Chapter 328: ICISEI Episode 314

Episode 314: That Incredibly Terrifying Background of the Straw Hat Kid, Everyone Gasps in Shock

『 Instead of catching Luffy, Hina ended up binding several Marines with extreme force, to the point where they could barely breathe!

"How vexing! He’s too fast!"

While Luffy was running inward, the pirates on the outer perimeter were also fighting with all their might.

Although the Marine Vice Admirals were numerous, the disparity in their strength was immense.

Some Vice Admirals could be handled by just a few pirates, while others were as formidable as Gods of War, capable of independently holding off a massive crowd of opponents.

"Don’t take on a Vice Admiral single-handedly, everyone! You’ll only be defeated that way. We must work together!"

Squard was in the middle of a fierce clash when someone called out to him, shouting, "Captain Squard, the bay is in absolute chaos right now! What should we do?"

Squard had a terrifying appearance, with a black tattoo on his forehead and a face that was far from friendly.

Sheathing his blade, he looked toward the opening that Oars had breached nearby and muttered under his breath, "We must hurry and find Ace. If we bypass them through here, we can give them a surprise!"

Suddenly, he felt an astonishing presence behind him. Turning his head, he judged from the fluttering coat that it was someone from the Marines.

Squard’s face registered shock; he hadn’t expected this person to appear here of all places!

"You’re actually..."

The scene shifted, on the other side—

Luffy was taking a heavy blow from a Marine wielding a spiked club, blood streaming down his head.

Luffy crashed to the ground but quickly scrambled back up, swinging a fist fiercely at the soldier. However, his attack was parried by the spiked club, forcing his fist to smash into the ground instead.

This Marine was clearly far stronger than the average soldier, and his strikes were ruthless. Seeing an opening in Luffy’s defense, the Marine was about to attack again when Luffy dodged and seized the opportunity, kicking him away.

As soon as one was kicked away, a second one immediately took its place. More and more Marines swarmed in, forming a tight encirclement!

"These guys are really tough!"

Faced with the swarming Marines, Luffy couldn’t help but exclaim.

Finding an opening, Luffy dashed forward. By spreading them out, the threat of the enemies was greatly reduced. In the end, they had no choice but to chase after him and launch their attacks one by one.

These Marines were also greatly surprised: though this small kid wearing a straw hat was young and short, his speed was incredible...

Luffy was currently being surrounded and attacked by a large group of Marine Vice Admirals.

Up on the fortress wall, Gecko Moria stared down at Luffy’s figure, a bizarre grin appearing on his face. He shouted, "Luffy! To think you’ve run all the way here too!"

One look at Gecko Moria was enough to tell he was no good, especially since he had previously harmed Oars. Thus, the moment he showed his face, angry curses erupted from all sides!

However, everyone had to acknowledge his combat power—after all, he was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!

At this moment, Moria was not only acting incredibly manic, but a mysterious power was also radiating from his body. Raising his arms, he commanded loudly, "Go, my Zombie Army!"

With that, cracks began to open in the ground around him. Withered arms reached out from the fissures, followed by lifeless bodies slowly crawling out from beneath the earth.

These reanimated corpses were all wearing Marine uniforms, looking as though they had been dead for days.

Staring at the zombie soldiers before him, Gecko Moria looked exceptionally pleased with himself, shouting, "Men, seize that Straw Hat brat for me!"

Luffy looked toward Moria in the distance, muttering under his breath, "Another troublesome character has shown up!"

Luffy charged toward the horde of zombies. He had originally thought these guys would be clumsy, but once they clashed, he realized they were not only strong but completely impervious to pain—they were practically the ultimate soldiers!

One of the zombies held a gun and fired several rounds at Luffy, causing Luffy’s body to distort into bizarre shapes. From afar, he looked like a creature covered in spikes!

Although no detailed explanation was given, everyone was slowly beginning to understand Luffy’s unique ability.

His body could deform and stretch at will, just like rubber. At first glance, this ability didn’t seem particularly useful, but through the battle just now, everyone had witnessed how formidable it was—he could even hold his own against a Warlord of the Sea!

Luffy’s body was like a rubber band. Whenever bullets penetrated his body, their kinetic energy was quickly absorbed. Once the bullets lost their force, it was the perfect moment for Luffy to counterattack.

"I’m returning these bullets to you, good as new!"

Whoosh!Whoosh!

All the bullets flew back, knocking down the four zombies in front of him.

Luffy thought he had wrapped things up and was about to catch his breath when he realized something was going terribly wrong!

The zombies that had been knocked down actually stood back up, and even more zombies began to emerge from behind them!

"Were there really this many before...?"

Gecko Moria let out a bizarre laugh. "This is a battlefield! However many dead there are, that’s how many zombies will be made!"

Hearing this, cold sweat poured down Luffy’s forehead.

The surrounding crowd was also utterly shocked!

This was a real battlefield!

The Marines here numbered over a hundred thousand, and the pirates were around twenty to thirty thousand. The total number was incredibly massive, which meant Gecko Moria could potentially raise an enormous zombie army!

What a terrifying force that would be!

If Gecko Moria ever harbored any other ambitions, he would absolutely be a colossal threat!

Kizaru stood at the rear of the crowd.

Staring at the well-trained, armed Marines, he called out, "Hurry up and move! Capture this fugitive for me!"

Yet, Kizaru himself stood there as if watching a play, a smile playing on his lips as he muttered, "These are all officer-level Marines. I wonder how long this boy can last? It really fills one with anticipation!"

Under the onslaught of numerous Marines, Luffy was clearly at a disadvantage.

Even with his extraordinary ability, he would still get hurt if he wasn’t careful; he was by no means invincible.

His small, thin figure looked like a mere child compared to the towering Marines. Seeing him struggle so desperately in the crowd made Ace’s heart wrench with pain!

"DON’T COME OVER HERE, LUFFY!!"

Ace’s voice echoed across the entire battlefield.

Whitebeard, Hancock, Marco, Mihawk... a crowd of top-tier powerhouses all looked toward Ace.

"WE ARE BOTH PIRATES!!"

"WE’VE ADVENTURED FREELY ON THE SEA! I HAVE MY OWN JOURNEY, AND I HAVE MY OWN COMRADES! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO MEDDLE IN MY BUSINESS! I DON’T NEED A COWARD TO SAVE ME!!"

Hearing Ace’s words, Luffy’s gaze became even more resolute.

"DO YOU THINK I WANTED THIS TO HAPPEN? LEAVE ME ALONE AND GO BACK, LUFFY!!"

"THIS IS A HUMILIATION TO ME!!"

Ace appeared exceptionally agitated.

But the Whitebeard Pirates and Garp all understood that Ace was only saying this to get Luffy out of danger. He would rather lose his younger brother’s respect and show his own breakdown at this critical moment just to save him.

Looking at the painful expression on Ace’s face, everyone felt their hearts ache.

Even though they didn’t know exactly what Ace had done or what crimes he had committed as a pirate to warrant being captured and publicly executed by the Marines—some thought he brought it on himself, while others said heaven envied his talent—at this moment, everyone’s opinion was remarkably unified: Ace was a good brother!

Luffy wasn’t swayed in the slightest by Ace’s words. With a firm gaze, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "BECAUSE I’M YOUR BROTHER!!"

For a moment, all the Marines on the field were utterly shocked. They hadn’t expected that the bloodline of the Pirate King, Gold Roger, wasn’t the only one!

"Did you hear what he just said?"

"He’s Ace’s brother!"

"That means he’s also Roger’s child!"

"The same blood flows through his veins!"

"No wonder he’s so formidable!"

"But wait, wasn’t it said that Ace was an only child? His parents both died after he was born, so how could he have a brother?"

"Is this Ace really Roger’s son?"

The Vice Admirals began to doubt the identities of Luffy and Ace.

Meanwhile, Luffy continued, "I DON’T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT PIRATE RULES!!"

He no longer cared about his own life or death, so how could he possibly change his mind just because of what Ace said?

Both brothers were putting each other first, a sight that deeply moved everyone present.

Ace grit his teeth and said, "You idiot, why can’t you just understand?"

Luffy broke through the encirclement of the Marine Vice Admirals, only to face an even more terrifying horde of zombies.

These zombies felt no pain and only obeyed orders to fight, making them even more terrifying than living Marines.

With a smug smile on his face, Gecko Moria waved his hand and shouted, "Go, my Zombie Army!"

Everyone’s hearts leaped into their throats, worrying whether Luffy could dodge the zombies’ attacks.

Just as Luffy was about to be overwhelmed by the zombies, a massive torrent of water suddenly surged forth, washing the zombies away. However, this sudden wave also startled Luffy, who couldn’t swim. Fortunately, the water quickly receded. Luffy looked back and saw that Jinbei had rushed to his rescue!

Strangely, upon contact with the water, dark, shadow-like entities began to escape from the mouths of the zombies.

Once these things vanished, the previously active zombies collapsed one by one, turning back into corpses.

Gecko Moria’s face contorted with rage.

Luffy, however, cheered excitedly, "Jinbei!"

As a former Warlord of the Sea, Jinbei understood Moria’s abilities. He said, "Moria, your zombies are weak against salt, aren’t they? In a place right next to the sea, you dare use this trick?"

"Luffy, leave Moria to me!"

The Marines stared at Jinbei with expressions of shock.

"First Son of the Sea, Jinbei!"

"A former Warlord of the Sea!"

"He’s actually helping the Straw Hat boy too!"

"The ones who came with the Straw Hat boy are all monster-level powerhouses!"

While everyone was marveling at this, a furious roar suddenly rang out.

Sengoku bellowed, "What are you all doing? Don’t let a minor character disrupt the grand plan!"

At that moment, a giant Marine strode toward Luffy, launching a fierce attack.

"This young man is a major source of trouble. He is not the son of the Pirate King Roger, but a brother who grew up with Ace. His lineage actually comes from..."

Garp’s body stiffened as he looked toward Sengoku.

"He is the son of the revolutionary, Dragon!"

