Chapter Text
The sea had gone quiet.
Too quiet.
Dozens of Marine warships surrounded the Thousand Sunny. White sails covered the horizon in every direction.
Cannons turned.
Soldiers stood ready.
And aboard the Sunny, Monkey D. Luffy looked absolutely delighted.
“This is gonna be awesome!”
Nami hit him.
“THIS IS NOT AWESOME!”
Goku laughed. “I dunno. Looks pretty fun.”
Nami slowly turned toward him.
“Oh no.”
Luffy and Goku exchanged grins.
“Oh no, no, no.”
Piccolo folded his arms. “I already hate this.”
Bulma stood beside him, staring through binoculars.
“How strong are these guys?”
“Strong,” Robin answered.
“That’s not very specific.”
“Strong enough that seeing this many Vice Admirals together is extremely unusual.”
Bulma lowered the binoculars. “So we’re in trouble.”
Robin smiled.
“Quite possibly.”
Android 18 stepped forward.
“Good.”
Everyone looked at her.
She cracked her knuckles.
“I was getting bored.”
On the lead Marine vessel, confusion was spreading.
A Vice Admiral lowered his telescope.
“Straw Hat Luffy confirmed.”
Another officer nodded.
“Roronoa Zoro. Black Leg Sanji. Nico Robin. Franky. The entire crew is present.”
“And the others?”
Silence.
Nobody knew.
A Marine officer nervously flipped through several wanted posters.
“The blue-haired woman doesn’t match anyone in our records.”
“What about the blonde?”
“Nothing.”
“The man in orange?”
“Nothing.”
“The green one?”
“…Definitely nothing.”
The Vice Admiral frowned.
“Devil Fruit users?”
“Unknown.”
“What type?”
“Unknown.”
“Affiliation?”
“Unknown.”
“Threat level?”
The officer hesitated.
“Also unknown.”
The Vice Admiral stared at him.
“So we know nothing.”
“Yes, sir.”
A second Vice Admiral raised his telescope. He watched Goku laughing with Luffy.
“Then we find out.”
He raised one hand.
“Prepare to board.”
The first cannon fired.
Then twenty more.
“INCOMING!” Usopp screamed.
Cannonballs filled the sky.
Franky stepped forward.
“I GOT THIS!”
His arms transformed.
“WEAPONS LEFT!”
Explosions erupted overhead.
Several cannonballs detonated. Others continued falling.
Robin crossed her arms.
“Mil Fleur.”
Hands appeared across the deck, catching ropes and moving debris.
Zoro drew his swords.
Sanji stepped forward.
And Goku—
simply watched.
One cannonball flew directly toward him.
He tilted his head.
“Huh.”
He caught it.
Everyone stopped.
Goku looked at the cannonball.
Then at the Marine fleet.
Then back at the cannonball.
“Do they want this back?”
Usopp stared.
“You CAN’T JUST CATCH A CANNONBALL!”
Goku shrugged.
“Why not?”
He casually threw it.
The cannonball vanished.
A second later—
BOOM.
One Marine ship’s main cannon exploded.
Complete silence.
Goku scratched his cheek.
“Oops.”
Piccolo closed his eyes.
“So much for staying unnoticed.”
“WHAT WAS THAT?!”
Marine officers shouted across the fleet.
“He threw it!”
“With what weapon?!”
“His HAND!”
“That’s impossible!”
The Vice Admiral narrowed his eyes.
“Interesting.”
“Sir?”
“That man is dangerous.”
Boarding hooks flew toward the Sunny.
Hundreds of Marines charged.
Luffy stretched both arms backward.
“Gum-Gum—”
Goku’s eyes widened.
“Whoa!”
“—GATLING!”
Fists exploded forward.
Marines flew everywhere.
Goku stared.
“Your arms stretch!”
“Yep!”
“That’s so cool!”
Luffy grinned.
“Wanna see something cooler?”
“Yeah!”
“STOP ENCOURAGING EACH OTHER!” Nami screamed.
Zoro intercepted the first Marine officer.
Steel collided with steel.
Sanji launched another attacker over the railing.
Robin restrained several soldiers at once.
Franky fired across the deck.
