I Am Honkai

"Gulp."

This golden figure, just like Whitebeard, is ridiculously strong!

From Sanguinius, Luffy could feel the same overwhelming sense of dread he once experienced two years ago at Marineford. Back then, he had faced the man hailed as the strongest of the Four Emperors.

Was Sanguinius even stronger? If so, by how much? Sorry, but Luffy's mind couldn't yet grasp such distinctions.

Among the top-tier warriors Luffy had encountered, the three Marine Admirals were beyond comparison. The Pirate King Roger was long dead. His grandfather Garp would never truly fight him, and his revolutionary father, Dragon, was an enigma. As for Fleet Admiral Sengoku, his display of power had been brief.

When it came to the person who inspired him to embark on the pirate's path—Red-Haired Shanks—Luffy's impression was still that of the carefree figure from Windmill Village in the East Blue. He didn't yet have a tangible understanding of Shanks' true might.

Thus, in Luffy's eyes, the strongest man he had ever known remained Whitebeard.

Spitting out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva, Luffy clenched his eyes shut as his body trembled.

The excruciating pain radiating from every fiber of his being made it abundantly clear—he was no match for Sanguinius. But so what? Fear? Not a chance! Surrender? Never!

"I'm going to be Pirate King! That's my destiny!"

Luffy suddenly opened his eyes, locking onto Sanguinius. Bathed in sunlight, the angelic warrior appeared as pure and untouchable as a god.

Through gritted teeth, Luffy's voice rang out, blood staining his lips, but his determination shining through every word:

"This is my promise with Shanks! A man's promise! I will never give up, you bastard!"

"Even if it costs your life, you won't quit?"

Lifting his foot off Luffy's chest, Sanguinius leaned lightly against the hilt of his Crimson Fang.

"Absolutely not! I'm the man who will become the Pirate King!" Bloodied and battered, Luffy forced himself to his feet. Pressing a trembling hand against his straw hat, his gaze burned with unwavering resolve.

Thud!

"Hmph, what a stubborn brat. Though I don't dislike you, it's unfortunate. Farewell. In your next life, don't be a thief."

Perhaps, compared to what most pirates stood for, Luffy's actions and dreams leaned more towards that of an adventurer. But Sanguinius wasn't interested in parsing Luffy's past deeds.

His leniency thus far—offering Luffy another chance—already demonstrated Sanguinius' capacity for empathy. He was one of the more humane of the twenty Astartes Chapter Masters.

But if Luffy insisted on the title of "pirate," even just in words, there was nothing left to discuss.

If someone like Leman Russ or Budo had been sent instead, Luffy would already be little more than a memory.

Sanguinius didn't shy away from dirtying his angelic figure with bloodshed. For the Imperium and for Selene, he would bear any sin.

To his comrades, he was as warm as spring; to his enemies, as ruthless as winter. Such was Sanguinius' nature.

"Gomu Gomu no Red Hawk!"

Sensing the lethal intent radiating from Sanguinius, Luffy's face hardened. With determination blazing in his eyes, he leaped forward, pulling his right arm back.

The rubbery limb stretched as his Armament Haki wrapped tightly around it, and flames erupted as friction superheated the air.

Whoosh!

His blazing, blackened fist rocketed toward Sanguinius' face with deadly intent.

"Ugh... AAAHHH!"

BOOM!

Luffy's fiery, Haki-infused punch stopped mere inches from Sanguinius' face. It was as if an invisible wall of air repelled the blow, ripples in the flame-laden shockwave betraying the unseen barrier.

Completely unfazed, Sanguinius simply gripped the hilt of his Crimson Fang. With lightning speed, he swung the blade in a ruthless arc aimed directly at Luffy's skull.

Clang!

Suddenly, a flurry of rapid footsteps interrupted the moment.

A weathered figure appeared, his movements a blur. With a swift kick, he sent Luffy flying out of harm's way.

Taking Luffy's place, the man raised a simple black-and-red sword shrouded in Conqueror's Haki, intercepting Sanguinius' golden blade mid-swing.

CRASH!

"Don't crush a young man's dreams of setting sail, will you?"

The clash of the two weapons unleashed a massive shockwave, sending Luffy tumbling even further away.

Bruised and battered, Luffy rolled across the ground, but his face lit up with an unstoppable grin.

"Rayleigh!"

"And who might you be?"

The elder, wielding a weathered Western sword, adjusted his glasses and smiled warmly at Sanguinius.

