Luffy, how can you become the Pirate King if you don't work hard!

This woman has really learned a lot about combat awareness in the past two years; she's a real fighter.

"Shalan!"

Crocodile suddenly stretched his arms outwards, creating a ring of sandstorm centered on him.

The sand pushed out in all directions like a wall, swallowing up all the incoming wind blades.

In the sandstorm, his figure reformed, the golden hook aimed at Weiwei, and he transformed into a sand arrow that shot straight out.

Vivi did not back down.

She crossed her hands in front of her, and her ten fingers simultaneously released a gust of wind. The wind spun rapidly in front of her and transformed into a white cone of wind, directly meeting Crocodile's charge head-on.

boom!

The collision of wind and sand created a shockwave that even made Zoro and Mihawk, who were far away, frown.

The two men took a step back during their sword duel and glanced sideways at the fiercely contested battlefield amidst the sandstorm.

Crocodile?

Zoro snorted, looked away, and slashed at Hawkeye with his three swords again.

Hawkeye also withdrew his gaze, and Black Blade Night slashed horizontally in front of him, escalating the intensity of their battle once again.

While these two fierce battles were raging, a figure was stealthily climbing up the other side of the mountaintop.

Bucky climbed the rocks with both hands and feet, looking back as he went. Behind him were several Crusaders, all crouching low, trying to remain hidden the whole way.

Bucky had just climbed onto a platform when he saw four people locked in fierce combat right in the center of the mountaintop: Mihawk against the green-haired swordsman, and Crocodile against the woman who kept watch.

Bucky's face turned pale instantly.

They've started fighting!

Sure enough, a fight broke out as soon as they arrived!

He covered his mouth, swallowing back the scream that almost escaped his lips.

Then he glanced back at the few underlings behind him who were still climbing up, and they looked back at him with curious and expectant eyes.

Oh no, what do we do now?

If he were to withdraw directly, would his men misunderstand him as the leader of the Cross Society and desert his post?

But if they don't retreat, they can't win a fight either. Won't this signal a falling out between the Cross Guild and the Straw Hat Pirates?

The Cross Society has only been established for a short time, and Lord Bucky doesn't want to follow in the footsteps of the Golden Emperor!

As he hesitated, a group of his underlings suddenly spoke up.

"Captain Buggy is amazing! Even when facing the Four Emperors, the Straw Hats can still lead us to fight for the treasure!"

"That's what pirates are all about! Even allies compete fairly for treasure!"

"That's right! Long live Captain Bucky! Long live the Crusaders!"

The henchmen's eyes lit up with excitement, completely oblivious to any change in Bucky's expression.

Bucky almost burst into tears.

No, you guys have already imagined all of this for me?

What I mean is...

Forget it.

Having you guys as subordinates is really great.

Buggy took a deep breath, coughed lightly, and forced a semblance of leadership composure. "Of course! That's what pirates are all about! There are no allies when it comes to treasure, that's the rule of this sea! But you guys stay here and watch, I'll take control of the overall situation!"

The underlings nodded repeatedly, their trust in their captain deepening.

Bucky breathed a sigh of relief and continued to tiptoe towards the mountaintop. He just hoped that the fight would end quickly and that Hawkeye and Crocodile wouldn't escalate into something uncontrollable.

At the top of the mountain, Luffy's hand had already touched the edge of the wooden box.

The moment his fingers touched the wooden lid of the box, his Observation Haki detected an unusually powerful aura.

The aura wasn't coming from the mountainside; it was coming from a much farther place, from the other side of the island, approaching this place at an astonishing speed.

Two strands.

One in front of the other.

And they are all very strong.

Luffy showed an expression of great interest.

Compared to Crocodile and Hawkeye, I didn't expect there to be such a strong opponent here.

He was somewhat interested in the two of them.

Why did the straw hat stop?

"This is great news! Everyone, let's go!"

"Wait, why are those two guys here?!"

Just as some pirates were about to charge, they spotted a tall figure emerging from not far away.

He was so big that it seemed outrageous.

He was just over two meters tall, his entire body covered in muscles so strong they seemed about to burst through his clothes, and he wore an extremely arrogant smile.

