Chapter 998: Do You Want to Dance?

Chapter 998: Chapter 998: Do You Want to Dance?

"Golden Ring Aeridar...!"

Brook’s jaw dropped in absolute terror. His voice grew shrill and pierced the air as he instinctively stumbled backward, retreating step by step.

However, being called a raccoon dog seemed to trigger Chopper’s worst defensive reflex. Exploding with rage, the little doctor barked furiously at Aeridar, pointing repeatedly at the pair of antlers on his head.

"I’m not a raccoon dog! I’m a reindeer! A reindeer! See? I have antlers!"

But the realization of who he was talking to caught up with him a second later. Chopper let out a panicked shriek of "Don’t kill me!" and bolted backward with his arms over his head. He dove right behind Brook, desperately trying to hide, though he only managed to tuck his head away, leaving his entire round body completely exposed.

Aeridar shrugged, looking at Chopper with an amused smirk. "Ah, my bad. My apologies, Doctor Chopper the Reindeer."

To be fair, the fluffy little guy really was incredibly cute. It almost made him want to scoop him up and squeeze him. Man, my inner schoolgirl is screaming right now.

Chopper carefully peeked out from behind Brook’s coat, his voice trembling. "I-I-I forgive you!"

Aeridar shook his head, thoroughly entertained. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, a crimson flash gleamed in his eyes. The future-sighted variant of his Observation Haki triggered passively.

"Franky Fireball!!!"

Suddenly, a massive torrent of flames roared in from the flank, radiating a blistering, searing heat that instantly parched the surrounding air.

"Hmm?"

Aeridar raised an eyebrow. With a casual wave of his hand, a localized tempest erupted from the sheer force of his kinetic displacement. Accompanied by a violent, howling gale, the wall of wind forcefully deflected the massive fireball right back where it came from.

Boom!

The fireball detonated prematurely, erupting into a sea of flames that scorched the earth beneath it into a blackened, bubbling crust.

"So, it’s you."

Aeridar looked up. Standing behind the wall of dispersing fire was the Straw Hat Pirates’ shipwright, Franky, otherwise known as Cutty Flam. He was the former disciple of Master Tom, the ’World’s Greatest Shipwright,’ and the man who had once held the blueprints to the Ancient Weapon, Pluton.

When Aeridar had first set sail and arrived in Water 7, he had genuinely considered stealing those blueprints from Franky. He had wanted to keep them in his back pocket as an ultimate trump card to deter both the World Government and the Yonko.

But back then, he had only just joined the Seven Warlords. Water 7 was crawling with World Government agents, Admiral Kizaru was looming nearby, and he had been on a tight schedule to reach Marineford to finalize his contract. He hadn’t dared to risk making a reckless move.

Later, once he entered the New World, he became entirely consumed by expanding his territory and training. Moreover, his status had changed drastically, and because he hadn’t yet unlocked the ability to fly, his every move drew the eyes of the entire world. It simply wasn’t convenient to make a covert trip back to Water 7.

And after that, there was no longer a need.

Aeridar’s strength had grown at a meteoric pace, granting him the freedom to traverse the skies, the earth, and the deep sea at will. A battleship like Pluton had essentially become obsolete to him.

Furthermore, the technical specifications for Pluton hidden within Franky’s body were written in the Ancient Language, meaning he would have had to rely entirely on Robin to translate them. Even with a translation, constructing an Ancient Weapon like Pluton would be a logistical nightmare; there was no telling how many billions of Berries and resources it would drain.

Rather than going through all that trouble, it was far more efficient to copy the Poneglyph hidden beneath the Alabasta Royal Tombs and unearth the original Pluton directly.

In fact, Aeridar had done exactly that. Long before Crocodile’s operation collapsed, he had covertly infiltrated the Alabasta Royal Tombs and taken a rubbing of the ancient text.

Just a few days ago, Aeridar had escorted Nico Robin to his palace treasury to translate all his collected Poneglyph rubbings. Through them, he had acquired the precise coordinates of Pluton. Though he had yet to verify the location, it was highly unlikely to be wrong.

Still, seeing Franky now, Aeridar felt a faint twinge of regret. Maybe I should have swiped those blueprints anyway. It’s been eight hundred years; who knows what kind of condition the original Pluton is in? If it’s damaged, having the schematics on hand would make repairs a hell of a lot faster.

"Franky!"

Chopper and Brook wailed, looking at their newly arrived reinforcement with tears of relief.

At this point, unless the entire crew assembled, anyone stepping up to face this man was just offering themselves up on a silver platter. Luffy had already been thrashed within an inch of his life.

"This is a SUPER massive problem... The Lord of the Neutral Zone himself has personally taken the field. And Luffy’s been battered to this extent..." Franky’s expression was dead serious. Looking at the silhouette looming before them, he felt an overwhelming, suffocating pressure, as if the man’s shadow was expanding to swallow the horizon.

"Cyborg Franky. That makes three."

Aeridar grinned, his eyes sweeping over the trio with total nonchalance. He looked completely relaxed, as if he were taking a casual stroll.

Hearing his words, the faces of Brook, Chopper, and Franky fell.

"Even though you are a legendary figure capable of rivaling the Yonko, please do not underestimate us!" Brook drew his cane sword, forcing himself to calm down as his empty, hollow sockets locked onto Aeridar.

"That’s right! I’m not giving up without a fight!"

Chopper nodded vigorously, trying to pump himself up. His body swelled instantly, transforming into his towering, muscular Heavy Point, his blue nose twitching with determination.

"Awoooo—!"

Franky struck his iconic pose, letting out a wild cry before shouting in his signature theatrical cadence, "Getting to throw down with a monster like you is SUPER thrilling!"

Despite Brook lacking eyes, Aeridar could feel the weight of the skeleton’s gaze. He tilted his head, looking at the trio with mild surprise. "Are you guys... looking to dance?"

"Indeed! Our goal has not been reached, and our dreams are far from fulfilled. We absolutely cannot fall here!"

Brook settled into a thrusting fencing stance, his tone incredibly solemn. Beside him, Chopper roared, beating his chest like a silverback gorilla.

A few seconds of heavy silence hung in the air.

"Heh... Heheheh. Wow, I am really being looked down on here." Aeridar let out a low, mocking chuckle.

Three low-level supports trying to raid a max-level ADC. They must still be dreaming.

"How could we possibly look down on you?!" Brook’s voice rose to a crescendo. "We are putting our lives on the line!"

"Ahhh!"

With a furious roar, Chopper lunged forward, swinging a massive fist directly at Aeridar’s head.

"Is that so? Have it your way then." Aeridar flashed a sinister grin, completely ignoring Chopper’s incoming strike. His voice dropped to a chilling whisper. "But let me warn you... try not to die."

Boom!

The words had barely left his mouth when Chopper’s fist slammed squarely against Aeridar’s forehead, unleashing a violent shockwave that blew the dust backward.

"I hit him!" Chopper cheered in surprise.

Yet, Aeridar remained rooted to the spot, entirely unmoving. Even the ground beneath his boots didn’t crack.

"I told you, Doctor Chopper... you really shouldn’t involve yourself in fights like this."

The deep, rumbling voice caused the joy on Chopper’s face to instantly freeze.

With a swift snap, Aeridar caught Chopper by the wrist. With a casual flick of his arm, he hurled the massive reindeer outward. Chopper’s giant frame went airborne, smashing into a nearby concrete wall with a thunderous crash.

The entire structural wall shuddered violently, fractures spider-webbing across its surface. Chopper’s eyes rolled back into his head as his body slumped deep into the crater of shattered stone, completely unconscious.

"Chopper!"

"You bastard!"

Horrified and enraged, Brook and Franky launched themselves at Aeridar simultaneously.

Being the closest, Brook leapt into the air. His cane sword radiated a biting, frigid aura as he spun gracefully mid-air, unleashing a blindingly fast slash.

"Aubade Coup Droit!!!"

"Useless."

Aeridar simply thrust his palm forward. The air in front of him visibly collapsed inward under a sudden pressure differential, detonating into an invisible shockwave that shook the very atmosphere.

Rumble—!

In the next instant, the heavy concrete wall beside Luffy buckled under the invisible force, concussing inward before shattering into a massive, cavernous crater several meters deep, exposing the damp earth behind it.

Brook was caught dead-on by the invisible concussive wave. The impact shattered a dozen of his ribs, sending his skeletal body hurtling backward. He plunged deep into the dirt and debris, falling completely still.