A Familiar Stranger

"Wow... it's huge!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly, looking at the staff member next to him. "Is this the flying chicken?"

"A flying... chicken?" The staff member was stunned at first, and after a long while, he reacted, his lips twitching as he said, "So that's... not wrong!"

Wow! That's so cool!

"... Hey, wait!" Luffy dashed inside in a flash, leaving the staff member with his raised right hand no time to lower it. He then exclaimed in horror, "This is that person's vehicle!"

"Forget it, the Third Match is almost over anyway. Since this kid wants to experience death early, let him be!" someone next to him said, "Or do you want to go up there too?"

The staff member shuddered. "No, no, no, you're right. Let's just consider it a perk of dying early!"

At this moment, the host's melodious voice rang out again.

"The battle in the Third Arena has ended. Congratulations to Eustass Kid, captain of the Kid Pirates; Flower Sword Vista, the Fifth Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates; and Smoker, Smoker Vice Admiral the Marine Headquarters, for winning this battle and advancing to the Finals!"

"It's Conqueror's Haki! I never thought that Eustass Kid would have such talent!" Sabo exclaimed.

"Although the operation failed, the fact that he dared to challenge that man shows that his courage surpasses that of many others!" Ace agreed.

Just then, the host's slightly puzzled voice echoed through the sky, "Is Luffy from the Straw Hat Pirates here? The plane taking you to the Floating Island will depart in one minute. If you don't board soon, you'll have to rely on your own strength to reach the Floating Island..."

"Cough cough..." Usopp, who was still drinking water, choked. "What is that idiot Luffy doing? I clearly pointed out the location to him. He's not like Zoro, who has no sense of direction. There's no reason why he would get lost!"

Zoro: "???"

"Should I send someone to find him right now?" Koala asked.

"Forget it, there's only one minute left. It's too late to make it. Besides, for him, this might be a good ending," Sabo said, shaking his head as an older brother.

"Wow! That's so cool!" Seeing the surrounding clouds and mist, and being in the Cloud Sea, Luffy, with his personality, naturally couldn't contain himself. Like a husky that had broken free of its reins, he ran around the cabin happily.

"Shut up, you bastard! Who gave you permission to come in!" The sudden, lazy voice startled Luffy, who then noticed another figure huddled in a corner on the other side, shrouded in a black robe and wearing a mask.

Luffy was puzzled. How come he hadn't noticed such a strange outfit before? Had he become too less vigilant lately? Also, why did he feel a strange sense of familiarity when he looked at this man in black?

Suppressing his doubts, Luffy asked curiously, "Who are you, old man? I thought I was the only one among these 'flying chickens'."

"That's what I should be asking you. This is my personal vehicle. Didn't anyone tell you what the consequences would be for trespassing?" The man in black spoke in a chilling tone, his terrifying killing intent almost tangible.

Luffy a deep breath. Faced with this fierce aura, he was like a small boat in a storm, in danger of capsizing at any moment. But instead of being afraid, he became more and more excited. "Is this the ultimate application of Conqueror's Haki that Uncle Rayleigh talked about, directly influencing reality with aura?"

Luffy's competitive spirit was also ignited, and his Conqueror's Haki burst forth, impacting the black-clad man's aura.

After two years of training, he has been able to control his Conqueror's Haki very well, controlling it at will, and no longer experiencing the intermittent effectiveness that occurred two years ago.

Boom!

The fuselage shook violently, and cracks appeared on the walls inside the cabin, as if it would disintegrate at an altitude of thousands of meters above the ground at any moment.

But neither of them showed any sign of stopping; instead, they fought even more fiercely.

"Kid, since you're not too badly intimidated, I'll reluctantly tell you my name: Dark, the Zero Blade of the Assassination Squad under Nightmare!" the man in black said casually, clearly not going all out in the clash of auras.

"Dark? What a strange name!" Luffy muttered to himself, forcing himself to maintain his composure as he spoke with difficulty, "My name is... Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm going to be... the Pirate Kings!"

The man in black remained eerily silent for a moment before continuing, "What an utterly foolish delusion!"

"You bastard! You have such powerful Conqueror's Haki, yet you willingly degenerate into a minion of Nightmare. I... despise you!"

"Your views as a weakling are irrelevant to me. My sole purpose in existence is to carry out my master's will!"

"You're really pathetic. I hope you won't be eliminated too early. When that happens... I'll definitely beat you to a pulp!"

"You should try to survive before spouting such big talk!"

Boom!

Unable to withstand the combined force of the two men, the plane finally disintegrated, bursting into a ball of blazing flame in the sky.

"Ah..."

"This guy... why does he give me a strange sense of familiarity?" Watching the figures plummeting and screaming below, the man in black, his face hidden behind the mask, fell into deep thought, but quickly regained his composure and turned to leave. "My master said that excessive curiosity only dulls a sharp blade..."

At the end of the sea, Laugh Tale!

The completely chaotic magnetic field, the ceaseless storms, the churning lava in the sea, and the ubiquitous poisonous fog acted as an insurmountable barrier, blocking any pirate who coveted Laugh Tale. Even with Roy's current strength, it took him a full three days to break through the fog and reach the legendary Laugh Tale!

To Roy's surprise, the place wasn't as desolate and barren as he had initially imagined. Instead, it was lush with greenery, filled with the sounds of insects and birds, brimming with life and vitality, if one ignored its fantastical aspect...

Snore!

A fantastical bird of prey with the body and claws of a lion, and the head and wings of an eagle, lay beneath Roy, exposing its belly and nuzzling against his hand, making a sound like a kitten being petted. If you ignored the three-headed monster lying in a pool of blood beside it, you might actually mistake it for an adorable creature.

"Griffin... Cerberus!" Roy withdrew his wicked hand from petting the cat, stroked his slightly stubbled chin, and revealed a meaningful smile, "Laugh Tale, the island of origin of life?"