Let's All Go Together

After this battle, Sabaody Archipelago suffered massive destruction. Half of the island was flattened, and the remaining half also sustained varying degrees of damage. Most of the red mangroves supporting the island were destroyed as well.

Fortunately, the foundation remained intact. Otherwise, the entire Sabaody Archipelago might have ceased to exist.

Even so, the island was still severely damaged. Many towns were affected, though thankfully, the areas hit hardest were sparsely populated, avoiding large-scale casualties.

This was actually due to Kaguya holding back. If she had unleashed the true power of the Sword of Separation, the Sabaody Archipelago would likely have sunk completely.

"What are you doing here?" Kaguya asked in surprise, staring at the beautiful pink-haired girl who appeared before her.

It was Bonney—whom she hadn't seen in years.

"Why can't I be here?" Bonney fixed her messy hair and adjusted the hat on her head. "Hey, where have you been these past years? I thought you were dead."

"Can't you wish me something better?" Kaguya replied helplessly.

"This is me caring for you, got it?" Bonney said righteously.

Kaguya leaned weakly on the shattered railing. "So touching."

"But what are you doing here? Up to no good again?" Bonney eyed her suspiciously.

Kaguya said, "If a pirate doesn't do bad things, are they still a pirate?"

"That's true," Bonney nodded. "But I still don't know which bastard fought on this island. I nearly got buried alive. Seriously, are they all brain-dead? If the Sabaody Archipelago had sunk, we'd all be fish food."

Kaguya cleared her throat twice, looking a little awkward.

Bonney suddenly realized something. She turned her head, eyes wide with surprise. "Don't tell me this was your doing?"

"Ahem," Kaguya replied, "Well, I'm the idiot you were just talking about."

"I knew it was you!" Bonney stared at her like she was a monster. "So you're the one who caused all this destruction on Sabaody Archipelago?"

"Not exactly," Kaguya shrugged.

"I thought so," Bonney sighed in relief. "There's no way someone like you could cause that much damage."

"It was caused by my fight with Fujitora," Kaguya said, clearing her throat.

"..."

Due to the severe damage across the island, many places were affected. Thankfully, the taverns and inns in town were unharmed. Otherwise, they probably would've had to sleep outdoors.

Inside the tavern.

"Ahh—" Bonney gulped down large mouthfuls of beer and let out a satisfied sigh. She turned to Kaguya and said, "This beer is really good. Don't you want some?"

Kaguya politely declined. "I'll pass. I don't drink."

"You don't drink?" Bonney's face was slightly flushed as she hiccupped. "No way—you don't drink?"

Kaguya asked, "Is it really that strange not to drink?"

"Of course it is," Bonney said matter-of-factly. "What kind of pirate doesn't drink? You must be a fake pirate."

She really hit the mark. Kaguya wasn't truly a pirate. Compared to those fools who dreamed of becoming Pirate King, she was clearly much more pragmatic.

At that moment, the tavern door swung open and a group of people walked in.

"What bad luck, running into something like this here. Didn't your fortune-telling say there wouldn't be danger, Hawkins?"

"Aren't you still alive and well?"

"We were almost caught in it—how is that not dangerous?"

"Of course it wasn't. My divinations are always accurate."

"Seriously, I never should've allied with you guys. Completely unreliable."

"Hey, you looking for a fight, Apoo?"

"You're the one who should get beat up."

"All of you, shut up."

The group entered noisily and sat down carelessly at a nearby table, preparing to order.

Kaguya cast a cold glance at them. So it was those guys. But that was fine—saved her the trouble of tracking them down.

These people were none other than Basil Hawkins the Magician, X Drake the Red Flag, Scratchmen Apoo the Sea Roar, and Urouge the Mad Monk—infamous members of the so-called Worst Generation.

Sensing Kaguya's gaze, a golden-haired man looked her way. Kaguya calmly turned her eyes back, sipping her crimson fruit juice. There seemed to be something strange about the flavor, but she paid it no mind.

Night fell. The sky twinkled with stars, and the moonlight poured down like water, bathing the scene in silver.

The group walked out of the bar, but just as they turned a street corner, a slender figure blocked their path.

They all stopped instinctively, eyes fixed on the person standing in the middle of the road. They had already sensed something unusual.

"So you've finally come. I've been waiting for you," the figure said as she turned. Under the moonlight, her face came into view—a faint smile lingering at the corners of her lips. It was Kaguya.

"Who are you? Why are you blocking our way?" Apoo asked warily.

Kaguya smiled faintly. "I came here to ask all of you for a favor."

"A favor?" Urouge grinned and asked, "What kind of favor?"

Kaguya walked forward gracefully. "It's actually quite simple. Something all of you can easily do."

"Simple?" Drake stared at her intently. "Showing up here in the middle of the night doesn't seem that simple."

"The request is easy," Kaguya said brightly. "I'd like to borrow your heads."

Their eyes narrowed sharply.

Apoo laughed, as if hearing a ridiculous joke. "Stop kidding, woman. You think you can take us down by yourself? Do you even know who we are?"

Kaguya gave a cold chuckle. "A bunch of small fries trying to act tough. What's so special about that?"

"What did you say?" Apoo's face twisted in anger. "Looks like you've got a death wish."

He moved to teach her a lesson, but was stopped by Drake.

"What are you doing?" Apoo growled. "I'm gonna give this arrogant woman a wake-up call."

"Didn't you want a reading?" Hawkins calmly began threading his tarot cards together.

Apoo scoffed. "Do we really need a fortune reading right now?"

"Better safe than sorry," Hawkins replied.

But then, something in the cards made his eyes suddenly contract in shock. "No way… how is this possible…"

Seeing the always composed Hawkins react like that, the others began to feel an ominous premonition.

Only Apoo remained carefree. "What did it say this time? Don't tell me it's another false alarm."

"No," Hawkins lifted his head and stared grimly at Kaguya. "This time, the chance of survival is zero."

"Isn't that the same as certain death? What kind of joke is this?" Apoo was the first to speak up, quickly saying, "Hey, hey, something's wrong again, right? Is your fortune-telling really reliable?"

"No," Hawkins replied, his expression serious as he stared at the blonde girl in the distance. "My readings never go wrong."

"Never go wrong?" Apoo snorted disdainfully. "Weren't you wrong just last time? I think you—"

Before he could finish, Urouge tugged on his sleeve and said in a low voice, "You idiot, don't you realize what's going on? Look carefully. Do you see who that is?"

"Who is she?" Apoo paused, turning to get a better look at Kaguya. His pupils suddenly shrank. "Wait, isn't she—"

He had clearly recognized her.

"That's right," Urouge said gravely. "She's Artoria, who vanished years ago. And now she's reappeared."

"How can that be?" Apoo said anxiously. "Didn't the Navy say she had already been captured?"

"You really believed that?" Hawkins replied coldly. "If that were true, would Sabaody Archipelago have suffered this much damage?"

Apoo froze at his words. His face quickly changed. "Don't tell me that destruction earlier was caused by her?"

Looking at Kaguya again, Apoo now seemed like he'd seen a ghost. He clearly remembered the power of those explosions. That kind of strength still made his heart tremble. If he hadn't dodged in time, he might already be dead.

"You guys are pretty well-informed," Kaguya said as she approached with graceful steps, a cold smile on her lips. "But unfortunately, no matter how much you struggle, it's useless. Still, I can offer you a method—a painless one."

"A method?" Hawkins' eyes narrowed.

"That's right," Kaguya blinked and said, "Just lie down on the ground, close your eyes, and relax your bodies."

"And you'll let us go?" Urouge asked in a deep voice.

"No," Kaguya smiled radiantly. "You'll just die peacefully."

"What kind of joke is that!" Apoo froze, then realized she was mocking them and exploded with rage.

At that moment, a shadow suddenly darted forward from behind Kaguya—a black flash closing in behind her. In the blink of an eye, he appeared at her back, swinging his sword like a streak of light, aiming straight at her heart.

It was none other than the missing Drake, who had silently maneuvered behind her to launch a surprise attack.

Kaguya glanced at the shadow coldly. "As expected from sewer rats. Sneak attacks are all you know."

Suddenly, golden ripples appeared in the air. Countless weapons emerged from them, gleaming with a deadly shine.

Seeing the dazzling glow, Hawkins' eyes widened. "Stop! Get out of the way!"

Drake's pupils also contracted. But by now, the arrow was already on the string—he had no choice but to fire. Gritting his teeth, he stomped hard and charged at the golden-haired girl with even greater speed.

"Overestimating yourself," Kaguya said disdainfully in a cold voice. She swung her arm, and the weapons from the golden ripples shot out like lightning, raining down like a storm.

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing rang out as blades collided, sparking brilliantly.

Feeling the tremendous force through his sword, Drake was shocked. Such overwhelming power! Before he could even think, more weapons followed.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Drake swung his sword wide, deflecting the oncoming weapons one after another.

But after only a short exchange, Drake felt something was wrong. His arms were going numb and weak, pain seared through his grip—he could barely hold onto his sword.

Clang!

With a deafening crash, the sword flew from his hand, spinning into the air.

Damn it.

Drake's heart sank.

At the same time, the storm of gleaming weapons rained down from above.

Just as the blades were about to strike, a figure suddenly appeared, slamming into Drake and knocking him away. It was Urouge.

Drake was sent flying, crashing into a distant wall with a heavy boom. He quickly looked up—and his eyes widened in shock.

Urouge, who had taken the hit for him, now looked like a human pincushion, his body pierced all over by blades. Blood gushed from his wounds, soaking the grassy ground beneath him in red.

"You..." Drake said in disbelief.

Cough cough. Urouge coughed into his hand, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He turned and gave a faint smile. "Aren't we allies?"

Drake felt a rush of heat in his chest. His emotions were complicated, hard to put into words.

"How touching," came a sweet and cold voice as Kaguya strolled out leisurely. "Since you two are so close, I'll send you off together."

Urouge grinned broadly. "We're not as fragile as you think. Hrah!"

With a mighty roar, Urouge's body suddenly swelled. Muscles bulged, hard as marble, radiating strength. With a series of pop pop pop sounds, the weapons embedded in him were forced out.

"Oh? So that's your ability?" Kaguya said with interest. "Seems my luck isn't so bad today."

"You mean misfortune," Urouge replied as he stomped the ground. The earth cracked beneath his feet as he shot forward like a cannonball, swinging a massive lead pencil-like weapon with bulging arms.

"What are you, a child playing games? Using a toy as a weapon?" Kaguya said coldly. "Fighting someone like you is an embarrassment. So, you should die."

As soon as she finished speaking, countless swords, spears, and halberds rained down like a thunderstorm, firing at Urouge at lightning speed.

Clang clang clang!

Sparks flew everywhere.

Urouge swung his massive weapon, sweeping aside the oncoming blades in a flurry of movement. But the effort drained immense strength. Even though he had used the powers of the Karma-Karma Fruit to convert damage into power, he was still clearly no match for her.

Then, from the void, a golden chain suddenly appeared. In the blink of an eye, it wrapped around his body and tightened violently, binding him completely.

Urouge's eyes widened in alarm. He struggled with all his might, but the chain was like seastone—no matter how hard he fought, it wouldn't budge.

At the same time, the storm of blades descended like a torrential downpour.

Urouge's pupils shrank sharply.

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