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🕑 Added 2025-08-03 13:04:34 +0000 UTCChapter 321 The Arrival of the Straw Hat Crew
Uchiha Hikari wasn't surprised by the two pieces of information themselves. After all, they were events that were clearly laid out in the original story. Even though she and Bulma had been causing quite a stir since arriving in the One Piece world, they hadn't crossed paths with the younger generation like Ace and Luffy. So, it was natural that their stories would continue to follow their original path.
However, Hikari was a bit taken aback by Shakky's ability to gather information. Looking at the date on the letter, Ace had been captured three days ago. The Marines hadn't even made it public yet, but Shakky had managed to get the information the very next day.
As for Luffy's crew defeating Moria... that was a disgrace to the World Government because of Moria's status as a Warlord. They had even sent another Warlord, Bartholomew Kuma, to try and cover up the news. Although that mission ultimately failed due to Kuma's role as a Revolutionary Army spy, it was still impressive that Shakky got the news so quickly.
Of course, according to the original story, Shakky had already been following the Straw Hat crew before they even arrived, even calling herself a fan. So, it made perfect sense that she'd go to extra lengths to gather information on her idols.
Just then, Shakky tapped her finger on the counter, seeming to hesitate for a moment before she finally couldn't help but ask, "Hey, kid, what did you mean earlier when you said 'Ace is Rayleigh's nephew'? I know the kid is Garp's foster son. He set sail two years ago, started the Spade Pirates, and ate the Mera Mera no Mi. He challenged Whitebeard a year ago, failed, and then joined his crew... but what does any of that have to do with Rayleigh?"
"Huh? You guys didn't know?" Hikari was surprised this time.
But on second thought, it made sense. The Marines had known about Ace's true identity for a long time but hadn't made the information public. They waited until the execution was imminent to announce they were killing "the son of the Pirate King, Gold Roger." Before that, only a handful of people like the Whitebeard Pirates and Shanks knew about the connection.
Even Blackbeard only saw Ace as a "subordinate of Whitebeard with a bounty over 100 million berries." Otherwise, he probably wouldn't have handed Ace over to the Marines so easily. He would have used it as leverage to demand more concessions from the Marines and the World Government.
In that case, it explained a major plot hole: why Rayleigh, who was so close to Marineford, didn't participate in the Summit War.
Hikari then briefly and simply explained the truth of the matter. As Shakky listened, her eyes widened, and a look of surprise crossed her face.
"I see..." she murmured. "So that kid who ate the Mera Mera no Mi is Roger's son? And the Pirate King's son was raised by the Marine Hero? Heh, that's really an interesting story." Shakky paused for a moment, then took out the 20,000 Berries she had just accepted. "Well, I won't take advantage of you. Take this back. Consider it my payment for the information."
"That's not necessary, it's just a little bit of money," Hikari said, waving her hand and declining Shakky's offer. "Just helping us get an introduction to Mr. Rayleigh would be enough."
After a moment of thought, Shakky agreed to help them find Rayleigh. She said Rayleigh never announced his schedule when he left, so they'd have to look for him at his usual spots. During this time, Hikari's group could rest in the bar. She also suggested that it would be even better if they could help her tend to the customers who came and went.
Bulma eagerly took the job. Even though the Straw Hat crew hadn't arrived yet, judging from the conversation, they had already defeated Moria and were likely on their way to the Sabaody Archipelago or had already arrived and just hadn't found the bar yet. As a kid who was the main character of the One Piece manga and was a little like Goku, Bulma was very interested in meeting him.
Of course, Bulma also really wanted to meet another member of the Straw Hat crew—Sanji.
"I said before that I wanted to get him to be our chef on the ship, but it's a shame we were too late. There's probably no chance now... but it wouldn't be a problem to pay him to make us a meal, right? I really want to see how good the food from the 'Sea Restaurant' tastes."
"...I think you don't even need to pay him. Just say a few nice things, and that guy will volunteer to cook for you," Hikari said.
Bulma hesitated. "Yeah, I guess you're right..."
Hikari then gave Bulma a few words of caution about Sanji. Although the guy was more of a gentleman than Master Roshi, he was still a pervert who dreamed of using the Suke Suke no Mi to peek into women's bathhouses. She told Bulma to be careful so he wouldn't take advantage of her.
Then, Hikari left Eri and Naruto behind, creating a shadow clone to stay with them, while her real body and Esdeath left the bar to go for a walk. The Sabaody Archipelago was quite large. Its geography and local customs were very different from other worlds, and even from most of the One Piece world. Even Esdeath couldn't help but be amazed.
As they walked side by side along the coastal path, Hikari and Esdeath's hands brushed against each other several times. At first, both of them subconsciously moved their hands away, creating a bit of distance.
But gradually, they stopped avoiding it. Both of them pretended not to notice, letting their hands touch, their smooth, cool skin pressing together, their slender fingers slightly spread and threatening to intertwine.
During this, Hikari took a deep breath, her heart beating a little faster.
"...Huh, that cafe up ahead looks nice," Esdeath said, suddenly stopping. As she turned, she gently laced her fingers with Hikari's and gave a mischievous smile. "Want to go in and sit for a bit, Hikari? My treat."
"...Okay."
While Shakky was busy looking for Rayleigh and Hikari was leisurely drinking coffee, a pirate ship with a straw hat flag sailed into the port of the Sabaody Archipelago.
"We're here!" a man named Hatchan, who looked like an octopus, was the first to jump off the ship and wave to Luffy and the others. "Come on, I'll take you to the coating master!"
Chapter 322: You want to die?
In the evening, Shakky and Rayleigh returned to the "Sabaody Archipelago" bar. Uchiha Hikari, having received a message from Bulma in the chat group, leisurely made her way back, arriving just as the Straw Hat Pirates stepped into the bar.
"Hmm? So many people came?" Rayleigh, who looked like a washed-up old man, was a little surprised. Shakky had already told him about the "Dimensional Pirates," but he didn't recognize Luffy and the others, and he assumed everyone present was together.
The Straw Hats were just as surprised. Sanji had the biggest reaction. When he saw so many girls, his eyes went wide, and his pupils practically turned into pink hearts.
"Wow, so many beautiful women... Sabaody Archipelago really is paradise!"
Compared to him, the reaction from the skeleton was more direct. After his gaze swept over Bulma, Eriyi, Shakky, and Uchiha Hikari, he finally walked up to Esdeath, who was standing by the door. "Beautiful lady, would you allow me to see your panties..."
"Do you want to die?"
Before Brook could finish, Esdeath let out a cold snort and glared at him with a murderous look.
In just a moment, a massive amount of cold air appeared in the bar, swirling around Brook and freezing his skeleton body, along with the area around him, into a solid block of ice. Snowflakes fell, and everyone present, except for Uchiha Hikari, shivered.
"This is..."
"...A Devil Fruit that controls ice and snow?"
Rayleigh's eyes narrowed slightly, a look of surprise on his face.
On the Straw Hat side, Nami, seeing the situation, immediately grabbed Luffy and stepped forward to bow and apologize.
Considering Brook had only made a verbal remark and hadn't done anything physically harassing—and in his skeleton form, he couldn't do much anyway—Uchiha Hikari raised her hand to calm Esdeath down and accepted Luffy and Nami's apology on her behalf.
However, she didn't have Esdeath unfreeze Brook right away. Since the perverted old man wouldn't die from the cold, a little lesson would teach him a thing or two and prevent future trouble. After all, there were more beautiful girls in the "Dimensional Pirates" than just the ones present, like Akame, Yamato, Miko, and even the "honorary" member, Nezuko. If they were all here, Sanji would probably bleed from his nose.
Next, Uchiha Hikari's group, Rayleigh and Shakky, and the Straw Hats all sat down in the small bar and started to talk about why they were there.
Luffy and the others were there for the coating, and they just saw Rayleigh as a regular coating craftsman. Rayleigh didn't bother to correct them.
Uchiha Hikari's group had a lot more to say. Aside from the situation with Ace, Bulma and Eriyi, who had both read One Piece, were very interested in Luffy's crew. Bulma was especially excited and asked Luffy to show off his Devil Fruit abilities to everyone.
Uchiha Hikari was also interested in them, but her gaze was mostly on Nami and Robin. 'Yep... they're really big. They have great figures, it's hard to imagine such thin branches can hold such big fruits...'
