Double-transformation: I, Sakura Haruno! Will crush the pirates!

As Kuina was about to escape the shop, she turned back, raised her sword finger to her forehead, and swung it outwards.

"Take good care of the dojo, and oh, and while you're at it, please look after that seaweed-headed girl, my little sister~"

"Why am I the younger sister? No... stop right there! You damned pirates!"

Chapter 192 At That Time...

"Huh? Tashigi, why are you dressed like that?"

Upon receiving an intrusion alert, Smoker, who was patrolling outside the weapons shop, saw a girl being dragged along.

Just as she was about to call out to her, she suddenly caught a glimpse of the face beneath the hood of the person who had grabbed her.

A girl with pink hair and a bright, radiant smile.

This left Smoker frozen in place, recalling a combat training session he had undergone with Master Zeff years ago.

And the humiliating memory of being shoved into a sword like a toy and forcibly thrown into the sea.

"That bastard invaded my territory and kidnapped my men!"

Smoker gritted his teeth, puffing out two cigars until the embers glowed brightly. "Perfect timing to settle old scores and new grudges at once! Prepare to die, Sakura Haruno!"

He pulled out the Ten Hands from behind his back, and his whole body transformed into swirling smoke.

Smoker launched a Salted Fish Thrust at Sakura, who was directly in front of him.

when!

To his surprise, the sea stone jitte he thrust out collided with a sharp longsword.

Then a chilling aura of death crept up from where the longsword and the jitte touched, almost freezing Smoker in place.

"What are you doing, Tashigi!"

The shock of being betrayed by his subordinates, along with the elasticity of Muramasa's supple blade, sent Smoker's Jute flying from his grasp.

"Smoker, I'm taking your men with me now! Hahaha!"

Sakura laughed loudly, pulled Kuina back and hung her around her waist, and then accelerated forward.

"stop!"

Smoker's forehead veins bulged as he flung out a smoke-like rope, grabbed the Jitte, and chased after Sakura in the direction she had fled.

After the riot subsided, a bespectacled naval girl walked out of the weapons shop.

She raised her hand and pushed up her glasses in confusion. "Huh? Why do I think I heard Major Smoker calling me?"

On the other side, in the center of Rogge town.

"Hmm, did it cause a riot? (chewing)... As expected of her (chewing)..."

With both hands full of skewers and his mouth stuffed full, Leviathan stared into the distance.

In the direction she could see, large plumes of smoke and explosions were constantly erupting from the streets.

"Should we go pick them up?"

Tiger, who was also enjoying some grilled skewers, lowered his voice, trying to make himself less noticeable.

However, with his towering six-meter height, he already became the focus of many people's attention when walking in Loguetown.

"No need~, let's go to the execution platform~, Sakura will definitely go there anyway~"

Leviathan swallowed his food and pulled Tiger along as they walked toward the very center of town.

A large number of navy soldiers carrying guns and longswords ran past Leviathan and Tiger.

These reinforcements, arriving from a distant base, marched in orderly formation and quickly made their way to the execution platform square in Loguetown.

They set up roadblocks around the area to disperse civilians and blockade and surround the two people in the middle of the square.

"Captain Roger, I've come to see you."

At the top of the execution platform, Sakura sat cross-legged.

Looking out over the entire town of Loguetown, I took out a bottle of wine, opened it, and poured it over the wine.

"The place where Sakura's former captain died... is surprisingly simple."

Guina stood on the edge of the execution platform, looking down.

All that could be seen was a steel frame and a few creaking wooden planks.

"Wouldn't you feel resentful if the story ended in a place like this?"

"Fool, what pirate would regret an exhilarating adventure?"

Sakura opened the second bottle of wine she had prepared and, as if she had planned it all along, raised it to the sky in a toast.

The throbbing blood in her body couldn't calm down, as if urging her to hurry up and embark on an adventurous journey.

"Whether our dreams are noble or base, we embrace every unknown with hope, leaving no regrets until the very end. That's what we pirates are all about! Hahahaha!"

"Then your future, without regrets, will be to spend the rest of your life in the dark and hopeless Impel Down!"

A hoarse roar accompanied by billowing smoke as the jitte rushed in, aiming precisely for Sakura's head.

The girl raised her hand, grabbed the ten hands in her grasp, and turned her head to reveal a wild smile.

"Hey, being so clueless about romance will keep you single forever! And don't you navy guys get a break during the Lunar New Year?"

These words stabbed Smoker twice in the heart, making him so angry that he bit off the expensive cigar in his mouth.

What did we single people do to you? Aren't you single yourself?

Also, who is it that prevents them from resting during the Chinese New Year? Don't you have any self-awareness?