"Just an old man making a living coating ships. Nothing more."

Judging Sanguinius' golden armor and majestic wings, he added with a chuckle, "From the looks of it, you're no Marine. How about we resolve this peacefully?"

"Denied."

"So, you're the one who led a promising recruit astray into the path of piracy? An old thief saving a young one—thieves, both of you. There's no place for you under Imperial law."

Sanguinius' eyes narrowed as he tightened his grip on the Crimson Fang. The muscles in his right arm tensed, triggering the fusion of Honkai crystals and Tyranid bio-fiber bundles within his power armor. With renewed force, he brought his blade crashing down.

BOOOM!

The resulting explosion tore the ground apart. Within moments, a thousand-meter radius of the tree island's surface split and crumbled, sending trees and boulders flying. The roots of the Yarukiman Mangrove groaned under the immense strain.

Grabbing Luffy, Rayleigh retreated rapidly.

"Luffy, you sure know how to stir up trouble."

"Eh?! Rayleigh, what are you doing here?"

"Saving your skin. Your crew has arrived, but Luffy... you might need a new ship."

Dodging another searing golden energy slash from Sanguinius, Rayleigh frowned bitterly as the attack pulverized everything in its path.

"Don't worry! I'll never abandon the Sunny!"

"Suit yourself."

Feeling the overwhelming pressure from behind, Rayleigh smirked bitterly as he hurled Luffy toward the safety of Area 50.

"Chase your dreams, Luffy!"

Whoosh!

Before Rayleigh could finish speaking, his figure disappeared from his previous position.

Far behind, another explosion erupted, sending a towering mushroom cloud into the air. Rayleigh was launched through the battlefield, Sanguinius pursuing relentlessly.

Sanguinius, with his pristine white wings unfurled, radiated an angelic brilliance that was both awe-inspiring and fearsome, casting an oppressive aura that was impossible to ignore.

"This old body of mine might not make it out alive," Rayleigh thought grimly.

On the trembling ground of Area 60, amidst the chaos and destruction, two figures—a golden angel and a dark elder—clashed with unrelenting force. Each exchange of blows shook the island to its core, scattering rubble with every strike.

...

Meanwhile, under the crimson-and-gold Imperial double-headed eagle banner, a squad of Imperial auxiliary soldiers guarded the roads between the Yarukiman Mangrove's various areas.

"Hey, curly-brows over there! Area 50 is under active clearance operations against resistors. Civilians should stay put to avoid unnecessary casualties," one soldier called out.

He gestured toward a cigarette-smoking man in a black suit with a tie and distinctive curly eyebrows, eyeing him warily. Though he instinctively raised his weapon, the soldier's tone remained polite.

"Hahahaha! Curly-brows! Did you hear that, Sanji? They called you curly-brows!"

Trailing behind Sanji was a man with short green hair, a downward scar over his left eye, and dressed in a green robe tied with a red sash. Black boots adorned his feet, and the trio of swords at his waist jingled in tandem with the three golden teardrop-shaped earrings hanging from his left ear.

The man laughed loudly, clearly enjoying the moment.

"Hey! Moss-head over there! You too, put away your weapons! Go back where you came from!"

"Ahahaha, Moss-head! Zoro, they called you Moss-head!"

It was Sanji's turn to mock. Wriggling his way over to the Empire's sentry, he gestured and exclaimed, "Great eyes you've got there, buddy. That guy really is called Moss-head!"

Zoro scowled, his displeasure evident. "A lowly Number Seven dares act so arrogantly toward a Number One? What's your problem, love-cook? Do you want to fight?"

"Hey! Who said anything about ranking us by arrival order, huh? And with all this chaos on Sabaody, with battles everywhere, do you think I want to be stuck babysitting a directionless idiot like you while we look for Luffy?"

Sanji's exasperation boiled over as he shouted, "Argh! I can't stand it! Nami-swan! Robin-chan! I should be with you two! After surviving hell, why am I stuck with this dumb Moss-head?"

"You damn curly-brow!"

With the two of them inches away from each other's faces, shouting insults, the Empire's auxiliary officer looked utterly baffled.

"What... What is wrong with these two? Are they idiots?!"

The officer recalled previous remarks made by both Lady Alyssa and Chapter Master Sanguinius:

High-EQ phrasing: "The people of this world seem strangely... simple-minded, as if a few screws are loose."

