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He corrected, "I can't forget it."
The window at the end of the corridor was open, letting in waves of salty sea breeze.
The orange-haired boy's Straw Hat was shaken slightly by the blow.
The boy finally turned around.
"My business,"
He spoke every word very slowly, "It has nothing to do with others."
"I know."
The boy pressed the brim of his hat, "So I'm waiting."
The island landed on the sea, causing huge waves.
Several seabirds screamed and flew away.
Sanji The man put out his cigarette butt.
"Let's go,"
He said to the people behind him, "Go and meet this new era."
The old man fell from a high place, his wooden legs hitting the ground making a hollow sound.
"Don't forget,"
He grinned, showing a smile with a few missing teeth, "You rely on me to get around now."
The man didn't answer.
He looked in the direction of the restaurant, Sunglasses his eyes narrowed slightly.
Kitchen's light suddenly dimmed for a moment.
The boy looked up at the light bulb. The tungsten filament was hissing on the verge of breaking.
"It's time to change."
said the old man.
"Hmm."
The two reached for the toolbox at the same time, and once again their fingers touched each other's.
This time the boy did not immediately retract his hand.
The light bulb went out completely in the next second.
Darkness enveloped the place, with only the embers on the stove still glowing Dark Red.
The tent is being folded.
The island took off again and moved in the opposite direction to the restaurant.
Sanji The man took one last look at the shrinking sea level.
"See you again,"
He whispered, "Straw Hat."
In the corridor, the light bulb also went out at this moment.
The orange-haired boy blinked in the darkness.
"Sanji,"
He suddenly called out the name, "The soup is about to overflow."
Kitchen There were sounds of hurried hands, and then the old man laughed mercilessly.
The young man's angry response was blown away by the sea breeze.
When the new lightbulb came on, the corridor was deserted.
Only the Straw Hat is still hanging on the window hook, swinging gently with the rocking of the ship.
Trebol opened his mouth, then swallowed the words as they reached his lips.
Various rumors about the boy wearing Straw Hat flashed through his mind: He never robbed a merchant ship, but instead sent pirates with notorious reputations into desperate situations; he shattered Crocodile's conspiracy and disintegrated Family's rule; in Totto Land set off a storm, and in Wano Country, he united many forces to dethrone the two Four Emperorss... How could this be the behavior of pirates? It was clearly the achievements of the navy Flag Officer, enough to wear the cloak of Admiral.
"Since he's from the Navy,"
Suit The upright Doflamingo pushed the bright red Sunglasses on the bridge of his nose, and his eyes behind the lenses turned to another piece of information, "Then the target of priority contact will be 'Red-Haired' Shanks."
This world is both familiar and unfamiliar to him, and the timeline jumps to more than ten years after what he knew.
But some faces will never change - Hawk-Eyes, Sha Crocodile, and this former crew member of Pirate King Roger who was mentioned by Rossi.
His gaze swept across the tent and landed on one of the new Four Emperors in the corner.
"Buggy,"
Doflamingo's voice was filled with unabashed inquiry, "Were you really once a subordinate of Roger? Were you brothers with Shanks?"
"What kind of tone do you have!"
Buggy suddenly jumped up from his seat, but sat back angrily under the invisible pressure from the other party.
He cleared his throat and spoke bravely under the focused gaze of everyone, "Shanks That guy... is not the same as me.
What's his ability..."
He paused and squeezed out a few words through his teeth, "Better than me."
More than a few.
The people sitting in the tent are all people who have actually rolled on the tip of a knife. They can weigh how many pounds Buggy is at a glance.
But it happened that such a person happened to sit in the seat of Four Emperors by chance.
This can't help but make several strong men who believe in absolute power secretly wonder: Could it be that in addition to Haki, there is some kind of invisible "luck" that determines fate in this world?
?
"What a pity,"
Doflamingo, who came from another world, suddenly sighed, his tone full of regret, "On my side, I never had the chance to fight against 'Red-Haired'."
The next second, that regret was replaced by rising fighting spirit. The corner of his mouth raised a sharp arc, "Just in time, let me personally consider what the so-called 'Four Emperors' actually means."
Seeing him gearing up, several old subordinates of the Family secretly glanced at the Doflamingo of this world who was sitting on the main seat.
That eager look, that unabashed desire for a powerful enemy... are they really the same person? They have never seen Rossi in another world, otherwise they would understand that it is the figure who is always on the road to battle that has deeply impressed this bellicose mark into the bones of this Doffy.
***
Several days passed by in preparation and waiting.
Someone walked up to the young man who was trying hard, with concern and a hint of unnoticeable anxiety in his voice. "Haven't you found the trick yet, Luffy?"
The pickled seafood on Black Cat was sold to the chefs of offshore restaurants.
Nami used the money in exchange to replenish fresh water and supplies, and then remembered what Luffy said before about finding a new partner.
"It's coming, it's coming."
"What's so fast? I clearly refused!"
Blond-haired boy walked over, rubbing his temples, and his eyes fell on the green-haired man next to him. "Can't you control your captain?"
"Why should I care?"
Yonji The man raised his head and took a big gulp of wine, his Adam's apple rolling with a contented expression. "Besides, he is not my captain - we are just bounty hunters traveling together."
"Isn't it easy for you to find a cook?"
The boy has no Principle of Law explanation.
Although the bounty hunting profession is in a gray area, the income is considerable.
Post a notice anywhere Harbor, there should be a lot of people who are willing to come on board to cook.
"That won't work."
