Luffy's Call: My Journey with the Straw Hats

Moonlight turned to Robin, tore a piece from his own Vivre Card, and handed it to her. Then, facing the encroaching overseers and Marines, he walked forward, his sword held ready.

Hmph.

Wherever he passed, the guards stopped in their tracks as if frozen, then collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Half a day later, every last overseer and Marine had been dealt with. His task complete, Moonlight bid farewell to Robin. She, in turn, simply nodded. She was not a sentimental woman, and she was touched by his gesture.

After Moonlight left, she didn't immediately head for Weatheria, where Nami had been sent. Instead, she came to an island near Tequila Wolf and sent a slash of sword energy toward a man with wavy blond hair, a scar over his eye, and the attire of a nobleman.

"Hm?" The man immediately sensed the attack and looked over. He stretched out a hand, bending his fingers into a claw. "Armament! Dragon Claw Fist!" His hand turned black as he reached out and caught the slash of sword energy, crushing it instantly.

"Sabo, what's wrong?"

"An enemy?"

People around him noticed the commotion and hurried over. Sabo didn't answer. His eyes were fixed on a stack of wanted posters that had suddenly floated into his view—posters of Luffy and his crew.

"Luffy!" Sabo's pupils shrank, his heart pounding with excitement.

"The attack just now came from Tequila Wolf!" someone reported.

"A sudden slash... news of Luffy... Tequila Wolf... Could it be?" Hearing this, Sabo pieced the clues together. He looked at the orange-haired woman beside him. "Koala, inform everyone immediately! We act now!"

"Sabo, so soon?" Koala asked, surprised. "Tequila Wolf is a country built on a bridge, guarded by countless Marines and overseers. We don't have the advantage in numbers..."

"Yes," Sabo said with a graceful smile. "If that person is not an enemy, and I am not mistaken, now is our best chance."

"Okay," Koala smiled shyly and immediately went to carry out his orders. Though she didn't know why Sabo was so confident, he was the second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army. He had never made a mistake in all these years, and he wouldn't be wrong this time.

"Sabo," Moonlight watched the scene quietly from a distance. "You truly are worthy of being the second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army. A truly powerful man." He waited until the Revolutionary Army began their operation before he left. He had been worried about Robin, so he had drawn the attention of the revolutionaries. Sabo would naturally recognize Robin, and her situation would brighten considerably.

After getting his bearings, he headed for Jaya. He intended to ride the Knock Up Stream to Skypiea, and from there, find Nami. She was on an island called Weatheria, another sky island, but it was too far to reach directly. By going through Skypiea, he could then jump from there and head straight for the Gates of Justice.

Meanwhile, on Skypiea, a devastating attack was underway. The Bellamy Pirates had arrived, and upon seeing the city of gold, they had immediately begun to pillage it. Gan Fall and the Shandia warrior, Wiper, resisted, but they were no match for Bellamy and his crew, who were despicable and shameless, exploiting every weakness. They were soon on the verge of defeat.

"I can't believe it! The sky island really exists! And the legend of the golden city of Shandora is true! We're going to be rich!"

"Captain!"

Seeing the gold before them, Bellamy's crew, at first disbelieving, erupted in triumphant laughter.

"Straw Hat brat," Bellamy muttered, his eyes narrowing as he thought of Luffy. He had laughed at them back in Jaya, but now he saw that he had been the frog in the well. "I was wrong," he murmured, "I shouldn't have laughed at you. But..." He looked at the massive golden pillar, his eyes gleaming. "If I take this golden pillar back and give it to Doffy, I'll definitely get his approval." He ordered his men to move it.

"This is not yours! Get out of here, you pirates!" Gan Fall, Wiper, and the others shouted in defiance. This was their home; no one was allowed to defile it.

"Really? Then we'll just kill you!" Bellamy and his men grinned. They were pirates, not philanthropists.

"Who are you going to kill?" At that moment, a cold voice rang out. Everyone turned to see a whirlwind approaching, the sea of clouds swirling around it. The next moment, a young man in black appeared before them.

"Moonlight!" Gan Fall and the others cried out, overjoyed.

"The Straw Hats' Vice-Captain!" Bellamy and his crew paled, their expressions turning grim. Moonlight's fame now resounded throughout the seas. A wanted man with a 500 million belly bounty was not someone they could hope to defeat. They remembered their previous encounter with him on Jaya all too well.

"Bellamy," Moonlight sneered. "A group of people who never learn their lesson." He swung his sword.

SWOOSH!

A crescent of sword energy surged forward, overwhelming the Bellamy Pirates. Even Bellamy, who had activated his Spring-Spring Fruit powers, was blown away. The entire crew was sent flying into the clouds, then began their long fall back to the Blue Sea. From a height of 10,000 meters, their fate was sealed.

"Where is Weatheria?" After dealing with them as if it were a trivial matter, Moonlight turned to Gan Fall, not even waiting for their thanks.

"I will take you there," Gan Fall nodded, seeing the urgency in Moonlight's eyes.

On the small sky island of Weatheria, Nami was shocked to learn the truth of the place. It was a country dedicated to the study of meteorology, populated entirely by meteorologists. After figuring this out, she was ready to leave. Though she liked it there, she was more worried about the safety of her crewmates.

"Nami!"

At that moment, Moonlight descended from the sky.

"Moonlight!" Nami cried out, ecstatic. She rushed forward and hugged him tightly. "I knew it! I knew everyone would be okay!" she sobbed, tears filling her eyes.

