Chapter 253: Luffy's Free Will, Zoro to Die?

Although Luffy is scatterbrained,

he can still vaguely sense something is different—it's just that the clumsy him has no idea how to put it into words.

Like the argument over "Pirate King" when the banquet was thrown,

even Luffy himself doesn't understand why he suddenly became so fixated on the title of Pirate King.

He wants to become the freest person on this sea,

only the freest person can be Pirate King,

and the him clinging to the title of Pirate King without letting go was, at that moment, not free at all!

"Why am I like this?"

Luffy scratched his head,

always feeling like someone in his head was telling him he had to become Pirate King.

Sanji took a drag of his cigarette and said, "I've heard that within Zoan Devil Fruits dwells the will of the animal form, and if the mind is weak, it will interfere with the ability user's emotions."

"But the one you ate should be a Paramecia, right?"

He is the third son of the Vinsmoke Family, a genetically modified human.

The clan had naturally dabbled in knowledge related to bloodline factors, so knowing obscure information about Zoan Fruits was hardly surprising.

It's just that the Straw Hat Pirates had no Zoan Fruit ability users, so he had never brought it up.

Sanji's brows knitted together, unable to figure out the reason.

Luffy scratched his head and suddenly said, "The one I ate is a Zoan Fruit."

"What?!"

Sanji was completely stunned and asked, "Didn't you eat the Rubber Fruit?"

All along, Luffy had displayed the properties of rubber—limbs that could stretch, and a rubber body unafraid of blunt weapon strikes.

And now you're suddenly telling me you're a Zoan Fruit ability user?

"That's right, the game panel told me."

On Luffy's game panel, the original name of the Rubber Fruit was labeled.

Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Nika Form.

Sanji's mouth twitched. He grabbed Luffy by the collar and snapped angrily, "Why didn't you say such important news sooner?"

"Is it important?"

Luffy's face was full of innocence—he truly hadn't noticed how important this piece of news was.

In fact, the matter of Zoan Fruits harboring a will that interferes with the ability user's emotions is extremely subtle, and very few people know about it.

Even among those who do know, most remain skeptical.

Because the number of people who have eaten Zoan Devil Fruits is huge, with wildly differing personalities, making it impossible to verify through comparison.

Moreover,

even among Zoan Fruits, those capable of interfering with the ability user's emotions are extremely rare—most don't possess such a powerful will.

"I don't know."

Sanji let go of him dejectedly and sighed, "The most critical thing right now is rescuing Moss-head and Nami, but Kaido's strength is plain for all to see—we're simply no match."

"We just need to send Kaido flying!"

"Hey Luffy, didn't I already say—"

Sanji raised his head, just about to scold his Captain for acting foolish again, and abruptly stopped.

After meeting his gaze, he found Luffy's eyes unusually clear, and especially resolute.

Luffy took a deep breath and said, "Leave the fight with Kaido to me."

As the protagonist of the Pirate World, even setting aside the destined fruit, in terms of combat awareness and talent, he is also among the very best.

Inside the Game House,

Fang Yi, who was following the Straw Hat Pirates' situation, remarked with slight surprise, "Is it the conviction to save his companions? He actually wasn't interfered with by Nika's will for a moment."

The thick-skinned Luffy only felt unfree, as if shackles had been placed on him.

But he didn't sense that anything was wrong.

It was the adventurer's declaration and his companions' lack of understanding that made him faintly feel as if he were being controlled.

Nika's will sensed this too, and so became restless.

A destined fruit carries an unchanging fate; if that fate is altered, the final outcome will also vanish.

Luffy was once the turning point of the Pirate World's fate, so the consciousness of the Pirate World would never let Luffy's wild ideas run unchecked.

"Nami left us a secret mark—it's the national emblem of the Oikot Kingdom. Kaido should be there!"

Luffy and Sanji arrived at the shore,

at the spot where the Going Merry had set sail, where a mark left by Nami's own hand remained.

Kaido had noticed Nami's little trick at the time, but didn't stop her—or rather, it was more accurate to say he disdained stopping her.

If Luffy and Sanji truly dared to come after them, there was only death waiting.

"Wait, we're companions, aren't we?"

Usopp came running over, panting, and said, "I want to go with you to rescue them too, I want to set sail as well!"

"You'll die."

Luffy looked at Usopp with a completely serious expression.

Usopp's legs trembled a little, but he still gritted his teeth and said, "I'm the great Captain Usopp, I've seen a dragon bigger than the entire East Blue—I'm not afraid of Kaido at all!"

The Straw Hat Pirates exposed Keya's butler, saved the entire village, and saved him too.

Although he is timid, at critical moments he doesn't want to back down.

He had this nagging feeling that if he backed down this time, he'd never become a great warrior of the sea!

"Alright, then let's go together!"

Luffy's arm suddenly stretched out, hooked around Usopp's neck, and together with Sanji he stumbled into the fairly roomy little boat.

Setting course for Oikot Kingdom.

"Luffy, how are you planning to beat Kaido?"

"It's a secret!"

Oikot Kingdom,

its largest central town had already been occupied by Kaido, with the flag of the Beasts Pirates planted upon it.

Such wanton behavior—any other Four Emperors crew simply wouldn't do it.

Because the territory was too far away, the Four Emperors of the New World couldn't reach their hands into Si Hai, and would soon be encircled and suppressed by the Navy. This kind of meaningless slaughter was beneath Shanks and Whitebeard, and Dama simply lacked sufficient profit motive.

But Kaido would do exactly this, because in his eyes the entire world deserved to be destroyed, to burn in blood and war.

Cruelty and savagery were his very nature.

Inside a hastily erected Colosseum,

a group of gladiators crowded around—disheveled Pirates, Navy men in tattered uniforms, even civilians among them.

At the very center, back to back, stood Zoro and Nami.

Both were covered in wounds, blood dripping down their arms and pooling into a puddle of red on the ground.

"How's it looking?"

"Two Life Recovery Potions left. If this keeps up, we can only hold out for one more wave of attacks!"

Zoro's mouth was full of the taste of blood; he bit down on his sword hilt, his jaw working with great effort.

A bitter smile tugged at the corner of Nami's mouth.

She too had reached the end of her rope—her Reward Points were completely spent, and she had no extra Life Recovery Potions left.

"Kaido, you never intended to let us live, did you?"

"The players captured later included a Ghost Slayer and a Magic Scholar. We're not prized collectibles, and we refuse to submit—of course we'd be eliminated."

Nami was sharp; she had long since figured out Kaido's intentions.

Fortunately,

the rest of their companions had survived and hadn't all been captured by Kaido.

Arlong had been defeated by her, so for the short term he shouldn't dare cause trouble for Cocoyasi Village again. If possible, she hoped Luffy and Sanji could protect Cocoyasi Village for a while.

"Charge! Kill them!"

A ferocious roar erupted.

To be valued by Kaido, the Governor of the Beasts Pirates, and promised a direct promotion to Headliner upon killing the two of them—this kind of cushy job had most people eager to put in the effort.

After all, a person's reputation is like a tree's shadow.

The Four Emperors who had already appeared in the East Blue were no weaklings; Whitebeard and Shanks were both existences capable of standing against the Navy.

They were the strongest force in the Pirate World at this stage, their military might already surpassing the World Government.

The coming chaos was clear for all to see.

Joining a major power was the only way to survive.

(End of chapter)