The Admiral Strikes, a Heart of Inferiority

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

"Reporting, Vice Admiral, he has indeed disappeared!"

"They just disappeared without saying a word...?"

"He took the Straw Hat crew's bounty poster, and his bicycle is gone too—"

?

"Contact the Five Elders immediately!"

·······

"Okay, I understand."

After hanging up the phone, the several older men in suits at the pinnacle of global power exchanged glances.

"If it's him, he's probably just joining in the fun."

"Seriously, what's that guy thinking? He always likes to act on his own."

"Don't worry, that man knows what he's doing."

·······

At that very moment, the man who had caused such a commotion was leisurely riding his bicycle on the sea. —Yes, riding a bicycle on the sea is just that cool! As he rode by, the sea surface instantly froze into solid white ice! His bicycle Luffy at his own pace.

This speed is much faster than that of a regular sailboat!

"Monkey D. Luffy".

The tall man on the bicycle looked thoughtfully at the Bounty Poster in his hand.

"It hasn't been long, and the bounty is already over a hundred million. Truly, like father, like son."

Let me see your quality.

The waves rolled and surged toward the Golden Merry!

But these weren't naturally formed waves, because several enormous 'monkey faces' were squeaking and crackling in the water! These were small Sea King, capable of creating waves that could destroy ships! Like now:

"Watch out, the sea monkeys are coming again!"

"On your marks, everyone!"

"Million Volts!"

Nami opened the book in her hand, Electric Light as thick as an arm spun and exploded, leaping out in a burst of Electric Light in the waves.

"Tempest Kick!"

With a kick in mid-air, a crescent-shaped, sharp slash shot out, cutting through waves;

"Rubber bullets!"

The fist, suddenly extended, struck the target in the seawater with tremendous force;

"One-Sword Style - Thirty-Six Cannon Balls of Heavenly Torment!"

Zoro first bent his left arm, the one holding the sword, and raised it slightly. He then gripped his left arm's lower leg with his right hand, closed his eyes in thought, and suddenly drew his sword! The sword flashed like lightning, its momentum like a rainbow, and the swirling sword energy roared like thunder—

"Why are your move names so long? And the movements are so flashy~~~"

Usopp was firing 'Fire Star' with a slingshot nearby, complained that it wouldn't work because the 'sea monkeys' unique to this area could create waves that would destroy ships. So Roman suggested that they use these unruly creatures to practice their ranged skills. And so, the scene before us unfolded:

Nami's lightning, Sanji's Tempest Kick, Luffy's fist, and Zoro's sword aura.

Aside from Chopper and Robin, who both have Devil Fruit powers, they lack ranged attack methods— Robin's Flower-Flower Fruit can't be used against sea monkeys in the ocean. Meanwhile, Luffy, under the torment of Roman's Seastone bracer, has gradually trained to the point where he can plunge his fists into the sea without feeling weak.

As for Roman?

He has the most ranged attack methods, not to mention his ability to directly control paper to fly and cut. — Just the explosive arrows that several 'airplanes' hovering in the sky, each about the size of a person, can fire at any time, the Explosion Ability power of Mr. 5 is much greater than Usopp's 'Fire Star'.

"Gunpowder Star! Gunpowder Star! Gunpowder Star!" XN

"Hey, Usopp, can't you come up with something else?"

Upon hearing Zoro's words, Usopp, who had been relentlessly pulling the slingshot, froze. Compared to the ranged attack capabilities of the others, his so-called 'sniper' on the ship was rather pathetic.

I'm so unwilling to accept this...

"A ship has been spotted at the 12 o'clock position."

Robin, who was on the lookout tower, sent a message that brought a halt to everyone who was having a great time fighting the sea monkeys in the ocean.

"What kind of ship? Navy or pirates?"

Even the well-informed Robin paused for a moment when faced with Luffy's question.

"There were no sails, and no flags in sight..."

??

What are Meifan and the others doing in the sea?

