There were no surprises. This escape from Impel Down could practically be described as leisurely. After all, the warden had not pursued them, and breaking through the remaining defenses had been effortless.
After resting and resupplying aboard the stolen Marine warship for a while, the ship was, following the course of history, sent soaring into the air by the massive wave created by Whitebeard.
Aokiji's freezing followed close behind.
And then—
"The speed at which cherry blossoms fall is five centimeters per second."
Su Lin gazed wistfully at the azure sky. Sunlight spilled across his delicate features, and as seabirds flew past, a tear rolled from the corner of his eye and down his cheek. Su Lin spread his arms wide. This was the first time he had embraced the blue sky like this.
It was also the first time he was about to be embraced by the sea like this.
"And the acceleration of a human in free fall is 9.8 meters per second."
"Sorry, I forgot about this part." Jinbe twisted around in midair, not daring to look directly at Su Lin. Who could have guessed that Luffy would still take the lead in smashing the ice waves for a second time?
I'll fish you out first, Mr. Su Lin, Jinbe thought guiltily.
Though he was not a Devil Fruit user, Su Lin—
"I can't swim."
Thud—!
If it had not been for the Human-Human Fruit's abilities and the enhancement talismans, a plunge into the sea like that would have shattered Su Lin's bones to powder with his physique.
He had merely gone inside to sample the Pirate World's Marine rations, only to step out of the cabin and immediately experience the sensation of free fall.
"Glub glub."
Seawater flooded into his nose and ears. It felt awful.
Jinbe swam beneath him.
Fish-Man Karate! Su Lin, Your Excellency, get up first.
A recoil force came from behind him.
Thud!
Su Lin was blasted out of the sea, landing on the ice and rolling twice.
"Cough—blegh." He spat out a mouthful of seawater, while seawater mixed with snot sprayed from his nose.
If he had been more familiar with the abilities of fruits like the Op-Op Fruit, how could he have ended up in such a sorry state?
Come to think of it, the Op-Op Fruit also demanded quite a bit of stamina. Every use felt like sprinting, and after using it so many times in Impel Down, he still had not recovered.
"I only went inside to replenish my energy, and you pulled this huge stunt." Su Lin wiped his face with his shirt. "I should've cultivated immortality for a few years before coming here. I underestimated the Pirate World too much. No, it's because I haven't watched the anime in so long that I forgot this guy is an idiot!"
He had items that could attack and defend, but the talismans and Dharma Artifacts that could help him escape would flee at maximum distance once activated, since he had not cultivated.
Getting far away from this battlefield was not what he wanted.
He shook his head, flinging the water from his ears.
The sonic booms of cannon fire tearing through the air and the clanging of cold weapons colliding gradually reached his ears.
Roars and screams filled the air as the two sides fought savagely.
For Su Lin, who had lived in peaceful times for so long, this was the first time he had seen such a scene in reality. Someone fell every second, and hot blood splashed across the ice and earth every second.
Seeing a scene like this for the first time, Su Lin swallowed with difficulty. His mouth hung slightly open as he looked around. The ability notifications in his mind told him that this was the site of the Summit War.
[Ability—Phoenix] recorded [Ability—Diamond Transformation] recorded [Smoke Ability] recorded
Shocked as he was—
Su Lin immediately opened the book, [Phoenix].
Both his mind and body relaxed with a long sigh. Thank you, Championship contestant Marco.
"ACE—!!!"
"I'M HERE TO SAVE YOU AGAIN!!!"
He had only just relaxed a little when the deafening roar startled him back into tension.
Su Lin turned and saw Luffy standing at the bow of the warship, shouting at the top of his lungs, announcing his arrival to Ace and to the battlefield.
It was both an arrival and a return.
Su Lin smiled helplessly. "Luffy, have fun."
All right, it was time for him to find somewhere to slack off. It was not his turn to take the stage yet.
The Devil Fruit abilities that were the main course had not appeared yet: the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, the Pervert-Pervert Fruit, the Ice-Ice Fruit, the Magma-Magma Fruit, the Buddha-Buddha Fruit, and the Dark-Dark Fruit that was still on its way.
"ACE—!!!"
"I'M HERE TO SAVE YOU AGAIN!!!"
Before the execution platform—
Veins bulged on Sengoku's forehead as he turned to curse Garp beside him. "Garp! It's that bastard family of yours again!"
"Luffy—!" Garp clutched his head with both hands. Why had this grandson come here too?
Why were both of them so troublesome?!
"Look, it's not just the Straw Hat Kid!" "Jinbe, Crocodile, and Revolutionary Army officer Ivankov are with him too!"
"And those are prisoners who escaped from Impel Down!"
Quite a few Marine soldiers recognized the famous figures leading the group ahead and cried out in panic, "What happened at Impel Down?! Why did all these prisoners escape?!"
Some of them had personally sent those people there.
On the Shichibukai side—
"Always a man at the center of the storm, the Straw Hat Kid..."
Hawkeye Mihawk looked at Monkey D. Luffy in the distance and recalled what Red-Hair had said.
"STRAW! HAT! KID!" Gekko Moria ground out the words through clenched teeth. For the humiliation and defeat Luffy had brought him, he wanted nothing more than to rush over and fight Luffy right now.
Right, Little Oars was here too.
Gekko Moria's anger shifted toward something else. He had always coveted Straw Hat's shadow.
"Luffy, it's wonderful that you're safe." A blush colored Pirate Empress Hancock's stunning face. "I don't know why, but it feels like something has changed about you. Is this the growth of love?"
"Even more handsome."
Doflamingo glanced at the opposing lineup and laughed. "Now both the old and new Shichibukai are all here."
"And he's the legendary troublesome rookie, the Straw Hat Kid?"
Akainu stood atop the platform, his gaze dark as he considered something.
"The grandson of Hero Garp, the son of Revolutionary Army Dragon... He must be eliminated completely as well!"
"Strange... where's Crocodile-boy?"
Ivankov sensed that something was wrong. Crocodile, who had just been with them, had vanished.
"There!"
Sharp-eyed Buggy immediately spotted Crocodile. Wrapped in yellow sand, he soared through the air and, in the blink of an eye, launched himself toward Whitebeard's back!
"Damn it, he beat me to it!" Buggy shouted regretfully, clearly far too immersed in his role.
"Oh no, his target is Pops!" a Whitebeard pirate fighting Marine soldiers in front of Whitebeard shouted.
"It's been a while~, Whitebeard."
Crocodile flew behind Whitebeard with killing intent in his eyes. The golden hook on his left hand gleamed coldly. "I'll be taking your head!"
"What a man who never learns his lesson." Whitebeard did not even turn around, as though Crocodile was not worth his attention.
Whoosh—!
In an instant, a figure moved even faster, punching Crocodile's golden hook and sending him flying!
Crocodile barely stabilized himself after flying some distance. That sudden strike carried no killing intent.
It had only been meant to stop his attack.
Straw Hat Kid.
The blackness coating his arms was like metal.
"Is that Armament Haki?"
Unlike in Alabasta, where he had relied on water to fight him, when had this guy learned how to use Haki?
Tch. This guy.
"Our agreement is complete the moment we arrive here!"
"Why are you protecting Whitebeard?!"
"Ace really likes Uncle Whitebeard. I won't let you attack him," Luffy answered firmly.