"Charge—!"
On a wild, high-speed track that looked like something straight out of *QQ Speed*, chaos unfolded—cannons fired by a Marine captain, toxic bombs thrown by a crazy doctor, modified armored cars… and:
"Pass them, Usopp!"
Amidst a crowd of racers using every dirty trick in the book, the only ones actually *playing fair* were the three Straw Hat goofballs.
After all, with Luffy's crew's strength, if they *really* wanted to win an unrestricted race, a single burst of Conqueror's Haki would clear the track in seconds.
"Hahaha, this is awesome!"
"Go, Sakura Reindeer Go~~~!"
"Will you guys shut up and let me focus?!"
Luffy shouted the rally cries, Chopper handled the cuteness, and of course, the driver was the Straw Hat Crew's jack-of-all-trades, Usopp. — Outside of battle, Usopp could do just about anything, putting even the greatest geniuses to shame.
"These idiots are having way too much fun."
Watching from the sidelines—not quite, *observing*—Zoro spoke with his usual bluntness, but the small smile on his face betrayed his true feelings. In the end, after fighting all the way from East Blue to this point, their original dreams had become less important. What truly mattered now were the moments of joy with their crew—
?!
!!
In an instant, Zoro, Jinbe, and even Luffy in the car all turned their heads toward the towering Golden Tower at the center of the island! Even Usopp, focused on driving, momentarily lost concentration, nearly getting hit by a Marine Captain's cannon blast.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what was *that* just now…?"
"No, it's nothing."
Luffy adjusted his straw hat, his excited smile returning.
"Full speed ahead! First place is ours—!"
"Hmph, false alarm."
Zoro turned back, crossing his arms as he continued watching Luffy's race. Meanwhile, the brief but powerful Haki clash at the Golden Tower had already faded. Those without true strength didn't even notice it had happened.
————
"…Have you calmed down?"
"You..."
Tesoro, who had been forced back onto the sofa, wanted to act tough, but under Roman's grip, his large body was going numb and weak. He could clearly feel the gap in strength between them.
He had let his guard down—he should have used *Divine Punishment Giant* right away!
That was a move where he gathered a massive amount of gold to form a giant golden robot. Unlike Pica's crude rock constructs, this was a high-density gold giant with intricate mechanics, capable of matching Gear Fourth Luffy in both power and defense.
After all, Tesoro wasn't just anyone—he was a Devil Fruit awakener. He had stolen the Gold-Gold Fruit from Doflamingo's auction, survived relentless pursuit by the Donquixote Family, and grew stronger with each battle until Doflamingo had no choice but to work with him instead of against him.
Tesoro shouldn't have been this easily overpowered, but years of smooth sailing had made him underestimate Roman. Even though he knew Roman was a strategist for the Straw Hat Crew—the same crew that had taken down Kaido—he had still assumed strategists were just planners, not warriors. At most, he thought they'd be evenly matched in strength.
But the moment they clashed, Roman instantly subdued him. He hadn't even had a chance to unleash his ultimate move before he was already on the brink of defeat!
By the way, in this world, hardness is ranked as follows: iron, steel, gold, diamond, and sea stone. Gold isn't soft at all—it's actually a high-strength metal. Even Zoro would need to coat his swords with Haki to cut through Tesoro's golden armor.
"I know your past, Gild Tesoro."
Instead of delivering a final blow, Roman released his grip and leaned back. A large mass of white paper quickly formed into a chair beneath him. Tesoro, now free, was unsure of Roman's true intentions.
"I'll be direct—we, the Straw Hat Crew, are destined to fight the Celestial Dragons."
?!
For a moment, even the seasoned *Golden Emperor* Tesoro widened his eyes in shock. His tense body nearly shot up from the sofa—but then, after a few seconds of silence, he slumped back down.
"How reckless."
There were countless people in this world who wanted the Celestial Dragons dead—more than just thousands or tens of thousands. We're talking millions, maybe even billions! The vast majority of people on this planet wished those overfed pigs would die a miserable death. Some would even go so far as to say they deserved to be skinned alive and eaten.
That old saying from Roman's previous life described the Celestial Dragons perfectly—**they exploit all living beings for their own pleasure, exhausting the world's resources to satisfy their endless greed.**
"I know what you're about to say, Mr. Tesoro—the man who always talks about 'gods.'"
?!
Tesoro trembled. He had initially thought Roman was just another arrogant fool, but the word *god* carried a special weight in this world. Ordinary people might not realize it, but to those who truly understood power, *god* wasn't just some vague idol—it was a nightmare.
"You're afraid."
Roman leaned back in his paper chair, watching as the so-called richest man in the world trembled all over, his eyelids twitching. He looked like he had Parkinson's disease, just from hearing a single word.
"You fear the Celestial Dragons… or rather, the power behind them—"
"*That* god!"
"...Looks like I really underestimated the Straw Hat Crew."
Tesoro let out a long breath, finally admitting to himself that he had misjudged them—not just their strength, but their knowledge as well.
Most people who proclaimed they wanted to be the *Pirate King* were scoffed at by true powerhouses. Because real warriors knew the truth—becoming Pirate King wasn't just about reaching Laugh Tale by sheer luck. It was about carrying the weight of that title.
Even the legendary Roger Pirates had barely escaped total annihilation. If Roger hadn't disbanded his crew immediately after returning from Laugh Tale and later turned himself in to the Marines, the resulting war might have erased everything. The Great Pirate Era might never have even begun.
