270. Set Sail!

Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: p@treon.com/CosmicKaminari

----------

Perhaps she had once admired Oden's act of seemingly foolish behavior for the sake of the people, but it wasn't until she surrendered to Lord Alex that she realized—after comparing various deeds and expanding her worldview—that her admiration had turned into a perception of foolishness at some point.

"Wait, Shinobu! Tell us the truth!"

"You traitor! Have you forgotten Lord Oden's life-saving grace?!"

No matter how loudly the Nine Scabbards shouted, Shinobu completely ignored them, disappearing into the turbulent space.

From her hidden location, unknown to the Nine Scabbards, Shinobu watched her former comrades-in-arms and friends, becoming convinced of Alex's motives for this order.

If they had departed normally like Princess Hiyori had arranged, these loyal retainers would eventually return to seek explanations, despite the difference in strength. They would need to go through a long period of exploration before setting foot in the Sky Kingdom again.

Instead, by delivering her message, Shinobu had directly provided the critical information, officially introducing the Sky Kingdom and Lord Alex to this group of warriors.

She made it clear not only that "Wano Country" and "Kozuki" had been reduced to unnecessary history, but also that confrontation was inevitable given the various statements about Princess Hiyori and Lady Toki.

These people posed no real threat to the current Sky Kingdom. Let them carry their dreams of restoring the country like children playing with toys.

Thinking of this, Shinobu once again deeply felt Lord Alex's unscrupulous and wicked nature.

On the ship sailing far from the flying sea area, watching Shinobu's vanishing figure, the fiery anger of the group could only be helplessly suppressed.

"So... what should we do next, Brother Kinemon?" Denjiro couldn't help asking again.

If they had been confused by all the information before, now they were overwhelmed by the heavyweight revelations from Shinobu.

Whether it was Wano Country becoming the so-called Sky Kingdom, or the various situations regarding Princess Hiyori and Lady Toki.

After thinking for a while, Kinemon looked at Momonosuke with a dignified expression: "A country without Wano is simply not the dream that Lord Oden wanted to fulfill! Young Master Momonosuke, please allow me, as your retainer, to make a request of you again... Would you be willing to restore the Kozuki Clan and Wano Country?"

"Huh?!"

Momonosuke couldn't help shouting in surprise, then noticed that the surrounding Red Scabbards had all fallen silent, more or less showing the same earnest expression as Kinemon while awaiting his answer. Even at only eight years old, he recognized the importance of his response in this moment.

Momonosuke's expression became resolute as he adopted the bearing of a small adult and declared: "I am willing! As my father's son and the young lord of the Kozuki clan, this is my duty! Moreover, I also want to rescue Hiyori and Mother!"

"As your retainers, we will do everything in our power to assist you, Young Master Momonosuke, and make Lord Oden's dream come true!"

The Red Scabbards knelt down and swore an oath to Momonosuke with the formal reverence of loyal vassals.

And so, to confront the behemoth Shinobu had described and to discern the truth of her information, the Red Scabbards embarked on an overseas journey.

At the same time, after establishing their goal and calming down, the words that Kanjuro had blurted out earlier in a moment of despair were remembered by the other Scabbards, leaving them temporarily disheartened.

Meanwhile, on a beast-inhabited island in the Grand Line controlled by the Revolutionary Army...

"BOOM..."

"ROAR!"

The earth trembled continuously as dust billowed wildly into the air.

Facing the roar of a fierce beast tens of meters tall stood a figure wearing a straw hat.

The ferocious fangs and powerful limbs, combined with an invisible pressure, undoubtedly marked this creature as one of the strongest beasts on the island.

The enormous body created a stark contrast to Luffy in his straw hat.

Despite such a huge size disparity, Luffy pressed his hand to the straw hat on his head and stared sharply at the beast before him.

—Whoosh!

Invisible waves blew away the surrounding fallen leaves.

The mighty Conqueror's Haki directly and intensely targeted the beast, creating invisible cracks even on the ground's surface.

Less than half a minute later...

"Wuuuuuuu..." The beast lowered its head and body, whimpering in what seemed like surrender and submission.

"Wow... that's amazing, Luffy!"

Watching from a safe distance, Chopper sighed in amazement.

Enel agreed with deep respect. "After all, he is our captain and the most important pillar of the Straw Hat Pirates."

"Yes, the results of your training are truly impressive. Judging by the fact that all crew members now possess Haki, you should surpass many veteran pirate crews in the New World," Sabo commented cheerfully.

Though he was primarily happy that his younger brother had grown stronger, he was still quite impressed by the talents of Luffy's companions after nearly two years.

The other members of the Straw Hat crew, having mastered both colors of Haki, had significantly improved their respective talents and fighting styles—especially the three powerhouses: Enel, Sanji, and Luffy.

"It's nothing special. We're also very grateful to your Revolutionary Army for your hospitality and training during this time," Usopp said.

He was genuinely grateful. As a relatively normal person in a monster crew like the Straw Hats, he had always felt some inferiority due to unequal strength.

But since mastering both colors of Haki, especially Observation Haki, his sniping talent had been magnified infinitely, and his self-confidence had improved tremendously.

Regarding Usopp's words, Sabo nodded with a smile, then looked at the approaching Luffy and asked, "So you're planning to leave now, Luffy?"

"Yeah, we've pretty much learned all we can about Haki, and it's time to move on. We've put our journey on hold for two years." Luffy smiled and nodded: "During this time, I really want to thank the Revolutionary Army! And you, Sabo!"

The teachings of Haki, staff techniques, physical training improvements, sailing knowledge, and more had indeed allowed the Straw Hats to make great progress in just over a year.

Although it might not match the specialized training in various locations from the original timeline in terms of technology and medicine, in terms of raw strength, the effect of the Revolutionary Army's teachings on all crew members was comparable to the two years of separation in the original story.

"I understand," Sabo nodded.

"As your big brother, I will support you, Luffy! So go and realize your dreams!"

Hearing this, the smile on Luffy's face grew even wider, and he shouted with determination: "One Piece! I'm coming for sure!"

And so, the Straw Hat Pirates, who had been absent from the seas for nearly two years, set sail once again.