One Piece : Rise of Thunder King

You can read the advance chapters here : patreon.com/Vigilante04

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The first half of the Grand Line ends at Sabaody Archipelago.

After the Straw Hat Crew arrived, they began asking about the process of coating their ship. Bit by bit, they made their way to the Rip-Off Bar.

Since Hatchan (Hachi) had died, events unfolded differently after Camie was captured by human traffickers. Around this time, with the successful relocation of Fish-Man Island, thanks to Arthur's help, the timeline had already changed.

Onboard the ship, only Robin fully understood the terrifying power of the Admirals and the grave consequences of attacking the Celestial Dragons. Franky likely had some understanding as well, but the rest of the crew seemed unaware.

Following the natural flow of events, the Straw Hats, inquiring about a coating craftsman, were introduced to Silvers Rayleigh.

They headed to the Rip-Off Bar. Unfortunately, Rayleigh, who lived a carefree life, wasn't there at the time. It seemed he had gone out gambling.

Shakuyaku (Shakky), who already knew Luffy, told him about a place where Rayleigh might be and suggested they find him on their own.

In truth, Shakky had arranged everything. When Luffy asked about a coating craftsman, she planned for him to be introduced to Rayleigh. As someone with connections and intelligence spanning the world, she handled such matters with ease.

After having a meal at the Rip-Off Bar, the crew discussed their plans briefly. They decided to split up, each taking some money, to explore different areas of Sabaody Archipelago.

Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Brook formed a group. Being strong-willed and independent, they acted boldly without worrying about others' opinions.

Though Luffy was the captain, he wasn't the most reliable. With excitement, he asked about the most fun and delicious spots on the island and ran off happily.

Zoro, on the other hand, was predictable. As a heavy drinker, he headed off to find some fine alcohol. However, knowing his terrible sense of direction, he didn't bother asking for directions—it wouldn't have helped anyway.

Luckily, the archipelago had plenty of taverns, so he wandered into one, bought a few barrels of good wine, and used up most of his money.

Meanwhile, Sanji and Brook each went off on their own errands.

At this time, Sabaody Archipelago had 13 rookie pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million berries. Among them were five members of the Straw Hat Crew, drawing plenty of attention.

Outside a restaurant, Zoro, carrying barrels of wine, quickly became lost. After wandering for hours, he still couldn't find his way back. Feeling hungry, he randomly chose a restaurant to eat at.

"Luffy?" Zoro exclaimed in surprise as soon as he stepped inside and saw a familiar straw hat.

Luffy, happily devouring a plate of meat, turned around, still chewing. "Oh! Zoro? What are you doing here?" he asked with a big grin.

Zoro sighed and rubbed his forehead, looking a little helpless.

There was no way he'd admit he got lost and came here because he was hungry. Luffy would definitely tease him about it.

"Hungry. Just grabbing some food," Zoro replied casually.

"Come on, Zoro! This meat is so good!" Luffy said, smiling as he turned back to his meal.

After eating, Luffy realized he didn't have enough money to pay for everything. Zoro, annoyed, ended up covering both their bills.

"Zoro, let's hang out some more before going back!" Luffy suggested, clearly excited.

Zoro shook his head. "No, I need to take this wine back to the ship. I still have training to finish."

"Alright, fine," Luffy said, a little disappointed. He decided to follow Zoro back to the ship.

In truth, Luffy wanted Zoro to come along because he had run out of money and hoped to spend Zoro's share instead.

As they walked down the street, they noticed something unusual—people on both sides of the road were kneeling.

"Huh? What's going on?" Luffy asked, scratching his head in confusion.

Zoro didn't know either and kept walking, looking suspiciously at the scene.

Ahead, a fat Celestial Dragon sat proudly on the back of a kneeling slave. The slave, wearing an explosive collar, carried the Celestial Dragon forward as if he were a horse. Surrounding the Celestial Dragon was a group of bodyguards in black suits ensuring his safety.

The Celestial Dragon was Saint Charlos, who was infamous for his appearances on Sabaody Archipelago. Like most Celestial Dragons, he was arrogant and corrupt, using his status to do whatever he pleased.

He frequently captured people he fancied—whether men or women—turning them into his slaves, collections, or concubines.

When Charlos noticed Luffy and Zoro standing and staring at him instead of kneeling, his pride as a Celestial Dragon was deeply offended.

"Those fools! How dare they not kneel before me!" Charlos shouted angrily, pulling out a pistol. He fired a shot directly at Luffy and Zoro, who were both too puzzled to understand his strange behavior.

Luffy and Zoro instantly became serious and dodged the bullet with ease.

"What the hell? Did I imagine that? How could they avoid my shot?" Charlos muttered, baffled by the sight of the two unharmed.

Luffy looked annoyed. "You jerk! You actually shot at us! What's your problem?"

Zoro, on the other hand, didn't waste time talking. He immediately prepared to draw his sword and strike.

"Damn you!" Charlos yelled, firing two more shots.

Just as Luffy and Zoro were about to counterattack, a small figure suddenly jumped out and knocked them both to the side of the street.

Blood splattered everywhere as a pink-haired girl cried out in distress, "Brother!"

