Chapter 37: Facing Death with a Smile - The Division of the Bureau.

"I'll take all of these~~"

Women are really like the sea...

After receiving the clothes Roman bought, the now sunny Nami happily went to another clothing store and bought a bunch of:

Everyday clothes for both men and women.

According to Nami, if she didn't prepare, Luffy and Zoro would wear the same clothes for a lifetime... In response, Roman seriously discussed with her the issue of clothes being strengthened by their owner's 'Haki' over long periods of wear, which earned him a roll of her eyes.

"By the way, Roman, do you want to pick out a few items too?"

"I don't need any,"

Roman shook his head directly, "I can use my ability to make any clothes I want."

"So, if your Devil Fruit ability fails... no, strictly speaking, you've always been practically naked, right?"

?

"When you put it that way, it kind of makes sense..."

Roman touched his chin and then seriously pointed out the flaw.

"But the paper I create with my ability doesn't disappear even when it encounters seawater or Seastone. So at most, it's just a special material for clothes, your point doesn't hold."

...

"Whatever makes you happy."

?

Rendered speechless by Roman's straightforwardness, Nami waved her hand, signaling him to follow.

"The air has changed... the pressure is dropping..."

"It looks like there will be a storm soon."

Roman, looking up at the sky like Nami, was puzzled. Are we not looking at the same sky? And does your body come with a built-in barometer?

Forget it, I'll leave the weather and navigation to Nami.

"Roman, find the others, we need to get back to the ship quickly."

"Got it."

Except for Luffy, who had run off first, everyone else had a paper crane from Roman following them, just in case they couldn't be found at a critical moment...

...

"No need," Roman said with a strange expression, pointing to the intersection ahead.

"The others will be here soon—"

"Huh?"

"Ah!"

"Oh..."

Zoro, with three swords at his waist, Usopp and Sanji carrying a giant elephant tuna, and Nami walking ahead with Roman carrying a huge package behind her, all met at the crossroads.

"Where's that kid Luffy?"

Usopp shrugged at Zoro's question.

"Didn't he say he was going to see Gold Roger's execution platform?"

"This is the execution platform square..."

"Everyone,"

Roman put down the clothes package he was holding and rubbed his temples, pointing ahead.

"Please tell me that's just an illusion—"

"Huh?" x4

Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji all turned their heads or looked up, following Roman's finger, and then:

"What?!"

"No way!"

"Hold on—"

Why is Luffy being held down on the execution platform, about to be beheaded?!

Roman looked at the few paper cranes flying above Luffy, his vision darkening, and he almost fainted! His paper cranes could only follow simple commands when he wasn't focusing on them, but!

Roman had set all the paper cranes to alert him immediately if the target encountered a battle, but there was no feedback at all—

Forget it, the priority now is:

"Rescue him!"

Without a word, Zoro and Sanji rushed towards the execution platform in the center of the square! Roman also directed a few paper cranes to fly quickly towards the clown captain holding the sword, ready to behead Luffy, intending to buy some time. At the same time, he spread his white wings and soared into the sky!

"Roman? Zoro?"

As they approached quickly, the clown's iconic red nose face enlarged rapidly.

It's Buggy!

"Too bad, you're too late!"

The sharp sword aimed at Luffy's neck and fell swiftly. With Buggy's strength, even Luffy's rubber fruit couldn't withstand such a fatal attack!

Damn it! How could this happen here... as long as we reach the execution platform...

Compared to Zoro and Sanji, who were caught in a crowd of pirates on the ground, Roman, who was flying, was much faster, but:

Damn, it's too late!

Even if Roman flew faster, he couldn't match the speed of the falling knife! And those paper cranes were just 'scouting' tools, flying around Buggy but unable to delay or distract him.

The blade gleamed like snow!

Life and death were decided in an instant!

Facing the onlookers, pirates, and the rapidly approaching Roman, Zoro, and Sanji, Luffy smiled brightly as always.

"Sorry,"

"If I die."

"Don't—"

"What nonsense are you talking about..."

Are you kidding?! How can the Pirate King die here—!!

Splat!

The blade fell, blood splattered!

"Huh?"

Warm liquid dripped onto Luffy's neck, making him belatedly turn his head. What he saw was a blade pressed against his neck, and a pair of hands, hands that were gripping the sword tightly! Blood was continuously flowing from the base of the thumb, and from the wrists down, there were sheets of fluttering white paper.

What the heck is this? A Paramecia-type 'elementalization'?!

In mid-air, still some distance from the execution platform, Roman's mind went blank as his wrists turned into sheets of fluttering white paper. He didn't know whether to be happy or angry.

In that instant, he had instinctively reached out to grab the falling sword, and his hands had appeared on the execution platform through the surrounding paper cranes!

"This—?!"

"Zoro! Sanji!"

Roman, the first to come to his senses, shouted loudly. Just maintaining this 'elementalization' that exceeded his abilities was rapidly draining his stamina and energy, not to mention that Buggy's knife, though comical, was not something that could be easily caught by hand!

If it weren't for Roman's own strength and the 'paper-iron armor' wrapped around his hands, it wouldn't just be blood flowing now; his hands and Luffy's neck would have been cut open together.

"Well done!"

"Good job, Roman—"

Although they didn't know what 'method' Roman used to stop the opponent's knife, it was clear that Luffy was still alive. While everyone was stunned by this turn of events, Zoro and Sanji leaped from the crowd towards the execution platform, and then:

"Three-Sword Style - Tornado!"

"Neck Meat!"

The swirling blade wind and the fierce upward kick instantly destroyed the entire execution platform! Turning the place where two people had once faced death with bright smiles into countless fragments. And:

"Hahaha, I survived."

That was Luffy, who had escaped, patting his straw hat with a grin.

"I... I..."

Roman, who had landed on the ground, didn't know what to say. — He felt that following such a captain, he would definitely die young from a brain hemorrhage one day.

"Thanks, Roman, Zoro, Sanji!"

"Stop talking, with such a big commotion, let's run quickly."

Roman looked at his reattached hands, the wounds already bandaged by himself, but his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

After training 'elementalization' for so long without any progress, he had suddenly mastered it in such a situation. Should he thank Luffy for this?

— No! Absolutely not, it just means he hadn't trained enough, which gave him the energy to mess around!

If it doesn't kill you, train until it does.

"Nobody move, This is Marines!!"

Hmm?

Roman remembered that there was a Logia-type expert among the Marines here. So:

"Luffy, head back to the ship!"

"Hehehe, let's go~~"

As the Marines surrounded them, the panicked bystanders, the defiant pirates, and in the midst of the chaos, Luffy, Roman, and the others took the opportunity to run towards the harbor. At the same time, the sky began to pour down rain, and the gentle breeze blew the raindrops into a slanting sheet.

In the Marine squad that had been lying in ambush, an officer saluted and reported to his superior.

"Captain Smoker, due to the rain, the muskets can't be used..."

"Is that so?"

The man had short silver hair, wore a large coat with the word "Justice" on the back, and had goggles around his neck. The open coat revealed his chiseled muscles, and he had two cigars in his mouth!

"Hmph, don't worry."

"Betting on my reputation as 'White Hunter' Smoker, I won't let you pirates leave this place!"

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