On the other side, Luffy grinned and responded casually:
"Huh? Miss Bulma wants to see my Gomu Gomu no Mi powers? Okay!"
"Gum-Gum Pistol!!"
"Oh... so you're friends with Shanks? This straw hat is from him, and he saved my life from the Lord of the Coast... Is he doing okay lately?"
"Who's this 'Orochimaru' person you just mentioned? Are his powers like mine? Did he eat the Gomu Gomu no Mi, too?"
"Well..."
Uchiha Hikari paused, considering the question Bulma had brought up. "That guy is an acquaintance from our homeland. He ate the Hebi Hebi no Mi, Model: Supple Form, so he could stretch his body like a snake and even shed his skin."
To be more accurate, Orochimaru also had a secret jutsu to turn into an eight-headed snake. In theory, you'd have to combine the "Gomu Gomu no Mi" with Boa Sandersonia's "Hebi Hebi no Mi, Model: Anaconda" from Amazon Lily, and Kurozumi Orochi's "Hebi Hebi no Mi, Model: Yamata no Orochi" from Wano to replicate some of Orochimaru's abilities. In terms of sheer power, the "Gomu Gomu no Mi," which can awaken into the "Nika Nika no Mi," is obviously stronger than the Shadow-level Orochimaru. But when it comes to the versatility of their abilities, the Naruto world's ninjutsu system is far superior to the Devil Fruits.
"Pfft--"
Bulma burst out laughing at the "Supple Form" Devil Fruit.
At that moment, Uchiha Hikari finally brought up the topic of Ace. As she had expected, as soon as he heard that Ace had been captured by the World Government, Luffy jumped up, ready to go rescue him.
"Hold on... do you even know where Ace is? The sky's already dark."
"Besides... with your current strength, you can't even handle a Marine Admiral. What are you going to do to get Ace back from the top fighters at Marine Headquarters?"
Seeing that Zoro and Sanji were having trouble holding back the emotional Luffy, Uchiha Hikari sighed.
The next second, she appeared in front of Luffy, and the Mangekyō Sharingan in her eyes flashed. Luffy immediately fell silent and entered a deep, baby-like sleep.
"Miss Hikari, you..."
"Don't worry, it's just a simple genjutsu."
Uchiha Hikari waved her hand. "We've already talked to Whitebeard about Ace. You don't have to worry. It's getting late. Take him back and get some rest. If you have any questions, you can come back tomorrow, and I'll answer them depending on the situation."
That night, Sanji used the bar's kitchen to cook a huge meal. Most of the ingredients were provided by Bulma. The Blue Planet had a large supply of local products from various worlds, like Dragon Ball, Naruto, and Dragon Raja, as well as the sea kings and deep-sea fish that Uchiha Hikari's group had caught while sailing. With so many high-quality ingredients, even an average chef could make a great feast, let alone a master chef like Sanji, who had been dedicated to his craft for decades.
Uchiha Hikari and the others ate to their heart's content. Even young Naruto ate two extra bowls of rice.
After they had all had their fill, Rayleigh finally spoke up, and as the former first mate of the Roger Pirates, he began to ask for the details of Ace's capture.
Chapter 323: The Celestial Dragon and the Little Boy
"So... the one who defeated Ace and handed him over to the World Government was that guy nicknamed Blackbeard?" Rayleigh repeated the name, looking puzzled.
Blackbeard is about the same age as Shanks. When the Roger Pirates disbanded, he was just a teenager. After that, he stayed hidden on Whitebeard's ship for twenty years, never really showing his true colors, so much so that even someone as well-informed as Rayleigh had never heard of him.
However...
If you mention his other identity, it's a different story—
"Blackbeard's full name is Marshall D. Teach."
"?!" Rayleigh's pupils suddenly constricted. "Could it be that 'D'..."
"Yes, it's the 'D' from the 'Will of D' clan," Uchiha Hikari nodded. "Of course, he probably has no blood relation to your captain or Ace. He just captured Ace and handed him over to the Marines to gain merit and become a Warlord, so he could use the opportunity to expand his own forces."
According to World Government regulations, only a Warlord can apply to enter Impel Down when there's no urgent matter. That's why Blackbeard wanted to use this method to recruit prisoners from Impel Down into his crew. In the original timeline, Hancock also used this method to bring Luffy, who wanted to rescue Ace, into Impel Down.
