"We're back—?"
When Sanji and Jinbe returned to "Straw Hat Village" after scouting Udon Prison, the scene before them was—
A masked man in black, his arm resting on the table, muscles bulging. Sweat dripped down his arm like raindrops. In his massive, pot-sized fingers was an ordinary-sized hand.
—Ordinary by normal Four Seas standards, that is.
Compared to the masked man's arm, it was like a twig next to a tree trunk.
But—
"Hehehe, I'm gonna use my full strength now!"
Luffy suddenly pushed down with force!
With a loud *BOOM*, the masked man's arm slammed against the table so hard it nearly sank into it. The whole village shook as if hit by an earthquake.
If not for the chairs Roman made using paper reinforced with Haki, the place would've been reduced to rubble already.
That was also why everyone had moved the game outside—these guys were so strong that even an arm-wrestling match could cause massive destruction.
"Who are they?"
Seeing the unfamiliar faces, Sanji and Jinbe looked puzzled.
Roman gave them a brief explanation—just that they were another group opposing Kaido. No need to go into details. To Sanji and Jinbe, "Unruly Ones" didn't sound any different from "XXX Pirates."
"I see… Looks like I'll have to prepare more food."
"Need any help?"
In this world, strong fighters basically followed one rule—the more they ate, the stronger they got.
The Straw Hat Crew alone was full of big eaters, and now there were ten or so Unruly Ones experts joining them...
"No need," Sanji waved them off.
"Cooking for you guys has trained me well. I can chop, fry, stew, and deep-fry all at the same time. You'd just get in the way."
?!
Now that he mentioned it, Roman was a little curious about how their meals got made...
Eh, never mind. Everyone had their own specialties.
Smartly, Roman gave up on the idea of stepping into the kitchen again.
"Sanji-san, I'll help you~~"
"Hmm."
With Sanji and his wife handling the cooking, the others turned their attention back to Luffy's little game.
After losing several rounds, the Unruly Ones were starting to feel embarrassed.
To them, pledging loyalty to a guy they'd just met just because of an 800-year-old prophecy was already ridiculous.
But since it was tradition and an order from their vice commander, they'd follow it without hesitation.
That didn't mean they had no pride, though.
Sure, the legendary Buliang Commander was supposed to be strong, but—
Was every random "small and scrawny" guy in his crew this powerful?
That just didn't make sense!
"I'm up next!"
A small child, barely half Luffy's height, jumped onto a chair, wearing a loose Taoist robe that looked way too big for him. He waved his tiny, pale hand.
"I'm going to beat you!"
Uh…
"No way," Luffy frowned. "If I accidentally break your hand, Chopper's gonna have to fix it."
"You dare look down on me?"
"Even a 400-kilogram Beast Pirates' marble block can't move a single finger of mine!!"
The kid was clearly upset. Luffy sighed, stretched out his hand, and half-heartedly gripped the child's.
?!
Luffy's face froze. The kid in the oversized robe really wasn't moving—not even a little—despite Luffy's ridiculous strength.
"Hmph! Don't underestimate the legacy of the 'Unruly Ones'—a tradition that's lasted 800 years!"
"Wait… that's weird."
Luffy, looking surprised, added more force. The kid, however, didn't show any signs of effort—his arm wasn't flexing, his muscles weren't tensing. Yet, even with the strength Luffy could use to lift and throw a battleship like a brick, he still couldn't budge him!
Hmm?
Roman's eyes flicked to the kid's shadow. It was pitch black—too dark, unnatural. And more than that, it was spreading out across the ground, linking up with the entire village—the buildings, the ruins, the trees. It looked just like…
"Moria's Shadow-Shadow Fruit?"
Jinbe muttered in confusion.
Roman nodded.
"That's right. It's a way of using the Shadow-Shadow Fruit. Luffy isn't fighting that kid—he's fighting the entire village."
But…
There's an old saying: brute force wins.
"Alright, I'll just use more strength!"
The moment Luffy got serious, Roman casually floated to the side and scooped up Nami.
Then—
BOOM!!!
The ground shook violently, and suddenly, everything went dark. It was as if the sun had been blocked out.
No, not "as if"—it actually had been.
The entire village was rising into the sky! A massive chunk of earth was being lifted, completely covering the spot where they had been standing. And underneath them?
Nothing but empty space.
A giant crater.
"Hehehe! I win~~"
Luffy's signature laugh rang out.
A loud *smack* followed—the sound of a hand hitting the table.
Everyone still floating midair blinked in shock. Some stared, dumbfounded. Others burst into cheers. Usopp, in the middle of drinking tea, ended up spitting it out in surprise.
The child in the oversized robe?
He was still in a perfect standing position—except now, he was hovering midair. Beneath him, the entire village was being held in place by his *shadow powers*!
That's right.
The kid had bound the entire village to himself using shadows!
If someone wanted to push his hand down, they'd have to literally move a whole mountain. That was impossible for most fighters. But Luffy…
"Hehehe, no wonder you felt kinda heavy."
One way or another, the kid's tiny, pale hand was now pressed firmly against the table. Luffy had won.
He hadn't even used his full strength, so the table was still intact. But there was no doubt—the kid had lost.
As for the *entire village* that was now about to crash back down?
"ROOM: Slaughterhouse!"
With a casual flick of two fingers, Law teleported the Straw Hats to safety.
Meanwhile, from the Unruly Ones' side, a masked man in black—Le Hou—spread his arms, transforming into a giant six-meter-wide eagle. With a powerful beat of his wings, he carried his group away from the falling village.
