Luffy's eyes lit up with excitement. He hopped onto the motorcycle, fiddling with the controls, when—VROOM!
By accident, he stepped on the accelerator, and the bike shot forward at full speed.
But instead of panicking, Luffy burst into laughter. "Hahahaha! Teacher Carl, this thing is awesome!"
Carl grinned. "You go on ahead, Luffy! I'll catch up!"
Luffy disappeared down the street in a blur, leaving Carl behind with Dragon.
Dragon folded his arms. "You wanted to talk to me, Carl?"
Without hesitation, Carl pulled out two items—a small device and a Den Den Mushi.
"This is a Devil Fruit radar. It can detect the location of Devil Fruits within a certain range. Convenient and practical—but it needs to be recharged regularly.
And this—**" he held up the Den Den Mushi, "—is for communication. With this, you and Sabo can contact Luffy anytime you want. No more playing hide-and-seek."
Dragon's eyes widened in surprise. "A radar that can detect Devil Fruits?"
Carl nodded confidently. "It works. The Devil Fruits of all three of Luffy's crewmates were found using this radar."
Dragon's expression turned serious. "This could be a game-changer… Can you get me more of these?"
Carl shrugged. "Not right now. They take a lot of effort to make."
Dragon looked slightly disappointed but not discouraged. Instead, he felt hopeful. The revolutionary army was still growing, and they needed powerful fighters. Having a way to locate Devil Fruits would make recruiting strong allies much easier.
And the Den Den Mushi? That was just an added bonus.
Dragon smirked. "Then we have a deal. Luffy's in your hands, and if you ever need help, just call."
Carl grinned. "Happy to work with you."
Then, with a mischievous glint in his eye, he suddenly asked, "By the way, Uncle Dragon, I have one last question—
Is Luffy's mom Roger's sister?"
Before Carl could even blink, Dragon vanished—disappearing into the wind like he'd never been there.
Carl clicked his tongue. "Tch. He ran away. Guess that means I hit a nerve."
He scratched his chin. "Maybe I should've asked if Luffy's mom was Kizaru's sister instead… That would've been fun."
Shaking his head, Carl turned to glance at the unconscious Smoker. After a moment of thought, he picked up Smoker's jitte and tucked it under his arm before leaping off the rooftop.
Time to head for the port.
Loguetown Port—
Zoro, Sanji, Nami, and Django had already arrived.
Up above, Usopp soared through the air, scanning the horizon with a tense expression.
His voice echoed from the sky. "Guys! The Marines are surrounding Loguetown! There's a whole fleet waiting for us!"
"Five warships?! That's insane!"
Usopp's eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
Even though he had grown stronger, facing a fleet of this scale for the first time made his legs tremble uncontrollably.
"Where are Mr. Luffy and Carl?" Sanji asked, scanning the area.
The others exchanged blank looks—they hadn't seen either of them yet.
Just then, a golden light flashed from one of the distant warships.
A figure appeared midair above the port.
Dressed in a yellow-striped suit with a justice coat draped over his shoulders, his languid, almost mocking expression was unmistakable.
Marine Admiral Kizaru.
Usopp's face turned pale. "M-M-Marine Admiral Kizaru?!"
His panicked shriek echoed through the air as he nearly lost control and plummeted from above.
Zoro and the others tensed, their expressions darkening.
Kizaru surveyed the crew lazily.
"Straw Hat Sniper Usopp… Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro… Little Thief Cat Nami… Black Leg Sanji… Hypnosis Master Django… and Lion King Ritchie… Ohhh? The whole crew's here, except for your dear captain, Straw Hat Luffy."
His eyes gleamed behind his glasses.
"Well then, let's deal with you first before we catch the captain."
He turned his attention to Usopp.
"Speed is power… Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
Before Usopp could react—Kizaru vanished.
A fraction of a second later, he reappeared above Usopp, bringing his foot down in a devastating kick.
BOOM!
Usopp crashed straight through a building.
"Usopp!!!"
Zoro and the others shouted in alarm, but none of them dared to move recklessly.
Because Kizaru was here.
Swish!
Another flash of golden light—and Kizaru appeared beside Zoro.
CRASH!
With a single kick, he sent Zoro flying into a wall.
"Mosshead!"
Sanji's pupils shrank in shock. Wasting no time, he pushed Nami toward jango for safety.
Then he launched into a flurry of kicks aimed at Kizaru. His strikes were swift, powerful, precise—but they passed right through as if he was kicking thin air.
"Damn it! A Logia ability… Without Haki, I can't even touch him!"
Kizaru yawned. "Nice kicks, but unfortunately…"
He casually raised a finger.
A golden light gathered at the tip—
BZZT!
A laser beam shot out, piercing straight through Sanji's shoulder.
BOOM!
The laser struck the sea behind him, triggering a massive explosion.
The force of the blast sent waves surging across the port.
"Sanji!!!"
Nami and Django cried out, their panic rising.
Marine Admirals were monsters.
Their speed was overwhelming.
Their attacks were relentless.
And worst of all…
Right now, they had no way to fight back.
"Luffy! Mr. Carl! Hurry up!"
Perhaps hearing Nami's desperate call, a high-pitched cry suddenly rang out—
"WOOOOOOHOOO!!!"
A thunderous roar followed, shaking the streets.
Kizaru paused, turning his gaze toward the source of the commotion.
From the distance, Luffy came barreling in—riding a stolen motorcycle at full speed.
His face was lit with excitement, despite the obvious fact that he had absolutely no idea how to drive it.
The motorcycle swerved wildly, careening straight toward a building.
CRASH!!!
Luckily, Luffy had jumped off just in time, flipping through the air and landing safely on the ground.
"Phew! That was close!" He wiped his forehead and grinned.
Then, he looked up—
Nami and Django looked relieved to see him, but Sanji clutched his bleeding shoulder, wincing in pain. Nearby, Zoro and Usopp stumbled out from the wreckage of a collapsed house.
Luffy instantly understood what had happened.
His eyes locked onto the man in the yellow-striped suit.
"Oh! You're Marine Admiral Kizaru! Your name is... Peepley Lulu, right?"
Kizaru blinked behind his glasses.
He sighed. "It's Borsalino."
Luffy tilted his head. "Peepley Lulu!"
Kizaru's lips twitched. "...Forget it. Just call me Kizaru."
Luffy grinned. "Okay, Kizaru! I'm Luffy, the man who's going to be King of the Pirates!"
His face darkened. "Did you attack my friends just now?"
Kizaru shrugged. "Ohhh… That was this old man, indeed. But pirates and Marines fighting? That's just how it goes."
Luffy pressed his straw hat down, his smile widening.
"I see! A Marine Admiral, huh?"
"Then before I enter the Grand Line… Let me test how strong an Admiral really is!"
The Straw Hats grinned.
This was their captain.
Only Luffy would boldly challenge a Marine Admiral before even reaching the Grand Line.
Kizaru chuckled. "Ohhh… Such confidence."
"Well then… Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
Before Luffy could react, Kizaru vanished.
In the blink of an eye—
BOOM!
Kizaru's long leg smashed into Luffy's head from behind.
Luffy managed to brace himself, planting his feet firmly into the ground.
His right fist, coated in Armament Haki, swung back—
But the moment Kizaru's kick connected, an overwhelming force sent Luffy soaring sideways.
CRASH!
He skidded across the ground, carving a deep trench in the dirt before finally coming to a halt.
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