East Blue coast, Wreckage Island.
On the grassy deck of the Thousand Sunny, the Straw Hat Pirates gathered together, the atmosphere unusually tense.
"Boom..." A dull thud suddenly came from above, the ship abruptly sank, and the deck shook violently. Everyone looked up to see a dark figure landing in the center of the deck with a sharp gust of wind pressure.
"Who's there?!" Luffy was the first to jump up, assuming a fighting stance.
Ryan stood on the deck, the Seven Star Sword at his waist gleaming coldly in the sunlight, a half-inch deep dent left in the deck beside his feet.
"It's you?" Luffy recognized the newcomer, quickly retracting his arm. Most of the vigilance faded from his face, replaced by surprise. "Big Pink Dragon."
"Tch, it's this guy." Sanji frowned around his cigarette, instinctively stepping in front of Nami and Robin, his swirly eyebrows furrowing. "Persistent pest."
Zoro's gaze, however, was locked intently on the sword at Ryan's waist, a fighting spirit stirring within him. Robin stood a bit further away, her fingers subtly curling at her sides. Seeing the familiar, faintly mocking smile at the corner of Ryan's lips, her heart inexplicably tightened.
They had agreed... what was her restraint for then...
Ignoring their reactions, Ryan leisurely scanned the deck. The lawn was neatly trimmed, the orange tree in the corner bore green fruit, and the lion figurehead at the prow looked majestic. "Nice ship," he commented.
"Of course!" Luffy immediately puffed out his chest, proudly slapping the deck. "Franky built this Thousand Sunny for us! It's super awesome!"
Nami, however, didn't relax her guard. She stepped forward, glaring at Ryan. "Cut the crap. What are you really here for?"
Ryan's gaze fell on Nami's tense profile, then slid to Robin's clenched hands. The smile on his lips deepened. "Nothing much. Just here on the World Government's invitation to arrest you all."
"What?!" Luffy's eyes widened. "You're here to capture us?"
"Hey now, this guy's an enemy?" Franky also dropped his lazy demeanor. "I thought he was your acquaintance?"
"Stop joking around!" Sanji bit down on his cigarette butt and shot forward like a cannonball, his right leg a blur trailing a gust of wind. "Grind Muscle!"
The heavy kick landed squarely on Ryan's shoulder, but produced a dull "thud" as if hitting solid iron. Sanji felt a piercing pain shoot through his ankle, his whole body curling up as he clutched his foot and cried out in pain. "Damn it... What's his body made of?!"
"Cook!" Zoro shouted low, three swords instantly drawn. "Three Sword Style—Purgatory·Oni Slash!"
Three intersecting arcs of blade light slashed towards Ryan like lightning, the air tearing with a shriek. Ryan, unhurried, drew the Elephant Sword Funkfreed from his waist with a backhand motion, precisely blocking the edges of the three blades.
"Funkfreed," Ryan called out, looking at the shocked Zoro. With a "toot" sound resembling an elephant's cry, the long sword suddenly expanded and transformed, instantly morphing into a giant elephant clad in thick armor, which slammed hard into Zoro's chest.
"Bang!" Zoro was sent flying back like a kite with its string cut, crashing into the ship's cabin.
"Zoro!" Luffy's eyes widened instantly, steam erupting from his entire body as he expanded with a poof sound. "Gear Second—Gomu Gomu... Jet Pistol!"
His fist shot toward Ryan's face with a sharp whistling sound, but Ryan merely clenched his own fist and met the heavy punch head-on. The moment their fists collided, Luffy felt as if his arm had smashed against steel, the impact sending him stumbling backward. Clutching his aching fist, he cried out, "So hard! That hurts!"
Sanji was still hissing while holding his ankle, Zoro lay collapsed inside the ship's cabin, and Luffy crouched on the deck rubbing his reddened fist, disbelief evident in his eyes. In the blink of an eye, the three strongest fighters of the Straw Hat Pirates had all been defeated.
"What's with the impulsiveness?" Ryan sheathed his sword calmly. "You fell before I even exerted any real effort."
