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"One Piece" Events:
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"Hello... Huh?" "Helloooo~..." When Kizaru was contemplating how to deal with Hawkins, Apoo, Drake, and Urouge, his portable Den Den Mushi rang with a beep.
"... Ahh... Is this it? This is Borsalino..."
((Uncle!!! You do have a portable Den Den Mushi!! Why haven't you contacted me!!?)) The angry voice came from the Den Den Mushi.
"... Oh! Ahh! Sentoumaru!"
((What do you mean, "Ahh"!? You've arrived on the island, right!?))
...
..
((Whatever, please just get to work!! We know who to go after: Strawhat Luffy, Captain Kidd, and Trafalgar Law. Who will you start with?))
"Ohh, is that the case...? Then..." Kizaru nodded.
...
[Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 12.]
"Zoro!!!"
Returning to the battle between the Pacifista and the Straw Hat Pirates, Zoro fell first because he was still affected by the injuries he sustained in Thriller Bark and which hadn't fully healed on Merveille Island.
"Uhuhhh...!!" Zoro groaned in pain.
"Haa...!! Hey, Zoro...!! He got you so bad you can't even move...!?" Luffy said worriedly.
"Haa... Haa... Don't worry about him, Luffy!! We have to beat that first!!" Sanji understood what was happening with Zoro, so he chose to eliminate the threat first.
But Zoro still pressed on and tried to stand. "Cough...!! Zeeh... Zeeh...!!"
Sanji was surprised to see this and thought to himself: (There's no way his injuries from that time are healed...!! To see that face again... Just looking at him must hurt.)
Sanji looked towards the Pacifista, which looked exactly like Bartholomew Kuma, and pondered: (He looks exactly the same as one of the Shichibukai... What the hell is going on here!?)
Suddenly, Chopper moved swiftly to attack the Pacifista he noticed in turn: "Roseo Metel!!!" exclaimed Chopper.
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Holy Land Marigoa, Pangaea Castle:
Seated upon her throne, a place meant to remain vacant, Imu gracefully shifted her sitting position by crossing her right leg over her left. Her immaculate, long white legs exuded an air of flawless elegance.
Imu's red eyes remained fixed on the manga page depicting Kizaru effortlessly dispatching the four captains. She shook her head with a hint of satisfaction.
"It appears that this Admiral has dedicated more effort to developing his Devil Fruit abilities than enhancing his physical strength... well, sacrifice is often necessary to attain great power."
"With this level of power, it's doubtful you'll be able to defeat him," Imu uttered mockingly, her words carried a clear, unfiltered message with underlying intentions.
"Given that he earned his admiral position through conventional means rather than instant recruitment, he's undoubtedly a formidable opponent... an admiral is not to be trifled with easily, especially if his Haki matches his natural strength," Saint Mars responded, his words grounded in logical analysis, treating his Lord's statement as an undeniable truth.
"Considering their involvement in the prior strengthening ceremony, they will undoubtedly have grown significantly stronger over the next 20 years."
"That's quite likely."
"So, my Lord, what course of action shall we take?"
"Let's observe the unfolding events. I have a feeling he will be the catalyst for the Straw Hat crew's first significant defeat," Imu proclaimed with a wicked grin.
She had purposefully suppressed her formidable observation haki ability, choosing not to preemptively glean the volume's contents at a glance. This allowed her to savor every new scene as it unfolded.
"In any case, Strawhats current capabilities are rather lacking... Are they truly planning to venture into the New World with such limited strength? The mere presence of the Vegapunk-created Kuma replica compelled them to channel all their efforts into overcoming it," Saint Ju Peter voiced a question he had long contemplated.
The notion of the Straw Hat Pirates departing for the New World within three days seemed implausible to him.
"With Kizaru's involvement, indeed, such a venture appears almost impossible."
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"One of the shots got into his mouth!! It must have shorted something inside his body!! His body is tough, but he's still bleeding."
"Just like me, he had weapons placed in his body... but he was originally a human being!!"
After the intense battle with the Pacifista, Franky noticed the strangeness of it.
Suddenly, the Pacifista regained his balance, turned to face Nami, and then opened his mouth, preparing to release an explosion.
"Nami, look out! He's spotted you!!" exclaimed Sanji.
"Oh, no!!" Nami almost felt despair, but at that moment, Robin's voice came: "Ochenta Fleur, Cuatro Mano!!! Shock!!"
Four enormous hands appeared on the Pacifista's shoulders and struck his head forcefully, causing his mouth, which was about to fire a laser, to close, followed by an explosion in his head.
"All right!! The beam exploded in his mouth!! He blew himself up!!!" cheered Usopp upon witnessing this gratifying scene.
The Pacifista fell to his knees, but before he could collapse entirely, Nami stepped forward: "Hey, buddy, sorry for interrupting your break."
"But you... should look out for lightning!" Nami brandished her Thunder Baton and then proclaimed: "Thunder Lance Tempo!!!"
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Ohara:
Bell-mère's eyes sparkled with admiration as she witnessed Nami's display of strength.
Just a few seconds ago, she had been concerned about Nami facing a potentially fatal attack from the Pacifista, but the situation changed with Robin's intervention.
"Robin and Nami are truly remarkable in this fight~ they are performing admirably~"
"That's evident. Look at the praise they're receiving from the readers~"
"Fufu~ Aren't the readers also praising Nami's beautiful and flawless white thighs?"
"Who said that?" Bell-mère's eyes ignited with intensity upon hearing Gloriosa's remark.
"Hahaha~ Nami is truly exceptional... How does she summon lightning with such finesse, as if she possessed a Devil Fruit power or was a sorceress? Even if her rod is facilitated by Usopp's techniques, it's still impressive."
"Robin is also doing remarkably well... but defeating Kuma is proving to be quite challenging..."
"The battle has finally concluded... they managed to prevail against him after expending all their energy," Olvia remarked after reading through the entire battle scene.
"Huh!? Why did another Kuma appear... Sentoumaru, Vegapunk's bodyguard? Well... it's evident that things are taking a turn for the worse."
"Robin..." Olvia bit her lower lip, growing increasingly anxious at this moment. She dreaded witnessing another scene where Robin loses those closest to her.
Bell-mère felt the same.
…
Not far from the group of goddesses, Vegapunk and his associates were perplexed.
Particularly Vegapunk, who was particularly puzzled.
"Huh... Was this portly individual meant to be my future bodyguard?"
"PX-4... and now PX-1... I comprehend."
Brook, Clover, Saul, and Homing all directed their attention to him, awaiting his explanation.
"Crafting potent war machines isn't difficult, provided the resources are available... Hence, an invention like the Pacifista isn't a major feat," Vegapunk stated, then sighed before continuing...
"But I'm fortunate that I never developed anything of this sort for the World Government. Otherwise, I'd be consumed by regret now... This Pacifista is far more intricate than it appears."
"What do you mean, Vegapunk?" Clover inquired.
"This is an expandable project. It's evident that the Pacifista represents only the initial generation, with future iterations to come." Vegapunk spoke with confidence.
Certainly, no one in this world could rival him in dissecting the mysteries and secrets of inventions conceived by his future counterpart.
"And now... Does your creation of these Pacifistas mark you as an enemy to Luffy and my counterpart in the manga?" Brook interjected with an intriguing question.
"The scientist isn't concerned about making enemies... Our primary focus is research and development resources... and the outcomes of research and development."
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 561: Desperate Situation for Straw Hats! Zoro in Danger!
Chapter 562: Rayleigh's Intervention for Rescue!
Chapter 563: Chopper Transforms into a Beast Once Again! The Appearance of the Real Bartholomew Kuma!
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