One Piece: From Ninja To Pirates

"Owwwwww..."

Pushing aside the rocks piled on him, Franky crawled out while clutching his head. "What a bunch of reckless maniacs."

The Straw Hat Pirates were one thing, but even Kokoro was like this? Didn't she worry about potential accidents?

At her age, if something really happened, how was he supposed to explain it to that bastard Iceberg?

"Ahahaha, we've arrived safely at our destination!"

Kokoro disembarked from the train with Chimney and her pet, appearing completely unharmed.

"Weren't you afraid something might happen?" Franky roared with his signature shark mouth. "And you brought Chimney along too? Is this how you act as a grandmother?"

Franky was absolutely furious—he'd never seen anything so outrageous.

"Hahaha, but nothing did happen," Kokoro replied. "Just a little nosebleed, that's all."

"A nosebleed..."

Franky's lips twitched. Surviving such a violent crash with just a nosebleed—these three were clearly no ordinary folks.

"Thank you, Meiser," Nico Robin said.

Protected in Meiser's arms, Robin had escaped injury, suffering only minor impact from the Rocketman's crash.

"No problem," Meiser replied. "Can you walk?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll put you down now."

After setting Robin gently on the ground and confirming she was fine, Meiser turned his attention toward the Rocketman's wreckage.

Luffy had already dug himself out of the rubble and was loudly urging Nami and the others to stop lazing around and get to work.

"You idiot!"

"Do you think we're all Rubber Men like you?!" the others shouted as they shoved aside the debris.

Luffy, being pure rubber, didn't need Evasion Strike—but they were mere flesh and blood! This kind of recklessness could kill them!!

"See? Nothing happened," Luffy said, picking his nose.

Snap

Nami felt something inside her finally snap. In that instant, she mastered the ultimate ally-disciplining technique: Shave!

In the blink of an eye, she closed the distance and punched Luffy square in the head.

BONK

The force was so great it drove Luffy's head straight into the pile of rocks.

"I-I'm sorry..."

"Hmph. Do it again, and I'll hit you harder," Nami coldly warned.

"You bastard! You just carried Robin princess-style, didn't you?!" Sanji charged at Meiser, fuming.

"Yeah, so what?"

"Damn it... I'm so... jealous..."

Meiser: "..."

Watching Sanji's entire demeanor shift, Meiser's lips twitched. Was this guy mentally unstable?

"Is he always this... abstract?" Franky asked.

"Uh... yeah. Yeah."

Nami thought for a moment before nodding seriously.

"Your pirate crew is really... complicated," Franki remarked.

Why did it feel like these guys kept getting weirder and weirder?

Meiser gave Franky a puzzled look. How could this guy say something like that with a straight face?

A pervert who paraded around in nothing but speedos had the nerve to call them complicated?

"Hey, Luffy, where are you going?!" Zoro grabbed Luffy, who was trying to leave, afraid this guy would disappear again in the blink of an eye.

"Don't stop me! I'm gonna punch that pigeon guy into next week!"

"I get it, but at least come up with a plan first."

"Just let him go," Meiser said. "A plan... Do you really expect this guy to remember anything like that?"

"Remember what happened before we entered the gate."

Luffy was notorious for never following plans, yet somehow, every reckless thing he did turned out to be the right move. It was downright absurd.

Like right now—he was dead set on beating up that pigeon guy.

"Meiser's right," Sanji said, lighting a cigarette now that he was back to normal. "There's no stopping Luffy when he's determined to punch someone. Besides, that guy might have one of the keys, so just let him go."

Sanji didn't believe the enemy would necessarily leave all the keys with the remaining six. What if one was with that guy?

The odds might be slim, but Sanji wasn't willing to take that gamble.

Zoro hesitated for a moment before finally releasing Luffy, letting him charge off alone.

"Sanji's got a point," Meiser added. "Besides... if Luffy doesn't defeat that guy, it'll weigh on him."

For true warriors, strength wasn't the only thing that mattered—their spirit was just as crucial.

Having experienced real war, Meiser understood this better than anyone.

"Now, let's talk about the Buster Call," Sanji said.

"I already said I'll handle the Buster Call."

"I know you will, but that's not the only problem we have right now," Sanji replied seriously. "Franky mentioned that reinforcements from Marine Headquarters could get here much faster."

"That means we don't have much time left..."

Before Meiser could argue, Sanji raised a hand. "Hear me out first."

"You all remember what that idiot who activated the Buster Call said, right?"

"Which part?" Usopp asked.

The guy had said so much—how was he supposed to know which line Sanji was referring to?

"You mean... Admiral Aokiji?" Meiser guessed.

He had a rough idea of what Sanji was getting at. And the moment Nico Robin heard that name, her body stiffened.

The Buster Call had left deep scars on her, but Admiral Aokiji's impact was just as profound.

"Yeah, Admiral Aokiji!"

"That guy..."

Zoro's expression darkened. The first time they'd faced that Marine Admiral, they'd been on the brink of annihilation.

If not for Luffy's quick thinking back then—challenging him in that unconventional way—they would've been wiped out.

No... Actually, that Admiral might not have intended to kill them outright. Otherwise, as a Marine, he had no reason to follow pirates' rules.

But what about this time?

Were they supposed to gamble on his intentions again?

Betting their lives on an enemy's whim was beyond foolish. Zoro wanted no part of it.

"I think I get it now..." Usopp said in shock. "Don't tell me we're going to face a Navy Admiral this time too?!"

"Too?"

Chopper, who seemed to understand, looked at Usopp in surprise. "Sogeking, have you encountered a Navy Admiral before too?"

"Ahahaha, of course! I once—"

"So cool!"

The tense atmosphere lightened considerably as they listened to Usopp and Chopper's exchange.

"Didn't expect you guys to have faced monsters like that before," Franky said with admiration.

The Navy Headquarters' strongest force—Admiral Aokiji. Surviving an encounter with such a monster was no small feat.

"It's not that we necessarily have to face that guy," Sanji said. "But if Meiser blocks or even defeats the Buster Call, there's no guarantee the Navy won't send reinforcements. It's entirely possible an Admiral could show up!"

"So we have to move fast!"

As he spoke, Sanji glanced at the distant staircase. "That guy was right—we really don't have much time left."

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Zoro shouted. "Split up and take down those Cipher Pol 9 agents as fast as possible! Get those keys back!"

After a brief pause, Zoro raised his voice again. "Listen up, everyone!"

"We fight to win—even if it kills us! Got it?!"

"Ooooh!"