Chapter 210: vs Strawhats

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After the lengthy conversation that night, Dragon had gained significant insights from Byakuya, giving him a clearer vision of the Revolutionary Army's path forward. 

Before departing, Byakuya handed him the "Heart of Justice" and said, "This 'Heart of Justice' is a free gift for you." 

"Once you return, have someone consume it and verify its authenticity. If it works as described, we can begin our trade—ten 'Hearts of Justice' in exchange for one Devil Fruit."

Dragon, overjoyed, accepted the "Heart of Justice" and expressed his gratitude. "Byakuya, my brother, I can't thank you enough."

"To be honest, what the revolution needs most are capable mid-level leaders. With the 'Heart of Justice,' our urgent shortage will be greatly alleviated." 

"Rest assured, I will do my utmost to gather Devil Fruits from across the seas."

Byakuya smiled lightly. "I'm glad to hear that, brother."

Just as they were about to part ways, a booming shout came from the docks: "Byakuya! Get out here right now! I, Luffy, am here to settle the score with you!"

Both Byakuya and a slightly stunned Dragon turned toward the source of the voice. 

Sure enough, they saw an angry Luffy standing at the dock, sleeves rolled up and ready for a fight. 

Dragon's heart sank as he internally cursed. 'How can someone like me, usually so sharp, have such a hot-headed son? Dad spent years teaching him, and this is what he turned out to be.'

Unlike Dragon, Byakuya's attention wasn't entirely on Luffy. His eyes quickly scanned the three individuals behind him—Nami, Zoro, and Usopp. 

Compared to the original storyline, the crew missed Sanji, the cook. 

It seemed that Byakuya's warning to Sanji during the Whole Cake Island arc as part of Nightfall had deterred him. 

However, what surprised Byakuya was that Nami and Usopp had still joined the Straw Hat Pirates despite his interference with the timeline. 

Perhaps some aspects of the original story were immutable.

Byakuya looked at Dragon and sighed, "Dragon, my brother, as you can hear, your son Luffy is practically ordering me to come out." 

"He's delivered himself to my doorstep to boost my performance metrics." 

"Don't blame me for being harsh; after all, I need to maintain my position as a Marine Admiral."

Dragon, hearing Byakuya's implication, forced an awkward smile. "I understand, I understand." But understanding didn't mean he wasn't conflicted. 

As a father, Dragon had spent little to no time with Luffy, preoccupied with the revolutionary cause. This left him feeling deeply guilty toward his son. 

Even though Luffy had come to provoke Byakuya, Dragon couldn't stand by and watch Byakuya harm Luffy. 

After a night of heartfelt discussion, Dragon now saw Byakuya as one of his own and decided to speak frankly.

"Byakuya, I know this might be a tall order, but I hope you can spare Luffy. Even if it means locking him up in Impel Down, that's fine," Dragon said gravely, his tone laced with helplessness. 

This was the most he could ask as Luffy's father. It wasn't just about whether he could defeat Byakuya in a confrontation; 

it was about the invaluable support Byakuya, and his revolutionary insights had brought to their cause. 

Besides, Luffy was the one who instigated this challenge—a small-time pirate from the East Blue going after a Marine Admiral. 

If Byakuya killed him, it would be seen as perfectly reasonable.

Byakuya observed Dragon's conflicted expression and sighed. "Don't worry, Dragon. I'll handle this appropriately and ensure Luffy's life isn't in danger."

Byakuya wasn't sure why he promised this. Perhaps he was moved by Dragon's fatherly concern, or he realized that killing Luffy would put him in an awkward position within the Marines. 

Luffy was, after all, Garp's beloved grandson. 

While a covert operation might avoid complications, openly killing Luffy would alienate Marines close to Garp, such as Aokiji, Sengoku, and even Zephyr. 

Maintaining these relationships was crucial for Byakuya's long-term plans.

After two years in this world, Byakuya had built meaningful connections with many characters. 

He was no longer the same person who, upon activating the system, was willing to do anything for power. 

Besides, with Caesar mass-producing artificial Devil Fruits and his lucrative trade with Dragon, Byakuya wasn't as desperate for World Source energy as before.

With these considerations in mind, Byakuya reassured Dragon. However, sparing Luffy didn't mean letting him off scot-free. 

After bidding Dragon farewell, Byakuya returned to his quarters to change into his Marine Admiral uniform.