Now, Uchiha Hikari's attitude towards Luffy is to kick them aside to avoid them getting in the way during the Marineford War. As for Blackbeard... he naturally needs to be treated the same. Especially since this guy is an ambitious troublemaker; it's better to deal with him beforehand rather than leave him to cause problems later.
"I'll find some time to take Little Ai and the others to the Calm Belt to meet that guy," Uchiha Hikari thought. "It's said that Blackbeard has three hearts?" If that's true... then she might consider capturing him and bringing him back as a research sample for Kikyo and Lady Tamayo. Perhaps he could even have some medical value.
---
Rayleigh agreed to join the plan to rescue Ace. However, the operation wouldn't be immediate. They needed to spend some time confirming Ace's information and wait for Yamato, Brand, and others to return. Since there was still some time before Ace's execution, there was no need to rush.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Uchiha Hikari pulled Esdeath aside to discuss Haki training with Rayleigh. Esdeath had already "awakened" Conqueror's Haki during her previous battle with Shanks. Uchiha Hikari had also pretty much figured out the "burst" technique of Haki through these real combat observations, so she wasn't too curious about Conqueror's Haki anymore. She was more interested in observing Haki, especially like Roger's, who, after refining it to the extreme, could hear the "Voice of All Things." If she could thoroughly understand the principles of this ability, it would greatly benefit their Haki training.
Currently, the three of them formed a small discussion group in the forest behind Shakky's Bar. Luffy and Zoro, after getting permission, also stayed nearby as observers. In the original timeline, they only began Haki training with Rayleigh and Mihawk, respectively, after the Celestial Dragon incident. Now, due to Uchiha Hikari's intervention, it was moved up by several months, but Rayleigh didn't say much, only occasionally asking Luffy a few questions and subtly observing his responses. Hmm... this was probably because he saw the straw hat on Luffy's head?
Meanwhile, Bulma quickly hit it off with the other members of the Straw Hat crew, especially Nami, Chopper, and the mermaid Camie who came along. The few of them even planned to go shopping for clothes together, dragging little Naruto along.
Originally, Uchiha Hikari was wondering if the mermaid Camie getting captured by human traffickers, which led to Luffy and his crew causing a ruckus at the slave auction in the original story, would still happen with Bulma, who knew the plot, involved.
However...
Things developed a bit beyond her expectations—
[Bulma@Unnamed: Hikari, this is bad! I think we've run into a Celestial Dragon!]
[Bulma: [Photo.jpg]]
[Unnamed: Hmm... that ugly appearance and idiotic demeanor definitely confirm he's a Celestial Dragon. Is he causing you trouble? Do you need me to come over?]
Uchiha Hikari wasn't worried about Bulma and the others being harmed by a Celestial Dragon. After all, Bulma wasn't as weak as she appeared and had some means of self-preservation. Plus, with the Straw Hat crew there, they could at least handle ordinary Celestial Dragons and their bodyguards without much trouble. As for the Marine Admiral who would show up after a Celestial Dragon was harmed... even Kizaru couldn't be faster than "Shangri-La." She had plenty of time to get to the scene before he arrived.
But...
[Bulma: Uh... it's a bit complicated. I'm not sure how to explain it.]
[Unnamed: ?]
---
The time rewinds to fifteen minutes earlier.
Bulma and Nami had just come out of a clothing store when they heard a commotion nearby. A man with a resin bubble on his head was riding on a slave, surrounded by over a dozen bodyguards wielding spiked clubs, walking down the street. Anyone blocking their way was either struck with a club or grabbed by their collar and unceremoniously thrown aside. In just two or three minutes, many people had been left with bleeding heads, scrambling away in fear. The once bustling street quickly became deserted.
"...So this is a Celestial Dragon? They're really overbearing, even worse than the nobles in the Akame Ga Kill world," Bulma whispered, pulling Naruto to the side of the road.
Nami next to her paused. "Akame Ga Kill world? Is that also a country on the Grand Line?"
"Something like that..." Bulma mumbled vaguely.
These few whispered words seemed to have been heard by the Celestial Dragon. He turned his head, his eyes immediately lighting up, and he motioned to a bodyguard next to him. Then, several bodyguards strode towards Bulma and the others.