Nami gripped her Clima-Tact tightly, watching Luffy crouching in pain before glancing toward the hole in the cabin wall, swallowing hard. She wasn't unaware of Ryan's strength—the image of that dragon's head held high was seared into her memory—but she'd thought their crew stood a chance if they fought together. Yet within mere seconds, their three strongest combatants lay defeated.
"You..." Nami bit her lip, her voice trembling imperceptibly. "What do you actually want?"
Robin stood further away, not revealing her edge like Nami but lowering her eyelids to conceal the turbulent emotions in her eyes. Ryan's smooth sword-sheathing motion and his comment about "not exerting effort" made it clear he'd been holding back. Even so, Luffy and the others had been completely overwhelmed.
This man with twisted humor had never taken this "arrest" seriously from the beginning. Perhaps from the moment he stepped aboard, he'd merely been watching a show.
But what did he truly want? Was he really following the World Government's orders, or... did he have another purpose?
"If I don't arrest you, the World Government will revoke my Seven Warlords title." Ryan shrugged at Nami, his tone tinged with mockery. "I have no choice here."
"You..." Nami started to retort, but Robin cut her off first.
"You're not the kind of man who cares about a Seven Warlords title." Robin's voice remained steady, her gaze unwavering as it met Ryan's.
She hadn't interacted with Ryan much, but every encounter left a deep impression. This man acted entirely on whim, truly bound by nothing—fame and fortune meant nothing to him.
"Can't say for sure." Ryan's lips curled into an amused smile as he looked at the "restrained" Nico Robin. "The privileges of being a Warlord are quite nice, after all."
Robin's expression stiffened momentarily before she understood—he was toying with them again. That line about "caring about privileges" was just an excuse. This man had never intended to seriously carry out the orders from the start.
Beside them, Nami's eyes shifted craftily, her tense expression instantly softening as she even managed to squeeze out a smile. She stepped closer. "Ryan, we're old acquaintances, aren't we? From Cocoyasi Village to Little Garden, we've shared some history. How about letting us off this time?"
Watching Nami's instant change in attitude, Ryan thought to himself how this little thief-cat knew when to yield and when to advance—truly cunning. He chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm just putting on a show for the World Government. When we fight later, I'll go easy on you."
"Really?" Nami's eyes lit up, her tense shoulders instantly relaxing, and Chopper behind her let out a long sigh of relief.
"But..." Ryan looked at the relieved Nami and teased, "If you still can't escape like this, you can't blame me for actually arresting you."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a sharp blade wind suddenly erupted from the hole in the cabin!
"Three Sword Style: Three Thousand Worlds!"
With Zoro's low shout, three interweaving sword lights flashed toward Ryan's back like lightning, moving several times faster than before.
Only then did everyone notice that Zoro had somehow climbed out of the cabin. A green bandana was tied around his forehead, wood chips still clung to his left cheek, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.
Ryan hadn't expected Zoro to attack at this moment. Though he was prepared, he didn't anticipate this move being even more fierce than before. As the sword light reached him, he instinctively turned sideways but was still grazed by the outermost blade wind on his back.
"Rip!"
His clothes were instantly torn open. Three blades struck Ryan's shoulder blades simultaneously, but instead of the expected blood and flesh flying everywhere, there was a harsh sizzling sound. Sparks actually flew where the blades made contact with his skin.
Perhaps it was precisely because there was no damage at all that he couldn't feel it!
"Get down!"
With an angry roar, the muscles in Zoro's arms suddenly bulged. The three blade winds abruptly intensified, carrying a sharp whistle that tore through the air. Though they didn't harm Ryan, they used this momentum to send him flying backward.
"Thump!" He crashed against the railing at the edge of the deck. The wooden railing shattered upon impact, and Ryan was knocked overboard.
"Great opportunity!" Luffy immediately jumped up and shouted: "Set sail, Franky!"
"Got it!" Franky responded, rushing toward the helm. Nami and Chopper hurriedly pulled up the anchor chain, while Sanji quickly adjusted the sail angles.
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