Ray stood on the edge of the plaza, adjusting his coat. He was ready to leave.
He had a deadline to meet and a Yonko to kill.
But before he could take off, the crew surrounded him to offer their "blessings."
It started sweet. Then it got weird. And finally, it just got annoying.
"You have to come back!" Chopper cried, clinging to Ray's leg. "Boss Ray is the strongest! You definitely won't get hurt! Or poisoned! Or eaten!"
Ray twitched.
'Stop saying that, you're jinxing it.'
"Yeah!" Usopp pumped his fist, looking confident for someone who was crying five minutes ago.
"Boss Ray would never get hit by a sneak attack or a hidden weapon! He's too cool for that!"
'That is literally the number one way people die in stories,' Ray thought, resisting the urge to facepalm.
'Stop planting flags.'
Robin smiled, it was a slightly creepy smile.
"Indeed. With Ray's strength, I'm sure he'll bring back a Poneglyph too."
'I'm going to rescue a dog, not do your history homework, woman.'
Then came the falling object.
"AAAAAHHH!"
Nami plummeted past him, flailing wildly. "Make sure you don't end up eating dirt like meeeee! Come back rich!"
Sanji lit a cigarette, blowing smoke with a philosophically perverted look on his face.
"Don't worry about the marriage thing, Ray. With your looks? If you lose, Big Mom will just force you to breed with her and her children. Having a harem isn't the worst way to go out, you know?"
Ray glared at him.
'If I had time, I'd kick you into the ocean.'
Zoro adjusted his bandanna, grinning like a shark. "Don't you dare die out there. Before I defeat you, no swordsman—and no Yonko—is allowed to take your head."
Finally, Luffy just laughed, slapping Ray on the back.
"Shishishi! Anyway, we still have to wait a week for Franky to build new ship before we can go chase after the Golden Lion! So, let's have a banquet first! Ray, have a safe trip! We'll save you some meat!"
With that, the idiots started singing and dancing, already pivoting to "Party Mode."
Ray shook his head, sighing.
'These people were walking disaster magnets.'
He turned his back on them, his expression hardening into ice.
The warmth of the crew vanished, replaced by the cold killing intent of a Great Demon.
'Big Mom,' Ray thought, his eyes narrowing. 'I kill you soon!'
WHOOSH!
Green wind exploded around him.
Ray shot into the sky like a silver bullet, disappearing toward the horizon where the Emperor had fled.
He tried to reach out with his mind, searching for the bloodline connection to Chouchou.
Nothing.
Ray gritted his teeth.
The drugs and the "evolution" Chouchou underwent must have mutated his bloodline enough to sever the tracking sense.
He was flying blind.
He would have to do this the hard way!
...
While Ray flew solo toward hell, the rest of the world kept turning.
The Straw Hats' cheerfulness evaporated the second Ray was out of sight.
They stood on the cliff, watching the empty sky with heavy hearts.
"Will Ray be okay?" Chopper whispered.
"Of course," Zoro grunted, though his hand lingered on his sword. "Have faith in him."
"Then we have a job to do," Sanji said, stomping out his cigarette. "We absolutely must get that antidote from Golden Lion Shiki."
"Yeah!" Luffy shouted. "Let's get ready!"
Meanwhile, Buggy wasn't sticking around for the party.
He had watched the floating island fall.
He knew exactly whose signature move that was, and for Buggy, this was personal.
Without a word to the Straw Hats, he gathered his crew.
"Set sail!" Buggy ordered, his face grim.
...
Five Days Later: Sabaody Archipelago
Ray made a pit stop.
He landed in the lawless mangrove forests of Sabaody.
He went straight to a certain rip-off bar in Grove 13.
There, sitting at the counter, was an old man with glasses and a flask.
The Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh.
"Going to the New World alone, huh?" Rayleigh chuckled, tossing a small piece of paper onto the bar.
"You've got guts, kid. Or a death wish."
It was a Vivre Card and..... it pointed directly to Charlotte Linlin.
"Thanks," Ray said, taking the card.
"Don't die," the old legend murmured.
Ray didn't respond.
He flew straight up, soaring over the Red Line, and plunged into the chaotic waters of the New World.
...