"Oh no, they're coming... Where are Sanji and the others?" Bulma looked nervous.
At that moment, Naruto jumped out, forming hand signs and rushing towards them. "Don't worry, Sister Bulma, I'll protect you all... Sexy Jutsu!"
As smoke dissipated, the figure of a golden-haired girl appeared on the street. The few bodyguards were stunned.
"This... he suddenly turned into a girl. Do we still need to bring him to Saint Shalulia?"
"Never mind that, just grab him first."
After a brief exchange, the bodyguards swarmed forward, subdued Naruto, and began to take him back. As for Bulma and Nami behind them, they were completely ignored.
[Unnamed: ...So, the Celestial Dragon wants to abduct Naruto?]
---
Chapter 324: The "Door-Door Fruit"
At that moment, Uchiha Hikari, lurking in the woods near Shakky's bar, cracked a smile, a bit speechless.
Was this guy, this Celestial Dragon named "Saint Charlos," some kind of priest who had a thing for young boys? Even if that were the case... Naruto was way too "young." He was only seven!
[Nameless @ Bulma: Hey, where are you guys right now?]
[Bulma: Hmm, I think we're on Grove 42... outside a clothing store...]
[Nameless: ?]
Neither Bulma nor Nami and the others from the Straw Hat crew had ever been to the Sabaody Archipelago before. They weren't familiar with the area, and with everything happening so fast, they couldn't give a clear location.
Uchiha Hikari had expected this, so after asking in the chat, she closed her eyes and dove into her own mindscape.
Compared to a year ago, her mindscape was a whole different world, now vast enough to be called boundless.
This immense space, stretching farther than the eye could see, contained perfect 1:1 replicas of nearly every place she had ever been: from the Hidden Leaf Village to West City in the Dragon Ball world, Herzog's Black Swan Port, and the imperial palace of the Empire from Akame Ga Kill.
It was only because she was the master of this space that she could explore the entire area with just a thought. Plus, the only real permanent resident was a small piece of Kurama's chakra that had been separated from the Nine-Tails. If anyone else tried to map this place, it wouldn't be easy.
Quickly, Uchiha Hikari located the small Kurama, who was lying on the rooftop of a skyscraper, dozing with its eyes closed. She appeared in front of it in an instant and shook its body.
"Hey, wake up."
"...Huh? Did something happen to the kid?" Kurama seemed to have already sensed the situation outside. It opened its eyes and bared its fangs. "Don't worry about him. If that kid is really in danger, my other half will handle it."
"...Are you trying to tell me what to do?"
Uchiha Hikari landed on the rooftop, grabbed the scruff of Kurama's neck, and lifted it up. "You can sense your other half, right? Tell me where it is."
"..."
Kurama struggled for a bit, and when it realized it couldn't break free, it sighed.
A moment later, Uchiha Hikari opened her eyes again and glanced at Esdeath beside her. "Let's go, Little Esdeath. I've found their location."
"Right." Esdeath immediately stood up and moved to Hikari's side.
Rayleigh and Luffy, who were across from them, were a bit confused. "What's going on?"
"Well, Nami and Bulma ran into a Celestial Dragon and might be in some trouble... What do you say, want to lend a hand? My 'Door-Door Fruit' lets me teleport us right to their location."
"The Door-Door Fruit?"
"...A Celestial Dragon?"
Luffy and Zoro were focused on two things: Nami and the others being in trouble, and the "Door-Door Fruit" that Uchiha Hikari had made up to hide her true powers. They didn't think too much about it.
Rayleigh, on the other hand, was stunned, his eyes narrowing. He was the one there who knew the most about the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. He was well aware of what it meant to attack a Celestial Dragon on an island so close to Marineford. If this wasn't handled properly, it could cause an unprecedented disaster, one that would drag even a long-retired old-timer like him back into the fray.
"...Mr. Rayleigh?" Uchiha Hikari tilted her head.
At that moment, Luffy and Zoro were already standing beside her. Seeing this, Rayleigh sighed. "Fine, I'll go with you. It'll save you from doing something you can't take back... Ms. Hikari, did you really eat the 'Door-Door Fruit'?"
"You guess."
Uchiha Hikari didn't answer Rayleigh's question, but simply snapped her fingers.
