Farce Ends (Third Update)

"Armament Haki, Hardening!"

When Zero saw the Armament Haki coating Luffy's arms, his initial surprise gave way to a sense of satisfaction.

In the pirate world, people with stronger constitutions learned Armament Haki quickly. Luffy's aptitude was already exceptional; otherwise, he would not have grasped Soru so quickly after seeing CP0 use it. With just a little guidance, learning Armament Haki would come naturally.

Still, Zero had thought it would take Luffy some time before he truly mastered Haki. He had not expected him to learn it this quickly, and it genuinely caught him off guard.

What pleased Zero was that after learning Armament Haki, Luffy would naturally not rely too heavily on Gear Second. Though he had not unlocked it yet, learning Gear Second in the future would gradually burden his heart. As his captain, Zero naturally preferred Armament Haki.

Moreover, Armament Haki had an advanced form, Ryuo, which was enough to replace Gear Second and even Gear Fourth. It all depended on how long Luffy would take to master it!

Though countless thoughts flashed through Zero's mind, only an instant passed in reality. The moment Luffy activated his Haki, he rushed toward Zero.

Seeing this, Zero immediately activated his own Armament Haki. In the blink of an eye, both hands were covered in a glossy black layer as well!

Clack!

The instant they came into contact, their four arms locked against each other. Fierce currents of air burst outward around them, enough to show just how powerful the impact was!

Luffy gritted his teeth and pushed with both hands, but Zero did not budge. Instead, he pressed forward with even greater strength, forcing Luffy back step by step and dragging two long grooves across the ground.

"Gum-Gum Headbutt!"

Luffy's head suddenly stretched out, his forehead also covered in Armament Haki. Zero was not sure how tough his own head was, so he simply released Luffy's arms and leaped backward.

Boom!

The instant Zero moved away, Luffy's head crashed down, smashing a huge crater into the ground.

"Whew, Luffy, that move of yours is dangerous!"

Zero wiped away cold sweat that did not exist from his forehead and casually complained to Luffy. But Luffy did not respond, instead shouting out another technique.

"Gum-Gum Gatling!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Luffy's arms came flying at Zero like a storm of bullets. Zero swiftly drew Startled Dragon and blocked every one of his punches.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Their battle was incredibly fierce. Before long, several nearby houses had been wrecked, leaving Roronoa Zoro and Nami staring in stunned disbelief from a distance.

Seeing that his attacks seemed unable to harm Zero effectively, Luffy simply concentrated all his Armament Haki into his right arm before smashing his fist forward!

Boom!

Zero's fist collided with Luffy's. As for Startled Dragon, it had somehow already been switched to his left hand.

At that moment.

"Oh, right, Luffy. I forgot to tell you—Armament Haki has different levels of strength too!"

Before Luffy could react, he felt a terrifying force suddenly surge from the fist touching Zero's, far stronger than before!

Whoosh!

Boom!

Luffy was sent flying straight away. He crashed into another house and destroyed it completely!

"Cough, cough!"

He struggled to his feet. The Armament Haki on his arm had faded, and it trembled slightly, but he still walked forward through sheer willpower, intending to fight Zero again.

Zero saw Luffy's condition and shook his head, preparing to knock him down for good. But then he saw an orange-haired girl standing in front of Luffy.

Thud!

A massive bump instantly rose on Luffy's head. The next moment, he toppled over stiffly, eyes rolled back white, with some unknown liquid even leaking from the corner of his mouth.

"Honestly, all you do is cause me trouble!"

As if she had done something trivial, Nami clapped her hands, her face clearly filled with anger. Zero had originally wanted to go over and check on Luffy, but he immediately turned around and left, pretending nothing had happened.

"Zero, you stop right there too!"

"Cough, cough. I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be back later. Bye!"

"You bastard!"

Later, after Roronoa Zoro explained everything, the awakened Luffy understood what had happened and cheerfully apologized to Zero. But his laughter was so loud that Nami berated him again, finally making him settle down.

Once the matter had calmed down, Nami began discussing the one billion Beli deal with Vivi. Upon hearing it, Vivi looked hesitant, but eventually told everyone about the Kingdom of Alabasta's current situation.

For unknown reasons, unrest had broken out across the kingdom. Through investigations by Vivi, Igaram, and the others, they learned that the source of the rebellion was connected to Baroque Works. The two of them had decided to infiltrate Baroque Works and search for a solution.

However, the organization discovered their identities, and they were now being hunted by it. Needless to say, coming up with one billion Beli was not realistic.

Nami immediately got a headache.

Later, Luffy asked who was behind Baroque Works. Vivi did not dare say it at first, but whether intentionally or not, she eventually let everyone learn his name—

He was one of the Seven Warlords, Crocodile!

Not long after Vivi spoke the name, Nami noticed a bespectacled sea otter wearing clothes on the roof, watching them. Beside it was an eagle dressed in clothes as well.

Nami wanted to sneak away, but she discovered that the sea otter had already drawn them on paper. She instantly understood that they had entered Baroque Works' sights, and that escaping now was probably impossible.

Zero scratched his head and stepped forward to comfort Nami, calming her down somewhat. But her slightly trembling hands completely gave away how she truly felt.

At that moment, Igaram appeared again. He had actually disguised himself as Vivi, though his build looked awkward no matter how one looked at it.

Zero, standing nearby, felt that people in the pirate world truly had incredible recovery abilities. After being slashed by him and blown up by Mr. 5, Igaram was still bouncing around full of energy. Anyone unaware of the situation might have thought he had eaten some Devil Fruit!

Igaram had appeared here for a reason.

He wanted to disguise himself as Vivi in order to cover for the Straw Hat Pirates and allow them to safely escort Vivi to Alabasta.

Nami refused, but Luffy immediately agreed. She could only ask Zero to persuade Luffy, but what she heard was, "Don't worry, Nami! He's only one of the Seven Warlords! Our captain is going to become the Pirate King someday. He'll definitely defeat him!"

Luffy burst out laughing, while Nami was left speechless. She could only lament her miserable fate.

Later, everyone said goodbye to Igaram.

But not long after he set off from shore in his small boat, it exploded right before their eyes.

Boom!