Chapter 263: The Debut of the Rinnegan! The Crew Assembles and Sets Sail into the Deep Sea
Grove 42, Sabaody Archipelago.
A massive sailing ship, perfectly encased in a special bubble coating—the thousand sunny—was quietly moored on the water, refracting a dreamy, iridescent glow.
At this moment, on the deck, all members of the Straw Hat Pirates had gathered, except for the "Monster Quartet" who were always the first to rush in.
"SUPER—!"
Franky struck his signature pose, proudly showing off his tough body, which had undergone hardcore modifications over the past two years, to his companions.
Chopper, Usopp, and Brook, those three curious babies, had already boarded the ship.
They surrounded Franky, their eyes sparkling with dazzling stars, letting out bursts of exclamation.
Nico Robin, wearing a dark long dress, rested her chin in one hand, standing quietly on the deck with her usual elegant smile, watching this noisy scene.
Nami, with her charming long orange hair, had "Futo" beside her, which was frantically eating snacks with its short, cloudy tentacles.
However, the joy of reunion did not last long.
Before the Monster Quartet could be seen, several massive Marine warships appeared on the distant horizon, breaking through the waves and sealing off the entire sea area in a pincer formation.
Accompanied by the sound of machinery, countless cold, pitch-black cannons were aimed directly at the thousand sunny in the bay.
The Marine Vice Admiral standing at the bow held a megaphone, his face livid as he issued the kill order:
"The Straw Hat must not be allowed to leave the Sabaody Archipelago alive!"
"For the justice of the Marines, fire at will!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The deafening sound of artillery fire instantly tore through the tranquility of the coast.
Dozens of heavy, pitch-black cannonballs descended like an overwhelming iron rain, smashing mercilessly towards the thousand sunny.
It looked as though the fragile coating was about to be ruthlessly shattered by the artillery fire.
"Oh no! Everyone, hold on!"
Franky, seeing this, immediately rushed to the helm, preparing to activate the "Coup de Burst" for an emergency evasion.
Just at this critical moment of life and death.
On the iconic giant lion head at the bow of the thousand sunny, a slender figure stood silently, as if like a ghost.
The person was enveloped in a wide, deep black cloak, and the sea breeze blew, making the hem of the garment flap loudly.
Facing the lethal cannonballs raining down from the sky, the figure in the black robe appeared exceptionally calm.
He casually raised one hand, his slender fingers slightly spread, his palm aimed far away at the sky covered by artillery fire.
"Shinra Tensei."
Accompanied by a cold whisper.
In an instant, a terrifying repulsive force, centered on the figure in the black robe, swept outwards like a supernova explosion.
"Hum—!"
The dozens of heavy cannonballs in mid-air, carrying tremendous kinetic energy, seemed to hit an invisible and indestructible wall of sighs in an instant.
Their forward trajectory came to an abrupt halt, and then, in the horrified eyes of the Marines, they were forcibly bounced back by an even more brutal and domineering force.
"Rumble!"
The rebounded cannonballs smashed into the Marines' originally tight formation at an even faster speed, instantly triggering a series of violent explosions, and flames and thick smoke swallowed the leading warships.
The crisis was resolved, and the sea breeze blew away the smoke.
The figure in the black robe slowly raised his hand and pulled back the hood that was obscuring his face.
"Tatsuya!"
The deck exploded with excitement, and everyone gathered around.
Usopp was so scared he took two steps back, pointing at Tatsuya's right eye, and began to complain unceremoniously:
"Ahhh! Tatsuya, why did your right eye turn into a purple mosquito coil?!
"It looks so evil and scary! Were you possessed by some strange evil spirit?!"
Hearing Usopp's mood-breaking complaint, Nami frowned.
She walked straight up and gave him a solid punch on the head without hesitation, making Usopp hold his head and crouch down in pain.
"What nonsense are you talking about!"
Nami put her hands on her hips and gave him a cross look.
"It's clearly cool, okay? Do you even know what the charm of a mature man is?"
Just then, Clay, who had been staying obediently by Nami's side, finally saw the main person.
It excitedly flapped its black wings and flew out, landing on Tatsuya's shoulder: "Coo-gaga! Boss! Long time no see!"
On the other side of the deck, Lassoo, who had been lying at Usopp's feet, also recognized Tatsuya's scent.
It wagged its metal tail happily, its mouth puffing out dangerous gunpowder smoke.
Chopper also walked over with his short legs, his face full of excitement.
Seeing this, Usopp forgot the pain of being hit just now.
He stood up triumphantly, hands on his hips, and announced loudly to the whole ship:
"Hmph, look! The strongest 'Animal Trio' under my command has finally returned!
"From today on, I am the true zoo director of the Straw Hat Pirates!"