Meanwhile, chaos was brewing at the dock. Piercing knocks echoed on Byakuya's door. 

A soldier reported urgently, "Admiral Byakuya! Pirates are causing trouble at the dock! Captain Pierce is unable to hold them off, and the situation is dire!"

Byakuya opened the door, nodded calmly, and replied, "Understood."

Unlike Smoker, the original officer stationed in Loguetown, Pierce was weaker. This change in personnel was a result of Byakuya's interference. 

Pierce wasn't completely incompetent, making Luffy's current strength seem impressive. 

Byakuya didn't realize that his presence had caused Garp to double down on training Luffy during his visits to Foosha Village. 

Fueled by envy and determination, Garp had put Luffy through grueling training, increasing Luffy's noticeable strength.

Back at the dock, Captain Pierce and several dozen Marines lay on the ground, groaning in pain. 

Luffy and Zoro stood triumphant amidst the fallen soldiers. "Where's Byakuya?" Luffy shouted. 

"He's a Marine Admiral, isn't he? Why send this bunch of weaklings to face us? Byakuya, are you too scared to come out?"

Luffy's voice echoed across the harbor, loud enough for nearby residents to hear. 

People cautiously peeked from their windows, curious about the commotion. Some whispered, "Isn't that Straw Hat Luffy, with a bounty of 22 million berries?"

"22 million? He's challenging Admiral Byakuya? That's suicide!"

None of the onlookers believed Luffy could defeat a Marine Admiral—except Luffy and Zoro. 

Watching from a distance, Dragon, who hadn't yet left, felt a surge of frustration. 

He wanted to slap Luffy across the face. You idiot! Even I wouldn't dare speak like this, and here you are, shouting it so casually!

Nami stood quietly behind Luffy, a sense of melancholy washing over her. 

"Byakuya must have seen me and learned I've become a pirate. That's why he refuses to show himself," she murmured.

Clutching the ship's railing with tearful eyes, Usopp muttered, "Thank goodness Byakuya hasn't shown up. If he did, we'd all be dead for sure." But his relief was short-lived.

"Usopp, come on! Let's go beat up Byakuya together!" Luffy called enthusiastically.

Trembling, Usopp replied, "I've got a rare condition where I'll die if I see Byakuya. I can't leave the ship!"

But Luffy wasn't listening. Stretching his arms, he grabbed Usopp and began pulling him onto the dock. Usopp screamed in terror, "Luffy, nooo!"

Luffy laughed, "Come on, it'll be fun to fight a Marine Admiral!"

As Luffy dragged Usopp toward the street, Byakuya emerged from his quarters, his coat billowing in the wind. His gaze was sharp, ready to confront the intruders.

"Uh…" Luffy scratched his head awkwardly and said, "I slipped up. Usopp, are you okay?"

At that moment, a man in a Marine uniform suddenly appeared on the street and caught the airborne Usopp with one hand. 

The fence flying alongside him was silently crushed into dust before reaching him. 

Seeing this, Zoro was shocked and thought, Could this guy be Byakuya?

Due to the distance and Usopp blocking his view, Luffy didn't recognize that the one who caught Usopp was Byakuya. Instead, he shouted his thanks.

"Thank you for catching Usopp. That really scared me!"

Byakuya, holding Usopp by the collar, casually walked to a spot about twenty meters away from Luffy and Zoro. 

He said indifferently, "No need to be so polite. Otherwise, I might feel bad when I take you down later."

At the same time, the sound of synchronized marching echoed down the street. 

Over two hundred Marine soldiers appeared, tightly surrounding the pier. 

These soldiers were in a completely different league than the Marines they had encountered earlier.

Zoro, with his sharp instincts, immediately sensed it.

These soldiers exuded a chilling aura of death as if their hands had taken the lives of countless pirates, including infamous ones with high bounties.

 Their presence alone radiated a deadly and dangerous vibe. These were soldiers brought from the New World under Byakuya's command. 

Naturally, their aura was far superior to the Marines stationed at Loguetown.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that even an ordinary soldier under Byakuya could easily take on twenty Marines from Loguetown. 

Such was the disparity between Headquarters Marines and branch Marines, given the vastly different caliber of pirates they faced.

Oblivious to the fact that they were now surrounded, Luffy studied Byakuya curiously and asked, "Hey, have we met before? You look really familiar."

Byakuya chuckled. "Of course I look familiar. Didn't you come to Loguetown to find me?"