With that snap, a faint purple light burst from the wristwatch on her arm, quickly forming a massive eight-trigram pattern. She, Esdeath, Rayleigh, and Luffy were all standing on top of it.
In the next moment, as the faint purple light faded and vanished, Uchiha Hikari and the others disappeared from their spot.
Meanwhile, after replying in the chat, Bulma watched as Naruto was grabbed by a couple of bodyguards, his arms and legs flailing. She pulled a microphone from her backpack, took a deep breath, and let it out with a shout:
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
Imperial Arms: Ground Rumble
This was something Uchiha Hikari had stolen from Cosmia in the Akame Ga Kill world and given to Bulma for self-defense. Up until now, Bulma had mostly been with Hikari, Esdeath, or桔梗 and hadn't needed to use it. But now...
This sonic-based Imperial Arms was making its debut in the world of pirates!
BOOM—!!
In an instant, a powerful sonic wave swept forward, knocking the bodyguards who had just picked up Naruto right off their feet. Naruto also fell to the ground with a "thud," his transformation jutsu immediately breaking. He rubbed his butt, grimacing.
"Naruto, come back!" Bulma called out.
Next to them, Chopper rushed over, grabbed Naruto's arm, and pulled him back to hide behind the group. Bulma helped him brush off the dust.
Then, Sanji, who had been following the group, quickly ran over and stood in front of them with his arms outstretched, shielding everyone behind him. He looked at the group across from them, his expression serious.
His gaze was fixed mainly on the Celestial Dragon.
If Luffy or Zoro were standing there right now, they would have already attacked the Celestial Dragon.
But Sanji was different. As a descendant of the Vinsmoke family and Zeff's adopted son, he had some common sense about the Celestial Dragons' rules and knew that if things escalated today, no one would walk away unscathed.
"Nami, Chopper, and Miss Bulma, you all go first..." Sanji took a deep breath. "I'll cover you."
Across from them, the Celestial Dragon had become wary after seeing Bulma and the others' defiance.
When he saw the sonic wave that Bulma had "unleashed" directly sending his bodyguards flying, he nervously pulled a gun from his coat and once again pointed it at Bulma and her friends.
Chapter 325: A Celestial Dragon Dead?
Bang bang bang!
The Celestial Dragon didn't hesitate, pulling the trigger without a second thought.
Seeing the bullets coming, Sanji quickly responded with a spinning kick, using the hard soles of his shoes to deflect two of them. Then, he charged towards the Celestial Dragon, shouting for Bulma and the others to get away.
At that moment, the other bodyguards around the Celestial Dragon reacted. Two of them stayed close to protect Saint Charlos, while the others fanned out, pulling out staffs, katanas, and other weapons, yelling as they attacked Sanji.
It looked like some of their blades were imbued with Busoshoku Haki.
Sanji was a skilled fighter, but he hadn't learned Haki yet and didn't usually carry weapons. Under the onslaught of so many attackers, he quickly found himself in a dangerous situation.
Bulma pulled Naruto back a few steps and crouched down in a corner, rummaging through her backpack.
"Nami, here!"
"What's this?" Nami instinctively took a strangely designed pistol with several different colored energy indicator lights embedded at the top, asking with a puzzled tone.
"It's a laser gun, a weapon I invented." Bulma explained rapidly, "My 'Great Earth Tremor' is an area-of-effect sound wave weapon. It can't differentiate between friend and foe, so using it now might accidentally hurt Sanji... Just use this. Since that guy dared to shoot at us, we'll deal with him the same way!"
"What about me?" Naruto asked, looking eager for action.
"Just protect yourself." Bulma likely knew about the Nine-Tails inside Naruto and wasn't too worried about his safety. If his life were truly in danger, the Nine-Tails would definitely step in, whether by creating a Tailed Beast Cloak or by using its chakra's healing effects, ensuring Naruto's safety.
So, Bulma and Nami, each armed with a laser pistol, used a nearby trash can as cover and started firing precisely at their targets.
The Celestial Dragon's bodyguards noticed their actions and began pulling out their own firearms, spraying bullets towards Bulma and Nami's position. The scene quickly escalated into an intense gunfight.
During the exchange of fire, pedestrians were hit and fell, a result of the Celestial Dragon's reckless shooting. Meanwhile, bodyguards were also getting injured and taken out of the fight. Each injured person had several perfectly round holes from the laser gun shots. The flesh and even bones within these holes had vanished without a trace, as if instantly vaporized, a truly shocking sight.
