Farewell Departure, Oathsworn Wine

"Hahaha,"

Before they even arrived, hearty laughter echoed towards the naval camp.

"Yixiao, I've heard about all the good things you've done: kneeling down and talking back to Sakazuki. It's a good thing I'm no longer Fleet Admiral."

A smiling Sengoku with a full head of white hair walked over while chewing on a senbei (rice cracker), making Tsuru, who was standing next to him, feel increasingly disgusted.

When he was Fleet Admiral, he paid some attention to his 'image'. Now that he's resigned, he's immediately let himself go...

"Shut up, you old man Senbei!"

"Being a senior inspector means you don't have to take responsibility, so you can just speak your mind without restraint."

Tsuru looked at Fujitora. As the Navy's 'Great Staff Officer,' she didn't care about the rank of Admiral.

"Admiral Fujitora, why don't you arrest the pirates?"

"Should the 'pirate' who saved this country be arrested according to the law, or let go as a 'hero'?"

Fujitora picked up the dice in his hand.

"Let fate decide everything. I haven't cheated. —Vice Admiral Tsuru roll the dice today. If it's not a 1, I'll immediately go and take Luffy and Law's heads!"

Ah, this...

I'm outta here!

The white dove that had been feigning death in the nearby tree immediately perked up. Forget Vice Admiral Tsuru, even Roman himself could roll as many numbers as he wanted! This was clearly a blatant order for the Straw Hat crew to get lost.

They've rested enough, and if those guys hadn't been injured again for no apparent reason, they could have set sail the next day.

······

As the white dove flapped its wings and flew away, the three people below were speechless.

This Roman isn't even bothering to act anymore! Although he couldn't hide it from the three of them anyway, but:

Bite,

With a casual toss, the spinning dice landed on a 6. Vice Admiral Tsuru had already shown Fujitora through his actions that if they dragged this out any longer, their navy would lose face.

"Let's go, everyone."

In the old royal palace in Dressrosa, Roman, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them.

"The Navy has taken action. The ones who came to escort Doflamingo are former Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Great Staff Officer Vice Admiral Tsuru."

Grandma Crane?

Nami was stunned. Her first reaction was to visit the other party's sisters, and her second reaction was to remember her 'pirate' persona and run away!

The Sengoku period...

Luo was also taken aback. Strictly speaking, Sengoku should also be considered to have some connection with him, as Rosinante, who saved him, was Sengoku's adopted son.

"Anyway, let's set off right away."

They've already openly revealed their 'operation,' so if we don't know our place, it'll make things awkward for everyone. Besides, staying here will only cause trouble for the people of Dressrosa, so it's better to continue the adventure.

With Roman relaying the news of the Navy's impending operation to everyone ahead of time, the arena's elite warriors prepared to set sail. After all, many of them were Great Pirates with hefty bounties, and it was best to avoid encountering Marine Admiral if possible.

"Capture the pirates!"

"They are in the palace—"

"These are orders from above, please move aside!!"

However, when the naval soldiers stormed into the palace, they found only an empty hall. Not only were the Straw Hat crew gone, but even all the top fighters from the arena were nowhere to be found.

"Oh dear, it seems we came up empty-handed."

"····never mind,"

Looking at the 'royal palace' before them, the ordinary naval soldiers hadn't noticed, but how could Tsuru and Sengoku not see that the building was a creation of 'ability'? They were now stepping into the other side's territory, and this ability:

Roman, what are you planning?

Do you really think that you can uncover the dark secrets of the world by using the hands of 'pirates'?

Or are you also plotting to seize Laugh Tale's power...?

Without a doubt, Roman was an exceptional talent in the eyes of Tsuru and Sengoku —capable in both academics and martial arts, skilled in combat and earning money. If he were a naval officer, both Tsuru and Sengoku would have been keen to elevate him to the position of 'Fleet Admiral,' perhaps even enabling him to quell the chaos and allow ordinary people to live in peace. However:

Celestial Dragons!

The Straw Hat crew's strategist!

Three irreconcilable identities are mixed together.