Seven Days Later: Water 7
While Ray was entering enemy territory, a birth was happening in Water 7.
The curtain fell, revealing a beast.
"SUUUUPER!"
Franky struck his signature pose in front of the most magnificent ship anyone had ever seen.
It was massive—twice the size of the Going Merry.
It had a lion figurehead with a sun-mane, grass on the deck, and a soldier dock system.
"I call her the Thousand Sunny!" Franky roared. "This baby will cross a thousand seas!"
Luffy's eyes turned into stars.
"IT'S SO COOL!"
But there was a surprise inside.
Franky led them to the weapons dock.
Channel zero.
"I promised you, didn't I?" Franky grinned, patting a small, familiar figurehead.
Anchored there... was the Going Merry.
She had been upgraded, repaired, and integrated into the Sunny's systems.
"She'll conquer the seas with us," Franky said softly. "Inside the heart of the Sunny."
Usopp immediately burst into tears.
Then came the hard part.
The recruitment.
It involved a stolen pair of swim trunks, a cannon, and a lot of screaming, but eventually, amidst tears and laughter, Franky accepted Luffy's invitation.
Because holding the blueprints for Pluton in his head made him a target.
Staying in Water 7 would only endanger Iceburg.
The safest place for Franky was..... on the ship of the future Pirate King.
...
While the pirates celebrated, the mood in the Fleet Admiral's office was heavy enough to crush a man.
The air conditioning was on, but Fleet Admiral Sengoku was sweating.
Around the massive table sat the heavyweights of the Marines.
Vice Admiral Garp was eating crackers, looking unbothered.
Admiral Aokiji was napping with his eye mask on his forehead.
Former Admiral Zephyr sat stiffly, his mechanical arm resting on the table.
Vice Admirals Momousagi and Chaton—candidates for the Admiral position—looked nervous.
They were discussing a single rookie pirate crew.
Sengoku slammed a stack of papers onto the table.
"We need to settle this. The Straw Hat Pirates. Specifically, the bounties for 'Straw Hat' Luffy and 'Cold Prince' Ray."
He looked at the lazy man in a suit.
"Kuzan. You fought Ray. Give us the assessment."
Aokiji scratched his head, yawning.
"Arara... do I have to?" Aokiji sighed. "Fine. Bounty assessments depend on three things: Combat strength, influence, and villainy."
He leaned forward, his expression turning serious.
"First, combat ability. Ray... is a monster."
The room went silent.
"He is nearly my equal," Aokiji stated flatly. "I'm confident that if I went 100% all-out, I could eventually overpower him. But... I have a strong feeling that even if I won, he would take me down with him. It would be mutual destruction."
"WHAT?!"
Momousagi and Chaton gasped.
Their eyes nearly popped out of their heads!
Momousagi remembered fighting Ray four months ago.
He was strong, sure, but she could handle him then. Chaton remembered Ray two months ago.
He was tough, but beatable.
But now? An Admiral is saying he could only force a draw?
"That growth rate..." Momousagi whispered. "That's impossible. If he's Admiral level now, does that mean in another year...?"
"He'll be a Yonko," Aokiji finished the thought. "Or worse."
Aokiji continued. "As for influence? Ray is a lone wolf. He's not a threat."
"However," Garp interrupted, grinning around a cracker. "That's where my idiot grandson comes in, right?"
Zephyr nodded grimly. "Exactly."
The former Admiral looked at Sengoku. "Garp's grandson... his combat strength is good. He rivals a Warlord. But that's not what scares me."
Zephyr tapped his metal finger on the table.
"It's his charisma. In Water 7, he turned enemies into allies in minutes. He united pirates, Marines, and civilians. He makes people want to die for him."
Zephyr looked around the room. "Ray is the sword. But Luffy is the hand that wields it. Together? They are dangerous."
Sengoku rubbed his temples.
He felt a migraine coming on!
"So," Sengoku summarized, his voice grave. "We have a Captain who can build an army out of thin air, and a crew member who can stalemate an Admiral."
"The conclusion is clear."
Sengoku looked at the wanted posters.
"The current Straw Hat Pirates are the strongest crew beneath the Yonko. Without even entering the New World, their threat level is already catastrophic..... Now how should we deal with them?"