"Our captain's goal is to become the Pirate King."
Roman didn't sugarcoat it. Not that he needed to—Luffy had already made it his signature catchphrase. By now, the entire ocean knew it.
Of course, no one laughed at Luffy anymore. At most, they simply acknowledged that the youngest of the new Four Emperors was an ambitious force of nature.
"And if we're going to be Pirate King, that means we'll have to fight the Celestial Dragons. So—"
Roman looked directly at Tesoro, a man whose life had been destroyed by the Celestial Dragons.
"Will you join us, Mr. Tesoro?"
Or rather—how deep does your hatred run?
At *Prisoner Brand*, a clothing store on Fish-Man Island—
This shop was run by Papagu, the starfish who always hung around with Camie. Whether it was strange for a starfish to be a fashion designer, or if the name *Prisoner Brand* would scare off customers, didn't seem to matter. The fact that the shop was thriving proved its success.
"What do you think of this one?"
Inside the store, decorated with deep-sea accessories, Nami excitedly held up an outfit and turned to the side. But when she looked over, she was met with the shocked and pale faces of Robin and Pudding!
?
Before Nami could react, two arms suddenly wrapped around her from behind. A pair of *very* soft cushions pressed against the top of her head, and whatever instinct to fight back she had immediately vanished.
"Hey, shopping for clothes alone and not inviting me?"
!? "Gion… Cough, cough! You must have the wrong person, I'm not—"
"Cut the nonsense. Do you think I wouldn't recognize you?"
The tall, powerful female swordsman, a Marine candidate for Admiral, rolled her eyes at Nami, who was clearly trying to avoid eye contact. Both being female Marines under Vice Admiral Tsuru's command, and with Nami—or rather, "Rear Admiral An"—having recently made a name for herself, there was no way Gion could mistake her.
"Relax, this is neutral ground. There's no distinction between Marines and pirates here, and no work to worry about… Well, okay, I am technically here on business. But someone else is handling the troublesome stuff."
Dressed in a pink jacket over her Marine officer's coat, with long, slender legs in full display, the Marine candidate for Admiral, 'Momousagi' Gion, greeted Robin and Pudding with a friendly nod.
"Are these your friends?"
"Hello, ladies—"
"As you can see, I'm An's friend from the Marines, Gion. Just call me by my name."
"Uh… Miss Gion,"
"Gion-sis~~"
Robin and Pudding were both skilled at acting, but standing in front of a Marine candidate for Admiral… if things went wrong, the three of them could end up in serious trouble.
"Come on, An. Let big sis give you a little 'check-up'~~"
Without waiting for a response, the equally tall Gion dragged Nami toward a nearby fitting room, leaving Robin and Pudding sweating nervously.
So this is how Marines have fun, huh—?
Roman was furious!
…Of course not.
"An, you need to be more careful when you're out and about. If we girls end up in the hands of bad guys, it's way worse than what those stinky men have to deal with."
As Gion's hands moved skillfully, a small golden dust-like substance was drawn out from Nami's body using her Haki, forming a tiny spinning gold ball that hovered in her palm.
"This… is from when we entered?"
Seeing Nami's look of realization, the tall and elegant Marine candidate for Admiral, Gion, nodded.
"That's right. This is the power of Gild Tesoro, the owner of this place. He scatters gold dust at the entrance as a 'welcome gift' to everyone stepping into his territory. Careless people don't even realize they've been marked. Then, when a fight breaks out…"
The gold dust suddenly hardens at the joints and other key spots, enough to take down even skilled fighters with ease!
"That's so sneaky!"
Nami's expression changed, and she instinctively reached for the book hanging at her waist.
"You weren't about to warn Roman, were you?"
Gion chuckled at Nami's nervous reaction and playfully pinched her soft cheek.
"Silly girl, do you really think someone as overly cautious as Roman—who covers himself in layers of ability-created defenses—would fall for such a simple trick?"
"Roman…"
As Nami snapped back to reality, she suddenly recalled Roman's hesitant expression when they first encountered the gold dust.
So while everyone else had been excited about their upcoming adventure, Roman had already realized that the Straw Hat Crew had unknowingly fallen into a trap.
Unbelievable. He just let us all walk right into it without saying a word~~
"By the way, Gion-sis."
Nami frowned slightly. Even though she wasn't in the Marines anymore, she still kept up with their news.
"The World Conference just ended. Shouldn't the Marines be busy escorting the leaders of various nations back home? Why are you…"
…hanging out at a place like this?
"Hmph, if you and Roman can come here, why can't I?"
If the monk can touch the bell, why can't I? Where's the justice in that?
"Ahem, that's not what I meant. It's just…"
"I already told you—I'm just 'doing my duty.'"
After teasing Nami for a while, the tall Gion finally revealed the real reason.
"A Marine teaming up with pirates isn't exactly something you can announce to the world. I assume our 'leader' has already made contact with the captain of the Straw Hat Crew?"
!? "Hehehe, we won~~"
"Of course! Do you even know who's driving?!"
Meanwhile, just as Luffy and Usopp were celebrating with their tenfold winnings, a young Marine officer walked toward them.
His short pink hair was tied back with a flower-patterned handkerchief.
"It's been a while, Luffy."
(End of chapter)
----
You can read 30 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu