World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament

"What? Zoro, you must be lying to me, right? Tell me, none of this is real!" Luffy grabbed Zoro's shoulder in anguish and shook him frantically.

"Luffy, calm down. Chopper is just missing. Maybe he's waiting for us somewhere in this world!" Zoro said this without much confidence. Two years had passed. That long period of time could almost say everything.

Moreover, they fell from a height of 10,000 meters last time, and it was already a stroke of luck that they were not completely wiped out. How could we ask for more?

However, this was unacceptable to Luffy. He had gone through countless hardships and dangers, and was even cruelly tortured to death three times by the Great White Goose outside the beginner village at the very beginning. He finally managed to come to this sky city and reunite with Zoro and the others, only to be told such terrible news.

Therefore, he preferred to believe Zoro's well-intentioned lie, even if it was just a sliver of hope, it was still much better than complete despair.

"Yes, you're right. Chopper must still be waiting for us somewhere on the high seas. I absolutely cannot give up," Luffy the way, where's Vivi? Hasn't she entered the Dream Domain yet?"

However, Zoro shook his head, which made Luffy's heart tremble. He tentatively asked, "Has Vivi not been found yet, just like Chopper?"

Nami, standing nearby, said in a hoarse voice, "No, Vivi... she's dead!"

"That's absolutely impossible, you must be lying to me, you must be. Right, I'm in the Dream Domain right now, isn't I? That means everything today was just a dream, right? It's all fake, and when I wake up, everything will be back to normal." Luffy's eyes shone brighter, as if he had found the answer.

Bang!

Zoro punched him, sending him flying to the ground, and said angrily, "We are all sad, but that is not a reason for you to run away. As the captain, you should bravely take responsibility for everything, instead of being a coward and becoming disliked."

"Now, stand up and tell me your answer!"

"Zoro, don't be like this... Luffy is just having trouble accepting it right now," Usopp advised.

"We can all be weak, but he can't. If even the captain doesn't dare to face reality, then this pirate crew has no reason to exist!" Zoro answered decisively.

Luffy stood up silently, adjusting his Straw Hat. "Heh, I thought I had learned to be strong after my grandfather died, but I never expected that in the end... Zoro, thank you, thank you for waking me up. From now on, I will no longer be confused and desperate. I will carry their will and move forward."

"Can you tell me... how exactly did Vivi die?"

"Three months ago, a large-scale riot broke out in Alabasta. Vivi was worried and didn't want to be a burden to us, so she went back alone, and then... she never came back."

"Damn it! What is this?!" Luffy clenched his fists tightly, recalling the words that man had spoken in Alabasta two years ago. Perhaps that man was right; they simply did not have the ability to defend a country, and their reputation was far from enough to intimidate the enemy with just a flag.

"That riot ended in..."

"Under the strong suppression of the World Government, the riot ended quickly, the rebel leader was executed, and we didn't even know who to seek revenge against."

Luffy fell silent again, then suddenly sensed something was wrong. Where was Sanji? He looked around in horror, then asked in a trembling voice, "Where's Sanji? Could it be that he also...?"

"Don't worry, Sanji ... is alive and well," Usopp said.

"Phew, that's good." Luffy breathed a sigh of relief, finally feeling a weight lifted from his shoulders.

"But..."

"But what?" Luffy's eyes widened. Couldn't these guys just say everything at once?

"He's been captured by Nightmare." Seeing Luffy looking like he was about to have a heart attack, Nami quickly said, "Don't worry, don't forget, Sanji is the third son of the Vinsmoke Family under Nightmare. According to what we've heard, Sanji is just being held captive in the Crimson Dreamscape, and he hasn't been abused or punished."

"That's good." Luffy breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that his heart really couldn't take any more stimulation. He then asked, "What place is this Crimson Dreamscape' you mentioned?"

"That is the lair of Nightmare, a continent called the Dreamland Kingdom that he created with terrifying power that could move mountains and fill seas. It is Destruction Continent that gathers countless darkness and evil."

Luffy fell silent again. Just hearing the name, one could tell it was an extremely dangerous area. In most people's eyes, it was a place even Marineford terrifying than the Holy Land Mary Geoise and Marine Headquarters.

"Actually, Sanji was only imprisoned in the Dreamland Kingdom. His movements in this Dream Online were not prohibited. We met him from afar once, and he probably noticed our presence. However, he quickly fled in a hurry, perhaps because he was worried about implicating us."

"Dreamland Kingdom, Crimson Dreamscape!" Luffy a deep breath and said solemnly, "I will never abandon any of my crewmates again. Even if it's that man's lair, I will try to sneak in and rescue Sanji."

"Do you... still believe in me?"

"Luffy, what nonsense are you talking about? Even if you didn't say these things, we would never abandon Sanji," Nami said irritably.

"Yes, we were planning to infiltrate that Destruction Continent," Usopp said.

"Indeed, if we're going to infiltrate the Crimson Dreamscape, now is the best opportunity," Zoro continued.

"The best... opportunity?" Luffy asked, puzzled.

"Luffy, you haven't been off the island for long, so you probably don't know what kind of commotion a piece of news from the Dreamland Kingdom caused in the world a few days ago!"

"Nightmare declares that he will hold the World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament to determine the true World's Strongest, and the prize for the champion is the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, which was possessed by Whitebeard, the last man to be called the World's Strongest Man!"

Luffy's eyes widened, clearly still reeling from the shock of the news.

However, he quickly came to his senses and asked excitedly, "Does that mean Ace and the others will definitely participate in that Martial Arts Tournament?"

"Well, it's hard to say about other forces, but the Whitebeard Pirates will absolutely not let that fruit fall into the hands of others, and as for Fire Fist Ace, who was the catalyst for the last major incident, there is absolutely no possibility that he will be absent."