Chapter 278: Reunion

"Alright, alright, I'm done messing with you. But how on earth did you manage to pick a fight with a former Warlord anyway? Barrier!"

Bartolomeo crossed his fingers in a rapid gesture, casting a completely transparent barrier that instantly bridged the decks of the two warships.

"All hands, charge!"

"I'll take the lead!" Don Sai brandished his heavy blade, leaping out first.

Crossing the transparent bridge at maximum velocity, he whipped his broadsword through the air, coating the steel in an explosive shockwave before driving a heavy strike clean through Crocodile's torso.

BANG!

Cascades of sand exploded across the deck, scattering in every direction.

"Hmph! So a former Seven Warlord is only worth this much!"

Before the words had even fully cleared Don Sai's lips, a massive hand adorned with heavy gemstone rings reached through the swirling dust, clamping tightly around his collar.

"Who in the hell... are you looking down on?!"

Crocodile snapped his eyes wide, driving the massive, lethal gold hook on his other arm straight toward Don Sai's skull.

CLANG!

A loud, metallic ringing reverberated across the deck as a transparent barrier materialized out of nowhere to absorb the impact right in front of Don Sai's face.

Crocodile paused for a brief microsecond. Just as he prepared to adjust his stance, a sharp, high-velocity whistling sound cut through the air to his left—Cavendish was diving in with an Armament Haki-infused sword strike.

"Tch!" Crocodile clicked his tongue, vaulting backward to dodge the blade.

"Next, I'm going to make every single one of you intimately acquainted with the true cruelty of hell!" As Crocodile spoke, a towering wave of sand materialized out of thin air, expanding continuously with every passing heartbeat.

"Nhn-hn-hn-hn..."

"Crocodile! Your partner has already been captured—I suggest you surrender quietly!" a voice called out from behind him. Orumbus stood on the small boat, holding a flintlock pistol pressed firmly against the temple of a solitary figure.

"Hm?"

"Mr. 1, what are you doing?"

The man who had a pistol pressed against his head suddenly snapped his eyes open. Rising in a flash, he converted his arm into a razor-sharp steel blade.

Purtch!

A brutal upward slash ripped open a deep laceration, fresh blood slowly weeping from the wound...

"Eek! This is bad!" Leo gasped in horror, staring at the monk-like assassin.

"Leave him to me!" Bartolomeo vaulted onto the deck, a circular barrier manifesting around his arm.

"Tell me, aren't you bastards looking down on me a bit too much?!" Crocodile converted both hands into swirling sand, his aura dripping with absolute, murderous intent.

BOOM!

With a single sweep of his arm, he sent Bartolomeo flying backward across the deck.

"Barto!" the group gasped in shock.

"All together, charge!"

"Nhn-hn-hn-hn..." Crocodile's eyes glinted with a cold, predatory light. This was the exact microsecond he had been waiting for.

Individually, these division leaders possessed respectable combat capabilities; engaging them in an organized formation would have proven tedious. But looking at them now, any lingering concerns were completely redundant.

A disorganized mob lacking a single fraction of tactical coordination could never hope to unleash their authentic strength.

Come on then, let me slaughter every last one of you right here!

BANG!

At that exact microsecond, a thunderous spatial concussion violently sundered the void. Before anyone could process the noise, a gargantuan object materialized out of thin air, crushing square against Crocodile's face with absolute, unyielding kinetic weight.

It was none other than the Going Guard!

"WOOHOO!"

Inside the flagship, Luffy raised both arms high into the air, his mouth stretched wide in absolute delight. The Going Guard had activated its panoramic mode, granting the crew a crystal-clear, unobstructed view of the surrounding seascape.

Having experienced the flagship's instantaneous spatial warps multiple times now, Luffy made a habit of finding the absolute best vantage point every single time to fully immerse himself in the miraculous spectacle.

Today was no exception.

"LU-LU-LU-LU... LUFFY-SENPAI!!" Bartolomeo's eyes practically popped clean out of their sockets. At this absolute, unbelievable threshold, the Luffy-senpai he yearned for day and night had materialized right before his eyes!

The Going Guard had warped in right along his flank, missing his frame by barely a hand's breadth—a terrifyingly close encounter that was an absolute miracle in itself.

