Luffy, how can you become the Pirate King if you don't work hard!

The crisp cracking sound was particularly jarring on the quiet mountaintop.

Luffy opened his palm, and a pile of fragments slipped through his fingers, clattering to the ground.

The entire mountaintop was silent for a full three seconds.

Then it exploded.

"He's gone mad!"

"That's the save pointer from One Piece!!!"

"Give it to me if you don't want it!"

Apoo's expression was somewhat broken. Did Straw Hat Luffy know what that was?

Countless people would risk their lives for this, so why would a bunch of them work as Kaido's lackeys to steal it?!

Once you get it, go straight to One Piece. Why bother with Kaido's stuff?

"Hehehehe, as expected, it's still the same old Straw Hat Luffy, always doing things that leave people scratching their heads."

Kidd's face contorted in pain, and he burst into laughter.

Barrett frowned slightly, his brain taking a while to process the information he had just seen.

That carefully prepared bait, the ultimate prize meant to lure all the pirates into fighting each other—something that everyone theoretically wanted—was easily crushed by this man.

The Roger Pirates were extremely excited when they learned they could go to Laugh Tale.

"You don't want Onepiece?" Barrett asked, puzzled.

"If you need something like this to get to Laugh Tale, what kind of Pirate King are you?"

Luffy dusted off the shards of glass on his hands. "There's no shortcut to becoming the Pirate King. You have to defeat all the Four Emperors one step at a time."

Only when things fall into place naturally, and you go on adventures with your companions, can you become the true Pirate King.

This was something that had already been decided beforehand.

Moreover, we already have two Poneglyphs. If we collect the one that Kaido has, the location of Laugh Tale will be easy to find out.

If that's the case, why do we need this kind of thing?

Cavendish's rose fell to the ground without him noticing. "That's a cool line, I've learned something new."

Is there no shortcut to becoming the Pirate King?

Tears welled up in Bartolomeo's eyes like a burst dam; Luffy-senpai really is too cool.

Meanwhile, the pirates who had no connection with Luffy looked at each other, unsure whether to think this man was too arrogant or too stupid.

Only Redfield chuckled softly.

He withdrew the bat that was circling in his palm, and his all-seeing eyes lingered on Luffy for a long time. "Looks like a willful guy like Roger."

"interesting."

Barrett laughed. "I admire your courage, but you've destroyed the save pointer in One Piece, so you'd better make it up to me."

He raised his hand, pointing towards the Thousand Sunny behind Luffy. "You've collected quite a few Poneglyphs, haven't you? I want them all. You don't need any shortcuts anyway, right? So hand over the Poneglyphs you have!"

"If you're so capable, then come on."

Luffy suddenly found it a little funny to hear Barrett being so stubborn.

How many punches did he get thrown at this guy?

The blood at the corner of his mouth hasn't even been wiped clean yet, and he still dares to open his mouth and ask for the historical text?

Since Barrett can still say these things, Luffy decides to make sure he can never say them again.

"Don't underestimate me,"

Barrett clasped his fists together, and Armament Haki instantly covered his entire body. "I am Douglas Barrett! The strongest member of the Roger Pirates! The heir of the devil!"

Luffy raised his fist, and in the blink of an eye, the ground shattered, and he appeared in front of Bullet.

Directly enters fifth gear mode!

White hair billowed upwards like flames, and unique patterns spread across his body. Because of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit being used in unison, the surrounding air emitted a buzzing resonance.

"Let's deal with you first, before we get to the navy."

The matter was resolved quickly; Barrett didn't give him the feeling of being a significant threat. If the Red Earl had joined forces with Barrett, he might have been slightly interested, but the Red Earl didn't join in when he saw Barrett make his move.

They seemed to think that such behavior was a bit beneath them.

Meanwhile, the original location of the Sunny had completely changed.

A wall of ice, stretching for hundreds of meters, rose from the sea, protecting the Sunny and several other pirate ships behind it. The ice wall was estimated to be more than ten meters thick, and its surface was as smooth as a mirror. When the navy's shells hit it, they only left shallow white marks, not even cracks.

The pirates behind the ice wall breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the man not far away with complicated expressions.

