Chapter 6: Chapter Six: Returning to the Summit War Again

Without any surprise, this escape from Impel Down could be described as leisurely, since the warden hadn't chased after them, and breaking through the remaining defenses was effortless.

After resting and resupplying on the captured Navy warship, the vessel was hurled into the air by a colossal wave created by Whitebeard, just as history had foretold.

Kizaru's freezing followed shortly after.

Then again,

"The speed at which cherry blossoms fall is five centimeters per second."

Su Lin gazed sadly at the blue sky, sunlight spilling over his delicate face; in the instant a seabird flew past, a tear slipped from his eye and traced down his cheek. Su Lin spread his arms—this was the first time he embraced the blue sky like this.

And the first time he would be embraced by the sea like this.

"And the acceleration of a human in free fall is 9.8 meters per second."

"Sorry, I forgot this scene," Jinbe said, turning his head mid-air, unable to meet Su Lin's gaze—who could have imagined Luffy would again lead by smashing through the ice wave?

'I'll pull you up first, Mr. Su Lin,' Jinbe thought guiltily.

Although not a Devil Fruit user, Su Lin

"I'm a landlubber."

Thud—!

If not for the abilities of the Human-Human Fruit and the strengthened talismans, Su Lin's body would have shattered into powder upon hitting the sea.

He'd just stepped inside to sample the Navy's stored rations, and had barely stepped out of the hold when he felt the sensation of free fall.

Gurgling, gurgling.

Seawater flooded his nose and ears—terrible feeling.

Jinbe swam below.

Fishman Karate

Mr. Su Lin, you go up first.

A counterforce came from behind.

Thud!

Su Lin was blasted out of the sea and landed on the ice, spinning twice.

"Cough—!" He spat out seawater; seawater and snot gushed from his nose.

If he weren't unfamiliar with the abilities of the Surgical Fruit and others, he wouldn't be this disheveled.

Speaking of which, the Surgical Fruit demands a lot of stamina—each use feels like sprinting, and he still hadn't recovered from using it so many times in Impel Down.

"I just went in to replenish my strength, and you give me this whole spectacle," Su Lin wiped his face with his shirt: "I should've cultivated for a few more years before coming. I underestimated the pirate world—no, because I haven't watched anime in so long, I forgot this guy's an idiot!"

He had items for offense and defense, but the talismans or artifacts for escape, since he hadn't cultivated, activated and fled at maximum distance.

Far from this battlefield was not what he wanted.

He shook his head, flinging water from his ears.

The sonic booms from artillery piercing the air, the clang of melee weapons, gradually reached his ears.

Horned Sihou and screams—the two sides were locked in brutal combat.

Su Lin, who had lived through years of peace, saw this scene in reality for the first time—every second someone fell, every second blood splattered across the ice and earth.

Su Lin, seeing this for the first time, swallowed hard, mouth slightly open, scanning around; his ability prompt told him this was the site of the War of the Summit.

【Ability—Phoenix】 recorded. 【Ability—Diamond Transformation】 recorded. 【Smoke Ability】 recorded...

Shocking as it was,

Su Lin immediately opened his book: 【Phoenix】.

Both mind and body exhaled deeply—thank you, top-tier competitor Marco.

"Ace————!!!"

"I'm here to save you again!!!"

He'd just relaxed a little when that ear-splitting roar made him tense again.

Su Lin turned to see Luffy shouting from the prow of his warship, announcing his arrival to Ace and the entire battlefield.

It was both arrival and return.

Su Lin sighed helplessly: "Luffy, have your fun."

Alright, he needed to find a place to drift—his moment hadn't come yet.

The main-course Devil Fruits hadn't even appeared yet: the Gura Gura Fruit, the Pervert Fruit, the Hie Hie Fruit, the Magma Fruit, the Buddha Fruit, and the Darkness Fruit still on its way.

"A—ce——!!!"

"I'm here to save you again!!!"

Before the execution platform,

Admiral Sengoku's temple veins throbbed; he turned and cursed Karp: "Karp! It's your damn family again!"

"Luffy—!" Karp clutched his head—why the hell was this grandson here too?

One after another, they're such a headache!

"Look! It's not just the Straw Hat kid! Jinbe, Crocodile, and GM officer Ivankov!"

"And those are the Impel Down escapees!"

Many Navy soldiers recognized the prominent figures leading the charge and cried out in panic: "What happened at Impel Down?! Why are all these prisoners free?!"

Among them were some they'd personally sent inside.

The Seven Warlords of the Sea's side,

"A man always at the center of the storm—the Straw Hat kid..."

Hawk-Eye Mihawk stared at Monkey D. Luffy in the distance, recalling Red-Hair's words.

"Straw... Hat... Kid!" Moonlight Moria spat the words through gritted teeth, burning with shame and rage over the humiliation and defeat Luffy had inflicted on him—he longed to charge forward and fight Luffy right now.

Oh right, Little Oars is here too now.

Gecko Moria's fury shifted into something else entirely — Luffy's shadow had been on his mind the whole time.

"Luffy, you're safe and sound — that's wonderful." The Pirate Empress Hancock's breathtakingly beautiful face flushed a rosy pink: "I don't know why, but it feels like something's changed about you. Is this what they call the growth of love?"

"Even more handsome."

Doflamingo glanced at the opposing lineup and laughed: "Well now — all the old and new Warlords are here."

"And so that's the legendary troublesome rookie, the Straw Hat kid?"

Akainu stood on the high platform, his gaze low, mulling over certain matters.

"Hero Garp's grandson, GM family Dragon's son… he must be completely eradicated as well!"

"Strange… where's Croco-BOY?"

Ivankov felt something was off — Crocodile, who had just been with them, had vanished without a trace.

"There!"

Sharp-eyed Buggy spotted Crocodile at once. He saw the man wrapped in yellow sand, soaring into the air, and in the blink of an eye darting up behind Whitebeard!

"Damn it — he beat us to it!" Buggy shouted in frustration, clearly too deep in his act.

"No good — his target is Pops!" a Whitebeard crew member fighting Marines in front of Whitebeard shouted.

"Long time no see~, Whitebeard."

Crocodile, who had flown behind Whitebeard, had killing intent in his eyes; the golden hook on his left hand glinted coldly: "I'll take your head!"

"What a guy who never learns his lesson." Whitebeard said without even turning his head, seemingly not taking Crocodile to heart at all.

Whoosh—!

In an instant, a figure even faster shot forward — a single fist slammed into Crocodile's golden hook, sending him flying!

After flying a short distance, Crocodile barely steadied himself. This sudden strike carried no killing intent.

It was only meant to stop his attack.

Straw Hat kid...

Both arms were black, like metal.

"That's… Armament Haki?"

Unlike in Alabasta, where he used water to fight him — when did this guy learn to use Haki?

Tch… this guy.

"The moment we arrived here, our agreement is fulfilled!"

"Why are you protecting Whitebeard!"

"Ace really liked Uncle Whitebeard — I won't let you lay a hand on him." Luffy answered, resolute and unwavering.