"Who are you? Give me back my hat! Shanks left it in my care."
Luffy watched the man who had appeared out of nowhere, his expression turning grave.
The main reason he had come here was to get his straw hat back and make Ain undo the effects of her Devil Fruit powers on Nami and Robin.
Yet this man had snatched the hat the moment he appeared, forcing Luffy to stop. For some reason, he felt strangely familiar.
Zephyr turned toward Wuli as well. Frowning, he said in a low voice, "So you're not leaving? What is this supposed to mean? It seems it isn't just our views that differ. Have you taken the other side completely?"
Surprise flashed in Luffy's eyes. These two knew each other.
Wuli answered earnestly, "I still stand by what I said. If you fight Straw Hat Luffy now, you'll both suffer, and someone else will take advantage of it. The Marines have already surrounded this place. Why not leave yourself and your students a way out?"
The word "students" shook Zephyr for a moment, but his resolve quickly hardened. His face darkened. "If I wanted to retreat, I would have done it long ago. Why would I wait until now? If you still refuse to leave and intend to obstruct my plan, don't blame me for showing no mercy."
His massive Crusher rumbled, ready to become a weapon of devastating force at any moment.
Wuli had risked being branded a traitor to the Marines to repay his debt, and Zephyr was somewhat moved. But they saw things differently, and that was that.
Wuli said nothing more. Instead, he turned to Luffy, waved the straw hat in his hand, and said, "If you want your hat back, come and get it."
As soon as