Chapter 47: Activating Second Gear, One-Punch Knockout of Arlong!

Marine Headquarters!

"The Sky Island priests don't seem that impressive now..."

"This former god seems weak and pitiful, being defeated in a single blow!"

Akainu looked at the screen, his face expressing disdain.

The reason was simple: compared to his strength, the priests were pathetically weak!

If he were to go to Sky Island, even if both priests attacked him together, he could easily eliminate them with one hand.

In response to Akainu's words, Kuzan coldly replied:

"We can't quite say that. To us, who represent the highest fighting power of the Marines, the priests are indeed insignificant."

"But for rookies like Luffy and his crew, such enemies already pose a serious challenge."

"Besides... the god of Sky Island hasn't truly appeared yet!"

Hearing this, Akainu didn't say much more.

But the disdain on his face didn't lessen at all.

The most impressive thing about these priests was their mastery of Observation Haki, or "Mantra" as it was called on Sky Island.

Aside from that, they weren't noteworthy at all!

Facing such enemies, the Straw Hat crew struggled, let alone dealing with Enel, who possessed the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

In this battle, they were bound to lose!

Sure enough, the Straw Hats' limit seemed to have been reached!

Luffy's growth wasn't worth his attention; he was still weak and pitiful...

[Meanwhile, on Luffy's side, after a long period of exploration...]

[They finally found a way to counter the priests!]

[Despite the priests' strange impact abilities and their ability to predict everyone's actions...]

[Luffy relied on his super-fast speed to find an opportunity and tightly wrapped his body around one of them!]

[Even if the priest could predict Luffy's actions, he couldn't avoid the attack!]

[As long as he was restrained, Luffy could still land a hit!]

[With Sanji leaping into the air and executing a powerful kick, the priest responsible for the Ball Challenge finally met his end!]

[Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro couldn't afford to celebrate and immediately boarded their ship, heading deeper into Sky Island...]

[At the same time, on the other side, the Shandians mobilized their entire force, preparing to take action!]

[The Shandians were the original inhabitants of Jaya Island, who lived there 400 years ago. As the currents swept them and their island into the sky, they settled there...]

[Throughout their long history, they had been hostile towards the Sky Island people, but now their greatest enemy was Enel!]

[Now, with Luffy and his crew causing havoc on Sky Island and defeating a priest, the Shandians saw an opportunity!]

[Perhaps, this was their only chance to bring down Enel...]

Sky Island!

Enel sat in his chair, looking dumbfounded, his mouth twitching.

He never imagined that the Straw Hat crew could cause such chaos on Sky Island!

Even the Shandians wanted to join the commotion?

Even... defeating one of his priests!?

The Ball Challenge priest, who had been defeated, was stunned...

Damn it, was he really the first one to be defeated?

How was that possible!

He had Mantra, how could he...

However, the images on the screen proved it all. Everything was so real that he couldn't help but believe it.

Now, he only feared that Enel would punish him!

But as the saying goes, what you fear will come...

Enel's face turned black with anger, and he cursed, "Useless!"

Immediately, a bolt of lightning gathered and shot straight towards him!

In an instant, his body, which resembled a rubber ball, was charred black!

Wisps of smoke drifted about, and one could faintly smell the scent of roasted meat...

...

Meanwhile, Luffy and Zoro navigated their heavily burdened little boat.

Finally, they arrived at their destination... Orange Town!

Having already seen the live stream, they were familiar with Orange Town and its location, and they entered without hesitation.

Whether by coincidence or fate...

As soon as they set foot in Orange Town, Luffy and Zoro encountered Arlong and his crew, who had just returned from outside.

Behind Arlong were Hachi, Kuroobi, Chew, and other members of the Arlong Pirates.

What's more, Nami also walked out of the courtyard, holding several newly drawn nautical charts.

At this moment, all three parties stopped in their tracks...

They stared at each other, wide-eyed and surprised.

"Luffy, Zoro?"

"Nami!?"

Luffy and Nami both spoke almost simultaneously.

Nami's face immediately lit up with an excited smile.

That very morning, she had dreamed of her friends coming to rescue her, thinking it was all just a pipe dream...

But unexpectedly, by the afternoon, her dream had become a reality!

However, Nami's excitement and smile quickly faded...

She knew better than anyone the terror of Arlong.

Although he wasn't as powerful as a major pirate like Moria, Arlong was still a fearsome existence with a bounty of 20 million Berries.

At this point, Luffy and Zoro were just starting their journey at sea.

Far from being as strong as they were in the live stream, could they really save her?

Or would they end up dragging her down as well...

On the other hand, Arlong revealed a sinister grin.

"Before, I was worried about what I'd do if you grew strong enough to defeat Moria and then came looking for me," he said.

"I didn't expect you two to be so foolish as to come to my territory right away!"

"Do you really think that you can compare yourselves to your future selves?"

At this moment, many of Arlong's subordinates slowly drew their weapons...

With a determined expression, Luffy said, "Did you forget... I also received a reward?"

Hmm?!

Arlong and the others were momentarily taken aback...

However, before they could react!

"Gear Second!!!"

...