Paper Paper Fruit In One Piece

??? 

*Whoosh!* 

In an instant, the crowd parted like a receding tide, as if a bomb had gone off or a deadly disease had broken out. And in the space left behind— 

"The Charlotte Family?!" 

"They must be crazy. Blackbeard just took down that old hag Big Mom, and now they dare to cause trouble here…?" 

But as a group of Charlotte family members stepped aside, they revealed someone behind them— 

"I don't agree to this wedding!!" 

A short boy threw off his cloak and put on a straw hat. 

… "Pirate King?!" 

"The most dangerous man on the seas—'Straw Hat' Luffy…" 

"So it's him? But even if he's the Pirate King… causing trouble in a place full of Admirals is—" 

Just as people were whispering about Luffy standing in the middle of the Charlotte family, a furious roar cut through the murmurs. 

"Luffy!!" 

Standing at the altar as the officiant, Garp clenched his massive fist, veins bulging on his forehead. 

"You little brat, what the hell are you doing here?!" 

"Gramps, I'm not here to cause trouble this time, I'm here to—" 

Hey, hey, hey! What's with this Marine hero and the Pirate King casually chatting in front of everyone? Do we not exist to you?! 

BOOM!! 

A violent gust of wind swept across the plaza, casting a massive shadow over the crowd. Everyone instinctively looked up— 

"A… ship?" 

"Flying in the sky…?" 

It was the fully armed Thousand Sunny! And— 

"Sorry to interrupt your wedding, but the groom is mine—" 

Standing on the figurehead, Nami's long orange hair whipped in the wind. She looked both graceful and fierce. 

"And if you're wondering why—well, that's just how pirates do things!" 

A wedding heist?! This… 

"Big news! Big news!!!" 

Before anyone could react, Morgans was already losing his mind with excitement! His camera Den Den Mushi flashed nonstop as he blurted out one shocking headline after another: 

"The Pirate King's crew steals a man from the Celestial Dragon's 'god'?! The biggest love scandal of the century!!! Marine Admiral caught two-timing—!" 

…??? 

"Boss, boss! Calm down!" 

The vice president of the World Economic News was sweating buckets as he desperately tried to cover his boss's beak. 

Saying this kind of stuff in a place where powerful warriors were everywhere, where Vice Admirals were as common as weeds, and where only Admirals could barely make waves—wasn't this just asking to be blasted into dust?! 

"You're out of your mind!" 

"How dare you storm into the Holy Land?! Are you looking for death—" 

As the guards around them raised their weapons and shouted in anger, the one at the center of it all—Imu—remained calm and graceful, simply raising a hand. 

"Silence." 

In an instant, all the guards' furious shouts, the guests' gasps, Morgans' excited yells, and even Luffy's wordless outrage were completely muted. Their mouths moved, their expressions showed their emotions, but no sound came out—like a bizarre silent film. 

"Joy Boy." 

Imu's gaze first landed on Luffy, who was frantically waving his hands and mouthing, "What's happening to me?!" 

"If you're here to attend my wedding with Neo, then as an old friend, I'll allow you to sit in the front row." 

Joy Boy?! 

In that instant, Garp, Sengoku, Tsuru, the three Marine Admirals, the kings of the Five Great Nations, and the few people who knew the truth of history all froze. Their eyes flickered as they instinctively glanced at Luffy. 

The legendary figure… the king of the ancient great kingdom… had really appeared?! 

Could it be… that the promised time had come? 

"As for you, little girl—"

Imu's gaze fell on the Thousand Sunny soaring through the air—more precisely, on Nami standing at the bow. 

"I've known Neo for over 800 years. We've adventured together, fought together, cried and laughed together. We built the order of this world side by side! Do you think your bond can compare to ours?" 

"Even though we had a... small disagreement later on," Imu lifted Roman's hand, tilting her chin up arrogantly, "we were apart for a while, but that doesn't matter. The church bells have rung, white doves are soaring, and the whole world will celebrate our wedding!" 

With that, the breathtaking beauty with long blue hair lowered her eyes. 

"No one can stop this wedding—not even the entire world! After all, I've waited 800 years for this day. And—" 

Imu lightly pressed her palm downward. 

BOOM! 

The Thousand Sunny, still in midair, suddenly crashed down, forcing the guests below to scramble out of the way before they were crushed. 

"I don't like looking up at people. So just stay down on the deck for me." 

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! 

A deafening creak echoed as an overwhelming gravity, as heavy as a mountain, bore down on the ship and the Straw Hat Crew. But— 

FWOOOSH! 

Countless sheets of paper flew out from Nami's body, and in an instant, a dazzling array of Devil Fruit powers burst into color across the entire ship, forcefully pushing back against Imu's gravity. 

"Hmm... so this is 'Pluton,' huh? Looks like you managed to build it after all." 

What?! 

The guests in the plaza were utterly stunned. The legendary "Ancient Weapon" was actually the Pirate King's flagship?! 

No, wait... The Straw Hat Crew must have gotten the plans for Pluton from Laugh Tale and then modified their ship! 

For a brief moment, the ambitious figures among the crowd locked onto the Thousand Sunny, their eyes burning with greed. 

"Hmph, CP9 was useless as always!" 

A bald, mustached Elder Star with a dark birthmark on his forehead scowled at the pirate ship before him. 

"They have Nico Robin, who can read the ancient texts, and Franky, the shipwright from Water 7—yet they still managed to build Pluton..." 