Luffy was currently pressed flat against the transparent observation viewport, locking eyes directly with Bartolomeo face-to-face...

Luffy blinked in surprise before his eyes shot wide. "Rooster-Head! What are you doing here?!"

"Straw Hat Luffy!" the surrounding crew members gasped in absolute horror.

With a heavy splash that kicked up a massive wall of sea spray, the Going Guard settled smoothly into the ocean waves, inflicting zero damage on Cavendish's warship.

Unluckily for one specific individual, his coordinates had directly intersected with the landing zone of the newly warped Going Guard. To be flattened square beneath the hull of a spatial-warping mecha—who could he possibly file a complaint to?

"That was really Luffy-senpai... There's no mistaking it!" Bartolomeo was overwhelmed by a tidal wave of pure, emotional bliss, finding it an absolute struggle to even preserve his balance.

Every pair of eyes on the deck stared unblinkingly at the mysterious object. The Going Guard possessed an exceptionally bizarre appearance from the exterior; large sections of its hull were completely transparent, making it near impossible to categorize what classification of construct it was. It was only when it floated stably atop the sea that they deduced it was likely a specialized vessel.

"It's Straw Hat Luffy? How on earth did they appear out of nowhere?!" Cavendish noted in profound astonishment.

None of them had logged a single trace of motion across the surrounding waters prior to the impact, let alone an asset as gargantuan as the Going Guard.

Had it been present in the vicinity earlier, it would have been mathematically impossible for them to miss it.

If memory served correctly... that thing had literally dropped straight out of the sky!

Just what in the world was going to on here?!

While they were paralyzed in deep confusion, the primary hatch of the Going Guard slowly hissed open. Across the pitch-black threshold of the exit, a swift shadow flashed.

In the very next heartbeat, Luffy materialized right before Bartolomeo, wrapping him in a tight, enthusiastic bear hug.

"It's been way too long, Rooster-Head!"

"Gagh...!" Bartolomeo froze completely on the spot, his body stiffening like a wooden board as his heart hammered wildly against his ribs.

Luffy-senpai... he actually... HUGGED ME!!

Sniff... Waaaaah...!

"Hey, it really is Rooster-Head! Whoa... every single one of you is gathered here."

Bartolomeo strained with every fiber of his being to turn his head. The moment his vision cleared, his eyes illuminated with a brilliant light: "Zoro-senpai!"

"That... that's..."

What followed was unequivocally the single most unforgettable milestone of Bartolomeo's entire life. Stepping through the hatch of the Going Guard was the Straw Hat Pirates in their entirety.

A full, complete crew assembly!

"Waaaaah... Robin-senpai... Usopp-senpai... Franky-senpai... Nami-senpai..."

This is bad... they're far too dazzling! I can't even count them all...!

The Straw Hat Pirates gathered in full strength—to be blessed with an honor of this magnitude... he had never imagined this moment would arrive so suddenly!

Prior to setting sail, he had privately hoped he might catch a glimpse of the full crew during this global campaign, but this encounter was far too abrupt; he was completely unprepared!

"Ahhh~ I can't... I can't take it..." As his gaze continuously swept across the individual members of the Straw Hat crew, compounded by the warm, firm pressure of Luffy's embrace, Bartolomeo's knees gave out completely, and he collapsed onto the deck in a limp heap.

"Chopper-senpai..."

At this absolute threshold, Bartolomeo felt as though his soul was floating straight up to heaven. This was... pure, unadulterated bliss!

"Hey! Rooster-Head, what's wrong with you?! Hey, wake up...!" Luffy asked in a panic, shaking him frantically.

"The full Straw Hat crew has assembled!" Every single member of the Barto Club erupted into tears of profound empathy. "Captain! We understand your feelings completely...!"

"Well I DON'T understand at all!" Luffy grumbled with a look of utter disgust. He couldn't even detach himself if he wanted to—even after losing consciousness, Bartolomeo kept a death grip on his clothes, continuously mumbling the names of the Straw Hat crew under his breath.

"Hurry up and get him off me...!"

"Eek!" Chopper pointed a trembling finger at Bartolomeo, backing away a few steps in genuine terror. "Is he... is he chanting our names like some kind of curse...?"

"Just what kind of person is he..."