svetikya Chapter 216 You said the Rocks Pirates are here??
Chapter 216 You said the Rocks Pirates are here??
Chapter 216 You said the Rocks Pirates are here??
Time flies, and with Shiki's power, Luffy and Kid's two large ships successfully landed from Skypiea.
The two ships cut through the waves and entered the Devil's Triangle, a region shrouded in perpetual fog.
The air was filled with a strange smell, a mixture of dampness, decay, and lingering gunpowder smoke and magic.
"This godforsaken place, even the wind smells musty and—bloody?" Kidd stood at the bow of his ship, impatiently stretching his metal arm.
"Hahahaha! Kid, be patient! Chasing prey is part of the fun of the sea!"
Shiki the Golden Lion floated in the air, a cigar dangling from his lips, seemingly harboring a unique "nostalgia" for this sea area.
On the Going Merry, Luffy and Roger were arm in arm, Luffy excitedly listening to Roger recount his past adventures, while Ace watched from the side, a helpless yet warm smile on his face.
Zoro wiped his sword, glancing occasionally at Roger and Karna, sensing the unfathomable aura emanating from them.
Sanji was busy preparing meals for the suddenly increased population, especially for Luffy and his brother.
Nami nervously steered the steering wheel, struggling to discern direction using the Log Pose and her Observation Haki.
Usopp, holding binoculars, nervously observed the thick fog around him, which seemed to threaten to unleash monsters at any moment.
"This place is even more eerie than the rumors say—" Chopper whispered, clinging tightly to Luffy's leg.
"Hehe, this is quite interesting, Uncle Roger! Have you been here before?"
Luffy leaped to the bow of the ship, stretching his rubber neck as far as it could, trying to see the deepest part of the fog.
Just then, through the thick fog ahead, the outline of a dark shape resembling an island appeared faintly, along with—the flag of a naval warship!
"It's the Navy!" Nami exclaimed.
As they got closer, they saw the true face of the dark figure.
It was none other than Moonlight Moria's badly damaged Thriller Bark!
At this moment, however, the ship was no longer flying a pirate flag, but a naval flag, and several naval warships were carrying out guard and salvage missions around it.
Clearly, after Moria fled in panic, the navy quickly took control of the area.
"What are the Marines doing here?" Zoro gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.
"It seems the original owner of this place was driven away," Sanji said, lighting a cigarette.
"But Blackbeard isn't here?"
Just as the Straw Hat crew was hesitating about whether to avoid the Navy, a small Navy reconnaissance boat spotted them and quickly approached.
To their surprise, standing at the bow of the boat was Aokiji Kuzan, whose body was wrapped in bandages and whose face was somewhat pale.
And—Vice Admiral Garp, who looked displeased and seemed unwilling to take immediate action!
"Grandpa! There's Aokiji too?!" Luffy exclaimed in surprise.
Ace's expression was complex, tinged with tension and seriousness: "Damn it, it's the old man—"
When Garp saw Luffy and Ace jumping around, a hint of relief flashed in his eyes, but he quickly straightened up and started picking his nose.
"Hmph! You two brats, you've got some nerve! I heard you were causing quite a ruckus on the Sky Island? Look at the mess you've made of the sky!"
"Hehe, of course!" Luffy puffed out his chest proudly.
Garp turned his gaze to Roger, his eyes filled with a mixture of burning fighting spirit and another emotion.
"You damn Roger! You have absolutely no sense of responsibility! Are you proud of putting these two brats in danger?!"
Roger's expression was unusually serious at this moment: "Garp, you understand, this is fate."
Ace looked at Garp with a complex expression, a mixture of guilt and the joy of a long-awaited reunion. He pulled down his hat brim and said in a low voice.
"Alright, old man—it's not his fault, it's our own choice."
Garp stared intently at Ace, his chest heaving violently.
Finally, he abruptly turned his head, as if forcing himself not to look anymore, and roared in his signature loud voice.
"They're all like that! Always causing me trouble, you brats!"
Aokiji sighed, looked at the group behind Luffy, and his gaze lingered on Crocodile and Tescatlipoca for a moment.
A hint of seriousness flashed in his eyes, but he didn't ask any further questions. His gaze finally settled on Nicole Robin.
Their gazes met in the air, as if an invisible frost was spreading.
The tragedy of O'Hara, Spandam's orders, and the decision to spare her life on that snowy night—
The heavy past flows on in silence.
Robin's eyes were calm, yet they carried a deep sense of wariness and a complex emotion that was hard to describe.
Aokiji ultimately said nothing, only slightly shifting his gaze, and spoke only to Luffy.
"Straw Hat Kid, this isn't a place for you to linger. Blackbeard is already gone."
"He left? Where did he go?" Luffy asked hurriedly.
Garp waved his hand, his tone somewhat complicated: "His exact whereabouts are unknown, but that guy is extremely dangerous right now, and it's not something a kid like you can get involved in."
"Get out of here and do what you're supposed to do."
At this moment, the orders of the Warring States Marshal and his personal desires as a grandfather subtly overlapped.
Just then, a strange figure emerged from the shadows of Thriller Bark, stood on the ship's side, and excitedly waved his bone hand at the Straw Hat crew.
It was a skeleton dressed in a gentleman's suit and sporting an explosive hairstyle!
"Yohohoho! Another living person! And it's a pirate ship that looks quite interesting!" The skeleton let out a loud, trembling laugh.
"Excuse me—could I hitch a ride? I haven't seen the sun in decades!"
"By the way, may I admire your underwear, ladies?" He gave Nami and Robin a standard gentlemanly bow.
Nami was taken aback at first, then flew into a rage: "Perverted skeleton! Who wants to see your underwear?!"
Usopp and Chopper huddled together in terror: "The skeleton—the skeleton is talking!!"
Luffy's eyes lit up, and his rubber arm instantly extended, pulling the skeleton onto the Going Merry. He excitedly circled around it, examining it closely.
"Wow! A skeleton! That's amazing! Are you alive or dead?"
Brook bowed gracefully: "I am Brook, a user of the Yomi Yomi no Mi (Revive-Revive Fruit), and in a sense, I am indeed a living skeleton. In my previous life, I was a musician in a certain pirate crew—"
His gaze swept over everyone, then suddenly stopped on the faint red marks on the backs of Luffy, Ace, Kid, and the others' hands. He raised his own skeletal hand, on which was also a clear Command Seal symbol.
"Huh? Does everyone have this strange mark on their hands too? I've been in the thick fog for too long and have no idea what's happening outside. This mark gets hot occasionally, which is really bothering me."
"These are Command Seals! They're the symbol for participating in the Holy Grail War!" Chopper kindly explained.
"Brook, are you a Master too? Did you summon a Servant?"
Brook shook his head blankly: "Heroic Spirit? No, I didn't summon anything."
"I just feel that after this mark appears, I can sometimes vaguely sense something—a powerful presence?"
'
He looked at Roger, Karna, and Shiki, his empty eye sockets seeming to express doubt.
Luffy didn't care about any of that. He excitedly grabbed Brook: "A musician?! Can you sing 'Binks' Sake'? If you can, then come aboard!"
"Yohohoho! Of course! This is my best piece!"
Brooke perked up immediately, but then her mood soared.
"But—I can't leave this thick fog. My shadow—decades ago, was stolen by a terrible man named Moonlight Moria. Without a shadow, I can't be exposed to the sunlight—"
Just then, a cool voice swept across the deck like a gentle breeze: "The problem with the shadows might be solved."
.
The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man dressed as a ronin with a long sword at his waist quietly appear in the shadow of the mast of the Going Merry.
It is none other than Sasaki Kojiro, the Assassin Servant of Hawkeye Mihawk!
"It's you!" Zoro's eyes narrowed, and his hand immediately went to the hilt of his sword. He clearly remembered the terrifying swordsmanship that this seemingly casual swordsman had displayed in Alabasta.
Nami and Usopp tensed up again.
Garp and Aokiji were instantly on guard, but seeing that Kojiro's gaze was mainly focused on Luffy and that he did not show any hostility, they held back for the time being.
Kojiro ignored everyone's reactions, giving Luffy a slight nod as a greeting, his tone calm and even.
"It is an honor to meet you again, my friend from the Red Team. I have come to deliver a message on the orders of my Master."
"Based on our speculation, Marshall D. Teach's next target is most likely Impel Down, the underwater prison."
This news was like a bombshell, causing everyone's expression to change!
Garp and Aokiji exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock and solemnity in each other's eyes.
If Blackbeard were to actually attack Impel Down, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Kojiro continued, "Blackbeard has gained four new Heroic Spirits under his command, and their strength should not be underestimated. Combined with his own power and that of the Earl, Impel Down may not be able to withstand them."
"This message can be seen as a warning to our allies."
His words were addressed not only to Luffy, but also to the Marines present.
"Kuzan!" Garp immediately roared at Aokiji, "Contact Sengoku immediately! Top-level emergency communications! Send the message back!"
Aokiji dared not delay and immediately turned to contact headquarters.
Instantly, the contents of the top-level emergency communication reported by the general sent a chill down Marshal Sengoku's spine.
"Immediately! Connect me to Director Magellan of Impelton!" Sengoku roared at the Den Den Mushi.
Impel Down, the underwater prison. Warden Magellan is dealing with personal hygiene issues.
When he received the urgent communication from Sengoku himself, hearing the news that Blackbeard might be coming to attack, his face turned even more purple than his venom.
"What?! Blackbeard?! And the spirits of Rocks' crew?!" Magellan was both shocked and furious.
He disregarded everything else and immediately sounded the highest alarm in the entire Impeldown!
"All guards on high alert! Levels 1 through 6, all personnel on high alert! Close all external access routes! Immediately!"
The entire city of Impeldown was instantly plunged into unprecedented tension and chaos.
The jailer beasts roared, the guards ran, and various defensive structures began to activate.
However, shortly after the alarm was sounded, on the surveillance footage, on the sea outside Impelton's massive Gate of Justice.
An unnaturally dense darkness began to spread, like ink dripping into clear water.
A pirate ship, shrouded in thick darkness, slowly revealed its outline like a ferocious beast emerging from the abyss.
At the bow of the ship stood a man with a wildly laughing black beard, followed by four ghosts from the old era exuding a terrifying aura, and the count who was like the embodiment of shadow.
Magellan stood atop the highest watchtower of the prison, looking at the ship shrouded in ominous light, his face extremely grim.
He took a deep breath, and a huge poisonous dragon materialized and roared from behind him!
"Blackbeard Teach! This is the world's number one prison! You are not allowed to desecrate it!!"
However, this did not slow down the Blackbeard's ship's advance; he would arrive soon—
The Devil's Triangle.
Upon receiving the message that his mission was complete, Kojiro's figure began to fade slowly, preparing to leave quietly as he had come.
"Wait a minute!" Luffy suddenly called out to him.
Kojiro's figure solidified, and he looked at Luffy with a hint of doubt.
Luffy pointed at Brook, who had just boarded the ship and was still clueless, and said to Kojiro.
"Hey—Hawkeye's buddy! This skull is our new partner! Didn't you just say the shadow problem could be solved?"
Upon hearing this, Brooke's empty eyes seemed to light up, and he excitedly grabbed his violin.
"Really? You'd help me find my shadow? Hehehe! If I can find my shadow, I can stand in the sunlight again!"
Kojiro glanced at Brook, then at Luffy's earnest gaze, and nodded with a smile, his words concise and to the point.
"I will do this without you having to tell me. I will convey the message to the Master. His shadow will return soon."
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure completely disappeared into the shadows.
The Grand Line, in the area near the Sabaody Archipelago.
Hawkeye Mihawk received a message from Kojiro transmitted through a contract.
He put down his glass of red wine and looked at Doflamingo, who was directing his men to repair the ship not far away, and Gecko Moria, who was licking his wounds in the shadows.
"Moria." Hawkeye's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.
Moria shuddered, looking at Hawkeye in terror: "W-what are you doing?"
"Hand over the shadow you stole from Brook, the musician of the Rumbar Pirates." Hawkeye's words left no room for negotiation.
Moria shrieked, "Why?! That's part of my collection!"
bass-!
Black Blade Night's blade had already been drawn half an inch from its sheath at some point, and a chilling killing intent enveloped Moria as if it were a tangible substance.
Hawkeye didn't even look at him, but said indifferently, "Or, do you want to become a collectible right now?"
'
Doflamingo chuckled strangely from the side.
"Friday, Moriah, a wise man knows when to yield. He's just a musician's shadow, not worth risking his life for."
Under the overwhelming pressure of Hawkeye's power and Doflamingo's gloating, Moria trembled as he used his ability to extract Brook's shadow from a zombie, transforming it into a black, bat-like shadow, which he reluctantly handed to Hawkeye.
With a casual wave of his hand, Hawkeye sent the shadow, linked by some kind of contract, across space and flying towards the Devil's Triangle.
On the Going Merry.
Brook, who was telling Luffy and the others about his promise to Laboon and was shedding tears, suddenly felt a familiar power return to him!
Beneath his feet, a clear shadow quickly materialized on the deck!
"Shadow! My shadow is back! Yohohoho!!" Brooke was so excited that he danced around and started playing the cheerful "Binks' Wine" on his violin.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
Luffy laughed heartily, "Hehehe! That's great! Brook, from now on you're our musician!"