One Piece - I Am A Different Luffy! - Chapter 481 - Post-War Banquet 02.

[Chapter Size: 1800 Words.]
Third Person POV

New Word.

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...

“Wano is free!”
“We avenged Oden!”
“We finally took down Kaido!”
“I’m so glad I came to be part of this. I feel like I’d regret it for the rest of my life.”
“Yes... Even our fallen brothers in battle... They died with honor, and we will always remember them!!”

The cheers among the people of Wano continued for a while.

“Looks like everyone is having fun, huh...” Kawamatsu commented, looking at the crowd as the members of the Nine Red Scabbards gathered.

“Yes... We did our part here, though we weren’t the main force in this fight. After all, the Straw Hats handled and finished off the major ones with ease...” Nekomamushi remarked.

“Yes... I knew that if we didn’t come here, we’d regret it... It seems to be true. And even if we weren’t as crucial as we imagined, we were still part of the battle that freed Wano from Kaido’s grasp.” Inuarashi said beside his companion.

“You even showed up too, huh.” Ashura Doji commented.

“Of course I did, and I almost lost the fight... I knew this was the only chance to settle the unfinished business from twenty years ago.” A man among them spoke, having entered the battle halfway through.

“In the end, it looks like everything worked out, doesn’t it, Princess...” Denjiro commented, looking at Hiyori among them, wearing a samurai helmet and a cloak to keep herself hidden.

“Yes... When my brother arrives... everything will be as it should be...” She said, gazing at the hole in the ceiling, where the sunlight shone through and the sounds of music echoed.

“Looks like everyone is heading there.” Kikunojo said, watching as members of the fleet began climbing as well.

“Well then, let’s go too!” One of the Red Scabbards said as the entire Straw Hat Grand Fleet advanced toward the rooftop using Geppo, the sound from above growing louder.

Quickly, they arrived, and as they ascended, their sight was filled with thousands of people celebrating, holding a massive banquet, eating and drinking. Food and drinks were being distributed freely, as the fleet took over the entire place, and yet, the stock seemed endless. However, Luffy had already pulled nearly everything he had from his pockets to supply his entire fleet for a while.

“Hey, man! Use those stocks I gave you back in Dressrosa!” Luffy shouted at the man with the Storage Storage no Mi, who nodded as he started freeing up space, releasing even more food and drink all over the place.

The new Red Scabbards stood there, lost, watching all those pirates engaged in a massive feast. It was hard to process that they had defeated a pair of Yonkos along with their entire crew, with almost everyone intact.

At that moment, someone passed by the Red Scabbards.

“Princess...” One of them murmured upon seeing Hiyori moving forward among the pirates on her own, not stopping.

After a long walk, with the Red Scabbards following her, they reached the main group. Luffy was laughing alongside his crew and wives, eating and having fun. Uta and Brook were leading the music, singing Binks’ Sake, while everyone joined their voices in a united chorus.

Luffy laughed, took a sip of his drink, and looked to the side, seeing the Red Scabbards approaching. One of them had not been present at the initial attack on Wano, but Luffy had sensed his presence through Haki when they were invading Onigashima. He had appeared right in the middle of the battle. It would be good to get some information from him about Ace and the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Someone advanced among them, approaching Luffy.

“Straw Hat.”

Princess Hiyori removed her samurai helmet, revealing her face and green hair. She looked at Luffy, pressing her lips together in a strange way, almost as if she were about to cry.

Four sharp gazes immediately fell upon her, as the four women surrounding Luffy—Alvida, Hancock, Lola, and Shirahoshi—did not seem inclined to let anyone else get close. However, Hiyori ignored them and stepped forward.

Before anyone could react, she fell to her knees and lowered her head to the ground in a full bow, leaving the Red Scabbards stunned.

“Thank you.” She said simply, her voice carrying a tearful tone.

“Thank you for defeating Kaido and fighting for Wano.”

She expressed her gratitude in an unexpected way.

Luffy raised an eyebrow at her before breaking into a friendly smile.

“Don’t worry about that, Kurosuki Hiyori. What matters now is that Wano is free, and we are going to put this country in order.” Luffy responded to her in a calm tone, ignoring the music of his crewmates singing around him.

“Do you promise?” She asked, raising her head and looking directly into his eyes. “Do you promise you won’t be like Kaido?”

It was obvious that Wano’s fate was now in Luffy’s hands. Hiyori didn’t want him to become another tyrant like Kaido. Even though he had already said he wouldn’t, she had to confirm once more.

“Don’t worry about that. I said I would help develop this country, and I won’t abuse its people. Wano is safe now, but I want to develop this place so that, besides being a free and open country, it also becomes rich and powerful.”

