Chapter 5: Chopper: "My Medical Knowledge Just Vanished!"
HUM—
A blood-red slash tore through the sky.
The gigantic anchor plummeting toward them was perfectly bisected in a single instant, its cross-section mirror-smooth!
SPLASH—
Both halves crashed into the sea on either side, sending up towering waves.
The Thousand Sunny, right in the center, didn't even get scratched—just rocked gently with the swell.
At that moment,
every single person—Straw Hats and Flying Fish Riders alike—stood frozen in shock.
"Super! A fully-cola-charged Thousand Sunny isn't going down to some oversized anchor!"
Inside the ship,
Franky had just finished pumping cola into the engines, ready to emergency-dodge.
Next second—he watched the two halves plop harmlessly past the hull.
…
Wasn't this supposed to be my hero moment?!
And who the hell cut an anchor that size in half?! Even Zoro would struggle—and he's on shore!
While Franky sulked in the control room,
everyone else on deck turned wide eyes toward Rock.
"Heehee! Hey, Nok! You're actually that strong?!"
From the shore, Luffy yelled excitedly.
He hadn't expected Rock's swordsmanship to rival Zoro's!
"That slash… was pretty damn strong."
Zoro's expression held both shock and gravity.
As a swordsman, he instantly grasped how terrifying that cut was.
Right now—even he might fall slightly short.
"Tch, this annoying handsome bastard actually has skills?"
Nami sneaked a glance at Rock's sharp profile, muttered under her breath, then mentally cursed him another three hundred times.
Usopp and Brook were equally floored.
Usopp had been planning to show off in front of the "newbie."
Who the hell is the newbie here?!
"Rock, don't push yourself—your injuries! If the poison flares up, you're done!"
Robin was the least surprised—she knew his strength.
She was only worried about his body.
"EHHHH?! R-Rock… are you for real?! This completely defies medical science! Weird!!"
Chopper leapt onto Rock's shoulder, pinching his cheeks like he was checking if he was human.
Because this was insane.
Earlier, Chopper had found bloodstains on Nami's sheets—laced with utterly horrifying toxin.
Rock had definitely been poisoned by something apocalyptic.
Yet now?
Fully recovered and swinging a sword like that?!
Chopper's entire medical worldview was crumbling!
Does medicine even exist in this world anymore?!
"Chopper, calm down. I've got a tough body, and I told you—I drank a bottle of energy drink this morning and felt way better."
Rock gently set Chopper down and brushed it off casually.
Then his gaze sharpened toward the Flying Fish Riders still buzzing overhead dropping bombs.
…A bit embarrassing to admit,
but the current Straw Hats were honestly still pretty weak.
Struggling this much against small fry like the Flying Fish Riders?
They were wasting time.
Sabaody was right there.
Would Saint Shalria show up on the archipelago?
He was really looking forward to it.
Right now,
Rock's expression turned ice-cold.
The next instant—
HUM—
An overwhelming wave of mental pressure exploded outward!
In the blink of an eye,
every single Flying Fish Rider in the sky passed out cold and plummeted.
Even the Straw Hats—whom Rock deliberately spared—felt a terrifying pressure crush down on them!
At that moment,
only Robin and Brook exchanged grave looks with Rock.
Brook had no eyes, but his skull somehow looked deadly serious.
"Eh? Why'd they all just drop? Weird!"
By the time Luffy and the others processed it,
every enemy in sight was unconscious.
The Monster Trio stared at each other, completely lost.
By then, Zoro's group had already rescued Hachi.
Sanji had finished giving poor Duval his "handsome makeover package."
Mission accomplished—no reason to linger.
Led by Hachi,
the Thousand Sunny—carrying Rock—set course for Sabaody Archipelago.
Along the way, Hachi treated everyone to delicious takoyaki.
Meanwhile,
pirates from all over were converging on the archipelago.
Among them—the Eleven Supernovas, the most notorious rookies tearing up the first half of the Grand Line.
Including Straw Hat Luffy and Pirate Hunter Zoro.
And, of course—
the person Rock most "wanted" to meet:
Celestial Dragon Saint Shalria Palace.
Right now, Shalria was throwing a tantrum over not getting Rock.
After beating another captain-slave to death, she swore she'd find a satisfactory slave in the next few days.
Little did she know—
Rock was already on his way.
The World Government had issued his 100 million Berry bounty,
but the news was still circulating only among bounty hunters who salivated at the amount.
Outside that circle? Barely anyone cared.
Rock had never been a public celebrity.
Unless you were a famous rogue Marine like X Drake of the Supernovas, random colonels didn't make headlines.
The real reason, though—
the entire world was holding its breath.
Storm clouds of an unprecedented war loomed over the seas.
The upcoming Summit War of Marineford,
and the incident about to explode right here in Sabaody—
Rock's feelings were complicated.
If possible,
he would risk everything to reclaim his dignity.
He had already kept the lowest profile possible in the Marines.
Endured silently.
Yet they still treated him like an ant. A disposable slave.
Those memories were carved into his heart like blades.
One day—
he, Douglas D. Rock, would make them all pay.
"Hey, Ro—Rock! We're docking soon. You're coming with me to the Sabaody bank!"
Nami's shout snapped him out of it.
Rock slowly raised his head.
Sabaody Archipelago.
Finally—
we've arrived.
…
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