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[+200 power stones = +1 extra chapter]
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[Ding! The Calming Card effect has expired.]
The system's notification echoed in Lucas's ears as he found himself suspended high in the air.
"Damn it! Why am I flying so high?!" he shouted, flailing his limbs as the wind howled around him.
After the hurricane subsided, Lucas, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp were all scattered along the coastline.
"Ugh, I was about to board the ship, and then that stupid wind blew me back!" Lucas grumbled, rubbing his head as he scanned his surroundings.
The others were already gathering nearby.
"Hey! Everyone's here!" Luffy called out cheerfully.
"Luffy!"
"Luffy!!"
Nami's voice carried over from the Going Merry, which was already drifting away from the shore.
"Nami!" The group turned toward the ship, their expressions shifting to urgency.
"The ship can't stop in this weather! We need to get on board now, or we'll be left behind!" Sanji warned.
Zoro suddenly tensed, sensing something ominous. "Luffy... what are you doing?" he asked warily as Luffy started backing up.
"Leave it to me!" Luffy grinned, stretching his arms back.
The others immediately recognized that look.
"Oh no!!!"
"Rubber... ROCKET!"
Before anyone could react, Lucas felt the world spin violently as Luffy's stretched arms launched them all toward the Merry.
THUD!
They crashed onto the deck in a tangled heap.
"Oww!"
[Ding! Host's emotional fluctuation detected. Mood value +1000.]
"Everyone!" Nami beamed in relief as the crew finally regrouped.
Lucas staggered to his feet, dusting himself off. "Is everyone alright?"
"We're fine," Zoro grunted, rubbing his shoulder.
Meanwhile, back on land, Smoker watched the Going Merry disappear into the storm.
"Prepare a ship for me," he ordered his subordinates. "I'm heading to the Grand Line."
"But Colonel Smoker, this is your jurisdiction! If you leave without authorization..."
Smoker's grip tightened around his jutte, his mind replaying Luffy's words on the execution platform.
"Just get the damn ship ready!" he snapped.
"Yes, sir!"
Beside him, Tashigi adjusted her glasses, her hand resting on Shigure's hilt. "Colonel Smoker, I'm coming too. I won't let Roronoa Zoro escape justice!"
Smoker gave a curt nod in approval.
High above Marine's outpost, a cloaked man with a distinctive shoe-print tattoo watched the Merry fade into the horizon, a faint smirk on his lips.
Smoker glanced up at him. "I don't get why you helped him."
The man chuckled deeply. "Nothing should stand in the way of a man's dream to sail the seas."
He didn't reveal the truth, that he was Monkey D. Dragon, Luffy's father.
Just then, a flashy pink ship burst through the wreckage.
"Damn it! We only escaped thanks to that storm! Luck was on my side today... but letting Straw Hat get away? Unacceptable!" Buggy the Clown grumbled, stroking his chin.
Unbeknownst to him, Dragon's wind had saved Luffy yet Buggy, the self-proclaimed "King of Luck," had somehow benefited too.
"Buggy, where to next?" Alvida asked, leaning against the railing.
"If Straw Hat's going to the Grand Line, then so are we!" Buggy declared, his eyes gleaming with ambition. "Besides... I've missed that place."
Back on the Merry, the crew steadied themselves as the storm raged on.
"Luffy, where exactly are we heading?" Usopp asked nervously.
"The Grand Line, obviously!" Luffy replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Wait, sailing in this weather is insane, right?!" Usopp yelped.
All eyes turned to Nami, their navigator.
She smirked confidently. "No problem." Pointing toward a distant lighthouse, she added, "See that light? It marks the entrance to the Grand Line. We're almost there."
A collective excitement surged through the crew.
"In that case," Sanji announced, placing his foot on a barrel, "let's have a launch ceremony to celebrate our new adventure!"
"HELL YEAH!"
One by one, they stacked their feet on the barrel, declaring their dreams:
Sanji: "I'll find the legendary All Blue!"
Luffy: "I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"
Lucas grinned: "I'll travel the world and document everything I see!"
Zoro: "I'll become the world's greatest swordsman!"
Nami, resting a hand on Lucas's shoulder: "I'll chart the entire world!"
All eyes fell on Usopp.
"Uh... I-I'll become a brave warrior of the sea!" he stammered.
With their dreams declared, the crew officially set their course toward the Grand Line, a sea of endless possibilities.
CRACK!
Thunder boomed overhead as the rain poured relentlessly. The storm showed no signs of stopping, meaning the next few days would be rough.
"Nami, how long until we reach the Grand Line?" Lucas asked, wiping rainwater from his face.
"From Loguetown? If conditions are good, four or five days. But with this weather? Might take longer," she replied.
Lucas nodded. The storm would undoubtedly slow them down.
"Lucas! Give me a hand, the sail's rope came loose!" Usopp called from the mast.
"On it!"
Lucas climbed the rigging, his fear of heights dulled by weeks of training. Still, his mind wandered.
'Lately, my memories of the One Piece world feel... fuzzy. I used to remember every detail. What's happening?'
He frowned. 'I think something important happens before they enter the Grand Line... something about a dragon?'
"System, why am I forgetting things?"
[Ding! Correction: The World's Will is integrating you into its flow. Your outsider memories are being adjusted to maintain balance.]
"Can you fix it?"
[This system is omnipotent. Of course.]
"What's the cost?"
[1000 Mood Value.]
"Do it."
Instantly, his memories stabilized, compressed but preserved within the system.
[Note: The World's Will has fully accepted you. You now possess a fragment of the protagonist's aura.]
"So I'm not an outsider anymore?"
[Correct. And you're not the only one. But the system's protections remain intact.]
"Good. This world's more complicated than I thought."
[Host, trust this system. We'll conquer it all.]
As the Going Merry cut through the stormy waves, the Straw Hat Pirates braced for the unknown. Ahead lay the Grand Line a sea of miracles, terrors, and destiny itself.
.....
T/N: Thanks for the support from: Lam Sha, Black Widow, Hamza Masfar, Lord Of the Mysteries, Andrew, Jiri Stehule, trey hill, Agustin Monti, Tightless, Impulsionimulsion.