"Don't worry, Nami," Moonlight said, comforting her gently. She had been the third person to officially join the crew, and after Moonlight and Zoro, she had been with them the longest. Her affection for her nakama was stronger than anyone's. She was like a big sister, always taking care of them, even forcing herself to master her own unique style of weather-based combat so she wouldn't be a burden. Now, seeing Moonlight, her relief burst forth in a flood of tears.

"Moonlight, what about the others?" she asked after a moment, composing herself.

Moonlight nodded and recounted what had happened to the rest of the crew. She was relieved to hear they were all safe, but when he mentioned that Luffy was about to get a wife, her mouth fell open. "That... that guy is going to be attracted to a woman?" She found it incredible. Though Luffy had his moments, spending any significant amount of time with him was enough to drive anyone mad. She was very curious to know what kind of woman would fall for him.

"You'll have to ask him yourself next time you see him," Moonlight smiled, then looked down from the edge of the island. He had traveled from Amazon Lily through the Greenstone forest, the Boin Archipelago, Tequila Wolf, and finally, to this small sky island. Four and a half days had passed. Ace's execution was in just twelve hours. Without further delay, he had to go to Impel Down and meet Luffy. According to his calculations, Luffy should have already arrived.

"Moonlight, you have to be careful," Nami said, her expression solemn. She understood what he was about to do, and she knew that if she went with him, she would only be a burden. The Straw Hats were too weak right now. They all needed to get stronger so that Luffy could become the Pirate King. And she liked it here very much.

"Nami, I believe it won't be long before we meet again," Moonlight smiled at her. Then, to the astonishment of both Nami and Haredas, the old man who had saved her, he leaped from the edge of Weatheria.

"Hey, hey! This is seven kilometers up in the sky! Is he out of his mind?!" Haredas cried, looking at Nami.

"Don't worry," Nami shook her head, a confident smile on her face. "He's our vice-captain."

Outside Impel Down, Vice-Admiral Momonga had completed his mission and successfully persuaded the Warlord and Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock, to participate in Ace's execution. Her condition, however, was that she be allowed to see Ace first. After consulting with his superiors, Momonga had agreed and was now escorting her into the great prison.

"My concubine wishes to see Ace. It is no trouble," Hancock said, her gaze sweeping over the guards. Every man and woman around her was instantly smitten, their eyes turning to hearts as they collapsed in adoration. The warden, Magellan, fell in a second, a lovesick smile on his face as he personally led her to Ace's cell.

No one saw Luffy slip out from under Hancock's cloak and hide in a dark corner. After they had passed, he identified the direction he needed to go and rushed off, leaving a mark at every turn to guide Moonlight. They had agreed to meet at Impel Down, but thinking of Ace imprisoned within, Luffy couldn't wait. He had urged Hancock to take him inside immediately, and she, as if possessed, had been unable to refuse his request. But this was as far as she could help him.

Impel Down was the world's greatest prison. To rescue someone from it, especially someone like Ace who was about to be executed, was an impossible task. Though Luffy had managed to get inside, he was discovered in less than an hour. At first, the guards were surprised but not overly concerned, seeing that he was alone. But after Luffy met and rescued Buggy, Mr. 3, and Mr. 2, and a large number of other prisoners, the entire prison erupted in a riot.

Outside the Gates of Justice, Moonlight fell from the sky like a cannonball, crashing into the sea. The massive splash alerted all the guards on Enies Lobby.

"What's going on? How did an enemy get in?"

"He fell from the sky?"

The guards stared at the spot where Moonlight had landed, their minds reeling.

My body still isn't strong enough, Moonlight thought, feeling the pain wracking his body. I jumped from a height of 7,000 meters and still got injured, even landing in the sea. He had wrapped himself in Armament Haki, but the impact had still been immense. Compared to Kaido, who had jumped from a height of 10,000 meters from a sky island and landed on the ground unscathed, he was still far behind.

But he had no time to dwell on that. Seeing the unique mark Luffy had left, he knew his captain had already arrived and had likely broken in.

"In that case," Moonlight said, grabbing the Pheasant Sword and walking toward the massive Gates of Justice. To the shocked gasps of the countless Marines watching, he shouted, "Open!"

He slashed his sword. The Gates of Justice, a structure the size of a mountain and strong enough to resist Sea Kings, was struck by a barrage of crescent-shaped sword energy, and a massive gap was torn open.

"Phantom Sword Dance!" Moonlight declared, holding his sword aloft, his own energy soaring into the sky. His swordsmanship was now at the peak of level six; one more step and he would reach level seven. At that level, combined with his Haki, he would have few rivals in the entire world.

"No! The Vice-Captain of the Straw Hats is coming!"

"He broke through the Gates of Justice!"

"Quickly! Inform Headquarters! His target is the underwater prison, Impel Down!"

The Marines were in a panic, but nothing they did—not cannon fire, not any other means—could stop Moonlight. After blasting a hole through the gates, he used Raptor's Air Rend and shot toward the prison at incredible speed. Following the marks Luffy had left, he avoided many detours and, in just half an hour, arrived at the underwater prison.

At Marine Headquarters, Sengoku listened to the report from Enies Lobby. The Vice-Captain of the Straw Hats, Moonlight, had arrived, blasted through the Gates of Justice, and was now heading for Impel Down, unstoppable. At the same time, Luffy was causing a massive riot inside the prison. He immediately understood their purpose. He looked at the reports coming in from other locations and gave a new order. "Send the word," he said, his voice grim. "Take Ace out immediately. We're moving up the execution."