The Thing I Fear Most Is a Sudden Silence

Seeing Shu, Zoro wore a faint smile. "So it's you."

"Roronoa Zoro, we've finally met again!" Shu stared at Zoro, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit. "Come! Fight me!"

With that, Shu's hands began to change, as though they had been coated in a layer of gray, and he launched an attack on Zoro.

"Sure!"

Zoro and Shu began fighting. Ordinary Marines could not take part; if they went in, they might be caught up in the aftermath of the two men's battle, so they could only watch from the sidelines.

Zoro had never backed down from a fight, and after two years of training, he had become extremely strong.

Before entering the New World, he had yet to encounter anyone who could force him to use his full strength.

Still, he remained wary of Shu's hands. During their battle, he deliberately avoided letting his swords come into contact with them.

He remembered clearly how Yubashiri had been rusted away during the battle at Enies Lobby, along with the enemy's Devil Fruit ability.

He did not want his beloved swords destroyed again.

As Zoro and Shu began fighting, Wuli turned his attention to Luffy, who was weaving through a hail of bullets without being hit again.

"Observation Haki?" Wuli understood at once.

Naturally, he knew that Luffy possessed Observation Haki, and he also knew Luffy had the other two types of Haki.

If someone with Observation Haki truly intended to dodge bullets, it would be impossible for the bullets to hit him.

The reason he had been struck by the Marines' bullets at first was because he had done it on purpose.

"Gum-Gum—" Luffy shouted as his rubbery fist stretched out and sent the charging Marines flying.

One of the remaining men watched as Luffy's fist drew closer and closer. His pupils dilated, terror filling his eyes.

He could not stop it, nor did he have time to.

Bang!

Wuli did not give it another thought. His figure flashed, and he blocked Luffy's punch.

Luffy's rubbery arm quickly snapped back.

The Marine saw the man standing before him, wearing a cape emblazoned with the word "Justice."

Excitement appeared in his eyes as he cried in delight, "Colonel Wuli!"

Wuli nodded, then said to him, "Go find somewhere to stand aside."

The Marine immediately retreated to the side. He knew the strength of the two people before him was on an entirely different level from his own.

Curiosity flickered in his eyes, because he did not actually know how strong Colonel Wuli was.

"Straw Hat Monkey D. Luffy!"

"Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates! One of the Worst Generation, and the user of the Gum-Gum Fruit!"

Wuli spoke, his tone carrying an indescribable emotion that made Luffy look at the Marine before him in surprise.

Rather than attacking right away, Wuli was instead reciting information about him as though talking to himself.

"The grandson of Marine hero Garp, and the son of Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, known as the world's most dangerous criminal!"

Upon hearing the name "Garp," Luffy bit his lip and made a miserable face. He immediately remembered the days when his grandfather Garp had beaten him every day as a child. He had no memories at all of his father.

"Born in the East Blue, you lived in Foosha Village as a child."

Luffy looked at Wuli in delight. "You know Foosha Village too? Have you been there?"

"No, I haven't." As soon as Wuli finished speaking, disappointment appeared on Luffy's face. Wuli smiled. "But I know it very well."

"For example, the straw hat on your head was given to you by one of the Four Emperors, Red-Hair Shanks." Wuli pointed at the straw hat hanging from Luffy's neck. Luffy, along with the surrounding Marines, showed shocked expressions upon hearing this.

Even Zoro, who was fighting Shu, looked somewhat surprised. He had not expected Wuli to know that as well.

Still, that information was not particularly well hidden, so it was no big deal if Wuli knew it.

What astonished Zoro, Shu, and the Marines aboard the warship was Wuli's next sentence.

"Red-Hair Shanks lost an arm to save you, and in the two years after the Paramount War, you trained under the guidance of the Pirate King's right-hand man, the Dark King Rayleigh!"

The Marine warship suddenly fell completely silent. Zoro and Shu, who had been fighting, also stopped.

On the Thousand Sunny in the distance, Usopp used his telescope to watch as the battle on the Marine warship abruptly came to a halt. Completely puzzled, he asked, "What's going on? Why did Luffy, Zoro, and the Marines all suddenly stop?"