"Hehehe~~"
As for the two competitors?
Luffy simply grabbed the stunned kid and leapt out of the way.
BOOOOM!!!
The entire village slammed back down, shaking the earth and sending dust flying everywhere.
Roman waved a hand.
Rustle, rustle—
From behind the village, massive sheets of paper peeled off the tall pine trees, reshaping and reassembling. Slowly, the structure took form—legs sprouting from underneath it—until a giant, legged building stood in place.
"Can you guys be quiet for *one second*?!"
The window opened, and Sanji stuck his head out in frustration.
"If you keep making a fuss, there won't be any dinner tonight!!"
"Sorry—"
Luffy, who had been acting all high and mighty just moments ago, immediately backed down and apologized. After all, for him, not having food was the scariest thing in the world. The delinquents nearby raised their eyebrows as they watched—this crew's dynamic was impossible to understand… but even if they didn't get it, they were definitely impressed!
"Anyway, let's get out of here first."
Even though they had "accidentally" destroyed Amigasa Village, it was already an abandoned village with only Tama and her master left. Besides, if they defeated the Beasts Pirates tomorrow, all of Wano would have a reason to celebrate.
Not to mention—strong people in this world already stand out just by not actively destroying the lives of ordinary people. Asking for anything more would be unrealistic.
"Sanji, I'm starving—"
After a tough fight with Kaido, getting beaten so badly that Law had to carry him back, and then going head-to-head with the delinquents in an arm-wrestling contest, Luffy was now extremely hungry. Even the way he looked at Chopper was starting to seem… off.
"Don't look at me like that!"
"And I told you to rest! What if your wounds reopen?!"
"Boss, this guy is your…?"
Inside the massive "Paper Dance Moving Straw Hat Crew Mansion," the bandaged vice leader pointed at Luffy, who was badly injured yet had still managed to take down several of their top fighters.
If they had scoffed at his dream of becoming Pirate King before, now the delinquents were starting to think—
With strength like this, maybe it wasn't just a fantasy.
"Well? This is my captain, 'Straw Hat' Luffy."
Roman introduced the crew to the delinquents:
"The world's best navigator, Nami. The man aiming to be the world's greatest swordsman, Zoro. The world's best chef, Sanji. The world's best doctor, Chopper. The world's best archaeologist, Robin. The world's best shipwright, Franky. The world's best musician, Brook. The world's strongest fish-man, Jinbe. And the world's greatest—tall-tale king, Usopp..."
"Hey, hey, hey! Why am I the 'tall-tale king'?!"
Hearing Usopp's complaint, Roman stroked his chin.
"I mean, I'd love to call you the world's bravest warrior of the sea, but..."
"Hahaha! Well, since you put it that way, of course I'm the world's bravest warrior of the sea~~!"
As Usopp proudly pointed at himself with his nose held high, the delinquents all had the same thought:
Yep, definitely the world's greatest tall-tale king!
"Hehehe, then that makes me the world's greatest pirate—the Pirate King!"
This time, when Luffy made his bold declaration, no one looked down on him anymore.
"Dinner's ready."
As Sanji's voice called out from the kitchen, Luffy and Usopp immediately charged toward the food!
It didn't matter if they were the Pirate King or the world's bravest warrior of the sea—when it was time to eat, they were equally enthusiastic. Soon, the hall was filled with—
"Feast time~~!"
"What feast?" Roman cut a piece of sea king meat and popped it into his mouth before glancing at Luffy. "If you want a real feast, wait until we take down Kaido. Then—I promise you a party you'll never forget."
"Hehehe, now I'm really looking forward to it~~!"
Luffy, holding his drink, casually started eating and drinking with the delinquents he had just been arm-wrestling with. With his easygoing nature and genuine laughter, it didn't take long for the tough-looking group to lower their guard and start chatting loudly.
"Wow! This dish is amazing~~"
Chewing, chewing. "This one's great too~~"
Looking at the crewmate stuffing their cheeks like a squirrel, then at his own men—no, his companions—who were already getting along with the Straw Hats, the bandaged vice leader raised his cup slightly toward the only person still sitting there with a cold expression—the silver-armored general, "Zou."
"Aren't you drinking?"
"No."
The cold-faced general had sharp, chiseled features with no expression. "This scene reminds me of something I once read in a book: I treated you to the finest wine, so now you should help me kill someone."
…Using strength to intimidate and fine wine to win people over? Then let me test the waters. "Captain Luffy—"
The bandaged vice commander stood up and respectfully raised his cup toward Luffy from a distance.
"We, the 'Outlaws,' all twelve of us, obey only one person—our leader, Lord Roman. And since you are Lord Roman's captain, as long as you give the order, we will charge through fire and blades without hesitation. This time, as we go to battle against the Beasts Pirates, please allow us to be your vanguard—"
"I don't want that!"
Luffy, who had been cheerful just a moment ago, suddenly pulled a long face.
"Kaido is mine! If you beat him first, how am I supposed to become the Pirate King?"
"If you guys want to help, that's fine with me. But—"
Luffy pressed down on his straw hat and grinned.
"You'll be my comrades, not my underlings!"
"…So, what do you think?"
The bandaged vice commander, now seated again, raised his cup toward the silver-armored general, 'Zong.'
"Hmph."
The cold-faced general reached for the cup on the table beside him. Seeing this, Roman quietly picked up his glass of orange juice and took a sip.
Good. Another powerful force has joined the Straw Hat Crew's cause…
(End of Chapter)
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