Chapter 151: [150] Collision Course

Chapter 151: [150] Collision CourseBonus chapter [2300 Words]

[The First Half of the Grand Line, Paradise]

The waters of the Grand Line are known for their sudden turbulence and unpredictable storms, but in one particular place, there was an eerie and unsettling calm.

It felt like a dark abyss where lights faded away, like distant memories vanishing into a thick fog.

This fog was unlike any that fades with time; it seemed almost alive, moving slowly to engulf anyone who dared to enter. Your vision would grow hazy, and the details of the world around you would gradually dissolve, as though you were slipping into a dark dream. From above, heavy, dark clouds gathered, reflecting old rumors of a cloud island, perhaps suspended above the triangle, keeping the sea below in an eternal shadow.

But these weren't just rumors-they were truths that many refused to believe.

This was the Florian Triangle, a terrifying place to millions of pirates around the world.

In this triangle, surrounded by bleak fog, there lay a giant structure that at first glance appeared to be a small island.

But with a closer look, you'd realize it was not an island but an enormous ship, once recognized as the largest ship in the world.

But now... it was in a terrible state.

The remnants of Thriller Bark stood as a floating ghost ship, its features resurfacing quietly within the dense fog that engulfed everything.

The Gothic castle that once imposed its grandeur at the heart of the ship had turned to ruins, with shattered balconies and crumbling towers that seemed to scream with buried memories of horror.

Among the ruins, dry trees grew-remnants of the internal forest once filled with the undead, still haunting even amid all this destruction.

"Moria-sama! Where are you?! Moria-sama!"

The oppressive silence was broken by a terrified female voice calling for someone who would never answer.

"Dr. Hogback! There you are- " The strange-looking girl with pink hair stopped when she saw Dr. Hogback's eyes, which appeared as if they'd seen the most terrifying thing of his life. "Eeeeeek!" She screamed, kicking Hogback's corpse hard, then ran away as fast as she could.

"Moria-sama! Absalom! Damn it, where is everyone?!" shrieked Perona, one of the Thriller Bark Pirates, overcome with terror.

The last thing she remembered was the arrival of several strangers at Thriller Bark and the start of a deadly battle. She, gripped by fear, had chosen to flee and avoid the fight.

After all, she trusted in Moria's strength-he was a Warlord!

But unfortunately for Perona, she didn't know that the one attacking this time was Blackbeard.

In any case, when she fled from Thriller Bark on her small boat, the waters carried her through the Florian Triangle until she encountered an abandoned ship.

Or so she thought, until she found a skeleton there that frightened her so much that she fainted on the spot.

"Moria-sama couldn't possibly have been defeated as that foolish skeleton claimed!" Perona gritted her teeth, recalling her conversation with the strange skeleton named Brook.

Brook had said that Moria was defeated because his shadow suddenly returned to him, which even made the skeleton shed tears.

And how could a skeleton with no flesh, blood, or organs shed tears? Perona couldn't find an answer to this perplexing question.

A few days later, she returned to Thriller Bark, only to find ruins of the once-grand ship...

Perona ran with all her might, trying to escape this horrifying place, but she tripped over something and fell to the ground.

"Ouch!"

She groaned in pain, then saw what had caused her to fall.

"Eeeek! A monster!"

*Bam!*

It was Absalom's lifeless body staring at her-or so Perona thought-so she kicked the body away and continued running.

"Mama, I don't want to stay here! I have to get out of here!"

[The New World, Cake Island]

"Smoothie, do you want to deliver the invitation yourself?" came the deep voice of a tall man with a thick white fur shawl wrapped around his neck.

"Yes, it won't take me long." The long-legged woman replied calmly, and the next moment, she boarded a ship bearing the Big Mom Pirates' flag.

"Set course for Alabasta."

[The New World, Onigashima]

A proud woman sat, her long white hair gradually turning blue at the tips, flowing around her like waves as she sat quietly on the ground.

Her large, curved horns reflected a blend of strength and solitude, while her eyes shone with a mysterious light.

She wore a loose white shirt and traditional trousers that swayed with each step, and an ancient red sash adorned her waist, as though she were a warrior from an old legend.

In front of her lay a newspaper that still seemed clean; the date was old, and the news was obviously not fresh for anyone who could get newspapers at will-unlike her.

"Ace is dead."

She spoke this sentence as if struggling to believe what the paper said, unable to accept the photos that accompanied the news: Ace's stabbed body, his blood, and his hand severed by an

enemy.

All this left her in a daze for a moment.

*Drip*

*Drip*

*Drip*

Tears started to fall from the beautiful woman's eyes, dampening the newspaper she held.

"Black Death Ren, responsible for capturing Ace."

[The Grand Line, Paradise]

"Excuse me, sir, what year is this?"

"Huh?" The man stopped, shocked by the question from the strange green-haired woman,

and then replied, "It's the year 1522."

"Thank you." The beautiful woman, dressed in a traditional kimono rarely seen among the island's locals, smiled and quickly walked away.

'Should I travel further into the future?' Her expression was a mixture of confusion and

complexity.

"I wonder which timeline he's in..." She pulled out a fresh-looking paper and examined the carefully sketched face on it.

The paper showed a man with blue hair, sharp features, and blue eyes-a face that would

easily stand out in any crowd.

"Ah!"

She let out a small groan of frustration as a paper blown by strong winds slapped her face.

"Ugh, that startled me-"

Her expression froze as she held the bounty poster, staring at a face that seemed all too

familiar.

Her gaze dropped to the poster, trembling slightly as she read the information.

|-

-Ren.

-240,000,000.

-Dead or Alive.

-|

|-

-|

The name was only a single character since the World Government knew nothing about him; they wouldn't even know his name if he hadn't told them.

Naturally, the green-haired woman, who was none other than the time traveler Toki, knew nothing about this. But her entire focus was on this poster, as if her life depended on what she

held.

"Oh my!!! so this is the right timeline..." Her voice held an unmistakable joy. She didn't care about the strange looks from passersby as she happily stared at the poster of one of the

world's most dangerous pirates.

"Miss, may I ask you a few questions..."

Toki set off on a journey to gather information, and who knew what this journey would lead

to? Perhaps the threads of fate were beginning to weave again.

But in a direction many powerful figures in this world would never have wanted, a path they

could never have expected.

"Stubbornness will get you nowhere."

A voice as cold as ice echoed in a dark place.

This place was none other than the dungeons of Alabasta's royal palace.

"Hah... Hah... damn you, witch." Zoro spat in the direction of Daz Bonez, who looked at him with a cold gaze. Daz dodged the spit, his expression growing even more frigid. "You're a swordsman, right? Do you really want to waste away in this cell until you rot? And

for what? For a dead crew?" His words were mocking, but they pierced Zoro's heart deeply, reminding him of each of his fallen crewmates.

Only he and Sanji had survived, while Luffy had been taken from the prison over a month ago,

with no word since.

Zoro was in a desperate situation, and he seemed lost in thought, affected by Daz Bonez's

words.

'Ah! Trying to convince this stubborn green-haired guy is exhausting...' Daz Bonez sighed internally but didn't dare ignore the task Ren had given him.

Since his captain had given him those miraculous scrolls, a deep reverence and fear had taken

root in Daz Bonez's heart.

He never thought in his life he would feel such loyalty to anyone.

But that was natural, for the powers that made him stronger in an instant were nothing short

of miracles! Miracles that, if revealed to the world, would plunge it into endless chaos!

Daz Bonez didn't dare spread this knowledge and never even thought of committing such a

betrayal.

Not that he could, even if he wanted to.

Of course, Daz Bonez didn't know the last part.

"Don't listen to that bastard, Zoro!" seaʀᴄh thё NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Daz Bonez's thoughts were interrupted by the voice of the other man in the cell.

It was none other than Sanji, who had escaped death at Ren's hands because Ren had other plans for him.

