The Straw Hats approached the side of the Terror Ghost.

Before they could draw near, several cannons suddenly emerged from the ship’s hull, their muzzles aimed directly at them.

Danger!

Usopp’s face drained of color as he shouted,

“Everyone, watch out! Hit the deck!”

He himself dove flat to the ground in a flash—but even after lying there for a good while, the cannons never fired.

The Straw Hats weren’t frightened by the cannons. Instead, they were startled by Usopp’s over-the-top reaction.

Realizing he’d overreacted, Usopp awkwardly got back to his feet, rubbed his long nose, and lowered his head in embarrassment.

But this wasn’t what they’d come here for, so the matter was quickly dropped.

Standing beneath the shadow of the cannons, Luffy took a deep breath, then bellowed toward the ship:

“Oi——!”

That shout, coming from the captain himself, was nothing less than an unofficial challenge from the Straw Hat Pirates to the crew of Davy Jones.

Everyone’s expressions grew solemn.

After a long silence, three figures finally appeared along the railing.

The one in the tricorne hat—Davy Jones—was unmistakable. Crocodile, often in the news lately, was also easy to recognize. The last man, however—Law—was a complete unknown to them.

Standing beside two titans like Davy Jones and Crocodile, he looked for all the world like a mere underling.

The Straw Hats weren’t surprised to see Davy Jones here. But Crocodile?!

What was going on?

According to the papers, Crocodile’s “Utopia Operation” had been destroyed by none other than Davy Jones, along with the complete downfall of Baroque Works. By all logic, the two should’ve been mortal enemies. Why were they standing side by side?

And looking closer—Crocodile was swathed in bandages, as if freshly wounded. That only deepened the mystery.

Usopp was already babbling in panic:

“A pirate worth 150 million berries, and a Shichibukai?! We’re doomed, we’re absolutely doomed this time!”

“Who are these people?”

Davy Jones gazed down at the figures below, rifling through his memory. After a moment, recognition stirred.

Mihawk had left him with a lasting impression, and along with it, the faces of those present that day.

Among them—the two troublemakers who had once boarded his ship: Luffy and Zoro.

Had it not been for a few words from Mihawk back then, those two would have either been slain by Jones himself or tossed into the sea to drown.

And now… here they were?

Jones pondered quietly.

At the sight of Crocodile, Robin immediately slipped behind her companions.

She didn’t understand—how had the vanished warlord ended up aboard Davy Jones’s ship?

She wanted to warn her fledgling crewmates of the danger—that Crocodile was immensely powerful, and the man who had bested him, Davy Jones, even more terrifying. But there was no chance now.

The moment she made a move, Crocodile would recognize her. Perhaps… he already had.

Indeed, he had.

Most of the Straw Hats were unfamiliar to him. But when Crocodile’s eyes landed on the woman furtively trying to melt into the background—her familiar face and black hair gave her away instantly.

So it’s you.

Nico Robin… to think we would meet again like this.

Crocodile’s lips curled into a mocking smile.

Even wounded as he was, ending Robin would not be difficult. The true question was how Davy Jones might react.

Meanwhile, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji—hardened by their trials in Skypiea—stepped forward.

Luffy, who had defeated the mighty “God” Enel, now brimmed with confidence as he shouted toward the ship:

“Oi, tentacle-man! Let’s fight again! This time, I swear I won’t lose to you!”

He remembered all too well the stormy battle in the East Blue, where Zoro—a man of unshakable pride—had actually wept, vowing: “Until I defeat him—Hawkeye Mihawk—and become the world’s greatest swordsman, I will never lose again.”

And Luffy himself had sworn he must defeat Davy Jones—or else he had no right to dream of being Pirate King.

Now their strength had grown leaps and bounds. Before them was the perfect chance to wipe away the shame of defeat.

“Is that so?”

Davy Jones slowly reached into his cloak. The sudden motion tensed every muscle among the Straw Hats.

But what he drew out was not a weapon—only a pipe.

“Then allow me to see, on Mihawk’s behalf, just how much you’ve improved.”

He actually began smoking. At that moment, nothing could have provoked the Straw Hats’ three strongest fighters more.

Whoosh—!

Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji all launched themselves forward at once, moving with blinding speed.

Luffy’s rubber arm stretched taut, his fist cocked back.

Zoro unsheathed his three swords, assuming his Santoryu stance.

Sanji’s right leg, clad in slacks, tightened like a drawn bowstring.

The Terror Ghost’s cannons remained still—without Davy Jones’s order, they would not fire. The three Straw Hats soared through the air, closing in on the ship’s rail.

Each had chosen their target clearly.

Luffy’s fist drove straight for Davy Jones.

Zoro’s blades slashed toward Crocodile.

Sanji’s leg snapped at Law.

Their intent was obvious: keep Crocodile and Law from interfering in Luffy’s duel.

They believed with all their hearts that if it came down to a one-on-one fight, Luffy’s iron will—and his body toughened by endless sit-ups—would carry him to victory.

They remembered well the crushing despair of facing Enel, and how Luffy alone, immune to lightning, had risen again and again—until at last he brought that monster down.

And so, Zoro and Sanji believed he could do the same against this monster too.

But they were gravely mistaken.

Slash—!

Zoro’s three swords cut only through formless sand. Crocodile’s body dispersed into grains, then surged like a phantom, engulfing him.

“Swords?” Crocodile sneered, his golden hook arcing toward Zoro’s skull.

“Blades that cut nothing—how do you plan to strike me?”

Only Zoro’s battle-honed instincts saved him. He jerked his head aside, narrowly dodging the fatal strike, and sprang from the railing.

Mid-leap, he saw his left arm shrivel, shrunk and withered where Crocodile’s sand clung to it.

“What the hell is this?!”

He shook the grains loose, his mind flashing back to his first encounter with Enel’s lightning.

Another Logia?!

Sanji’s situation was even stranger. In one swift stroke, Law’s blade Kikoku sliced his right leg clean off—yet he felt no pain.

Catching his severed leg in his hands, he stared at the impossibly clean cut. No blood. No flaw.

His unease deepened.

He had assumed Law was nothing more than one of Davy Jones’s lackeys. Otherwise, surely his bounty poster would already be plastered everywhere.

But such underestimation had earned him a grim surprise.

Law said nothing. His heavy-lidded eyes simply stared into Sanji’s.

At the same time, Luffy unleashed a storm of punches, his rubber fists hammering like spears against Davy Jones.

But beneath the Captain’s black cloak, countless tentacles lashed out in turn.

Each one of Luffy’s blows was caught. No matter how frenzied his “Gatling” became, he could not break through that writhing wall.

“Have you had enough?”

Davy Jones’s gray-blue eyes locked with Luffy’s.

For a heartbeat, Luffy quailed. Then, recklessly, he poured every ounce of will into his fists, striking faster, harder.

“AAAAAAHHH——!”

The Straw Hat Captain roared, giving it his all.

Thud-thud-thud—!

But it was useless.

Through it all, Davy Jones remained utterly composed. Seeing Luffy’s attacks had no variation, he calmly tucked away his pipe, then drew back his fist.

And struck.

BOOM!

Luffy’s animal instinct saved him—he crossed his arms before his chest just in time.

Even so, the blow—an Armament Haki punch—landed like a hammer on a nail.

The impact sent the boy flying, crashing into the stone pier with bone-rattling force.

The ground cratered where he landed.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep