Nia's Family

Tiger Shark Island, west coast, aboard the Polar Tang

"Damn it, they really had the nerve to charge that much!"

After putting away all the supplies she'd bought with Pekoms and Shakky, Nia still looked annoyed as she thought back on what had happened in town.

"Now's not the time to worry about that. We still have enough money."

Luo was leaning against the deck, absorbed in a manga book. Without looking up, he tried to soothe Nia's complaints.

It was a rare bit of free time for him lately.

"Whoa, Sora, Warrior of the Sea! When did you buy that, Luo?"

Pekoms leaned over to see what Luo was reading and immediately got excited. As soon as Shakky heard him, she rushed behind Luo and craned her neck to look at the manga in his hands.

It was a manga serialized in the World Economic Journal. It told the story of the brave Warrior of the Sea, Sora, who fought the evil Germa 66 with a combining robot and seagulls.

It was also an important tool the World Government used to promote the justice of the Marines, and it had a huge influence across the world.

Since the story was set in the North Blue, the manga was even more popular there. Almost every child had read it; you could even say they'd grown up with it.

They were no exception. They were all devoted fans of the manga.

And Luo was a die-hard fan who insisted on buying the official version.

"I'll lend it to you once I'm done."

Luo didn't answer Pekoms. He just kept reading, focused on the manga, without looking up.

"Tch, boys are so childish!"

Nia glanced at the group huddled together and curled her lip in disdain.

She wasn't going to borrow Luo's manga. She kept up with the latest installments in the newspaper every day.

"Come to think of it, Rod and Nerl are taking forever!"

After waiting on the ship for ten minutes, Nia started to get bored.

They'd agreed to finish resupplying as quickly as possible so they could hurry into the Grand Line. She hadn't even haggled with the merchants and had finished shopping right away, but the other two were late.

At Nia's words, Luo abruptly looked up, quickly snapping out of the manga's story as a thoughtful look flashed across his eyes.

Rod and Nerl had only gone to gather information. They should have been back quickly.

Especially Nerl. His Observation Haki had an extremely wide range. Even if he was gathering information on the island, he would surely keep an eye on the Polar Tang with his Observation Haki. Once he noticed that Nia and the others had finished shopping, he should have returned right away.

Unless they'd run into some unexpected trouble.

Smack—

Luo snapped the manga shut. Before the engrossed Pekoms and Shakky could speak, he gave them an order.

"They must have run into something unusual. Pekoms, Shakky, pull up the anchor and get ready to sail at a moment's notice."

"Nia, go with Bepo to check out the North District. Whatever's going on there, don't rush in. Trust Rod and Nerl! Just bring back the information and tell us."

"Got it."

Seeing Luo's reaction, Nia seemed to sense something too. Her expression turned serious as she replied in a low voice.

"So this is where you are. I found you!"

Just as Nia and Bepo were about to leave, a voice suddenly rang out beside her.

When did he—

Luo heard the voice from nearby as well, and his expression changed dramatically.

He hadn't sensed anyone approaching at all.

"Neo..."

At the familiar voice, Nia's eyes grew distant.

Though it had been nearly two years since they last met, she still remembered her younger brother's voice.

Nia's eyes were still unfocused when, in the next instant, a heavy kick struck her stomach and sent her flying off the Polar Tang.

Damn it! The training had been too intense these past few days, and her body was exhausted. She hadn't even noticed someone approaching!

Seeing Nia kicked away in an instant, Luo gritted his teeth. One hand gripped Kikoku, while a ball of blue light glimmered in the other.

"ROOM!"

A blue circle instantly spread across the scene, and a smile returned to Luo's face.

His ability was active. Now the field was his.

"Cut!"

Luo swung Kikoku at the boy who had appeared some distance away.

As long as someone was within the range of his ability, he could cut them—or anything else—at will without even making direct contact.

Clang!

Luo's pupils contracted sharply.

The invisible cutting force struck Neo, but it didn't cleave him in two as it normally would!

A faint black sheen covered Neo's body. It looked like a flimsy layer of power, yet it had blocked Luo's ability.

"Armament Haki!"

Luo stared at the boy in the distance and spoke each word distinctly.

"You have an unusual ability, but without Haki, you can't cut me while I'm coated in it."

"Huh? That's Haki on him? Why is it that color?"

Only then did Bepo react. He stared at the boy in the distance and cried out in surprise.

"And he looks so much like Big Sis Nia."

"Idiot! That's his skin color!"

Pekoms tapped Bepo on the head.

"Sorry..."

He must be Nia's younger brother.

Ignoring the others fooling around, Luo kept his eyes fixed on the boy opposite him.

The other boy had the same tan skin and purple hair as Nia, and his face looked almost identical to hers.

The only real difference was his eyes. Unlike Nia's yellow eyes, his were reddish brown.

Just as Rod had said, he was a genuine prodigy—he'd mastered Armament Haki at such a young age.

No, it wasn't just Armament Haki.

The scene from before flashed through Luo's mind.

When the boy used Armament Haki to defend against his ability, he hadn't coated his whole body. He'd covered only part of it—the exact area Luo had been trying to cut.

He probably had Observation Haki too!

While Luo was still stunned by Neo's mastery of both types of Haki, the boy shifted his feet and charged at Nia again.

So fast!

Luo saw only a flicker of movement. The next moment, the boy was in front of Nia, his right leg raised high as he brought it crashing down toward her.

"ROOM!"

Luo activated his ability again.

If his ability couldn't affect Neo while he was coated in Haki, he could at least bring Nia over to him.

Thud—

A figure suddenly appeared in front of Luo and kicked his arm, interrupting the ability he was about to use.

"I'm Ernest Cooler. You're Nia's companion, right? I'm sorry our kid has caused you trouble.

"But since you're his companions, here's a friendly warning."

A middle-aged man stood in front of Luo. He had the same purple hair and tan skin, and wore a neat black suit.

He was the one who had interrupted Luo's ability.

"There's a Vice Admiral from Marine Headquarters on this island.

"You made a big splash right after setting out, and that's certainly commendable. But for you, a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral is an insurmountable obstacle."

Cooler didn't attack again. He simply looked at Luo with a calm expression.

"Get out of here. I can pretend I never saw you."

"Heh."

Luo chuckled, then looked at the middle-aged man in front of him and said something completely unrelated.

"Your family's genes are remarkably strong!"

"But only our captain can decide where we sail!"

"Honestly..."

Cooler tugged at his shirt collar and loosened his tie.

"I'm more or less your elder. Let me teach you a lesson."

"The most important thing is to recognize reality!"

Shave!

The instant the words left his mouth, he flashed in front of Luo and thrust his fingers toward him.

"Finger Pistol: Spear!"

His fingers jabbed so fast they became a blur, covering Luo's entire body.

"ROOM—"

A blue circle appeared again, and Luo's body instantly shifted behind Cooler. He thrust Kikoku at him.

Shave!

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Cooler stamped his foot and appeared in the distance. Then he kicked hard, sending a massive flying slash streaking through the air.

"Tempest Kick!"