The surrounding area instantly erupted into chaos, with everyone’s attention snapping to Luffy’s small figure. "He’s actually Dragon’s child!"

"Though he calls himself a fighter for justice, Dragon is actually one of the world’s most wanted criminals!"

"To think that one is the son of the Pirate King, and the other is the offspring of the revolutionary, yet they grew up together and both chose the path of piracy!"

"If they ever inherit their respective fathers’ legacies..."

"Indeed! This Straw Hat boy is bound to be a troublesome figure in the future. We absolutely cannot let him off easily!"

The clamor from the Marine side showed that their resolve to capture Luffy had become even firmer.

On the other side, Buggy and the others who had come here with Luffy were left dumbfounded upon hearing this news.

"Captain, did you hear that? This kid actually comes from such a family!"

"To think we’ve been following such a major figure all this way."

Buggy’s mouth hung wide open in shock as he cried out, "So he has such an incredible old man!"

Some had already known about this, but a portion of the crowd was shocked to the absolute limit.

Even Kizaru’s expression couldn’t help but turn slightly peculiar upon hearing this news!

Hancock’s cheeks flushed slightly as she murmured, "Even if you are the child of a demon, my feelings for you will never change..."

Jinbei, standing to the side, was equally astonished, muttering to himself, "So that’s how it is..."

At this moment, Smoker recalled his first encounter with Luffy. Back then, he had already subdued Luffy, only for Dragon to suddenly appear and threaten him. If the other party hadn’t held back, he might have lost his life right there.

He muttered thoughtfully, "That explains why he exposed his identity just to save that kid!"

The Whitebeard Pirates were also incredibly surprised. Even though they belonged to different factions, the name Dragon was known to everyone!

Whitebeard looked in the direction Luffy had gone, his eyes filled with approval. It was as if he was saying: No wonder he turned out to be such a fine lad!

On Sabaody Archipelago, the residents were also in a frenzy of discussion.

"He’s actually Dragon’s child... that’s too shocking."

"Whether it’s the child of the Pirate King Roger or the child of the Revolutionary Dragon, he is indeed extremely dangerous!"

"Now his identity will probably be known to the entire world. What will he do then?!"

"Headquarters, headquarters! This is Sabaody Archipelago. Big news! Broadcast it to the world immediately!"

"We absolutely cannot let this guy live!" 』

『 .....』

〜One Piece World〜

Aboard the Going Merry—

At this moment, everyone on the ship was stunned.

They were all too shocked to speak, staring blankly at Luffy.

Not only did Luffy grow up with the son of the Pirate King Roger, but he was also the son of Dragon!

Vinsmoke Sanji: "This guy... actually..."

Nami: "His background is seriously no joke!"

Ronoroa Zoro: "..."

Usopp: "Are you for real?! Now that the whole world knows Luffy’s identity, aren’t we going to be in deep trouble from now on?!"

Tony Tony Chopper: "Is Dragon the kind of dragon from legends?"

Luffy grinned. Although he was Dragon’s son, he actually knew absolutely nothing about his old man.

—

『 Actually, regarding Luffy’s parentage, it had been mentioned briefly before. Ivankov had even thought Ace was also Dragon’s son, believing Dragon might show up here. However, back then, no one was certain if the ’Dragon’ he spoke of was indeed that terrifying Revolutionary Dragon!

But now!

Since this matter was personally announced by Sengoku, there was absolutely no mistake!

"Kill him!"

"We must eliminate him to prevent future trouble!"

"He’s the son of the Revolutionary Dragon. He’s already very strong; he’ll definitely become a massive threat in a few years!"

"Go all out and kill him!"

The Marines surged into action.

Garp watched this scene, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

He sighed and said, "It doesn’t matter anymore. There’s no need to hide it now. Luffy has already become a pirate, and he’s disrupted Marine operations several times. He’s no longer a lawbreaker who can be defined by a single label."

He looked at the worried Ace beside him and shook his head. "These two brothers are both reckless fools!"

Garp truly worried himself to death over these kids.

Faced with the onslaught of the crowd, Luffy didn’t show the slightest hint of panic.

He bit his thumb and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Gear Third—!"

His fist ballooned to an immense size, causing even the giant Marine before him to gasp in shock.

"Gomu Gomu no Giant Pistol—!"

He swung his colossal fist, slamming it heavily into the giant’s face. The moment it made contact, a massive shockwave rippled outward.

Countless people witnessed this, utterly dumbfounded.

Could a fist actually grow that big?

And to such an exaggerated degree?

This wasn’t some Ultraman world!

But then again, could he only make his fist bigger?

Thinking about the applications of this unique ability, everyone was incredibly envious!

At this very moment, people marveled at the strength Luffy displayed. Although he didn’t possess Whitebeard’s overwhelming aura, nor did he have the seemingly invincible presence of the three Marine Admirals, his fist-to-fist, close-quarters combat style felt unique in this world of supernatural abilities. His creative utilization of his rubber body exceeded everyone’s imagination.

This kid!

His potential was limitless!

With just a single punch, he had knocked down a giant Marine. 』

『 .....』