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Grand Line Calendar, Year 1520.
Sabaody Archipelago — Grove 12.
"I'm gonna step on you now~"
The lazy drawl echoed through the mangrove grove as Admiral Kizaru raised one glowing leg high into the air. Golden light rippled across his body, turning the ground beneath him into a pool of shifting radiance.
Before him, Zoro lay broken and bloodied, his swords scattered, his body barely able to move.
"You bastard!"
"Let Zoro go!"
Usopp's trembling fingers released one slingshot round after another, while Brook's rapier thrust in a blur of ivory bone and steel.
Neither made the slightest difference.
Their attacks passed straight through Kizaru's body harmlessly, phasing through light itself.
The Admiral of the Marines stood there, untouched, unhurried, and utterly amused.
"ZORO!!!"
Luffy's roar tore through the chaos. He and the others caught up fighting Sentomaru, and a swarm of Pacifistas could only watch helplessly as their crewmate's doom drew near.
Kizaru didn't even look at them. His expression was the same infuriating mix of indifference and mockery, which only made the helplessness worse.
"I really am~"
"Going to step now~"
The glowing leg began to fall.
And then—
Something hummed.
A faint, eerie vibration rolled through the air, subtle but endless as if reality itself had taken a breath.
A wave of power rippled outward.
In the blink of an eye—
Everything stopped.
Kizaru's leg froze midair.
"Huh?"
Luffy's shout cut off in his throat. Even Rayleigh, sprinting toward the grove from afar, halted mid-step, eyes wide.
The soap bubbles that floated lazily upward from the mangroves froze in place.
The ocean waves turned to glass.
The clouds themselves stopped drifting.
Time had been severed.
And yet… everyone could still think.
Their bodies were frozen, but their minds were very much awake. Panic and confusion churned in their still hearts.
What kind of power… could do this?
This isn't Haki, It isn't a Devil Fruit.
Even Kizaru's ever-lazy thoughts sharpened with unease.
Then, from the depths of every consciousness —
A cold, emotionless voice echoed.
[Ding!]
[Dimensional Chat Group System successfully bound to this world.]
[Global broadcast initializing.]
[To ensure a stable viewing experience, temporal flow has been suspended.]
[All conscious beings may now communicate via the "Dimensional Chat."]
[Message privileges scale with individual power.]
[Initializing projection...]
The words didn't sound so much as they existed, appearing directly inside everyone's mind.
From the most powerful pirate to the humblest fisherman, every living soul heard it.
Even those born deaf could hear every syllable clearly.
Then came light.
A vast holographic screen unfolded in the sky, stretching from horizon to horizon. Beside it, a glowing chat interface appeared, lines of text already scrolling by in blinding speed.
[Imu has joined the chat.]
[Saint Figarland Garling has joined the chat.]
[Rocks D. Xebec has joined the chat.]
[Gol D. Roger has joined the chat.]
[Edward Newgate has joined the chat.]
[Monkey D. Garp has joined the chat.]
[Monkey D. Dragon has joined the chat.]
[Monkey D. Luffy has joined the chat.]
[...]
Names poured in faster than anyone could keep up with. Legends, Monsters, Ghosts of the past, and titans of the present all pulled into one impossible channel.
The world's collective jaw dropped.
---
[Kong]: What's going on?! I can't move a muscle!
[Sengoku]: Even Marineford's been frozen solid. What kind of power can do this?!
[Akainu]: Must be a Devil Fruit. But this… this is insane.
[Kaido]: Who the hell dares interrupt my drink?! They've got a death wish!
[Rocks D. Xebec]: Hah! Still causing chaos even after I died, Love it!
[Gol D. Roger]: Finally, something interesting in the afterlife!
[Garp]: WHAT THE—?! Rocks?! Roger?! You two are DEAD!
[Rayleigh]: …Roger. Is that really you?
[Whitebeard]: Gurararara~ This "system" even drags the dead into group chat? What a party.
[Shanks]: A "Dimensional Chat Group System," huh? Sounds like it's about to shake the whole world.
[Luffy]: Shanks! You're here too?! So cool!
[Shanks]: Heard you punched a Celestial Dragon at Sabaody, Brave, kid, Reckless, but brave.
[Luffy]: He deserved it! Couldn't stop myself!
[Sanji]: Less bragging, more surviving, you idiots! Kizaru's still got his foot above us!
[Zoro]: Yeah… though it's nice of this system to hit pause right before I got flattened.
[Kizaru]: Oh~ Don't relax yet bro~ Once time resumes, I'll finish the job~
[Usopp]: We're doomed! We're actually doomed!
[Shakky]: Relax, Usopp, Rayleigh's on his way, you'll be fine.
[Nami]: The Dark King himself?! We're saved!
[Gol D. Roger]: Shakky?! Well, I'll be damned, Long time no see, darling!
[Rayleigh]: Oi! You ignored me, but greeted her first? Really, Roger?!
[Gol D. Roger]: Haha! Honest mistake, old friend! Didn't see your message!
[Rayleigh]: Sure you didn't...
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The chat descended into chaos, confusion, jokes, arguments, and disbelief.
All of it echoing through a frozen world that could no longer move, only watch.
Then, once again, the cold, mechanical voice silenced the noise.
[Projection initialized.]
[All participants connected.]
[Commencing first viewing theme]
[Ranking the Twenty "King-Class" Titles of the Grand Line.]
×××××
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The frozen world held its breath.
The screen brightened.
And the age of Dimensional Chat began.
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Thank you so much for your support and for reading!