Low-EQ phrasing: "The general population here appears to have significantly lower intelligence and peculiar habits."

"No, it's clear. These two are definitely idiots!"

"Wait, what were we doing again?" Exhausted from arguing, Sanji and Zoro suddenly paused and looked at each other, realization dawning simultaneously.

"Luffy!" they both shouted.

"According to Shakky's intel, the Thousand Sunny is docked near the Sabaody Archipelago's 50GR (Grove) area. Let's go! Luffy might already be there!"

Finally understanding the urgency, Sanji broke into a run, muttering as he passed the Empire's soldiers in their iron-gray uniforms.

"Navy? No, not them. Maybe CP agents from the World Government? No, that's not right. These guys must be part of the force attacking Sabaody recently."

Recalling how he hadn't seen any Navy personnel along the way, Sanji's eyes flashed with realization.

"They've taken over Sabaody this quickly? And they're already replacing the World Government to maintain order... This is bad! We need to find Luffy fast, or things will get even worse!"

"Moss-head, move it!" Flames erupted around Sanji's feet as he leapt into the air.

"Open fire!" Without hesitation, the auxiliary officer ordered his men to act.

Dada-da-da-da-da-da!

"Ittoryu: Thirty-Six Pound Phoenix!"

Zoro's sword unleashed a barrage of sharp sword energy, cutting through the storm of bullets and creating a clear path.

"Moss-head! Stay close! Don't get caught up in fighting—just focus on finding Luffy!"

With that, Sanji, now suspended midair, surged ahead like a comet streaking through the skies.

50GR Area, Sabaody Archipelago - The Docks.

"Lady Alyssa, the battle in Area 61 has concluded. All remaining Navy forces have been eliminated."

A Blood Angel officer reported as he activated a projection device on his helmet.

In the hologram, a round, pudgy figure wearing a red belly sash and shorts with an oversized rope tied around his waist appeared. A massive axe was strapped to his back, and his hunched form bore the signs of battle.

"According to captured prisoners, this individual was the highest-ranking naval commander on Sabaody."

The projection shifted, now showing two damaged humanoid machines, half their bodies destroyed by the Astartes soldiers. Despite their metal interiors, their outer appearances mimicked human flesh.

The two figures were imposing, each wearing black coats adorned with crosshair insignias and trapezoidal white hats resembling bear ears. Their necks were marked with the designations "PX-5" and "PX-7."

"PX-5 and PX-7?" Alyssa read the markings aloud, tilting her head. A moment later, the projection played a recording of these two firing laser beams. "This level of technology doesn't match their general productivity level at all."

"Indeed, it's puzzling. Most of the soldiers we've encountered are equipped with flintlocks and muzzle-loading cannons, yet they somehow possess advanced creations like these."

"It seems this world is more complex than we thought... Hmm?"

Raising her gaze, Alyssa noticed Luffy's battered body flying through the air and crashing into the ground, forming a large crater.

"Oh, he's still capable of running back? Is Sanguinius testing the strength of this world's so-called champions?"

"Eh, whatever. I'll handle this."

Stopping the Blood Angels and her Sisters of Battle from intervening, Alyssa stepped forward in her violet high-heeled shoes.

Standing at the edge of the crater, she peered down at the so-called "Pirate King."

"Hey, 'Pirate King,' did Sanguinius spare you? Have you decided to surrender?"

Hearing the words, Luffy stirred. His bloodied body sprang from the crater, landing five paces in front of Alyssa.

"While I'm happy you called me the Pirate King, I'm not one yet—not until I reach my goal! I'll never give up, no matter what! I'm the man who'll become Pirate King!"

"I don't want to fight you. Get out of my way," Luffy said, his voice grave as blood dripped from his face.

"How dare you!"

The Empire's forces glowered, the atmosphere turning hostile.

"No need... Eh?"

Just as tensions reached a boiling point and Alyssa prepared to strike, a low hum resonated.

Bzzzzzzz—

Beep—

Unbothered, Alyssa retrieved a crystalline cube, which lit up with a holographic image of a middle-aged man in silver armor and purple highlights.

"Chapter Master Leiva? Why are you here?"

"Sigh... Lady Alyssa, it's a long story. The Empress exiled me—uh, I mean, assigned me to support you and Sanguinius."

"The Empress has ordered us to expedite the conquest here. A grand campaign is underway, and every chapter is gearing up. The Ninth Chapter is the last one dragging its heels."

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