Brook drew his sword.
Chopper transformed.
Usopp—
was providing extremely valuable tactical support from behind a barrel.
“I’M COVERING THE REAR!”
“There is nobody behind us!” Nami shouted.
“THAT MEANS I’M DOING A GREAT JOB!”
Android 18 walked calmly through the chaos.
A Marine charged.
She sidestepped.
Another attacked.
She ducked.
A third swung a sword.
18 caught his wrist.
“Too slow.”
She tossed him into five other Marines.
Franky watched from across the deck.
He had tears in his eyes.
“Beautiful.”
18 glared at him.
“Fight.”
“YES, MA’AM!”
Then the deck cracked.
A Vice Admiral landed aboard the Sunny.
The impact sent Marines and pirates stumbling.
He was enormous. His coat fluttered behind him. His arms were coated in black.
Bulma blinked.
“Why are his hands black?”
“Haki,” Robin said.
“Haki?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Everything in this world is complicated.”
The Vice Admiral pointed toward Luffy.
“Straw Hat.”
Luffy grinned.
“Hey.”
“You are under arrest.”
“No thanks.”
“That wasn’t a request.”
The Vice Admiral lunged.
Luffy prepared to strike.
But someone stepped between them.
Goku.
He caught the Vice Admiral’s fist.
The deck shook.
A shockwave blasted across the Sunny.
Everyone froze.
Goku looked down at their hands.
“Oh.”
The Vice Admiral’s eyes narrowed.
Goku smiled.
“You’re pretty strong.”
The Vice Admiral pulled away.
“What are you?”
“Goku.”
“That wasn’t what I asked.”
“Son Goku.”
Piccolo sighed from across the deck.
“Don’t bother.”
The Vice Admiral attacked again.
Goku blocked.
Punch.
Block.
Kick.
Dodge.
The Sunny shook beneath every impact.
Luffy’s eyes sparkled.
“He’s strong!”
Zoro smirked.
“Yeah.”
The Vice Admiral suddenly coated both arms in Haki and attacked with full force.
Goku caught the strike.
This time, he didn’t move at all.
The Vice Admiral did.
His expression changed.
For the first time, uncertainty appeared.
Goku smiled.
“My turn?”
“Oh no,” Bulma said.
Goku tapped him.
Just tapped him.
The Vice Admiral flew backward.
Across the Sunny.
Across the ocean.
And through the mast of a Marine warship.
Silence.
Hundreds of Marines stared.
Goku looked horrified.
“I barely hit him!”
Luffy collapsed laughing.
“YOU’RE AWESOME!”
A different Vice Admiral stared at the destruction.
“Capture the orange one immediately!”
“Sir, how?”
The Vice Admiral paused.
“…With greater effort.”
The Marine officer looked unconvinced.
Then something changed.
Piccolo’s head snapped toward the fleet.
His expression hardened.
Goku noticed immediately.
“You feel that too?”
“Yeah.”
18 looked toward the same direction.
“Someone stronger.”
Luffy stopped laughing.
Zoro’s hand tightened around his sword.
From the center of the Marine formation, another ship moved forward.
Larger than the others.
The Marines around it became silent.
Nami swallowed.
“Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling?”
Robin’s expression had become unusually serious.
“Because the Vice Admirals weren’t the only ones who came.”
Bulma stared at her.
“What does that mean?”
Before Robin could answer—
the ocean exploded.
A tremendous shockwave ripped across the sea.
The Sunny rocked violently.
Everyone grabbed onto something.
Goku remained perfectly still.
Piccolo’s cape snapped violently in the wind.
Then figures appeared at the front of the approaching ship.
Powerful figures.
Very powerful.
Luffy’s grin slowly returned.
“Oh.”
Zoro smiled.
Sanji lit a cigarette.
Goku’s eyes practically sparkled.
Piccolo looked annoyed.
“Of course.”
Bulma looked between all of them.
“Would somebody please tell me who those people are?”
Robin watched the approaching vessel.
“The Marines’ greatest military powers.”
The air itself seemed to grow heavier.
The battle had only just begun.
And somewhere below deck—
four complete sets of Dragon Balls began to glow.
All at once.
To be continued…