Marineford War: I Will Stand in the Sky

"A single, unexpected strike!"

The terrifying black and red lightning converged and transformed into a flying slash, blooming with a tragic yet terrifying brilliance!

"boom!!!"

An unprecedentedly loud roar resounded, and most of the spectators around felt their ears ringing wildly, and their vision seemed to go black for a moment.

After most people regained their sense of sight, their expressions revealed unprecedented astonishment.

The vast ocean has been split in two!

At the center point where Mihawk and Ying stood facing each other, a bottomless abyss suddenly appeared in the sea!

"A monster!"

"Is this the slash of the world's greatest swordsman?"

"Is the entire ocean about to be split open? No, is the world about to be destroyed?"

……

Amidst the dry murmurs of the onlookers, Mihawk adjusted his hat, then placed the "Black Blade Night" behind his back, turned, and leaped directly into his raft.

Immediately, the surrounding spectators murmured amongst themselves at Mihawk's somewhat surprising action.

"W-what happened?"

"Has the battle already been decided?"

"Who is the winner? It should be... Hawkeye, right?"

Suddenly...

"boom!"

Luffy slammed his fist on the railing, then raised his fist and shouted at the onlookers who were discussing the fight.

"Stop joking, you bunch of bastards! My partner won't lose so easily!"

At that moment, Mihawk, who had been drawn to Luffy's actions, turned his head and glanced at Luffy. His eyes narrowed slightly as if he had realized something. He then looked at Ying and said...

"A long-awaited powerhouse, this arena is not suitable for our final duel. Let's stake our title of 'strongest' and postpone that duel for now..."

"I'll be waiting for you in the 'New World,' Ying..."

"And Nonoroya Zoro, I'll be waiting for your next challenge from the throne of 'Strongest'!"

[Chapter 712. The Kind but Lustful Uncle]

As Mihawk finished speaking, the raft gradually disappeared from everyone's sight. The abyss-like ravine blocking the sea behind Mihawk further deterred everyone from pursuing him.

"Humph!"

Watching Mihawk leave, Ying's clear voice uttered a sentence with a hint of reluctance.

"A self-absorbed bastard."

Just as Luffy, Usopp, and Nami breathed a sigh of relief and were about to cheer loudly for Hotaru, a splash of blood suddenly erupted from Hotaru's body, which had been holding a sword, staining a large area of ​​her clothes red.

"fluorescent!!!"

Immediately, almost everyone in the Straw Hat crew shouted anxiously and quickly headed towards Luminous.

However, the Straw Hat crew had barely moved when, in the blink of an eye, a strange man who had been dining in the restaurant wearing a mask appeared next to Ying.

Just as Arn nervously held Ying in his arms, he instantly sensed that something was wrong.

Despite her pale complexion, Ying's life force was still incredibly strong, even stronger than that of her father.

The next moment, Ying suddenly opened one eye playfully, and then, from an angle where no one could see, she turned her head sharply and bit Yann's arm.

"Woo~"

As Ying bit Ya En's arm, her big, watery eyes stared intently at him, as if she were taking some kind of revenge. Her slightly pursed lips seemed to be subtly cursing him.

Feeling a slight stinging sensation in his arm, Ya'en knew that Ying hadn't really exerted any force, but he also felt his authority as a father was gradually eroding.

'This idiot... he's going to cause an uproar!'

If there weren't so many outsiders around, Yan would definitely have punished Ying right there and then!

Even pranks and whims should have their limits, right?

Knowing full well that she had been watching her from the shadows, Ying, that idiot, deliberately pretended to be injured to trick her into showing herself, and even seemed to be secretly angry about something, taking the opportunity to bite her.

"Let go of Ying!"

However, before Yann could even tap Ying on the forehead to make the idiot let go, Luffy's impatient voice suddenly came from the side.

Along with Luffy's voice, there was also Luffy's rapidly extending fist.

"boom!"

However, as Yann simply spread his palm to block Luffy's fist, Luffy's all-out punch seemed to have hit something exceptionally solid, and bounced back weakly.

While still in mid-air, Luffy quickly withdrew his arm, his expression revealing a hint of resentment as he spoke.

"Damn it, it's Armament Haki again!"

As Luffy began to practice Haki, even though he hadn't truly mastered Armament Haki yet, he instantly recognized that the masked man holding Luminous hostage was using Armament Haki to block his attack.

After witnessing Zoro and Luna's battle against Mihawk, and then having his attack easily blocked by this strange man, Luffy suddenly felt incredibly weak.

For the first time, Luffy, who has always been an incredibly optimistic person, felt a strong desire for power, a desire to have the power to protect his crewmates!

Just as Luffy was about to attack Yann again, Sora's anxious voice rang out from behind him.

"Wait, Luffy, that's not an enemy."

"what?!"

