Laughing at Death, Partial Division

"I'll take this whole pile~~"

Women are just like the sea…

After receiving the clothes Roman bought, Nami, her mood clearing up like cloudy skies turning sunny, happily went to another commoner clothing store and bought a large pile of:

Daily clothes for men and women.

In Nami's words, if she didn't prepare, Luffy and Zoro would wear the same clothes for their entire lives… Regarding this, Roman seriously discussed with her the issue of clothes being strengthened by the owner's 'Haki' during prolonged wear – and was rewarded with a roll of her eyes.

"Speaking of which, Roman, don't you want to pick out a few pieces?"

"I don't need to,"

Roman shook his head directly. "I can make any clothes I want with my ability."

"Meaning, if your Devil Fruit ability fails… no, strictly speaking, you've essentially been naked all along, haven't you?"

?

"You say that, and it does seem to make some sense…"

Roman touched his chin, then pointed out the error in her statement with seriousness.

"But the paper I create with my ability won't disappear even if it encounters seawater or Seastone. So at most, it's just clothing made of special material, and your point doesn't hold up."

……………

"Whatever makes you happy."

?

Nami, rendered speechless by Roman's blunt honesty, waved her hand, signaling him to follow.

"The air has changed… the air pressure is dropping…"

"Looks like there'll be a storm soon."

Roman, looking up at the sky just like Nami, was completely bewildered. Are we not looking at the same sky? Also, does your body come with a built-in air pressure measuring device?

Never mind, leave the weather, navigation, and all that to Nami.

"Roman, find the others, we need to get back to the ship quickly."

"Okay."

Except for Luffy, who ran off first, everyone else had a paper crane from Roman following them, just in case they couldn't be found at a crucial moment…

……

"No need," Roman said, opening his eyes with a strange expression, pointing towards the crossroads ahead.

"The others will be here any mi—"

"Huh?"

"Ah!"

"Oh…"

Zoro, with three sabers hanging from his waist, Usopp and Sanji carrying a giant tuna's head, and Nami walking ahead with Roman carrying a huge package behind her – the three groups met precisely at the crossroads.

"Where's that brat Luffy?"

In response to Zoro's question, Usopp shrugged.

"Didn't he say he wanted to go see Gol D. Roger's execution platform?"

"This is the execution platform square…"

"Everyone,"

Roman put down the package of clothes in his hand, rubbed his temples, and pointed forward.

"Please tell me that's just an illusion—"

"Hmm?" x4

Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji all turned their heads or looked up, following Roman's finger, and then:

"Nani!!!"

"You coward, baka!"

"Kyo dōmo made—"

Why is Luffy being pressed onto the execution platform and about to be beheaded, hey, hey, hey!!

Roman, looking at the paper cranes fluttering above Luffy, felt his vision darken, and he almost fainted! His paper cranes could only mechanically execute simple commands when he wasn't specifically focusing his attention on them, but!

Roman had explicitly set all the paper cranes to 'immediately sound an alarm if their target encounters a fight,' but there was absolutely no feedback –

Never mind, the priority now is:

"Save him!"

Needless to say, Zoro and Sanji rushed towards the execution platform in the center of the square at the first moment! Roman simultaneously directed several paper cranes to fly rapidly towards the… Clown Captain, who was holding a cutlass and preparing to chop off Luffy's head, intending to stall for time. At the same time, he spread white wings behind him and soared into the sky!

"Roman? Zoro?"

As they rapidly approached, the opponent's iconic red-nosed clown face rapidly enlarged.

It was Buggy!

"Too bad, you're a step too late!"

The sharp cutlass raised high was aimed at Luffy's neck and fell with a sudden force. With Buggy's strength, even Luffy's Rubber-Rubber Fruit ability absolutely couldn't withstand such a vital attack!

Damn it! How could it be in this place... As long as I reach the execution platform...

Compared to Zoro and Sanji, who were bogged down by a group of pirates on the ground, Roman, who was clearly flying, was much faster. But:

Damn it, it's too late!

