Luffy didn't recognize the pale-faced man standing before them, but Sanji did. He had met this person once before, a year ago.
Sanji blocked Luffy's path, his expression grave. "Luffy, that's Emperor Arima , the man who wiped out Big Mom and her entire crew half a year ago."
The moment those words left his mouth, everyone present , except for the ever-carefree Luffy , froze in shock.
Vivi stared at Arima, lips parting as if to speak but unable to form words. Chopper hid behind her, peeking timidly at the intimidating man.
Arima smiled. "It's been a while, Sanji."
Luffy turned his head toward Sanji. "Oh? You two know each other?"
"We met once at Baratie... Are you here for us?" Sanji's tone carried obvious tension.
"You could say that. I wanted to meet Luffy. Ten years ago, Shanks mentioned him to me."
"Huh? You know Red-Haired Shanks?!"
The crew gasped again, stunned by the revelation.
Luffy's face lit up with excitement. "You know Shanks? He's doing okay, right?"
"He's fine. He hasn't gone back to the East Blue, has he?"
"Nope! So, uh, between you and Shanks, who's stronger?" Luffy asked curiously.
"Haha, you're an interesting kid. Well, we were supposed to find out once, but Shanks was afraid I'd break his sword, so we never finished our match."
Arima genuinely liked Luffy's straightforward nature. He didn't take offense at the boy's bluntness, in fact, he found it refreshing.
Watching his captain casually chat with one of the Yonko, Sanji's heart pounded in his chest. He couldn't shake the fear that Luffy might say something reckless and anger their guest.
"You didn't come all the way to Drum Island just to see Luffy, did you?" Sanji asked cautiously.
"You could say there's another reason. I brought something for your captain, and… I heard Nojiko was sick, so I came with her sister, Nami, to visit."
Arima didn't bother to hide anything.
When Nami heard her name, she stepped forward and bowed politely to the Straw Hats. "Thank you all for taking care of my sister."
Sanji's heart skipped a beat the moment he laid eyes on her, youthful, radiant, and utterly beautiful.
In an instant, he reverted to his usual flirtatious self, straightening his clothes and rushing forward. "Lovely Miss Nami, it's been my greatest honor to care for your sister!"
"Pervert," Zoro muttered with a scowl.
Nami just smiled gracefully. "Thank you, Sanji, for the meals you prepared for my sister. If you ever come to Sky Island, I'll make sure to treat you properly."
"Sky Island? What's that?" Luffy tilted his head, completely lost.
"Sky Island is ten thousand meters above Jaya Island in the first half of the Grand Line," Nami explained. "You'll pass it after Alabasta."
"Alabasta? Isn't that Vivi's country?!"
Luffy finally remembered. They were supposed to head straight there, but Nojiko's illness had forced them to detour to Drum Island in search of a doctor.
"Vivi? Who's that?" Nami asked.
"That's me! …Hello, Lord Arima."
Vivi stepped out from behind the crew and bowed respectfully.
"I know you , Nefertari Vivi, princess of Alabasta. Your kingdom is on the brink of war. Why are you here instead of home?"
Vivi hadn't expected Arima to even know of Alabasta, let alone its troubles. For the first time, she felt a flicker of hope.
She took a deep breath, bowed low, and pleaded earnestly, "Lord Arima, please forgive my boldness, but… could you save my country?
Please, save the innocent people who will soon be caught in the flames of war!"
"Vivi!"
Sanji's chest tightened. This fragile girl was carrying the weight of her entire nation alone, enduring all its pain in silence.
For someone who had always hated bowing to anyone, Sanji's resolve wavered. For Vivi's sake, he bent at the waist and bowed deeply. "Please help her. Whatever it takes, I'll do it!"
Luffy's expression hardened as he looked at his friends' desperate faces. "Vivi, Sanji, I'll take down every single one of our enemies. That's our promise."
Zoro gripped his swords tighter. "Didn't think I'd see you begging, pervert. Don't worry, my blades will cut through every obstacle in our way."
Usopp puffed out his chest. "Even though I've got that, uh, terrible can't-go-on-an-island disease, I'll still push through for my crewmates!"
Chopper murmured a small "Mm!" from behind them, voice trembling but full of resolve.
Arima looked at them, clearly surprised by their unity. "You kids… You've got spirit. It almost makes me feel guilty turning you down.
Vivi, I can save your country, but understand this. The moment I act, your kingdom will be seen as my ally, and the World Government will brand you as enemies."
"What…?" Vivi's face went pale, her heart sinking with despair.
Nami bit her lip, her compassion surfacing. She knew all too well what it was like to lose everything. Looking to Arima, she asked softly, "Captain, can't we help her? Even a little?"
Arima chuckled. "I won't intervene directly… but I can lend you some help. I'll teach you the Rokushiki, the Six Powers I learned from Luffy's grandfather, and you'll have to master as much as you can in a short time."
Before they could celebrate, he continued, "And there are two things you need to know.
First, Crocodile is a Sand-Sand Fruit user. His weaknesses are seawater, seastone, and even ordinary water.
Second, there's a member of Baroque Works named Bon Clay, a user of the Clone-Clone Fruit."
With that, Arima reached into his Kamui space and pulled out a pair of seastone handcuffs, tossing them toward Luffy.
Without thinking, Luffy caught them, and immediately felt his body grow weak and heavy.
"Huh? Why's this handcuff so heavy?" he grumbled, throwing it aside.
Zoro caught it mid-air and frowned. "It's not heavy at all. Just… hard as rock."
"That's seastone," Arima explained. "It drains a Devil Fruit user's strength, rendering them helpless."
Luffy, ever-curious, reached out to touch the cuffs again, and at once, his rubber powers vanished.
"Whoa! That's amazing!" Luffy's eyes sparkled like gold coins, as if he'd just discovered a new world.
"You'll encounter much more in the future," Arima said calmly.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg. Against Devil Fruit users, seastone and seawater are effective, but the most common counter is Haki. Though, learning it takes time."
As he spoke, his right arm turned pitch-black, cloaked in Armament Haki.
"I know that!" Luffy exclaimed. "Gramps used to hit me like that all the time , it hurt so bad!"
Arima laughed softly.