Beneath your polite, responsible, and charming exterior, little Roman, what is it that you really want?

"Hahaha, Flying Pirates, forward!"

Roman rolled his eyes at Luffy, who was jumping around excitedly on the nose of the plane.

"Sorry, short flights are fine. But I don't have the patience for long flights, especially since Sonny and Merry are about to cry."

A large passenger plane sliced through the sky, speeding towards the other side of the coast. Most of the 'passengers' sat obediently in the cabin, but there were people like Luffy:

A group of 'experts' were standing on the hull of the plane, leaving Roman speechless.

The mighty 'Paper Dance - Boeing 757' is practically turning into an Indian train car! A bunch of 'standing passengers' are calmly enjoying the scenery on the fuselage and wings; only the masters of this world could pull that off.

"In short, we don't need to get entangled with the navy."

That's a nice way of putting it; to put it bluntly, all the people here combined might not even be enough to defeat one person from the Sengoku...

When Roman recalled the Marineford War, where Sengoku's "Buddha Shakes the World" attack sent the entire Blackbeard Pirates flying back, coughing up blood, Roman felt it would have been more comfortable to run away beforehand.

With Roman present, the group avoided contact with the navy entirely, flying ahead to the coast and landing on the largest ship. They then prepared to return to their respective ships and find their own...

"Straw Hat,"

The giant mercenary Hajrudin bent down.

"I have four mercenary companions who are also giants. One day I will unify the Giant Kingdom and then revive the legendary 'Giant Soldier Pirates'."

"Oh, really? It will be very interesting to fight against you!"

"My 'Yontama Maria Grand Fleet' has more than 4,300 men and 56 ships, which will surely come in handy in the future."

"To come in handy?"

Luffy said he didn't understand.

"Luffy, Tontatta Tribe has agreed! Please let us join your ranks!"

"Join in?"

Luffy looked completely bewildered.

"I have no rivals in ordinary competitions, but I dare not call myself a 'champion' in front of the masters at sea."

"Destruction Cannon" Ideo clenched his fist, while the Longleg Tribe fighter Brukili next to him nodded with his arms crossed.

"I have decided to go to sea with Ideo as my partner."

"And us, and the two of us brothers!"

Abudra and Jet, who have become die-hard Usopp fans, are both lacking in looks and intelligence, but they did not back down in the face of the Beasts Pirates, so they also jumped out and shouted.

"I've decided to get on this guy's ship,"

'The Decapitator' Suleiman calmly pointed to Cavendish behind him, enraging Cavendish.

"Once you're on my ship, you should call me Captain!"

"And the rubber Straw Hat, even if we're together in the future, I'll still be the most dazzling one!"

???

Luffy immediately stopped thinking.

"What are you all talking about? Just do what you want to do."

············

Luffy, that slowpoke!

"Let me explain," said the tall, muscular man, his chest bare and expression serious. The man known as 'Admiral', Orlumbus, stepped forward to explain. Compared to the other shy, roundabout young men, the forty-something-year-old admiral had reached a level of worldly wisdom, explaining clearly and slowly:

"These past two days, everyone in the palace has been admiring each other's talents and forming their own teams:"

"This order was determined by drawing lots—"

"First is the 'Handsome Pirates,' the first crew with 75 members, led by Captain 'White Horse' Cavendish."

"Then there is the second fleet, the 'Barto Club,' with 56 men, led by the 'Ogre' Bartolomeo."

"Next up is the 'Eight Treasures Navy' of 1,000 men, the third fleet led by Old Sai, the leader of the '13th generation pillar'."

"The fourth fleet, led by 'Destruction Cannon' Ideo, consists of 4 people in total, 'XXX Gym Fighting Federation'."

"The fifth fleet, the 'Tontatta Tribe Tontatta Soldiers,' consisting of 200 people, is led by Captain 'Leo.'"

"The 'Giant Warrior Pirates', the sixth fleet, led by 'Giant Soldier Pirates' Hajrudin, consists of 5 members."

As he spoke, Orlumbus finally pointed to himself.

