Chapter 425: The Straw Hat, the Promise.
Under the azure sky, a falcon soared with its wings spread. At the edge of the giants' village, on a cliff, was a giant ruin on a large tree.
The iron chain suspension bridge from the Nether Realm extended all the way here. The ground was covered with green moss and vines, and weeds grew in the cracks of the dilapidated stone bricks.
This was the ruins of the Old Fort Orust. It was once the place where the king of the giants lived. After the battle between the cursed prince Loki and the previous king, it was abandoned.
Even for the giants, this architectural ruin was quite magnificent. The moment Luffy and his group walked out of the suspension bridge and stepped in, they were deeply shocked by the scene before them.
"What did you just say about the cursed prince? Is the king no longer here?"
Usopp asked Gaban. The local customs of Elbaf that he had heard from this man who called himself 'Uncle Shan' made him very interested.
Gaban looked at the dilapidated castle ruins before him, his expression filled with emotion, as if he were lost in the memories of the past. After a moment, he smiled and said:
"It's a long story. I don't know if you've heard of the name of the cursed prince, Loki. Back then, a battle broke out within the giant race. He killed the king, Harold. Later, it took the combined efforts of all the giant warriors and Red-Hair to suppress him. He is now imprisoned in the Nether Realm below."
"Eh? Shanks?"
Hearing the keyword, Luffy turned his head and looked over. "Is that guy so strong that he needs the giant uncles to join forces to defeat him?"
"Ah. Loki is not only powerful himself, but he has also eaten the legendary Devil Fruit that has been passed down through the giant race for generations. Before Red-Hair appeared, almost no one could stop him."
Gaban explained to him.
"Prince Loki? Wait a minute! I think I've heard this name before."
Just then, Usopp seemed to have remembered something and hurriedly asked:
"Is it the Prince Loki who was supposed to marry Big Mom's daughter, Lola, but was stood up at the altar?"
"You've heard of this too? Hahaha! That's him."
Gaban smiled and nodded.
As for the battle that had broken out in the castle back then, he had not actually witnessed it himself. At that time, Shanks had just arrived in Elbaf. The two of them were in a hot spring, chatting, when they suddenly heard the commotion from inside the castle.
It had happened too suddenly. By the time they arrived, the situation was already irreversible.
The fallen guards, the dying King Harold, Elder Jorul with a sword pierced through his head...
The truth was shrouded in mystery. The only thing that could be confirmed was that the one who had stolen the royal family's secret treasure, the legendary Devil Fruit, was undoubtedly Loki.
Later, the rampaging Loki had resisted the giant warriors of the entire Elbaf with his great strength. Red-Hair had helped to suppress Loki, and in the end, they had captured him and imprisoned him under the Treasure Tree Adam.
"On the way up just now, I did feel a powerful presence in the forest. It should be that Loki."
Luffy held a piece of bone-in meat in his hand. He took a bite and said as he chewed.
Looking back at the ruins before them, the group couldn't help but feel a bit more emotional. They had never expected that such a shocking thing had happened within this country that was called the world's number one.
"Luffy—!"
Just then, a familiar voice from the sky drew the group's attention.
A falcon was diving rapidly. Nami, sitting on it, was waving at them. Reiner, Sanji, and the others were also all there.
"Hey—! Here, here!"
Luffy waved with a cheerful laugh and ran over.
After the falcon landed, Reiner and the others jumped down together. Nami directly grabbed the ear of the approaching Luffy and said with a not-so-good-natured expression:
"What's going on, hey! Isn't Red-Hair someone you've always admired? I thought you were very familiar with each other. How come he looks like he's going to fight you!"
"Eh!"
Chopper was stunned for a moment and immediately looked at Luffy.
However, Luffy didn't seem surprised at all, as if he had long since known this would happen.
"Hee hee hee! Because I told Shanks back then. When he entrusted this hat to me..."
Luffy said with an unconcerned grin, taking the straw hat from his back. His drifting thoughts couldn't help but return to the port of Windmill Village back then.
At that time, the Red Hair Pirates were moving things, preparing to set sail.
"I will go out to sea! One day!!"
"I will gather a group of companions who are not inferior to you! Find the world's greatest treasure! I will definitely become the Pirate King!!"
Luffy, whose face was still very young, clenched his fists and, with all his might, announced his goal to everyone.