“But there will still be a cost, won’t there?” Hiyori asked.

Luffy nodded, not denying it. “Yes, a cost for the sake of this world. For the final battle, I will need Wano’s army. One way or another, they will have to fight for me.” Luffy stated.

Hiyori looked at the Red Scabbards who were there with her. They didn’t quite know what to say about that, but in the end, they nodded. They owed it to the man who had led the battle and helped Wano after helping them fight for a better future.

“Thank you for everything.” Oden’s father, Kozuki Sukiyaki, also appeared, expressing his gratitude.

“Straw Hat, you are truly incredible. This will be a new dawn for Wano!” Hyogoro said.

“Correct.” Luffy confirmed. “Now stop talking and let’s eat! But before that... How is the remaining crew of the Whitebeard Pirates?” He asked directly to Izo, the last Red Scabbard to appear among the seven present, who nodded before answering.

“We are still trying to protect Pops’ territories, but those damn Blackbeard pirates
 They are doing everything they can to kill us.” He said, and Luffy could feel the weight of those words.

“I understand... We’ll help them as soon as things stabilize here.” Luffy replied.

“Please, I would rather Pops’ territories be under your flag than any other. Save my comrades! Pops’ territories are all that’s left of him.” Izo pleaded, and Luffy nodded.

“It will be done.” He said.

“And Ace said he’s gotten stronger. He says he can take you down now.” Izo added, now with a grin, shifting from his serious expression to a more playful tone.

Luffy smiled.

“Hey, you mentioned Ace! How is he?”

At that moment, Lucy appeared with a huge piece of meat, approaching Izo to ask about her brother.

“Well, now let’s go! Join the banquet. It will only be for a moment, but don’t eat too much and don’t get too drunk!” Luffy declared at the end, as everyone returned to eating, drinking, and celebrating.

The party continued, but at the same time, after some time had passed since the tsunami and the explosions of water caused by Luffy’s battle, the government ships finally began to reestablish themselves.

“How many did we lose?! How many?!” The screams echoed through the Den Den Mushi.

“We lost more than two hundred ships, but all of our main war forces are landing on the remaining ships. However, there are still men in the sea. What should we do, sir?” A government agent reported, awaiting orders.

Before he could answer, another Den Den Mushi beside him took the floor.

“There is no time for that. Leave them! The objective is to defeat the Straw Hats. After the fight, they must be exhausted. We cannot let them recover. Advance immediately! This is an order!” Saturn’s voice echoed through the communicators, now back in control of the situation.

“I see then...” One of the agents listening murmured.

The eyes of the Pacifistas quickly began to flicker at that moment, glowing as if they were being activated.

“Prepare for battle! We are heading to Wano!” The commander ordered, while government agents ran back and forth, preparing for war.

Meanwhile, Saturn, in his room, picked up a different Den Den Mushi.

“Activate the execution order. Eliminate all the Straw Hats and their allies.” Saturn commanded, and immediately, all the Pacifistas had a slight change in their eyes, a sinister light glowing within them. Alongside them, the Seraphims opened their eyes, and the androids also began to move.

“You are in command of the operation.” He said, as a figure began to walk forward calmly, followed by others in the middle of the ship.

They all wore helmets similar to those of astronauts, and the government agents lowered their heads in respect and fear. After all, they were the Holy Knights, one of the most powerful forces of the government, and they were ready to lead this overwhelming power, filled with Admirals, Seraphims, and Pacifistas.

“You could say that this mission will be completed soon. After all, we have everything we need to destroy them. Even though they just fought against two Yonkos, we will show these inferior beings what happens when they dare to believe they are better than the gods of this world.”

His red hair swayed in the cold night wind as he looked toward Wano, where a small glow from the banquet of the Straw Hats was still visible.

Luffy suddenly felt something. His gaze narrowed, as did those of all the powerful users of Observation Haki.

Something was coming. Finally.

“Well... looks like it’s begun.” Zoro murmured as he began to stand up.

“Tsk, it was about time...” Enel muttered.

“The fun is over! Everyone, listen up! The government is coming!” Luffy raised his voice, grabbing the attention of the entire fleet.

“I want everyone prepared for the next battle! Take your positions on the ships, because this fight will happen at sea!”

The fleet listened to his words attentively. Quickly, people began to rise from the banquet, their gazes filled with determination.

“Yes, Captain! Let’s go, everyone!” One of the fleet captains shouted.

Immediately, they started moving, jumping into the air using Geppo and advancing toward the ships. Not just them, but many others followed the movement.

The entrance to Onigashima was now filled with pirates, and the fleet’s ships surged forward toward the next challenge they would face.