[A few seagulls fly low over the glistening surface of the sea]
[Bathed in bright sunlight, Luffy is lying in the cabin of a small boat]
[His face is covered by a straw hat, the parting gift Shanks gave him when the Red-Haired Pirates left Windmill Village.]
[Although Luffy and Shanks didn't spend much time together, Shanks had a huge influence on Luffy!]
[Initially, Luffy had a biased view of pirates, but Shanks' words, "Pirates, huh? You just live freely, following your heart," shifted Luffy's perspective.]
[Yes!]
[Whether pirate or Marine, it doesn't matter! It's not the title that defines good or evil!]
[The key is doing things with a clear conscience!]
[As Luffy was enjoying the breeze and the peace of the sea, a huge whirlpool suddenly formed on the calm waters!!]
Tony Tony Chopper: "Ah! That Red Luffy over there also encountered a whirlpool!"
Vinsmoke Sanji: "Is Luffy that unlucky? Three years before the original, and he still can't escape whirlpools~~"
Usopp: "This whirlpool really has it out for him, like it's been waiting just for Luffy!"
Franky: "Haha! Our Luffy's been getting tangled with whirlpools for three years, huh?"
Monkey D. Luffy: "Wow! That whirlpool's way bigger than the one I ran into!"
Nico Robin: "The situation looks bad! Red Luffy doesn't have a big barrel to float in, unlike our Luffy, who got lucky and escaped using one."
Robin's words grabbed everyone's attention.
Sure enough...
Even though Red Luffy's boat is larger than White Luffy's, Red Luffy's boat only has water bags for buoyancy, without a large container to help him escape the whirlpool.
Capone Bege: "Is that Straw Hat Luffy over there really gonna die like that...?"
Trafalgar Law: "No way! When White Straw Hat first set sail, he was so weak, and he still made it. Red Straw Hat is much stronger, so he won't go down that easily."
Shiki: "Shihahahaha!!! Young folks, you know nothing about the true terror of the sea! Out here, strength isn't everything."
Back during the Battle of Edd War, if not for a sudden storm, Roger's crew could have been wiped out!
It was only because of that storm that Roger's crew survived, while the Flying Pirates nearly met their end! Even he nearly lost his life!
Dracule Mihawk: "True. If Luffy wasn't a Devil Fruit user, he might've had a better shot, but since he is, his survival odds aren't great in this situation."
Shanks: "He won't die! Luffy won't die that easily."
Others might not understand, but Shanks knew. Luffy could very well be the person Roger had been waiting for!!!
Not long ago, the System rewarded Luffy with the awakening of the Rubber-Rubber Fruit!
Shanks fully grasped the significance of this Devil Fruit's awakening!!
If someone destined for greatness could die so easily, they wouldn't be the chosen one!
[The whirlpool opened up like a giant sea monster, revealing a terrifying abyss, pulling everything within its range into its maw!!!]
[The commotion woke Luffy in the small boat, and he stood up. Looking at the whirlpool, he seemed a bit surprised]
[He scratched his head: "The sea sure is mysterious, huh? Calm one second, then a giant whirlpool the next..."]
[The small boat, caught in the whirlpool, is continuously pulled toward its center, spinning in a circular motion along the turbulent water flow!!]
["Looks like to sail freely on the sea, I'll need a partner who knows navigation."]
[Luffy rubs his chin, seriously considering the thought.]
Nami: "A partner who understands navigation? Looks like he didn't think about that before."
Roronoa Zoro: "Oi! He is going to be sucked, and he is thinking about that now? That Luffy over there is as clueless as our Luffy, huh?"
Vinsmoke Sanji: "Of course, they're the same person, so naturally, they're both clueless!"
Monkey D. Luffy: "Why do I feel like you guys are talking bad about me?"
Trafalgar Law: "...Indeed, the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates is a bit clueless..."
Urouge: "No way, is he really going to be swallowed by the whirlpool?"
Basil Hawkins: "Strange... I randomly divined the survival rate of that red Luffy, and it turned out to be one hundred percent..."
[The whirlpool looks ferocious, with waves crashing violently!]
[As they watch, Luffy's small boat is about to be completely swallowed by the whirlpool.]
["Good thing I ate the Rubber-Rubber Fruit back then, or I wouldn't be able to handle this now..."]
[Muttering to himself, Luffy suddenly stretches out his arms and legs, gripping the small boat like four ropes!]
[Then he opens his mouth and takes a deep breath!!!]
[Suddenly, the air on the surface of the sea, like the whirlpool below, rushes into Luffy's mouth...]
[In an instant, his stomach swells dozens of times over, continuing to grow larger and longer at an exaggerated rate!——]
[At this moment, Luffy looks like a balloon being inflated!!!]
[But not the round kind—he's more like one of those long, sausage-shaped balloons used for twisting into shapes.]
[From above, looking down at the sea, Luffy and the small boat seem to be connected to a massive, 200-meter-long airbag at the boat's rear...]
["Gomu Gomu no Propeller!!——"]
[With a roar, this "giant sausage" immediately blasts out a massive jet of air!!!] (T/N: I know what you are thinking. DON'T)
[The powerful airflow gushes from Luffy's mouth, making his upper and lower lips flutter like red flags in the wind!!!]
[Under this tremendous thrust, the small boat surges forward, rapidly escaping the whirlpool's grip...]
!!!
When this scene appears, the entire chat room falls into stunned silence.
Everyone's jaws drop in astonishment!
Their minds freeze, completely fixated on the image of the over 200-meter-long "giant sausage"...