The people of the Red Hair Pirates all stopped what they were doing and stood there in a daze, looking at the seven-year-old boy before them. His voice was so firm.
"Is that so? You're going to surpass us?"
Red-Hair slowly walked over. With a smile full of hope, he took off his straw hat and looked at the nervous Luffy before him.
"Then, I'll leave this straw hat with you for now. This is my most precious thing."
Red-Hair gently placed the hat on Luffy's head and said with a gentle, light laugh:
"Take good care of it for me. When that day comes, you can return it to me with your own hands."
"That day has finally come, Shanks..."
Looking at the straw hat in his hand, a corner of Luffy's mouth lifted slightly, a hint of emotion in his eyes.
A gentle breeze blew past the moss-covered stone-paved ground. The intertwined and knotted tree roots that had struggled out of the cracks in the stones swayed gently in the breeze.
At the end of the stone-paved road, a group of pirate figures were faintly visible, their powerful auras almost irrepressible.
"They're coming."
Luffy put the straw hat back on his back, slowly looked up, and looked into the distance.
Swish—!
Suddenly, a fierce wind rose from the flat ground! The leaves rustled in the wind. In an instant, the wind and clouds changed color. The sky, which had been clear just a second ago, suddenly became dim and dark.
"This is...!"
"What a terrifying Conqueror's Haki! Isn't this a bit too exaggerated?"
The head-on impact blew the few's hair into a frenzy. Nami and the others frowned, their eyes revealing a deep sense of apprehension.
This powerful pressure was simply suffocating, as if they were being stared at face-to-face by a fierce wild beast. Only five people could remain calm under this pressure.
"Still as strong as ever. As expected of Shanks."
A corner of Luffy's mouth lifted, and his eyes gradually became fiery.
Zoro rested his right hand on his sword hilt and took a step forward, his two eyes as cold as a sword, piercing through space and landing directly in the crowd opposite.
Sensing his gaze, Hawk-Eye looked up. His pair of sharp eyes were full of sharpness. The two of them instantly made eye contact.
Sanji also stood out, and along with Zoro, they stood on Luffy's left and right. He took out a lighter, lowered his head, and silently lit a cigarette.
"By the way, who is this uncle? His skills are incredible."
After lighting his cigarette, Sanji looked up and couldn't help but take another look at Gaban at his side.
To be able to act so calmly in the face of such a Conqueror's Haki... this old man was definitely no simple character.
"I'm just an old man who's past his prime. I'm just here for the fun. I have no intention of interfering in the affairs of you young people."
Gaban said with a chuckle.
Reiner stood behind, and a powerful aura also emanated from his body, almost blocking all of the head-on Conqueror's Haki impact.
Even a vice admiral would faint under Red-Hair's Conqueror's Haki. A concentrated Haki could even suppress a Marine Admiral. If he didn't protect them a little, the few behind him would probably have a hard time even standing firm.
Luffy took a step forward against the impact. His pupils suddenly focused, and a wave of Conqueror's Haki was also released!
Rumble!!!
A deafening thunderous sound. The moment the two top-tier Conqueror's Haki fiercely collided, countless black lightning bolts shot out from the middle!
Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!
Black lightning exploded on the ground, furiously ravaging the surrounding buildings. A hurricane blasted out, sweeping away everything!
The dark clouds churned madly, and a giant abyss was torn in the thick cloud layer, splitting the dim sky into left and right. Even the entire sea area near Elbaf became extremely turbulent.
"Captain! Look at the sky!"
"Is it caused by the clash of Conqueror's Haki?!"
"It's just like the end of the world...!"
The chaotic sea current stirred up giant waves. The Victoria, which had just left the island, was tossed on the waves.
Standing on the violently shaking deck and looking at the apocalyptic scene in the sky, Kid's crew had a grave expression that grew more and more grim.
Is this their true power? In comparison, before, it was just like a warm-up.
"Damn it!"
Kid gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, his heart extremely unwilling.
In the Yang Realm of Elbaf, at the ruins of the Old Fort Orust.
The fierce clash of the two waves of Conqueror's Haki was in a stalemate, pushing against each other, neither yielding, until almost all the surrounding buildings had been ravaged to the ground.
Boom!!
With a final, vibrating gale impact, the two waves of Conqueror's Haki impact suddenly dissipated into thin air. The surroundings returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.