"Shut up, or I'll cut out your tongue!" Daz Bonez, standing inside the cell, didn't hesitate to kick the bound Sanji hard enough to break his ribs.

"Aaagh!" A high-pitched scream of pain echoed through the bleak prison walls.

"Stop that!" Zoro roared in anger, moving his remaining hand in a futile attempt to break free

from his shackles.

Daz Bonez turned to look at Zoro, particularly at his severed hand, recalling what his captain had told him to say to convince him...

He leaned in toward the green-haired swordsman and whispered something that made Zoro's

eyes widen in shock.

"!!!"

"T-this is"

[The East Blue, Uninhabited Island]

This island was relatively small, filled with trees and a variety of predatory animals. But black

smoke rose from its center, while a ship bearing a flag that would strike fear into anyone who saw it rested calmly at the shore.

A group of people of various sizes gathered around a fire roasting delicious meat, eating with ravenous hunger.

They were none other than the Red-Haired Pirates, one of the three Yonko crews.

"I see... Something really bad is happening with him, isn't it?" Shanks sighed and looked at

his first mate, Ben Beckman, with a hint of worry.

Just moments ago, they had received news that Vice Admiral Garp had gone to the East Blue.

But it wasn't only Vice Admiral Garp's trip that caught Shanks' attention-there was something, or rather, someone even more important: Monkey D. Luffy.

The boy was with Garp aboard the ship, also heading to the East Blue. Shanks had learned this through special means. After hearing that Garp was going to the East

Blue on leave, he felt something unusual was happening, especially since Luffy and his crew had disappeared after setting sail a few months prior.

To dig deeper, Shanks used his connections within the World Government and managed to access confidential information, the kind known only to select figures like Sengoku and Garp. That's how he learned that Straw Hat Luffy was indeed with Garp on the ship.

"So, what's the next step, Captain?" Ben Beckman asked, calmly puffing on his cigarette,

though he already knew the answer.

"That's obvious. Let's head to the East Blue and see what's going on with the kid!" Shanks grinned in his usual cheerful way, but a serious glint flickered in his eyes.

The crew, who had been celebrating, erupted into cheers upon hearing their captain's words.

"Yeah!!"

"Pack your things, Bastards! Hahahaha!"

Shanks laughed, but as he walked toward the ship, he grew quiet, lost in thought. Could this be connected to what Rayleigh told me... he wondered, recalling his recent Den Den

Mushi conversation with Rayleigh a few days prior.

Their conversation had been brief, as Rayleigh had said he preferred to speak face-to-face in

Sabaody Archipelago. But the essence of Rayleigh's message had been clear:

"Be wary of the one called Black Death."

Sigh... let's check in on Luffy first before heading to Rayleigh and seeing what's going on.

He decided, leaping lightly onto the ship.

What Shanks didn't know was that Rayleigh had intended to tell him about the individual behind the recent Celestial Dragon incident, but he had been stopped by Shakuyaku, who warned, "What if Black Death finds out and turns us into his enemies? It's not worth the risk. Besides, the World Government's agents will uncover the truth soon enough." Rayleigh had reluctantly agreed. He didn't want to disappoint Shakuyaku, whom he cared for

deeply, and he didn't want her dragged into dangerous pirate conflicts, especially after her retirement.

All he wanted was for her to enjoy the peace she'd earned, free from worry.

Far from the island the Red-Haired Pirates had just departed, in that same sea, the East Blue

"Come on, we've arrived,"

Garp said in a heavy tone as he nudged his distracted grandson to step ashore, where the

village's residents had gathered to welcome their Marine hero, though their faces showed

sorrow.

"Oh... okay..." Luffy responded absently, his spirit weighed down with sorrow as he jumped to

the ground.

He had returned to the place he once left behind.

A place he thought he wouldn't see again until he had achieved his dream and returned with

his friends and his brother.

Luffy was utterly broken.

Hehe...

Completely shattered.

To be continued....

The university exams are approaching, so updates might be irregular. You know how it is.