Chapter 57 – Hugo

Chapter 57 – Hugo

[Chapter Size: 3595 Words.]

Third Person POV

Somewhere at sea, East Blue.

...

...

The waters, which had always been synonymous with serenity, now acted as a stage for a chaotic spectacle. The once calm and imposing ocean was in a state of unusual turmoil. The horizon, which used to be a tranquil line between the sky and the water, was now a turbulent sight of roiling waves.

The unrest was not only superficial; it was as if the very depths of the sea were in tumult. Giant waves rose and fell, defying the logic and tranquility expected from the vast blue expanse. The constant and deep roar of the ocean echoed like a distant lament.

Boats daring to sail in these turbulent waters rocked violently, struggling to maintain balance against the unknown forces now ruling the surface. Sea birds, once masters of the maritime skies, now circled uncertainly, disturbed by the intensity of the turmoil below.

Even non-kingly marine creatures, natural inhabitants of these depths, seemed confused and apprehensive. Schools of fish scattered in disarray, while more imposing creatures like whales and dolphins swam in erratic movements, trying to comprehend the sudden change in their kingdom, despite seeing giant shadows passing through the sea.

It was as if the very heart of the ocean was pulsing with an unknown energy, sending waves of disturbance throughout the expanse of the sea. In this tumultuous state, even distant islands, which had never before felt the agitation of the event, were touched by maritime unrest.

This was not just an ordinary chapter in the vast history of the ocean. It was a deep echo, a call that reverberated through the waters, leaving an indelible mark on the fabric of the marine world. The sea, normally a silent witness to the ages, now told a story of turmoil and mystery that challenged the understanding of those who ventured into its depths.

Somewhere in the vast turbulent sea of the East Blue, surprise painted Shirahoshi's face as her eyes were fixed on the turbulent horizon. Incredulous at what had just occurred before her, she questioned her own accomplishment.

"Hm? WHY IS THE SEA SO AGITATED?" The tumultuous change in the waters did not go unnoticed by the princess of the tritons. The moment she shouted in anger, closing her eyes in an emotional impulse, coincided with the sight of the retreating sea king, avoiding her as if its own existence were threatened.

Despite the sudden chaos unleashed in the ocean, Shirahoshi delved into deep thoughts about what she had just accomplished with the sea creature. A torrent of reflections flooded her mind.

"I could feel its fear; it obeyed my words, even though I am weak..." The princess's eyes watched the spot where the immense sea monster had retreated, leaving only the trail of roiling waves indicating its escape. The scene before her witnessed the magnitude of the newly discovered power residing within her.

She turned her face toward Luffy, ready to share the success, but her contentment was replaced by shock as she noticed half of the crew lying on the ground.

"Hm?! EVERYONE? MEGALO!! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!?" Her desperate cry echoed, and she ran towards her oldest friend.

"You did this, didn't you feel the shockwave release?" Zoro inquired, curiously watching the mermaid grab her friend while shaking him, trying to wake him up.

"Hahahahaha. He's fine, just passed out like the others... Now, we need to worry about the giant waves," Luffy laughed, trying to reassure Shirahoshi.

"Are they okay? Did I do this, with the others too?" She asked, still frightened.

"They're all fine. You unleashed something even I didn't expect. I'm proud, very well done. You did much more than I initially imagined. Congratulations, Shirahoshi," praised Luffy, smiling enthusiastically at his companion, impressed with the manifested power of Poseidon.

"Wait, but Luffy, can this thing called Conqueror's Haki make the sea tremble for a moment? Did it cause this?" Reiju raised her eyebrow, intrigued. One thing was making others faint; another was making the sea act as if undergoing a global earthquake.

She was unaware that Shirahoshi's shout had awakened beings thousands of meters deep in the sea, almost emerging in response to the call. However, as it was a quick and unconscious call, there was no need to bring these creatures out of the water. Still, this movement shook everything from one horizon to another, raising questions even in Luffy's mind about the possible consequences for the islands in the region.

"No, Conqueror's Haki shouldn't have this effect!" Yamato confidently asserted.

"That's a matter for another time. Let's focus on getting out of this chaos first. Nami, take care of the giant waves," Luffy ordered, instructing her to use her wind power to prevent the sea from hitting the ship.

Nami created white wings behind her and took off into the air, using the power of the wind to fend off the large waves forming.

"Now, let's wake up the others. We're almost at the destination. Meanwhile, I'll have a chat with that Hugo," said Luffy, jumping onto the Marine ship amid the maritime chaos.

Meanwhile, at Arlong Park, they were content after the Marines left to retrieve Nami's gold. However, while they smiled and made jokes, something unimaginable happened.

Everything suddenly fell silent, and all the fish-men looked at the sea immediately, ending their momentary fun.

"What is this? Everything went silent."

"This isn't normal..."

They murmured, witnessing the sudden unrest, feeling something big approaching them.

Then a shockwave came from the open sea, making the fish-men feel the greatest kind of fear possible they had ever experienced in their lives, as if something powerful wanted all sea creatures to bow before this thing, everyone without exception became scared, including Arlong.

