eyes were filled with obsession, and in his mind, there was only the shadow of the man he had just seen.
...
In front of the execution platform, Smoker, who had been in a daze, was pulled back to his senses by Bartolomeo's shout.
"I said, you… are too weak!"
Luffy's words echoed in his mind again.
Smoker immediately frowned and gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with fury.
"That bastard… how dare he look down on me like that!!!"
"Unforgivable!!!"
With a low roar, Smoker suddenly turned around, mounted his motorcycle, and chased after the direction Luffy had left.
The other Marines quickly formed ranks and followed closely behind him.
...
Rain poured down in torrents.
Luffy was running down a street in Loguetown, and directly ahead, moored by the shore and swaying wildly in the surging waves, was the going merry.
On the Merry, Uta waved and shouted to Luffy,
"Luffy, hurry up! Nami said the wind is about to change, and now is the best time to set sail."
"Is everyone else here?"
Luffy asked.
"Yes, now it's just you."
Uta replied.
Upon hearing this, Luffy immediately swung his arms, preparing to quickly board the ship.
Boom! Boom!
Just then, an engine roared in front of him.
Then, Luffy saw Smoker riding his motorcycle, weaving out from a side street, and with a tail-whip drift, he blocked Luffy's path.
At the same time, a large number of Marines rushed out from various streets and alleys, quickly forming ranks and surrounding him tightly from all sides.
This was something Smoker had arranged early on when he went to the execution square to find Luffy, having people block the coast in advance.
Smoker, with a cigar in his mouth, stood directly in front of Luffy, the anger in his eyes still not gone, and said in a deep voice,
"Straw Hat, I, 'White Chase' Smoker, a Navy Captain, swear that I will not let you leave this place a single step today!"
As he finished speaking, Smoker extended both arms.
His arms suddenly transformed into large amounts of white smoke, like two rolling pillars of smoke, reaching out towards Luffy.
The surrounding Marines all looked on with shock and envy, unable to help but exclaim,
"It appeared, the strongest Logia-type Devil Fruit, the Smoke-Smoke Fruit's ability."
"Captain Smoker's smoke body is invincible; no one can harm him in the slightest."
"This time, Straw Hat Luffy, known as one of the Worst Generation, will also be helpless against Captain Smoker."
"In the entire East Blue, no one can defeat Captain Smoker!"
...
The Marines were shocked and exclaimed, discussing animatedly.
Suddenly, everyone looked on in confusion as Luffy's figure flickered, as if he had instantly vanished from his spot.
And in the next second, everyone's mouths dropped open as if they had seen a ghost, their eyes wide as if they were about to explode.
Their eyes were filled with extreme disbelief and shock.
It was only an instant; no one even saw when Luffy made his move.
Everyone saw Smoker spitting blood, collapsing to the ground with a distorted, painful expression.
And Straw Hat Luffy stood beside him, adjusting his Straw Hat.
For a moment, all the Marines stood frozen in place like statues.
"Wha… what happened?"
"When did that Straw Hat get close to Captain Smoker? I didn't see his movements at all."
"This is impossible! Isn't Captain Smoker a Logia-type? Aren't Logia-types invincible? How did he hit Captain Smoker?"
"Was the invincible Captain Smoker… defeated in an instant? Am I really not dreaming?"
"That guy… is so strong!!!"
Just as all the Marines were shocked and exclaiming, Smoker, who had been knocked down by a single blow, was also deeply shaken at this moment.
Even he hadn't seen what happened just now.
He had only suddenly noticed Luffy appearing right before his eyes.
Before he could even react, his body was already lying on the ground, unable to move, with a scorching, intense pain emanating from his chest.
Straw Hat Luffy is very strong.
Strong beyond his imagination.
This was Smoker's thought at this moment.
Then, he heard Luffy, who was standing beside him, speak.
"Sorry, I don't have time to play with you guys right now."
Luffy's tone was calm; he left these words and turned to leave.
"St… Straw Hat!"
Smoker gasped for breath, using all his strength, and called out with extreme pain.
Luffy stopped upon hearing him.
Then he heard Smoker continue,
"I… I will definitely catch you, no matter where you run, I swear on my name as 'White Chase'."
"Absolutely!!!"
Smoker gritted his teeth, his eyes more determined than ever before.
Luffy did not respond to this.
Although Smoker was a bit weak and constantly got beaten up in the original story, he was actually a good person.
So Luffy didn't think about getting rid of this trailing annoyance.
Let him chase if he wants to!
Anyway, the difference in strength was there, so it wouldn't pose any threat.
As Smoker finished speaking, Luffy stretched out his arm and grabbed onto the Merry's railing.
As his body was pulled towards the Merry, Luffy's voice simultaneously echoed through the stormy wind and rain.
"Destination, Grand Line!"
"Set sail!!!"
With that single shout, the Merry was like a wild horse unbridled, propelled by the storm, rapidly speeding through the surging sea.
In the blink of an eye, it was already hundreds of meters away from the coast.
On the shore, the Marines watched the rapidly shrinking and departing Merry, helpless, only able to stare in frustration.
Da da da da...
The sound of running footsteps echoed, then stopped at a certain spot.
"Captain Smoker, are you alright?"
Tashigi panted, looking worriedly at Smoker lying on his back on the ground.
Without waiting for Smoker to respond, she continued to explain with an apologetic expression,
"I'm so sorry! Captain Smoker!"
"I encountered Roronoa Zoro of the Straw Hat at the weapons shop just now, so I couldn't make it in time."