"This is our failure, Lord Imu." 

Another Elder Star, this one with golden hair and a matching beard, immediately lowered his head in apology before turning toward the Marines. 

"What are you waiting for? Get rid of these pirate—" 

"No need." 

At Imu's single command, the Elder Star instantly fell silent and stepped back, obediently lowering his head. 

For someone supposedly at the peak of world power, he looked more like a mere servant. The smaller nations and factions watching were completely dumbfounded. 

"Joy Boy..." 

As Imu's "silence" ability was lifted, Luffy's voice boomed across the plaza. 

"I'M NOT LISTENING!" 

"How many times do I have to say it?! My name is Luffy! I'm not some Joy Whatever!" 

"And I'm not here for you—Roman!" 

Roman met Luffy's determined gaze and felt the urge to rub his temples. 

After all they'd been through, he didn't need Luffy to say it—he already knew what was coming. 

But damn it... Even with everyone fighting together at Laugh Tale, they'd barely managed to "hurt" Imu. And now they were in Mary Geoise—the Holy Land, surrounded by the Five Elders, the Marines, CP0... 

"Roman! Answer me! Do you really want to marry this old hag?!" 

!!! 

Holy shit, Luffy—what a taunt— 

"JOY! BOY!"

A surge of sky-blue Haki suddenly erupted next to him, making Roman instinctively dodge to the side. At the same time, his own Haki instantly covered his entire body as a defense. 

The next second, it felt as if someone had pushed him—Roman's body floated backward and landed right beside Luffy. 

"Hehehe, I *knew* you'd choose my side!" 

"Luffy, today *I'm* the one crashing the wedding!" 

Nami jumped down from the Sunny, rolled her eyes at a certain rubber-headed guy, then walked up to Roman. She grabbed his hand and forcefully placed it in front of her. 

"Tokovich Roman, will you marry me?" 

!!!! 

"Stealing the groom in front of the whole world—" 

"That's both romantic and bold…" 

"Roman~~" 

"Roman!" 

"Don't chicken out now—" 

As the rest of the Straw Hat crew—Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Brook, and Jinbe—jumped down from the ship one after another, their voices were filled with teasing, encouragement, and blessings. 

With a deep sigh, Roman ignored the bone-chilling killing intent behind him. 

He knew that the moment he opened his mouth, an all-out war would break out. But at this point, standing among his friends, there was nothing left to hesitate about. 

"I do!" 

"Nami, please marry me." 

Dressed in a pure white suit, Roman knelt on one knee and reached out his hand. 

Before Nami could even respond— 

*Pfft.* 

?! 

"At *my* wedding… wearing the suit *I* prepared… and proposing to someone else's woman…" 

"Neo, this reminds me of that 'joke' you once told me: 'Why are you wearing Pinru's clothes?'" 

??? 

Only Roman understood that reference. But behind that joke— 

The vast sky-blue Haki suddenly retracted. As Im let out a soft chuckle, the Five Elders beside her were already kneeling on the ground, trembling. Cold sweat poured down their faces. 

"Neo, you never fail to make me *angry.* So angry I could lose my mind… Tell me—" 

"How should I *reward* you for this?" 

… 

Im might have been "smiling," but in Roman's eyes, the aura around her had reached an unimaginable level of terror! 

The clouds above were scattering in fear under her Haki. 

The bone-chilling killing intent seeped into every corner, and Roman's Observation Haki was screaming at him to *run.* 

But— 

"Sorry, I've said this many times already." 

"My name is *Roman,* not Neo. Whoever this 'Neo' is—the one who went on adventures with you, laughed and cried with you, fought alongside you—that person *is not me!*" 

"The ones standing beside me now are my *real* friends… and the person I love." 

*Hiss—* 

"Your Majesty, we should retreat…" 

Gasps of shock filled the air. Some of the kings and nobles were already being half-dragged away by their guards. 

Anyone with half a brain could tell— 

This place was about to turn into hell. 

"This is quite troublesome, Joy Boy. You've turned my wedding into a complete disaster." 

"Oh yeah?" 

Now that Roman was back, Luffy seemed "calmer." He adjusted his straw hat, then, with a serious expression, bowed deeply to Im. 

"Sorry." 

…He apologized, but he'd do it again next time. 

"But for stealing my friend—I will never forgive you!" 

… 

"It's hard to believe. You, who were once bright and cheerful, polite and noble, caring for the world… have turned into a reckless, selfish, and foolish pirate." 

"And you, Neo—" 

Im's gaze fell on Roman.

"You used to be fearless, bold, and unstoppable. But now, why do you act so cautious, calculating, and secretive?" 

I may not be Neo, and Luffy may not be Joy Boy. But— 

Roman rolled his eyes. If his guess was right, wasn't this all *Imu's* fault? 

A hero who once dreamed of a golden future had turned into a pirate seeking freedom. A young man who once thought he was invincible had become a careful strategist. What else could have caused such a drastic change through reincarnation, if not getting completely screwed over by *Imu*? 

"Let's cut to the chase, Imu." 

With a snap, Roman pulled Nami into his arms. 

"Today, I'm leaving with her. I'd like to see who dares to stop me—" 

But the next second, a pair of icy eyes locked onto him! 

Imu's gaze was deeper than the abyss. It was filled with overwhelming love, yet twisted, fermented in jealousy, and burned by desire, turning into an intoxicating wine that blurred the line between love and hate! 

"Neo, look into my eyes!" 

(End of Chapter)