The soldiers below sensed the tense atmosphere on the execution platform and raised their swords and guns.

Some of them were pale, and some were trembling.

But no one abandoned their position, firmly guarding every path Sakura could retreat from.

"In short, stand back, Navy. You can't beat me."

Sakura's eyes widened slightly, and an invisible wind seemed to blow by.

The dark lightning, forged by its surging power, cracked the bricks and stones after it fell to the ground.

It was as if thousands of roars, overlapping in one place, suddenly erupted, mingling with the thunderous roar.

A chill rose from the hearts of the surrounding navy personnel, and the non-existent loud noise caused them to experience tinnitus.

Consciousness faded away amidst a high-pitched buzzing sound, and the marines began to fall one by one.

"You...you...bastard...!"

The difference in strength was so enormous that Smoker, facing the onslaught of Conqueror's Haki, was kneeling on one knee, his back no longer able to straighten.

After a while, Sakura withdrew her gaze, and the dark lightning instantly dissipated.

Smoker felt a lightness on his body and fell forward onto the ground.

"Major...Smoker..."

As he fell to the ground, a faint call came from behind Smoker.

"Tashigi? Then..."

Smoker recognized the person behind him and immediately turned to look at Kuina on the stage, noticing a slight difference in her demeanor.

Enraged to discover that he had even mistaken his subordinates, he raised his ten hands, which turned into smoke, and charged toward the execution platform once more.

"These two guys have some backbone, Kuina, go and meet them!"

Sakura's gaze had already spotted Leviathan and Tiger approaching, so she decided to leave this rare training opportunity to Kuina.

"Ok!"

An excited Kuina drew Muramasa and her newly bought long sword, and jumped straight off the execution platform.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The brief contact in mid-air caused Kuina's sword and Smoker's jitte to graz each other several times.

As sparks flew, their weapons also struck each other.

"Tsk, a Logia-type!" "Tsk, not a Devil Fruit user!"

She landed nimbly on the ground, and Kuina slashed upwards with her sword in both hands.

The sharp Muramasa blade slashed through Smoker's body, but aside from sending chills down his spine, it had no other effect.

"Hmph, you can't win without Armament Haki!"

Smoker stopped using weapons to fight Kuina and instead clenched his right fist, releasing a large amount of smoke.

—The White Snake!

Thousands of wisps of white smoke intertwined to form the outline of a snake, which opened its massive jaws toward Guina from the turbulent atmosphere.

"If I can't even overcome this little difficulty, I can't become the world's strongest swordsman!"

Kuina stretched out her hands, the blades intertwining in front of her.

A gray aura emanated from the blade, rising behind her and shimmering with a hellish light.

——Dual-wielding, Instant Kill, Great Hurricane!

The sword flashed, and the silver blade shone like a storm.

A towering wave rises from the ground.

The smoke surrounding Smoker, who was at the eye of the storm, was blown away layer by layer, and finally his Logia-type form was revealed in the wind.

A violent storm rose, colliding with the smoke, propelling him toward the other side of the world.

As the perspective widens, Smoker gradually closes his eyes.

Damn it, am I going to succumb to the storm again...?

Chapter 193 A Beginning Full of Dreams—Upside-Down Mountain

"As expected~ it was you who started the riot~"

With its claws gripping Tiger, Leviathan flapped its wings and glided over.

Sakura stepped off the execution platform, her ability drawing heat from the surroundings to create an ice slide beneath her feet, which she slid down the track to the plaza.

Just as she landed, her two companions also landed.

"It looks like everyone is here."

Sakura put her hands in her pockets and chuckled softly.

"Then what should we do next?"

Seeing that the captain had taken the lead in exposing himself, Tiger, no longer concealing his presence, ripped off his cloak.

"Now that the Navy has discovered it, then it's time to..."

Boom!

A dull bell tolled, interrupting Sakura's words, and the group looked up.

At the highest tower in Rogge, the silver bell was struck.

Synchronized with the Ox Clock located at the Naval Headquarters in the center of the world, it struck eight times, signifying the end of the year.

"Well, with things getting this bad, we probably can't celebrate the holiday here. Let's go back to the ship and have a banquet!"

Sakura glanced at the empty market where birds and beasts had scattered, and shrugged helplessly at the others.

"Wait...wait...you...stop right there!"

At the intersection leading from the square to the harbor, a girl in a naval private's uniform stood up, leaning on the blade of her sword.

After being hit by Sakura's Conqueror's Haki, he did not immediately faint. After recovering, he was able to get up and fight.

Tashigi's persistence impressed the other members of the pirate crew.

Kuina crossed her arms and stepped forward. "Stop it, my foolish sister. You can't beat us now!"