Hearing this, Chopper's curious face instantly flushed red.
He waved his furry hooves and retorted angrily at Usopp:
"Damn you, Usopp! I'm a doctor! Not a pet in a zoo!"
In mid-air, the dark purple thundercloud "Futo" also joined the fun, its cat ears twitching, making "meow meow" sounds, circling happily above everyone's heads.
Looking at this long-lost noisy scene, Nami crossed her arms and hummed softly, acting a bit tsundere.
But the joy in her eyes and the happiness of the reunion could not be hidden:
"You show-off, since you were here early, why didn't you make a move sooner."
Nico Robin, standing on the side, watched Tatsuya walking down from the bow with gentle eyes.
She covered her red lips with her slender hand, let out a light laugh, and her deep eyes were filled with tenderness:
"Your eyes have become even more beautiful than before."
Hearing the teasing of his companions, the scarlet and lavender in Tatsuya's eyes gradually faded, returning to his black pupils.
His gentle gaze swept over this group of noisy but incredibly vibrant companions, and the corners of his mouth curled into a smile like a spring breeze:
"Sorry, I was delayed for a bit."
"Gomu Gomu no... Rocket!"
Just then, a very familiar, penetrating, and energetic shout came from mid-air!
Accompanied by the sound of breaking through the air, Luffy grabbed Zoro with one hand and Sanji with the other, and the three of them descended from the sky like cannonballs fired from a barrel.
With a "bang," they landed accurately and heavily on the grass deck of the thousand sunny.
Luffy climbed up from the ground like nothing happened.
He saw Tatsuya standing in the middle of the crowd at a glance.
Luffy's eyes lit up instantly, laughing excitedly, and he stretched his rubber arm, grabbed Tatsuya's neck tightly, and pounced on him like a koala:
"Hahaha! Tatsuya! Long time no see!"
Tatsuya was pushed back half a step by him, then smiled and extended his right fist.
Luffy also understood and clenched his fist, and the two fists bumped heavily in mid-air.
After two long years of dormancy and training, at this moment, the Straw Hat Pirates were all here!
On the other side, Zoro and Sanji, who had just recovered from the dizzying fall, stood firm and immediately began to bicker like two fighting cocks again, refusing to give an inch.
"You lost Marimo, if I hadn't been holding you, you would have fallen into the sea to feed the fish!"
"Ha?! You lecherous curly-brow, stop trying to take credit!"
"I was clearly walking in the right direction, it was you who insisted on going the wrong way!"
The two argued as they got closer, and finally, they simply put their foreheads together, their faces pressed tightly against each other.
Usopp stood on the side, picking his nose with his pinky finger in boredom, and complained helplessly:
"What is this?"
"Even if you haven't seen each other for two years and your relationship has become so good, you should still pick a time and place."
Chopper even clapped his hooves innocently and laughed out loud:
"Oh! So Sanji and Zoro really have such a good relationship!"
Hearing this, the two who were butting heads jumped apart as if they had been electrocuted.
They turned their heads in unison and shouted angrily at Usopp and Chopper:
"Shut up! Who are you saying has a good relationship with this damn Marimo (curly-brow)!"
This synchronized tacit understanding and funny reaction immediately made everyone in the Straw Hat Pirates burst into laughter.
The long-lost joy and bonds once again filled the entire thousand sunny.
...
Meanwhile, in the mangrove forest on the shore.
"Pluton" Rayleigh watched the pirate ship full of laughter and joy on the sea, a satisfied smile on his face.
He slowly drew the long sword from his waist, his eyes suddenly becoming as sharp as an eagle's.
He slashed backhanded, drawing a bottomless, huge sword mark on the hard ground.
Rayleigh stood alone in front of the sword mark, blocking the subsequent Marine troops who were trying to board the ship to pursue them with unparalleled Haki.
"The young people's ship is setting sail, heading to the new era that belongs to them."
"You guys, it's best not to interfere."
...
Back to the thousand sunny.
"Everyone! Listen up!"
Luffy strode to his exclusive special seat at the bow.
Facing the sea breeze, he raised his arms excitedly and issued a loud declaration to the entire ocean, and to all his companions:
"Straw Hat Pirates, setting sail again!"
"Oh—!!!"
Everyone on the deck immediately raised their arms high, responding to the Captain's order with the most enthusiastic cheers.
"Leave it to me! SUPER departure!"
Franky laughed, decisively untying the cables fixed on the shore.
The huge buoyancy balloon wrapping the thousand sunny inflated instantly, then began to slowly shrink.
Under the unwilling gaze of countless Marines, the Thousand Sunny smoothly cut through the sea surface.
Like a nimble fish, it dived into the deep, dark seabed, heading towards the New World.
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