"And…"
"I couldn't catch Roronoa Zoro, I'm truly… very sorry!"
Tashigi's tone was full of self-reproach, and her eyes held both anger and determination.
Smoker lay on the ground, not listening to Tashigi's explanation at all, and said,
"More importantly…"
"Tashigi, hurry and get ready!"
"We… are heading to the Grand Line to pursue the Straw Hat!"
Tashigi nodded heavily upon hearing this, and said,
"Yes! Captain Smoker!"
"Next time we meet, I will definitely catch Roronoa Zoro!"
After speaking, Tashigi turned to leave to make preparations.
But Smoker called out to her.
"Tashigi, give me the den den mushi for a moment."
Although Tashigi was confused, she still took out the den den mushi from her person and gave it to Smoker.
Soon, under Smoker's operation, a voice came from the den den mushi...
"Moshi moshi! This is Marineford…"
Before the den den mushi on the other end could finish its self-introduction, Smoker spoke for himself,
"I am Navy Captain 'White Chase' Smoker, stationed in Loguetown, East Blue!"
"Regarding the new bounty pirate from the East Blue, Straw Hat Monkey D. Luffy, I have the following points to add."
"Straw Hat Luffy possesses the ability to grasp Logia-types; he should have Haki."
"His strength is extremely high; I couldn't last a single round against him."
"Please re-evaluate his bounty amount at headquarters and disseminate the latest information on Straw Hat Luffy to all branches."
"That is all!"
"Click!"
Smoker finished speaking on his own and hung up the phone, unaware that the person at Marineford had already gone dumbfounded.
The one who answered his call was the same record keeper who had answered Captain Nezumi's call last time.
And after a long period of daze, that person ran out of the office with a terrified expression.
He was still shouting in a panic,
"Captain Brannew…"
Marineford was once again in an uproar.
A fierce wind raged, and the rain poured down.
The sea was like a mad beast, with continuous raging waves, churning wildly.
The merry go swayed on the surface of the sea, constantly rising and falling with wave after wave.
"Waaahhh... these waves are too big! It feels like the ship is going to capsize!"
Usopp stood on the deck, teetering, and cried out in alarm.
"What terrifying weather!"
Nojiko couldn't help but exclaim.
"I wonder when this awful weather will stop."
Sanji's voice carried a hint of helplessness.
"Hey! Look, everyone, there's a light ahead!"
Zoro shouted, looking at the faint beam of light in the storm.
"It's true! Is it the island's lighthouse?"
Uta's tone held a hint of surprise.
"That's the navigation light at the entrance to the Grand Line. The entrance to the Grand Line is right there, at that light."
Nami, holding a map in one hand, excitedly told everyone while comparing it to the map.
Everyone's faces immediately lit up with joy, their mouths curving upwards, and their eyes filled with excitement upon hearing this.
Crossing that place meant entering the Grand Line?!
Just as everyone was filled with anticipation, Luffy suddenly brought over a wooden barrel from the side.
He placed it in the middle of everyone.
With joy and excitement radiating from his face, he said,
"Everyone, before we enter the Grand Line, let's perform a ceremony!"
With that, Luffy lifted one foot and stepped onto the barrel.
"I will become the Pirate King!"
Seeing this, everyone else smiled, instinctively forming a circle.
Uta: "I will bring joy to people with my singing and usher in a new era!"
Zoro: "I will become the world's greatest swordsman!"
Usopp: "I will become a brave warrior of the sea!"
Nami: "I will draw a map of the world!"
Nojiko: "I will sail through the world map drawn by Nami!"
Sanji: "I will find All Blue!"
One barrel, seven people, seven feet, carrying seven dreams.
After the ceremony, the seven exchanged smiles, then, with perfect tacit agreement, shouted in unison.
"Let's go! Towards the Grand Line!!! (x7)"
...
Amidst the raging storm, the merry go sailed in the direction indicated by the lighthouse.
Nami called everyone over, spread out a map, and solemnly explained to them.
"The entrance to the Grand Line is a mountain."
Upon hearing this, everyone except Luffy and Uta, who had seen it with Shanks, was puzzled.
"A mountain?"
Nami pointed to the map and continued to explain.
"Although I don't know why, the map clearly shows that we need to climb a mountain."
"When we get there, there should be an upward current at the entrance."
"As long as we ride this upward current, we can cross this mountain and enter the Grand Line."
"So, when we reach the entrance later, I will be in charge of directing, and you all should get into position and control the direction of the merry go."
"Understood?"
Although everyone was a bit confused, they still expressed their support.
They nodded and said,
"Understood!"
...
"Hey! I see the entrance!"
Luffy, standing at the bow of the ship, suddenly shouted.
They saw a narrow, almost vertical passage carved out in the middle of the towering mountain.
An upward current rushed along the passage, directly towards the sky.
Upon hearing Luffy's reminder,
Nami immediately shouted,
"Everyone, to your positions."
At her command, everyone went to their previously assigned spots.
"Luffy, furl the sails!"
"Usopp, Sanji, turn the rudder to the right."
"..."
Under Nami's continuous commands and everyone's concerted efforts, the merry go successfully rode the upward current.
Like a roller coaster, it shot upwards towards the mountaintop.
"Woo-wah-wah-wah..."
"Ah-ah-ah-ah..."
"Yah-yah-yah-yah..."
Various screams followed one after another, rising higher and higher with the merry go.
"I see it, the Grand Line!".