Chapter 381

A government agent pegs Zoro as a follower of Luffy, which is enough to set off another round of needling between him and Sanji over rank and bounties. The noise draws notice to two faces the soldiers know from the train, Usopp and Chopper. Bazookas swing toward the Rocketman while Nami remains inside it, and Sanji barks at the troops to hold off. Amid the scramble, the Sogeking mask comes loose, and Usopp jams it back on before anyone clocks the slip.

The shooting halts the moment Kokoro, Gonbe, and Chimney plant themselves in the firing line, since no soldier wants civilian blood on his hands. They claim to have been dragged along as captives. Then a small oddity catches the Marines' eye: the funnel smoke is not climbing, it simply floats. Beneath that cover Nami has shaped a thundercloud, and her crew is relieved to find her unharmed.

Bragging about the upgrade, Nami unleashes an amplified bolt that drops scores of officials at once, though the wild discharge also clips Zoro and Sanji, who complain loudly. Sogeking scolds her for firing it so recklessly when it was never built for such use. The Franky Family gawks at the output and counts her among the crew's serious fighters. A blast erupting on a far rooftop hands everyone an obvious starting point for their search.

Elsewhere on the central island, Luffy carves a path of wreckage through Marines and leaps into a tree, fed up with the endless waves. When he notices the soldiers peeling away toward the front gate, he brightens at the realization that his friends have made landfall. At the gate itself, the law guard corps presses in until Paulie rolls up riding Sodom and calls the crew aboard, reminding them their purpose lies ahead rather than in a brawl that would trap them until sunset.

While the king bulls plow through the ranks, Paulie passes Sanji a message bound for his three former coworkers. Should anyone run into Lucci, Kaku, or Kalifa, the word to deliver is simple: each of them is dismissed from Galley-La. Zoro grins and promises they will. A Half Knot Air Drive from Paulie then breaks the pursuing hound unit, and together with Peepley Lulu and Tilestone he handles the rest. He tells the pirates and Franky's gang to push on toward the courthouse while the shipwrights cover the rear.