The world has really changed. Who would have thought that one day they would be under Kuzan's protection, even though this may not have been Kuzan's intention?

Kuzan and the Navy have clashed.

He was protecting the ship, but didn't take the initiative to attack.

After all, the navy's bombardment was indeed a nuisance. Kuzan knew the intensity of the Buster Call's artillery fire, as he was one of the executors.

Outside the ice wall, the navy's fleet had already completed a salvo.

Dozens of warships opened fire simultaneously, and scorching shells rained down on the ice wall, with explosions erupting one after another and the smoke so thick that it almost covered half the sky.

But these shellings did nothing to change anything except leave some black scorch marks on the surface of the ice wall.

A monster is a monster.

Kuzan has a constant supply of ice beneath his feet, so if he isn't interrupted, the Navy's Buster Call artillery firepower can't be effectively used.

There's nothing we can do about it; it's the ocean.

Smoker stood at the bow of a warship, a cigar between two fingers, looking at the ice wall through the smoke.

His expression was complicated.

Smoker knew this day would come after he left the Navy in Kuzan.

I still miss the days when Kuzan cleaned up my messes back in the Navy.

Tashigi stood behind him. "Are we going to fight Admiral Kuzan?"

“It was the former general,” Smoker corrected.

Then, he took a deep drag on his cigar, his body transformed into a cloud of smoke, and flew towards the ice wall.

He stopped at the very top of the ice wall and reformed into human form.

The moment their feet touched the ice, the chill crept up their shoes, and their gaze, passing over the thickness of the ice wall, locked onto the tall man leaning against the ship's railing on the deck of the Sunny.

Kuzan also saw him.

The two former colleagues stared at each other across the ice wall. Kuzan spoke first, his tone still that lazy one:

"Oh my, isn't this Smoker? Long time no see!"

Kuzan,

Smoker ignored the pleasantries and went straight to the point, "Have you become that Straw Hat Boy's henchman?"

"According to our captain, I should be considered a partner."

Kuzan exhaled a breath of cold air.

His view of Luffy was that he wasn't just a simple pirate, but more like an explorer who was carefree and adventuring on this sea.

As expected of Mr. Garp's grandson, his personal charm in this aspect is truly outstanding.

This theory may apply to all members of the Monkey D. family, including Garp and Luffy, as well as Dragon, the current leader of the Revolutionary Army.

Smoker remained silent for a few seconds, peering through the smoke at the admiral before him, whom he had once looked up to.

Kuzan looked the same as always, with his lazy hairstyle, casual posture, and a coat casually draped over his shoulders.

But his demeanor had changed; the vague sense of confusion he once possessed was gone, replaced by a calmness that Smoker couldn't quite describe.

“It doesn’t look like they’ve fallen into darkness,”

Smoker spoke slowly, his tone softer than before, "Have you found what you're looking for?"

"Probably."

Kuzan, hands in his pockets, looked past Smoker at the dozens of naval warships arrayed on the distant sea. The cannons on those warships were still firing incessantly, and the shells crashed against the ice walls, exploding into bursts of orange-red sparks.

"Although I don't think there will be any real conflict of interest between our group and the Navy, it probably won't do you any good by saying that. Is Sakazuki planning to do something this time?"

Kuzan knows Akainu very well.

The fact that the Navy was able to get involved in this incident so quickly must be due to the strong support of that marshal.

Chapter 543 A Flashy One-Shot Kill

"A pirate is a pirate, and a navy is a navy; they are inherently in conflict."

Smoker stared down at Kuzan, smoke escaping from his mouth. "Once a pirate, always a pirate. As for our admiral's thoughts, you should understand them very well."

Kuzan scratched his head, sensing a hidden meaning in Smoker's words.

As expected, Akainu is still the same as ever. He is absolutely righteous and cannot tolerate any gray areas. His attitude towards leaving the Navy was already evident in the ten-day and ten-night battle on Punk Hazard.

"There's nothing we can do about that."

Kuzan moved his wrists, and tiny ice crystals began to form on his fingertips.

Even if they are old friends, if their stance changes, they still have to fight.

After a moment of silence, both sides launched a fierce attack.

The smoke and ice collided together.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Sunny, a fierce battle for money was raging.