Year 1520 of the Sea Calendar.
Sabaody Archipelago.
Area GR-12.
"I'm gonna step on you now~"
"Stepping~ down now~"
Borsalino raised one leg high, golden light gathering under his foot.
In front of him, Zoro lay on the ground, gravely injured and too weak to resist.
"Bastard!"
"Let go of Zoro!"
Usopp pulled his slingshot tight, firing again and again.
Brook thrust his sword wildly, stabbing toward Borsalino.
But their attacks passed straight through the Admiral's body.
None of them could harm a man who had eaten the Logia-type Pika Pika no Mi (Glint-Glint Fruit).
"Zoro!!!"
From a distance, Luffy and the others—still entangled with Sentomaru and the Pacifistas—screamed in panic.
But right now, they could barely protect themselves, let alone save their crewmate.
Ignoring the Straw Hats' rage, Borsalino kept his lazy grin.
"I really am~"
"Gonna step down now~"
His glowing leg began to fall.
However—
"Vmmm—"
A strange hum echoed from above.
A mysterious ripple spread out across the sky.
In an instant, it engulfed the entire world.
Borsalino's descending leg froze midair.
Luffy and the others' shouts stopped abruptly.
Even Rayleigh, rushing toward them, was caught mid-stride.
Not just them—
The whole world had been paused.
Bubbles rising over Sabaody.
Seagulls gliding over the blue sea.
Clouds drifting through the high sky.
Everything stopped moving.
Time itself solidified.
Yet everyone remained conscious.
They could sense everything clearly, minds filled with confusion.
"Hmm~ what ability is this?"
"I can't move at all... how terrifying~"
Borsalino frowned slightly.
Then—
"Ding! Dimensional Viewing System successfully bound to this world!"
"From now on, this system will continuously project videos for all residents to watch together."
"To ensure optimal viewing experience, this world's time has been frozen."
"During playback, all beings are immobilized, but may communicate through the Viewing Chat Group."
"Message frequency is proportional to the participant's strength."
"Now projecting viewing screen…"
"Now retrieving members for the chat group…"
The cold, mechanical voice echoed through his mind.
And not just his—Sentomaru, the Straw Hats, and everyone else heard it too.
Every person in the pirate world could hear it clearly.
Even the deaf.
Moments later, a massive projection screen appeared out of thin air.
Beside it, a chat window opened, rapidly filling with notifications.
[Imu has joined the group.]
[Kong has joined the group.]
[Figarland Garling has joined the group.]
[Rocks D. Xebec has joined the group.]
[Harald has joined the group.]
[Gol D. Roger has joined the group.]
[Edward Newgate has joined the group.]
[Monkey D. Garp has joined the group.]
[Monkey D. Dragon has joined the group.]
[Monkey D. Luffy has joined the group.]
[...]
Messages flashed so fast that no one could read them all.
After a long stream of names, the flood finally stopped—
And the chat burst into life.
[Kong: What's happening?! I can't move at all—some kind of mysterious power!]
[Sengoku: The entire Marine Headquarters is frozen. What kind of force could do this?]
[Sakazuki: Is this the work of a Devil Fruit user? No… this is far beyond that!]
[Kaido: Interrupting my drinking time? Whoever did this has guts!]
[Rocks D. Xebec: Interesting! Didn't expect to see this after death! Hahahaha!]
[Gol D. Roger: Yeah, I was getting bored in the afterlife. Finally some fun!]
[Monkey D. Garp: What the—Rocks?! Roger?! I'm not seeing things, am I?!]
[Silvers Rayleigh: Roger… is that really you?]
[Edward Newgate: Gurararara~ Seems this chat group brings in not only the living, but the dead too. Fascinating.]
[Shanks: A "Dimensional Viewing System," huh? Sounds like it'll change our world in ways we can't imagine…]
[Monkey D. Luffy: Eh~ Shanks? Long time no see!]
[Shanks: Yo~ Luffy. I heard you punched a Celestial Dragon at Sabaody. Impressive.]
[Monkey D. Luffy: Heh~ That guy was too annoying. I couldn't hold back~]
[Sanji: Stop grinning, Luffy! Think about how we're gonna escape from Borsalino!]
[Zoro: Thanks to this system, looks like I'm saved… for now.]
[Borsalino: Useless. Once this freeze ends, none of you are escaping my hand~]
[Usopp: We're doomed! What do we do now?!]
[Shakky: Don't panic, Usopp-kun. Rayleigh's already on his way. He'll help you.]
[Nami: The vice-captain of the Pirate King is coming to save us? That's amazing!]
[Gol D. Roger: Hm? Shakky?! Long time no see—I missed you so much!!!]
[Silvers Rayleigh: Oi, Roger, you ignored me just now, but the moment Shakky appears you act all excited?!]
[Gol D. Roger: Haha~ Sorry, didn't notice your message earlier~]
[Silvers Rayleigh: …]
The chat scrolled endlessly—
shock, confusion, arguments, jokes flooding in.
Then that same cold, commanding mechanical voice returned, silencing all noise:
"Projection complete."
"All members successfully connected."
"Next—commencing first viewing topic—"
"The Twenty Kings of the Sea!"
(End of Chapter)
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[[email protected]/Zukooo]
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