"What... was that?" One of the fish-men stuttered, seeing that everything calmed down shortly afterward, everyone had their eyes on the horizon, wondering what that was.

*ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!*

The tremor not only affected the sea but even the island shook with it.

But the major chaos was the sea getting agitated at that moment, countless waves erupted from the depths of the sea, as if the sea came to life, creating turmoil like never seen before in their lives.

"What is this, Arlong-San?"

"The sea seems furious!"

"What could cause something like this?"

"Didn't you feel it? I felt a powerful shockwave suddenly, as if something much more powerful than anything I've ever felt before wanted me to bend my knees in reference!"

"Yes, it was a horrible sensation!"

"What the hell is happening?!" Arlong said alarmed; he was also scared, and seeing the sea act like this, something unimaginable must have happened where that wave of power came from.

"Hachi! Call Momoo, he must have the answer!" Someone said.

"Nee...Yes!" Hachi said and ran to beat the drum and call Momo.

*DRUM*

*DRUM*

*DRUM*

*DRUM*

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Where is Momoo? Why isn't he responding to the call?!" Arlong demanded.

"Nee...I don't know, Arlong. Something must have happened to him! This turmoil is too recurring!" Hachi said with a bit of fear of the unknown.

Seeing the waves hitting on all sides, where it was a calm sea just moments ago, all the fish-men had a little fear in their hearts.

"Hachi, dive and look for Momoo." Arlong ordered.

"Nee...Yes, Arlong!" Hachi said and quickly jumped into the water amid the giant waves.

"I THOUGHT I WOULD DIE RIGHT AWAY, BUT HE NEVER GAVE ME THAT MERCY, HE WANTED ME TO DIE SLOWLY AND LEFT ME THERE, BLEEDING TO DEATH, SAYING I SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT HOW I SHOULDN'T FIGHT AGAINST THE GODS OF THIS WORLD IN MY LAST MOMENTS OF LIFE!" Hugo yelled like an animal, even Luffy felt a bit disturbed by this story.

"How did you end up in that naval base as a slave?" Luffy asked curiously.

"I... I was saved, left to die bleeding in the mud, but some slave traders saw value in my strong body, they pulled me off the street and healed me, but sold me shortly after. I traveled for 2 months before reaching that base you guys attacked..." He answered, but he seemed calmer now. Luffy never imagined someone harboring so much anger against that people before.

"Do you hate them? I mean, the World Nobles? Do you want revenge?" Luffy wondered what the man would answer; there were many like him, but not many would show discontent so openly to a stranger.

"OF COURSE I DO, I WANT TO KILL THEM ALL, EXTERMINATE EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!" His voice had a great fury, which left Luffy with raised eyebrows.

"HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Luffy started laughing at this response.

"WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT!" Hugo became furious, almost wanting to run towards Luffy after hearing his story; he was completely beside himself when this man seemed to mock the death of his daughter and wife.

"AHH!!"

*BOOOM!*

Before Hugo could get close to Luffy, the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates kicked the large man, sending him crashing directly into the deck's wall.

"Don't get me wrong, Hugo, I'm not laughing at the death of your daughter and wife, I'm truly sorry for that. But people like you are rare; most would keep their thoughts to themselves, others would try to forget the past, but you seem to have the determination to even resist a Haki that not even some of my crew members did..."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!" He demanded, his anger bubbling.

"What I mean is that you're interesting. To the point where I'm tempted to invite you to join my crew. I plan to punch a lot of Celestial Dragons, and I need people who want to gain strength and power, who are reliable and not afraid to go to war with those people up there on the Red Line." Luffy smiled at the man with genuine interest, his offer hanging like a storm about to unleash.

"Celestial Dragons? Did you really just say that? Who do you think you are to utter those words?! What do you know about them? Do you think you can face them? YOU'RE JUST A NAIVE KID PLAYING PIRATE; SOON THEY WILL KILL YOU!" Hugo growled at Luffy, fury pulsating in his words.

"Well, I've already said it. I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will rule the seas. Even if I have to create a mountain of corpses with the Celestial Dragons and have to destroy Marie Goise one day, I'll do it to achieve my goals." Luffy spoke sincerely, his voice laden with determination that echoed like thunder in a stormy sky.

The former captives couldn't believe these words, wondering if this pirate man was some kind of madman.

Hugo didn't say anything, just looked at Luffy, trying to detect any deceit in his voice, but the seriousness in the eyes of the Straw Hat Pirates' captain was undeniable.

"Anyway, we're reaching Cocoyasi Village. I plan to deal with some local pirates and leave a day later. I'm inclined to invite you to my crew, so come to me before we leave. If you want to embark on a journey that may cause a world war, feel free to do as you please. If you don't want to, you can even leave right now; I don't care." Luffy turned his back and left the Marine ship, returning to the Black Pearl. His invitation hung in the air like a promise of a storm forming on the horizon, leaving Hugo in a whirlwind of thoughts and choices.

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