Luffy landed not far from Yann with some surprise, and quickly turned his head to give the approaching airdrop a look of confirmation.

At this moment, as Luffy and his companions approached, Ying had already quietly released her grip on Yan's mouth and then gave Yan a warning look, leaving Yan feeling somewhat bewildered.

Immediately, despite her terrifying physique and the fact that she had only suffered superficial injuries, Ying, pale-faced and somewhat unsteady, stood up from Yan's arms and said...

"Luffy, don't worry, I'm fine. It's just that I might not be able to fight for quite some time."

Seeing this, Luffy couldn't help but break into a bright smile and said, "Phew...that's good..."

Witnessing this scene, Yann's expression beneath his mask became somewhat strange.

In a way, Ying, that idiot, perfectly inherited one of her own fine traditions...

As for Ying's purpose in doing so, Aon had a rough idea. It was probably to avoid getting too involved in Luffy's battles and making Luffy and the others develop an unnecessary sense of dependence.

'A remarkably clever approach...'

Ya'en silently evaluated Ying, and for a moment felt that the seemingly willful Ying had grown a lot.

As Luminous was being cared for by her companions, Usopp pointed at Yone with some confusion and asked, "Luminous, do you know that guy?"

Ying looked in Yan's direction, blinked, and then replied, "Not very well, but he's a kind and lecherous but reliable uncle."

……

Ya'en.

The relieved smile on Yann's face froze instantly. His fist, hidden in his sleeve, clenched involuntarily. He then glared fiercely at Kong, his eyes full of warning and threat.

Immediately afterward, Yann gave Nami a subtle look before walking straight back towards the restaurant.

As Yann left, just as Luffy and the others were about to take Zoro and Hotaru back to the Baratie restaurant for treatment, they belatedly realized the change in the atmosphere around them.

Those pirates who had previously only dared to watch the battle between Mihawk and Luminous in fear, praying that the aftershocks of the battle wouldn't fall on them, now surrounded the Straw Hat crew under the leadership of Krieg, who was clad in golden armor.

"Hey, you brat in the straw hat, hand over that woman named Ying."

After a pause, Creek's face gradually became more ferocious and distorted as he spoke loudly.

"Once I gain that woman's power and loyalty, attacking the Grand Line again will be a piece of cake, right? Hahahaha!!!"

By the end, Creek's laughter was brimming with undisguised pride and arrogance.

Krieg, with his ulterior motives, overheard almost the entire conversation between Luminous and the Straw Hat crew. After realizing that Luminous no longer had the strength to fight, Krieg knew that this was an opportunity he absolutely could not miss.

'If I can take these brats hostage or forcibly marry this woman named Ying, then as the 'Admiral of the East Blue,' I will possess the true power to dominate the Grand Line!'

[Chapter 713. Route]

Faced with Krieg's ambitious and arrogant remarks, Luffy pulled his straw hat over his head and gave a short and powerful reply.

"No."

Krieg's expression changed slightly, as if he had been provoked by Luffy, and he said, "What are you talking about, you nobody? I'm Krieg, the 'East Blue Admiral' with a bounty of seventeen million Berries!!!"

Luffy looked up, his eyes beneath his straw hat answering simply and firmly, "No means no! Luminous is already my crewmate, how could I possibly hand her over to you?"

"Since that's the case, then don't blame me for using force."

The next moment, as Krieg launched the first attack, a large number of surviving members of the "Krieg Pirates" followed closely behind and surrounded the seemingly outnumbered Straw Hat crew.

Aside from the heavily injured Zoro and Hotaru, and considering Nami and Usopp, whose actual combat strength is extremely weak at this point, only Luffy and Ku truly possess combat capabilities.

Facing a large group of pirates surrounding him, Luffy spoke in an unquestionable tone.

"Ku, you protect Luminous and Zoro. I'll take care of these enemies!"

"Ok?"

Sora raised an eyebrow slightly and glanced at Luffy with some surprise.

'Is Luffy more concerned with protecting the injured Hotaru and Zoro than eliminating the enemy right now? He's a pretty good guy.'

Although such a small pirate crew would be easily wiped out by Sora and Luminous, Sora felt Luffy's precious desire to protect his comrades.

This is something even more precious than strength in this chaotic and disorderly sea.

Then, Sora slowly drew his "Famous Sword: Drywood" from his waist and assured Luffy, "Alright, Luffy, don't worry, I will absolutely not let the enemy get close to Zoro and Hotaru."

The battle began the next moment!

Back in his room upstairs at the Baratie "Sea Restaurant," Yann calmly watched the battle below. Compared to Sora, who effortlessly felled all the approaching pirates, Luffy was surrounded and his battle was far more brutal.

"hateful!"

Just then, Yann noticed a reluctant voice coming from downstairs. He saw Sanji tugging at his suit collar, about to join the battle in front of him.