Even Luffy knows that a ship without sails isn't a ship, it's a coffin! Roman was also taken aback upon hearing this. Several paper birds disguised as seagulls flew towards the ship, circling and investigating, they discovered:

"It must be a pirate ship," Roman confirmed their identity from their attire, equipment, and the fact that they hadn't showered in months.

"But they looked very dejected, as if they had been abandoned."

Despondent, give up~~

Usopp, who was standing next to him, was startled and stammered as he took over the conversation.

"Perhaps they were defeated?"

"That's not the case," Robin on the lookout tower said with her eyes closed. She had attached her 'eyes' directly to Roman's paper bird and witnessed the situation on the ship firsthand.

"There are no signs of fighting, and their weapons and equipment are still intact. How strange..."

"Hey, tell them, the sea monkeys are coming!"

In response to Luffy's request, Roman immediately commanded his scout bird to fly low and circle, while Robin sprouted 'mouths' from the paper bird and began broadcasting in a loop:

"Attention all vessels below! There are sea monkeys creating waves directly ahead of you. Please raise your sails and change course!"

"To reiterate, the ships below, please..."

?

What is this?

"Never mind that, there's a pirate ship ahead!"

"Grab your weapons and charge!"

"Are you blind? More importantly, there are sea monkeys!!"

What are you teaching me to do?

"Turn the rudder! Turn the rudder quickly!"

"Captain!"

"No--"

"Navigator!"

"No, not at all—"

The chaotic pirate ship crashed straight into the giant waves stirred up by the sea monkeys amidst the noise and fighting! Meanwhile, the smaller Sea King, who had suffered greatly behind the Golden Merry, immediately changed targets and sank the ship, which had no sails or flags.

???

"That ship just now was really weird no matter how you look at it."

"No captain, no navigator, no flag, no sail, no spirit, no organization... It doesn't resemble a pirate at all."

The others remained calm in the face of Usopp's questioning words.

"What's so strange about that? Maybe they encountered the enemy and were plundered without resistance?"

Zoro said casually while leaning against the ship's railing.

"But what kind of logic is it to steal the sails but not the ship? For pirates, that's as vital as their lives, and they don't even have that on their ship..."

"Maybe they're not pirates?"

Luffy joined the conversation, and Roman thought for a moment and came up with the most reasonable explanation.

"I think the other ship's captain probably took a few elite crew members and defected, leaving behind a group of crew members without a flag or a leader."

Elite job hopping

Usopp's expression darkened further, leaving everyone else bewildered.

"Everyone, I see an island."

Robin, who had been closing her eyes on the lookout tower, opened them. Her Flower-Flower Fruit, combined with Roman's paper bird, made for an excellent reconnaissance tool! One only needed to maintain flight, while the other only needed to observe carefully, allowing them to scout a large area without consuming Roman's stamina.

"Oh, Robin, you can't do that."

Luffy righteously and earnestly taught the other party.

"Here's what we need to do—brothers, I've found an island! Hooray!!"

Robin: ··········

"I'm sorry, I'll be more careful next time."

"Um, I have a bad feeling."

Even Sanji couldn't help but complain about Usopp's pale face.

When have you ever had a good feeling about something?

"Everyone, I~~~"

Nami rubbed her forehead.

"Usopp, have you caught that 'you'll die if you go to the island' disease again?"

"What?"

Chopper was shocked, but was immediately stopped by the others.

"Ignore him, he can't be cured."

·······

"Alright, let's prepare to dock." Roman looked at the island that had appeared ahead, a vast expanse of rolling grassland stretching as far as the eye could see. Although he didn't know what kind of island this was, it would be good to rest and recuperate a bit. And maybe replenish some timber or something.

So he didn't see Usopp's hesitant expression behind him.

P. S.: I'm following the manga's pacing because the anime's original storylines are mostly unrelated to the main plot and have many plot holes. As for the movie, I'll probably write about it after the main characters' fighting power is basically complete; otherwise, Luffy without Haki fighting Golden Lion... Garp and Sengoku will be heartbroken...