Red-Hair's group finally appeared before them.
"Long time no see, Luffy."
A faint smile was on Shanks's lips, and his gaze showed a hint of gratification.
"You've really grown a lot. And you've grown a lot taller too."
"Hee hee hee. I've finally seen you, Shanks."
Luffy grinned and looked at Red-Hair.
Seeing each other again after eleven years, the joy and excitement in his heart made it almost impossible for him to suppress the urge to rush forward.
Usopp's gaze was urgent as he scanned the crowd opposite. He finally landed on a man with a headband on his forehead and his hair tied in dreadlocks.
"Dad!!"
The first moment he saw Yasopp, Usopp couldn't help but cry out excitedly. A glimmer of light flickered in his eyes, as if tears were about to gush out.
"Hey, hey. What are you trying to do, you brat?"
Yasopp's thick lips curled up in a tease. He said:
"Although I know you've had a tough journey, but if you dare to cry, watch out, or I'll be the first to beat you up."
"Hahaha! Aren't you being a bit too strict, Yasopp? You're not like this when you talk about your son,"
Lucky Roux took a bite of the meat in his hand and said with a loud laugh. He chewed a little and swallowed, then raised it and waved it at Luffy on the other side, shouting.
"Hey—! Long time no see, Luffy!"
"Alright, Luffy. Let's put aside this tender scene for now. Before that, don't forget we still have one more thing to do."
Shanks spoke softly and walked forward. From a distance of a dozen meters, he said to Luffy:
"Luffy, do you still remember our promise?"
"Ah. Of course."
Luffy smiled and nodded, his expression extremely serious.
"That's good. If you don't surpass us, then you haven't fulfilled the promise."
With that, Shanks's hand was already on the Gryphon at his waist. He said to the people behind him without turning his head:
"Are you ready, everyone? Don't think that they need you to go easy on them. If you underestimate the young people, you'll be the one to suffer."
"Don't worry, boss. I'll take care of my brat,"
Yasopp said with a teasing laugh, the barrel of his gun resting on his shoulder. His gaze was already fixed on Usopp.
In the Buggy camp, next to the Red Hair Pirates, Hawk-Eye walked out. He drew the black blade Yoru from his back and pointed it straight at Zoro, his tone cold:
"Come with me, Roronoa."
"That's just what I was thinking."
A cold smile appeared on the corner of Zoro's mouth. He turned to look at Luffy and nodded, and the two of them, along with Hawk-Eye, leaped into the ruins.
"Wahahaha! Do you remember me, Straw Hat!"
With a sharp laugh, Buggy flew out of the crowd. His clown makeup was exaggerated as he bared his teeth and claws and shouted:
"That's right! It's this great me! The one who almost executed you in Loguetown back then..."
"Who's this red-nosed guy?"
Before Buggy could finish, Luffy tilted his head in confusion and picked his nose with a bewildered look.
"I don't remember at all!!"
Buggy held his head and screamed in disbelief.
"How dare you make fun of my nose! It's too despicable! Brothers, get him!!"
Buggy waved his large hand angrily, ordering his underlings behind him to swarm up!
"Charge!"
"Let's show this bastard who dares to insult Lord Buggy a thing or two!"
The ferocious-looking pirates, holding swords and guns, swarmed out like a hive.
"Who allowed you to stand in front of me and give orders?"
A cold voice came from behind, which made Buggy jump in fright. He quickly broke out in a cold sweat, and his neck stiffly turned back.
"N-no... you listen to me..."
"I don't have time for you now. We'll settle the score next time."
Bang!!
Crocodile kicked the back of Buggy's head. His lower body transformed into flying sand, and coming from behind, he passed the charging pirates. He held a cigar at the corner of his mouth, and his gaze was indifferent as he looked at Reiner. He shouted in a low voice:
"Black Snake! You haven't forgotten the old score for this arm, have you!"
"Didn't you rip it off yourself? Isn't it a bit of a stretch to put that on me?"
Reiner raised his hand and created a void rift. He summoned the undead of the warden Magellan and charged straight at Crocodile.
"We're getting ready to go, everyone!"
Luffy squatted down, his fist on the ground, his gaze straight at Shanks. The two exchanged a smile, and at the same time, they moved, instantly disappearing from the spot!
(End of chapter)