Luffy sat on the railing outside the restaurant, with his hands behind his head and his legs dangling in the air. "The cook on our ship must be you."
"Why on earth do you have to stare at me--"
"Everyone."
Luffy suddenly spoke, but his voice became low and unfamiliar.
What's even weirder is that the muscles on his left cheek are tense, the corners of his mouth are depressed, and his entire face shows two split expressions.
The right half is still smiling as usual, but the left half is as serious as a different person.
"There are five warships approaching here.
There are at least 600 people on board, flying pirate flags - judging by their posture, I'm afraid they are not here to dine."
"Luffy, are you performing ventriloquism?"
After getting along with each other for a few days, the young man had become accustomed to each other's unexpected actions.
But at this moment, the serious tone paired with that ** face made it seem particularly unreal.
"No, it wasn't me who spoke."
Luffy waved his right hand.
At the same time, the lips on the left half of his face continued to open and close, "I am their Teacher."
Just think that I am temporarily borrowing this child's body through some kind of Devil Fruit ability.
In thirty minutes, you will see the fleet."
Thirty minutes later.
Several dark shadows jumped out on the horizon.
The black sail was swollen by the sea breeze, with a skull pattern painted on the sail with white paint, and red octopus tentacles wrapped around the cross bones below the skull.
The cables were covered with figures, and their swords reflected the cold skylight.
Even though they were still far away, those arms waving weapons and the faint roars had already filled the sea breeze with a dangerous atmosphere like rust.
"It's a pirate ship!"
"That flag...Black Sails Pirates?"
The restaurant suddenly exploded.
There were the crisp sounds of broken cups and plates, the muffled sound of overturned tables and chairs, terrified screams and panicked footsteps mixed together.
People rushed to the door like frightened animals, pushing and stumbling, trying to escape the suddenly shadowed sea.
The sound of gunshots tore through the air one after another, but could not suppress the chaos of fleeing people.
The crowd just rushed towards their respective ships. The cables were torn off, the canvas was raised rapidly, and the rudder made a harsh friction when it turned--
Boom!
Several pitch-black shells were shot from the bow of the Black Sail ship that was speeding in the distance, hitting the sea in front of the restaurant on the sea, exploding the turbid water column.
That was not a missed shot, but a clear warning: those who have nothing to do with it will disappear immediately.
In just a quarter of an hour, the restaurant that was noisy just now was empty.
The table with messy cups and plates, unfinished meals, trampled Top Hat and coat, and even banknotes scattered on the floor... Only a group of Cook, holding weapons in hand, stood silently on the deck.
It's not that they don't want to escape, but the speed of those Black Sail ships is so fast that it's despairing.
The five ships began to slow down and spread out, like a crescent moon surrounding the restaurant.
The deck was crowded with figures, the blades and gun barrels glowed coldly in the sun, and the faces were twisted, making various provocative gestures towards the Cooks.
"I heard that a whole ship of my men were killed by a group of guys with spatulas?"
Boom!
The largest ship shook violently, and its hull rocked, causing waves to spread in circles.
Just because a tall figure stepped onto the side of the ship.
He was wearing a thick black captain's coat, the hem of which swayed heavily in the sea breeze.
The man's face is full of traces of wind and waves, he has a thick beard, and his right arm has a tattoo of the God of Death.
But his left hand was holding a transparent glass tank, in which lay a small gray-white octopus, lazily spitting out tiny bubbles.
"Did you do it?"
His target is very clear - the group of pirates who wanted to freeload a few days ago was one of his ships.
"Trouble... Those people are actually from 'Black Sail'..."
"It is rumored that Black Sail left no one alive wherever he went. Captain 'Black Flag' Logan is still Devil Fruit user..."
Logan, nicknamed "Black Flag"
, Bounty gold fifteen million Beli.
Although it has only been at sea for three months, the numbers are rising fast enough to be called a new storm East Blue.
Although the Cooks also had weapons in their hands, facing five ships, hundreds of pirates, and the rumored unpredictable captain, cold sweat still soaked their backs involuntarily.
I'm afraid it's hard to be kind today.
"Oh, don't be so nervous, everyone Cook."
Logan, who was standing on the side of the ship, shook his head, his tone as calm as if he was talking about the weather.
"I'm not here to hold people accountable.
Even you guys can't defeat the trash, and living is just a waste of food."
He paused and glanced at every tense face on the deck.
"However, I can't do nothing.
Now I give you two choices: First, choose a 'companion' from among you, kill him, and you can board my ship."
"Second--"
The sea breeze carried the salty smell onto the deck.
The man grinned, and there was ice in the arc.
He slowly raised his right hand, and the glass container reflected cold and hard spots in the sunlight.
"Quiet your boredom with my little pet."
The soft-bodied creature curled up in the container seemed to have received some kind of signal. Its arms and legs began to squirm restlessly, and the suckers contracted and relaxed against the inner wall, revealing an almost urgent rhythm.
"Choose? There's no need to think about it--"
The burly bald man's Adam's apple rolled.
The metal pipe on his shoulder still smelled like gunpowder smoke.
His eyes glanced at the black cloth floating on the masts of the five ships opposite. The figures on the decks were grinning, as if they were waiting for some predetermined answer.
He swallowed back the second half of his sentence.
"Interesting."
The muscles on the left cheek moved the corner of the mouth, and the sound escaped from half of Luffy's mouth.
"East Blue There are people of this caliber hiding under this stagnant water.
Is that Navy Hero too lax lately?"