Hearing this, even Luffy—dense as he was—realized that the man before him was the Marine Admiral Byakuya he was searching for.

Dangling in Byakuya's grip, Usopp turned his head with great difficulty to look at Luffy, managing a pained smile that looked worse than crying. 

"Luffy… I told you… I'd die if I saw Byakuya, but you didn't believe me! Now I'm really dead!"

With that, Usopp rolled his eyes and fainted.

Seeing Usopp's dramatic act, Byakuya couldn't help but smile. He's just like in the original story!

Luffy, however, shouted angrily, "So you're the guy who got me beaten up by Grandpa so many times! I'm going to clobber you today!"

Byakuya ignored Luffy's challenge and turned his gaze to Nami, who was hiding nearby with a pitiful look. 

He mouthed silently to her, "I'll deal with you later." Understanding his words, Nami felt a mix of fear and relief. 

Relief that Byakuya hadn't forgotten her, but fear of what he might do to her crew now that they were pirates.

Byakuya then looked curiously at Zoro and asked, "Didn't Mihawk come looking for you?"

Surprised that Byakuya would address him, especially mentioning Mihawk, Zoro replied coolly, "Why would Mihawk come looking for me?" 

"My target isn't him right now—it's you. If I defeat you, I'll become the world's greatest swordsman and fulfill my promise to her."

Strange, Byakuya thought. Did Mihawk not follow my suggestion to take Zoro as a disciple?

Unbeknownst to Byakuya, Mihawk had misunderstood his words. 

Instead of searching for Zoro, Mihawk had been scouring the East Blue for someone named "Zolo," a name he had misheard. 

Convinced he'd been tricked, Mihawk believed no such swordsmanship prodigy existed.

Meanwhile, Luffy, furious at being ignored, shouted, "I'm definitely going to pound you today! But don't worry—I won't kill you!"

Byakuya didn't doubt Luffy's sincerity. From the state of Captain Pierce and the dozens of Marines, it was clear Luffy didn't aim to kill. 

Otherwise, Byakuya would have intervened long ago.

"Gum-Gum Pistol!"

Luffy launched a punch, his arms stretching like bullets tearing through the air toward Byakuya.

But this "all-out attack" was laughably weak to Byakuya—too slow and without power. In the time it took for Luffy's punch to reach him, Byakuya could have killed him a hundred times.

Byakuya said coldly, "Looks like it's time I gave Vice Admiral Garp a hand in teaching you a lesson."

As Luffy's punch approached, Byakuya didn't dodge. With a quick movement of his left hand, he grabbed Luffy's arms.

"Come here!"

With an effortless pull, Byakuya brought Luffy close. As Luffy neared, Byakuya lifted his right foot and stomped hard on Luffy's chest. 

The sickening sound of bones cracking echoed. Luffy felt a searing pain in his chest. Blood spurted from his mouth as he flew backward even faster than before.

"Luffy!" Zoro shouted in alarm, seeing the bloodstains left on the ground.

Though Luffy was thrown away, his arms remained in Byakuya's grasp. When he reached the limit of his stretch, Luffy was yanked back toward Byakuya.

"Damn it!" Zoro cursed under his breath. He had planned to fight Byakuya only after Luffy had won or lost. 

But now, it was clear Byakuya's power was terrifying—Luffy was nothing more than a plaything in his hands.

Zoro couldn't wait any longer. Gripping Wado Ichimonji in his mouth and two ordinary swords in his hands, he charged.

"Three-Sword Style Secret Technique: Three Thousand Worlds!"

Byakuya raised an eyebrow. Does he have to say the technique name while biting a sword?

Zoro's swords spun like windmills, creating gusts that kicked up sand and obscured vision. 

Then, with his eyes blazing with determination to cut through anything, Zoro dashed forward and appeared in front of Byakuya in a flash.

"Not bad," Byakuya said mockingly. "But you're still not as good as Ain or Tashigi."

Byakuya extended a single finger. Without even using Armament Haki, he intercepted Zoro's blades.

"Crack! Crack!"

The two ordinary swords shattered instantly, and even Wado Ichimonji, one of the 21 Great Grade Blades, developed a dent.

Byakuya flicked Wado Ichimonji from Zoro's mouth, embedding it into the ground nearby. Picking Zoro up by the collar, Byakuya smirked.

The two strongest fighters of the Straw Hat Pirates—completely defeated.

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