Chapter 43 : The four emperors

Hearing Nami's words, everyone fell silent, not offering any objections.

Soon, loud noises from the street reached their ears.

"It's the Navy!" The tension in the air rose.

The next moment...

"Hey! Zoro , you're here!" A voice they recognized sounded.

All eyes turned to look, and there was Luffy.

However, before they could express their joy, they were stunned by the sizable Navy force following behind Luffy.

The voice of the Navy quickly followed, "We've found the Straw Hats."

"They can't escape."

"It's Loguetown's Captain Smoker. Let's go," Usopp was the first to speak.

The entire group reacted swiftly, leaving the previous conversation behind.

They all hurriedly left.

At the same time, a voice of complaint sounded.

"Luffy, you idiot! Why did you lead the Navy here?"

"Sorry, it just happened!"

"Leave the Straw Hat to me. I won't let him get away."

"White Snake."

Smoker's right hand turned into smoke, then transformed into a snake, lunging at Luffy.

"You're not getting away."

At that moment, flames suddenly burst forth.

"Fire fist."

The flames collided with the white smoke, instantly halting Smoker's attack.

Luffy and the others were surprised.

The figure who had caused the flames came into view.

As the flames dissipated, a man in a cowboy hat was revealed.

Luffy was taken aback at first, then his face lit up.

"Ace!"

Ace turned his head upon hearing his name.

"You haven't changed at all, Luffy."

"What's your relationship? Why are you helping him?"

Ace glanced at Smoker.

"Didn't I tell you? He's my little brother."

Smoker was also surprised, but his expression soon darkened.

"Step aside, Portgas D. Ace. I'm not interested in you. I'm after the Straw Hat."

"Really? That's not gonna work!"

"Wait, what do you see?" Tashigi's voice suddenly rang out.

Everyone looked in the direction Tashigi was pointing.

Their pupils contracted upon seeing what was coming.

What was it that they saw?

In the distant sky, a black silhouette was rapidly growing larger.

As it drew closer, its identity became clear.

"Dragon?" Someone exclaimed.

A wave of immense pressure swept over them.

"It's him, it's really him. I can't forget that presence," Zoro's expression turned grave.

"We're done for. We're completely done for. Let's run!" Usopp shouted.

"It's so huge!" Chopper exclaimed.

The fiery red dragon descended rapidly, landing with a resounding crash.

Kahn's arrival brought forth a violent gust of wind, strong enough to knock people down.

After the winds died down, everyone turned their attention to the dragon before them. Kahn hadn't reverted to his human form this time.

Robin, having taken advantage of the strong wind, had already merged into the crowd.

The dragon was colossal, covered in fiery red, sturdy scales. Its tail was thick, and its claws were sharp. Everyone's eyes widened in awe and terror.

"The pressure it exudes is just like when I faced Hawkeye." Sanji muttered.

Before such a behemoth, nobody dared to take a breath.

"Dragon! Wait, who are you? Why do you seem familiar?" Luffy's voice was filled with excitement.

His eyes gleamed brightly, showing his excitement.

The rest of the Straw Hat crew, who had appeared serious before, were all now on the ground.

"Are you an idiot? He's the Vice Admiral we encountered before," Sanji exclaimed.

"Luffy, don't provoke him! Let's get out of here!" Usopp chimed in.

In the next moment, Kahn lowered his head, letting out a tremendous dragon's roar.

The roar caused a powerful storm, sending debris flying and obscuring the vision of those present.

The wind howled, carrying dust and sand. The ground beneath was upturned, reshaped by the ferocious gusts. If the roar had been directed at the town, the destruction would have been unimaginable.

As everyone was swept up in the storm, the Straw Hat crew was lifted into the air, carried like dust particles in the wind.

Dust and debris filled the air, obstructing visibility.

After a period of time, the chaos finally subsided.

Tashigi slowly opened her eyes.

However, the scene that greeted her left her dumbfounded.

Smoker, standing beside her, hadn't noticed that his cigar had almost burned out.

The colossal dragon from before had vanished completely. In its place stood an old Navy officer, dressed in a Navy coat, calmly puffing on a cigar.

In front of him was a gentle slope, exposing the unique desert rock formations.

Several hundred meters away from Kahn, the ground seemed to have been cleaved apart.

It was hard to believe that this was the result of his roar just moments ago.

If that roar had been aimed at the town, the outcome would have been catastrophic.

Looking at his handiwork, Kahn couldn't help but feel satisfied. This was the power that a God-level fruit should possess.

Gradually, the Straw Hat crew members began to reappear one by one.

The sight before them left them utterly flabbergasted.

"Hey! This can't be real!"

"Is that old man even human? It's terrifying!" Usopp

Chopper had finally come around to believing Usopp's claims.

"It's Vice Admiral Kahn!" Tashigi exclaimed.

Her words served as a reminder, prompting the naval soldiers to remember who was before them.

"Is this the Vice Admiral Kahn who clashed with the world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye, in the East Blue? The one who foiled the scheme of Warlord Crocodile and dismantled the entire Baroque Works organization ahead of schedule?" A voice from a naval officer rang out.

More naval personnel present began to show reverence.

"I never thought I'd meet Vice Admiral Kahn!"

The naval soldiers were thrilled beyond measure.

Smoker took another deep drag of his cigarette and exhaled a large smoke ring.

"Is this the strength you were talking about? It's truly astounding. But I still don't see your justice."

"Hey! Hey! Hey! This isn't the power that a Vice Admiral should have!" Ace's voice was filled with relief as he saw that Luffy was safe.

However, compared to the shock that the others were experiencing, Ace's expression was stern but not overly surprised.

In his estimation, based on the recent events, his father, Whitebeard, was much more powerful.

Observing the stunned Straw Hat crew, Kahn also couldn't help but smile.

"Leek-heads, we meet again."

"I'm not the leek you mentioned; I'm the man who's going to find One Piece," Luffy responded firmly.

"Oh! Really? But you didn't even say hello to me just now!"

Kahn gazed at Luffy before him, suddenly recalling a famous line.

"When the Four Emperors meet each others, the heavens will split."