Charlos glanced at the scene, momentarily confused. Something felt off, but lacking any real strength or awareness, he simply commanded his slave to continue walking.

Luffy and Zoro, now lying on the ground, looked stunned. They had been ready to fight, but this small girl had tackled them so forcefully that they were knocked flat. To their surprise, there was tomato juice everywhere.

"You idiots! Shut up and stay down! Pretend you're dead! Do you have any idea what will happen if you attack a Celestial Dragon?!" the girl hissed.

The pink-haired girl was none other than Jewelry Bonney, one of the Supernovas.

Bonney had come to Sabaody Archipelago after hearing that a Celestial Dragon was visiting. Curious, she wanted to see them for herself. Instead, she stumbled upon Luffy, the infamous Straw Hat Captain, and Roronoa Zoro, his swordsman.

What shocked her most was that these two lunatics were about to attack a Celestial Dragon!

As someone fully aware of the consequences, Bonney knew that attacking a Celestial Dragon would summon an Admiral to the island. And no matter which Admiral arrived, it would spell disaster—not just for Luffy and Zoro but for every pirate on Sabaody.

Once the Celestial Dragon had moved on, Bonney stood up, dusting herself off.

Luffy and Zoro sat up, finally getting a good look at their savior. In front of them stood a pink-haired woman.

At this moment, Bonney had transformed into her adult form without them realizing it.

"Who are you?" Luffy asked, casually digging his nose and frowning.

Bonney looked at him with a mix of annoyance and curiosity. "I'm just like you—a Pirate Supernova. I'm Jewelry Bonney, captain of the Bonney Pirates!"

She glanced at Luffy with a strange expression. It was no secret among pirates that this year's Supernovas included a reckless and powerful captain with a notorious crew.

The Straw Hat Pirates were regarded as the strongest among them, with five members boasting bounties exceeding 100 million berries.

"Oh, I see," Luffy said, nodding as he brushed dust off his straw hat. Then, he tilted his head and asked, "Weren't you just a little girl a moment ago? How'd you suddenly become a woman?"

"I'm a user of the Age-Age Fruit," Bonney said bluntly, without hesitation. "I can change the age of myself and others at will."

"Wow! That's so cool!" Luffy exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

At this moment, Zoro spoke up. "Why did you stop us earlier?! I was about to cut down that fancy-dressed bastard!" he said, clearly annoyed as he glanced at Bonney.

"Yeah!" Luffy nodded with a serious expression. "That guy just shot at us for no reason! I was about to send him flying!"

"Are you two completely clueless?" Bonney gave them an exasperated look. "That was a Celestial Dragon!"

"Celestial Dragon?" Luffy looked thoughtful, trying to remember where he had heard the term before.

"Celestial Dragon? So what?" Zoro said dismissively, as if it was nothing important.

Bonney rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "You two idiots! Celestial Dragons are World Nobles! If anyone attacks them, the Marines will send an Admiral after you!"

She crossed her arms and continued, "Once an Admiral shows up, none of the pirates here will escape! Do you even realize there are 13 of us Supernovas on this island right now? If one of us gets into trouble, we'll all be caught in the fallout!"

Bonney's tone was serious. She was determined to avoid trouble until she could leave Sabaody Archipelago.

Just as Bonney was preparing to leave and bid Luffy and Zoro farewell, chaos erupted around them.

People on the street began screaming and running in a panic. Shops on both sides quickly emptied, and owners hurriedly shut their doors.

"What's going on?" Luffy stood up and squinted into the distance, curious.

Zoro and Bonney were equally confused, though Bonney felt a sense of dread. Her gut told her that the very thing she feared was happening.

"Not good! Someone attacked a Celestial Dragon! An Admiral is on the way!" a panicked voice yelled as people rushed past.

Soon after, the trio spotted Marines approaching from all directions.

"Idiots!" Bonney shouted, her face pale with anger. "What kind of fool would do this?!"

"Hehehehe," Luffy chuckled, adjusting his straw hat with a grin. "Looks like someone else was fed up with that guy. Let's go, Zoro! Let's check it out!"

"Yeah, I'm curious now," Zoro smirked, slinging his barrels of wine over his shoulder as he followed Luffy toward the commotion.

If there was action, it wasn't in their nature to stay away.

Bonney, on the other hand, gritted her teeth as she watched them leave. Without wasting any more time, she turned and ran.

"I need to get off this island as soon as possible!" she muttered to herself. "Even if the ship's coating isn't done, I'll wait it out somewhere safe!"

Meanwhile, Luffy and Zoro reached the scene of the incident. There, they saw two familiar figures surrounded by Marines.

Luffy's eyes lit up as he shouted, "Hey~ Sanji! Brook!"

Using his Gum-Gum powers, Luffy stretched his arms and launched himself into the middle of the Marine formation. Zoro, not one to be left behind, sprinted forward and leapt into the fray, landing beside Luffy.

It seemed fate wasn't something that could be easily avoided.

Especially for Luffy—his encounters with the Celestial Dragons were bound to shape their journey in significant ways.

As the chaos unfolded, one could only wonder: What will become of the Straw Hat Crew this time?