"And I, the pioneering adventurer known as the 'Slaughter Dominator Orlumbus,' leading the seventh fleet, the 'Yontama Maria Grand Fleet,' with over 4,300 men..."

To be honest, this place has pioneering adventurers, fitness enthusiasts, Tontatta warriors, Giant race mercenaries, armies under national banners, simple fans, and big stars...

There isn't a single real 'pirate' among them!

"A total of 5600 people, Luffy- senpai—"

Bartolomeo stepped forward and knelt down in front of Luffy.

"Please drink this Oathsworn Wine with us! You'll be the leader, and we'll be the underlings. From now on, we're all members of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet!"

?!

"Heh~~"

"Roman, what are you laughing at?"

Roman shook his head in response to Nami's question.

"I underestimated the heroes of the world; I was even worried..."

In retrospect, those who should repay kindness have done so; those who should quietly withdraw have quietly disappeared.

"I won't drink this!"

Faced with five thousand combatants and seven or eight powerful Great Pirates with bounties of hundreds of millions who came to his doorstep, Luffy refused them outright.

?!

"Hmph, I advise you not to waste your time."

Sanji a cigarette;

"That's right, Luffy can't drink this kind of alcohol."

Zoro took a sip from the wine glass.

"It tastes good~~"

"Hey, hey, hey, isn't this the time for drinking?"

"Straw Hat, why won't you accept us? Are you dissatisfied with our forces? Many things in this world cannot be accomplished by one person alone. One day you will need this strength..."

"This is so troublesome~~~"

However, Luffy only looked disgusted, while Robin, Franky, and Brook all smiled. Only those who had tasted the full spectrum of life knew how rare such a pure heart was.

Nami stood next to Roman, while Chopper looked on with a puzzled expression.

"Straw Hat, don't go too far!" Cavendish lost face. "This great star has condescended to join your ranks, and you look at me with disdain?"

"Bring up some snacks to go with the drinks," Ideo immediately thought of a solution, "He'll start drinking while he eats."

"As your benefactor, are you looking down on the strength of us underlings?" Old Sai was about to force Luffy to drink—

"What kind of lackeys are you?!"

Usopp couldn't complain.

"You've all got it wrong. I just want to become the 'King of the Pirates,' not a great person!"

Luffy onto the second-floor railing and opened his arms to face everyone.

"If we really encounter danger, I will definitely ask you for help! You must come and help me then!"

"If you run into trouble, you can come to us for help. You don't necessarily have to be a boss or a 'Great Pirates'! Haven't we fought side by side before?"

··········

"Gah hahaha,"

As a giant who kept his word, Hajrudin was the first to react.

"That's right, it's the same! It doesn't matter whether you drink that glass of wine or not!"

A man's promise is best kept in his heart. Even if the other party doesn't acknowledge it, isn't it enough that you acknowledge it yourself?

"Yes!"

"That's right, you have your freedom..."

"But you can't stop us from pledging allegiance to you on our own initiative!"

As cups of sworn brotherhood were raised one by one, the seven 'captains' swore an oath to Luffy on behalf of all their crew members.

"From this moment forward, we are willing to serve as his underlings, becoming the invincible spear and rock-solid shield under our boss, 'Straw Hat Luffy'!" X7

"We seven have taken the liberty of drinking this 'sworn brotherhood wine'!" X7

Glug~~

?!

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing—"

Just as Luffy was getting angry, a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Never mind, Luffy."

"Just as you unilaterally refuse their allegiance, they can unilaterally swear allegiance to you. Besides—"

"Just continue being yourself from now on. Think of it as having gained a group of 'friends' you can turn to for help in a pinch. It's not a bad thing, is it?"

In ancient times, Chenqiao Mutiny, in which the emperor Yellow Robe Ascension.

Now, a forced sworn brotherhood has been formed, and a fleet of ships has been established.

Heroes naturally attract followers. This is an eternal truth because:

"We are all just human beings."

"Ugh, Roman, you're saying all this nonsense again~~~"

"Grand Fleet and stuff, that sounds like a lot of trouble!"

Just accept your fate.

P. S.: One update from yesterday is back!