A pirate accidentally bumped into it, and just as he was about to unleash a torrent of curses, a shadow fell over him, and he swallowed all his words.

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding..."

Before he could finish speaking, the man grabbed his head.

"It's Douglas Barrett!"

Who is that?

"This guy, known as the worst escapee in history, a former member of the Pirate King's crew, has another title you should be familiar with... Heir of the Devil!"

Barrett's gaze pierced through the obstacles and landed squarely on Luffy, as if he were looking at a sumptuous feast laid out before him. "I didn't expect to attract you here too. I wasn't at my peak condition back in Impel Down, so I didn't fight you. Now's a good opportunity. You want to become the Pirate King, don't you?"

Douglas Bullet looked at Luffy arrogantly. His goal was to become the strongest pirate king in the world, surpassing Roger, which meant killing all the powerful figures, including the Four Emperors and Marine Admirals. Only in this way could he prove that he had surpassed Roger.

For this, he collaborated with Barolorik Redfield and Buena Festa.

"You think you can beat me?"

Luffy raised an eyebrow.

"Why not give it a try? I hate weaklings, but I have to admit, it's because of these weaklings that I ended up in Impel Down."

Douglas Barrett failed because of the Buster Call; after exhausting his strength, he was imprisoned in Impel Down.

"You mean that thing? It's useless. I've experienced it several times."

Luffy's words made Douglas Bullet raise an eyebrow. Was he implying that Luffy was inferior to him?

"Haha, this is very interesting."

At the same time, another, taller and thinner figure appeared to Barrett's side and behind.

A pirate looked over, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.

"Barlolrick Redfield, Lone Red!"

At the same time these two people appeared, on the other side of the island, Buena Festa stood in a hidden command post, watching the scene on the mountaintop through a surveillance Den Den Mushi. The corners of his mouth gradually widened, and he was so excited that his whole body was trembling.

"Hahaha! They're here, they've finally arrived!"

Festa gripped the control panel, his laughter growing increasingly unrestrained. "Let this free-for-all begin! The more the better, the stronger the better! Countless powerful individuals have gathered! This is the second Impel Down!"

The Pirate Expo was never a friendly celebration; it was a trap from the very beginning, a trap that used treasure as bait to lure all the powerful pirates of the New World to the same place.

And now the prey has all arrived.

Those pirate supernovas, the guys from the Cross Guild, and the well-established pirate powerhouses on the high seas are all targets for hunting.

Next up is the Navy.

Festa pressed another button.

Immediately afterwards, a communication was transmitted somewhere.

Soon, the once calm sea below the mountain was suddenly shattered by countless dark shadows.

One warship after another revealed their cold silhouettes in the fog, their dense masts resembling a steel forest.

"A warship! It's the navy!"

"How can there be so many?!"

The pirates were in an uproar, looking around in panic.

That was no ordinary naval fleet; it was a Buster Call-level fleet formation, with more than ten warships lined up in a row, and several imposing naval commanders standing on the deck of each ship.

With all the cannons open, the dark muzzles were pointed towards the floating island; the sheer number of cannons was enough to make one's scalp tingle.

"We've been scammed!"

"That bastard Festa!"

"Did they really trick us all?!"

Compared to the pirates' fuss, the Straw Hat Pirates were quite unfazed, glancing at it briefly before continuing with their own business.

The first time you encounter a Buster Call, you panic; the second time, you're nervous; but by the third or fourth time, all that's left is a sense of utter boredom.

On the Sunny, Kuzan yawned with his hands in his pockets and his eyelids drooping. "Oh dear, here we go again? With this kind of commotion, I might have quite a few acquaintances here."

He scratched his head in a slightly exasperated manner.

It's not that I'm afraid of fighting, but I can't control my strength when I strike. If I accidentally seriously injure an old friend in the navy I used to work with, it would be a bit awkward if we ran into each other later.

I heard that an old friend of mine is now a candidate for general; I hope he won't miss this kind of event.

On the deck of the naval flagship, Smoker stood at the bow with his arms crossed and two cigars dangling from his mouth.