For every 100 PS = 1 bonus chapter
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Meanwhile, Smoker, who had been chasing Luffy, finished replying to Sengoku's message… and nearly smashed his phone.
His fists clenched, his face twisted in rage and frustration.
"Damn it! I was about to catch that Straw Hat brat, and now Sengoku wants me to turn around?!"
He was fuming. After days of high-speed pursuit, the target was finally within reach, and now the order came to change course. It felt like a duck he'd already caught had flown off his plate.
But beside him, Tashigi looked at Smoker with mild surprise. She could clearly sense his fury, but her own thoughts were quite different.
In her view, just catching up to a pirate didn't guarantee capturing them.
She had a strong hunch that even if they caught up, the result would be the same as last time—Luffy escaping without a scratch.
But she couldn't say that directly. Instead, she tried to reframe things for Smoker.
"Rear Admiral Smoker, try looking at it this way: compared to a single pirate, the stability of an entire nation is obviously more important."
Smoker blinked, momentarily stunned, and glanced at her. Tashigi seized the chance to continue her righteous persuasion.
"I believe Fleet Admiral Sengoku understands this too. That's why he redirected us to Alabasta midway."
Then, as if suddenly struck by insight, Tashigi looked at Smoker with wide eyes.
"Could it be that Sengoku wants us to wait in Alabasta and use it as a trap to catch Straw Hat Luffy?"
Smoker froze like he'd been struck by lightning, rooted in place.
After a long pause, his body jolted. He looked up, his eyes gleaming with sudden realization.
"I get it! That's it!"
"Princess Vivi is on Luffy's ship. She might even be considered a hostage. If that's the case, then capturing them now wouldn't mean much."
His voice now carried a hint of excitement, and the more he spoke, the brighter his eyes became.
"But once they reach Alabasta, Vivi will definitely leave the Straw Hats. That's when we'll strike!"
The fire in his eyes flared. Sengoku's orders now made perfect sense.
Smoker turned to Tashigi, patted her on the shoulder with approval, and said,
"Tashigi… you've finally grown up."
"..."
…
Baltigo.
A barren island coated in white stone, where salty sea breezes blew year-round, scattering debris. This was the secret base of the Revolutionary Army.
Inside a hidden cave, the sound of laughter echoed.
"Luffy really is young and hot-blooded. Just entered the Grand Line and already dares to challenge a Warlord? Even more daring than his old man was at that age."
Dragon sat on a rock inside the cave, holding a phone, the screen displaying Luffy's latest TikTok video. His smile was full of satisfaction.
He hadn't expected to see his son again so soon after their brief encounter in Loguetown.
But ever since smartphones became common, he could watch Luffy daily—track his updates, see his growth—as if the kid were right there beside him.
He couldn't have asked for more.
Sabo walked into the cave, sea breeze still clinging to him.
Seeing that Dragon was watching Luffy's video again, Sabo chuckled.
"Dragon-san, watching Luffy's updates again?"
"Yeah. This brat keeps shouting about becoming the Pirate King. It's hard to ignore."
Sabo smiled. Luffy really was bold. But when he looked at Luffy's face, he always felt a strange familiarity, like he had seen him somewhere before.
Yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember.
(Author's Note: Some readers were confused, so let me clarify: Previously, Dragon mentioned Luffy when talking with Sabo and said Luffy was younger than him, naturally treating him like a little brother. However, Sabo hadn't regained his memory yet. He only knew Luffy's name and felt a sense of familiarity when he saw his image. At this point in the story, Sabo has not yet recovered his memories.)
What's more, whenever he tried to think harder, he'd get a splitting headache.
He once asked Dragon if they might've met before, but Dragon dismissed the idea.
After all, Luffy grew up in Foosha Village, while Sabo had been rescued on a Celestial Dragon-controlled island.
The gap in geography and experience was too wide.
So Sabo chalked it up to a coincidence, maybe someone he used to know just looked like Luffy.
He shook off the strange feeling and returned his focus to the video.
"This kid really knows how to stir things up," he muttered.
"All right, enough about Luffy. How'd your mission go?" Dragon asked, smiling.
"We made a fortune!"
Sabo's eyes gleamed as he pulled out a folded map and spread it out.
He pointed to a location and reported, "Our phones are flying off the shelves in the West Blue. Morgans sells them for 100 Berries, but we price them at 300 and they're still selling out instantly!"
"Hmph, that's about what I expected," Dragon nodded. Even he himself couldn't stop checking his phone all day except when sleeping.
It showed just how addictive they were.
Once people had a phone, they developed a deep dependency—one that was hard to shake off.
"Right? Once they got phones, people started realizing there's a world beyond their island. Entire countries they never knew existed."
Sabo's eyes glowed as he described it. "We helped them realize their worth. We helped them understand that they can take control of their lives and their countries."
Then he remembered something and smiled at Dragon.
"You might not know this, but there were two or three countries with brutal regimes that were overthrown by the citizens themselves."
"They'd all watched the videos we recorded. It was like they woke up. They took a stand. And now? They've all become our fans."
Dragon nodded, relief in his voice.
"There are many countries like that. They just need a little push to find their freedom."
Sabo agreed and went on.
"And it's not just West Blue. East Blue, North Blue, South Blue—same story."
"Every time we arrive, the phones get snatched up instantly. The ones we ordered from Morgans aren't nearly enough. Now every base is calling in, begging us to restock."
As the phones spread, more and more people were starting to see the world beyond their own.
Places where citizens weren't beaten or oppressed daily.
It sparked something in them. Their awareness grew. Their free will began to awaken.
And for Sabo, that was everything. Their goal was to help the oppressed rise up and take back their lives.
Just then, his phone vibrated. A message popped up.
He glanced at it, then looked up at Dragon.
"Dragon-san, I've got to go. Morgans just delivered the next shipment."
"All right, be careful. Keep an eye on the Navy's movements," Dragon reminded him.
"Got it!" Sabo nodded, then turned and left the cave.
(To be continued.)