No matter how fast Roman flew, he couldn't match the speed at which the sword was falling! And those paper cranes were originally just 'reconnaissance' tools. Although they flew and pecked around Buggy, they couldn't even harass or delay him.

Sword light like snow!

Life and death decided in an instant!

Seeing that he was about to be beheaded, facing the onlookers, pirates, and the rapidly approaching Roman, Zoro, and Sanji in the entire square, the boy named Luffy grinned, as cheerful as ever.

"Sorry,"

"If I die."

"Don't—"

"What nonsense are you talking..."

What a joke! How can you, the King of the Pirates, be here—!!

Squelch!

The sword light fell, and blood splattered!

"Huh?"

Warm liquid landed on Luffy's neck, making him turn his head belatedly. What greeted his eyes was the blade pressed against his neck, and a pair of hands, hands that were tightly gripping the cutlass! Blood was continuously flowing from the web of his thumb and index finger, and from his wrists downwards were fluttering white papers.

Damn it, what is this? A Paramecia 'Elementalization'?!

In mid-air, still some distance from the execution platform, Roman, whose wrists had turned into fluttering white papers, had a blank mind. For a moment, he didn't know whether to be happy or angry.

In that instant, in his panic, he instinctively reached out his hands to grab the falling cutlass in mid-air, and somehow his palms passed through the surrounding paper cranes to appear on the execution platform!

"This—?!"

"Zoro! Sanji!"

Roman, the first to snap back to his senses, shouted loudly. Just maintaining this 'Elementalization' beyond his capabilities was already draining his stamina and energy. Not to mention that while Buggy was comical, the sword he swung wasn't something that could be easily caught by hand!

If it weren't for Roman's own strength and the 'Paper-Iron Armor' wrapped around his hands, it wouldn't just be bleeding now; his hands and Luffy's neck would have been cleaved together.

"Well done!"

"Good job, Roman—"

Although they didn't know what 'method' Roman used to stop the opponent's sword, at least it was clear that Luffy was still alive. Taking advantage of everyone's stunned reaction to this turn of events, Zoro and Sanji leaped from the crowd towards the execution platform, and then:

"Three-Sword Style - Tornado!"

"Meat!"

The swirling sword wind and the fierce kick from below instantly destroyed the entire execution platform! It instantly turned the place where two people had smiled in the face of death into countless fragments. And:

"Hahaha, I survived."

It was Luffy, freed from his predicament, who patted his Straw Hat with a grin.

"I... I..."

Roman, who had fallen to the ground, didn't know what to say. He felt like following such a captain would definitely give him a cerebral hemorrhage and an early death.

"Thanks, Roman, Zoro, Sanji!"

"Stop the nonsense, with this much commotion, let's hurry and run."

Roman looked at his two hands, which had reattached themselves. The wounds had already been 'bandaged' by him immediately, but his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

The 'Elementalization' he had been training for so long had no progress, and he had 'mastered' it instinctively at this moment. Should he be grateful to Luffy, that simpleton?

—No! Absolutely not! It's still not enough training, which is why he has the energy to fool around like this!

If he can't be trained to death, train him to death.

"Nobody move, Marines!!"

Huh?

Roman remembered that there was a 'Logia' expert among the Marines here. So:

"Luffy, let's get back to the ship first!"

"Heehee, let's go~~"

As the Marines surrounded them, the panicked onlookers, the defiant pirates, amidst the chaos, Luffy and Roman, the four of them took the opportunity to run towards the harbor. At the same time, it began to rain heavily from the sky, and a gentle breeze blew the raindrops into a slanted pattern.

Meanwhile, among the Marine forces who had been ambushed nearby, an officer saluted his superior officer to report.

"Captain Smoker, because of the rain, even the muskets can't be used..."

"Is that so?"

He was a man with short, silver hair, wearing a long coat with "Justice" written on the back. Goggles hung around his neck, and his unbuttoned coat revealed sharply defined muscles. He had two cigars clenched in his mouth!

"Hmph, don't worry."

"On the honor of me, 'White Hunter' Smoker, I won't let you pirates leave this place!"