Just as the shootout intensified, the street was illuminated by the deep purple glow of a teleportation array and the simplistic purple and white yin-yang symbol.
Then, Uchiha Hikari and her group appeared.
"Oh, quite the spectacle, isn't it?"
The Celestial Dragons held a similar status in the Sabaody Archipelago to Enel's "god" status in Skypie. They were considered absolute rulers with the power of life and death. In theory, even if they pointed a gun at someone, that person was expected to bow their head and accept their fate. This was a common understanding and the unspoken rule among the residents of Sabaody Archipelago.
Naturally, anyone daring to resist a Celestial Dragon was huge news.
Many people didn't leave and instead stayed on the street, wanting to see how this commotion would end. This, unfortunately, led to even more casualties.
Seeing more and more people getting accidentally caught in the crossfire by the Celestial Dragon's group, and Sanji getting shot twice with blood starting to seep from his side, Luffy and Zoro couldn't hold back. One threw a punch, the other drew his sword, and both jumped into the fray.
"Hmph..." Uchiha Hikari let out a soft breath and pulled a Berry coin from her pocket. She held it between her middle finger and thumb, raising it to her eye, then aimed it towards Saint Charlos, the Celestial Dragon.
"This distance... should be enough."
"Hm?" Rayleigh frowned, looking as if he wanted to ask something.
But in the next second, Uchiha Hikari placed the coin on her thumbnail, bent her middle finger back, and flicked it towards the Celestial Dragon!
Whoosh!
A sharp tearing sound cut through the air, like a sudden clap of thunder!
In that moment, the Berry coin ripped through the air, leaving a trail of blinding sparks as it streaked through the air like a tiny, fingernail-sized fireball, rushing towards the Celestial Dragon at near-supersonic speed. The Celestial Dragon belatedly looked up, but before he could even re-aim his golden pistol, the Berry hit it!
With a faint crunch, the seemingly golden handgun disintegrated.
Along with it, the Celestial Dragon's right hand and his entire arm behind it shattered into oblivion!
Boom!
The Celestial Dragon's eyes seemed to widen in disbelief as he stared at the bloody hole now in his shoulder. Then, he let out a pig-like shriek, tumbling off his slave, screaming as he collapsed unconscious in a pool of blood.
The air fell silent.
From the moment the Celestial Dragon "fell off his mount," the entire street seemed to freeze. Everyone stood in stunned silence, staring at the Celestial Dragon's body, still seated on his slave, looking utterly incredulous.
A few seconds later, a wave of screams erupted:
"Ah!!!"
"The... the Celestial Dragon was killed?"
"What have you guys done?! Now the entire Sabaody Archipelago is doomed!"
"Run! Get away from those lunatics, you'll die..."
Amidst the chaotic shouts, everyone scattered. Even the shops lining the street either closed their doors or abandoned them altogether, leaving a scene of complete disarray, with several stampedes breaking out.
"What's wrong with these guys?" Luffy and Zoro looked on, completely bewildered.
Nami and Chopper, a few meters away, were just as confused.
But Uchiha Hikari had already anticipated this. Her expression was calm as she scanned her surroundings, then her gaze sharpened, noticing a girl nearby who was staring at them with wide eyes.
More accurately... she should be described as a child.
She looked to be about eight or nine years old, with shoulder-length pinkish-purple hair and heart-shaped lipstick. She seemed a little familiar...
"It's her..." Uchiha Hikari's thoughts stirred.
Just as she was considering whether to go over and say something, the pink-haired girl quickly ducked her head and darted into a nearby alley, vanishing in a blink of an eye.
"Huh?" Naruto poked his head out from behind Uchiha Hikari, his face full of curiosity. He mumbled, "Sister Hikari, did you see that girl who was standing there? She looked a lot like Sakura..."
"?"
Seriously? Sakura, even at a time like this?
Uchiha Hikari glanced at Naruto, and after confirming he wasn't saying it out of some romantic interest, she nodded. "Yeah, her hair color and personality are a bit similar, but that's it. Oh, and she's also quite good at 'Transformation Jutsu,' just the kind where you change your size."
