Author's Note: Update time! Things are gonna get crazy real quick, so I hope ya'll are ready ;)

To kuromi123: Oh yeah, things are definitely going to get out of control lol XD

To livinganime14: Aw thanks! Yep, things are gonna happen and Mihawk may explode hehe! Thanks so much for the review :)

To hana-ya: Definitely. Ice cream is the best.

To Nis Safiyyah: I'm so glad you're enjoying my story so far! Sorry for the long wait on the update but hopefully it was worth it ;) Lots of good stuff to look forward to and I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

WARNINGS:

- Luffy Protection Squad assembles

- Whitebeard's love of kidnapping

- Donuts

"Welcome, everyone, to our annual Summoner Exhibition!"

Luffy leaned forward in excitement when the announcer finally started talking, indicating the event would be starting soon. He had a program in his lap that Coby had grabbed on their way in that revealed one of his friends would be fighting in the first match and he couldn't wait to see how they did!

"Our first match is between two first year students! This is their debut so let's give them a little encouragement!"

Luffy, Coby, and Chopper all cheered as Usopp meekly walked out into the arena alongside another student they didn't know. He wore brown armor that didn't look too bulky and had a pair of goggles on his head. His opponent was some buff guy who looked like he was really enjoying the attention.

"Go Usopp!" Chopper yelled, waving at the young summoner. Unfortunately, their curly-haired friend looked much too nervous to pay attention to anyone in the crowd.

"All right, all right. Let's get this show on the road! Students, summon your creatures!"

Almost immediately, the big guy slammed his hand down on the ground and said something Luffy couldn't quite understand over the roar of the crowd. A red circle formed and soon a large magma creature appeared. It was very large and moaned ominously, making Usopp shake.

"And right out of the gate we have a Lava Golem! Not bad for a first year."

"Looks like it's from Fotià." Coby mumbled while taking out a notepad to jot something down, "Fascinating…"

Luffy, for his part, continued to yell encouragement to Usopp who definitely looked terrified. However, after a quick smack to his cheeks, the summoner squatted down and called forth his creature even though he was clearly scared out of his mind. His circle was green, which meant his contracted creature was from Louloùdi.

The rangers let out sounds of awe as a beautiful serpent appeared. It was a pretty silver with a purple belly and feathered wings. While not quite as large as the golem, it looked muscular and had a good amount of mana.

"Oh, what's this? An Amphiptere, ladies and gentlemen! Not bad at all, but can it stand up to the golem's heat?"

"I've never heard of that kind of creature before." Coby stated while Luffy just grinned, happy for his friend. Amphipteres were basically flying snakes and lived in Louloùdi. Their venom was their main defense mechanism and they were notoriously difficult to catch despite their relatively low grade.

'Usopp got stronger.' He thought happily as the summoners readied to attack each other.

"Hmmm…I expected a little better, to be honest." A snide voice mumbled, making Luffy's ears perk up, "I heard the first years were particularly strong this year, even survived a Kraken attack. I'm a bit disappointed with a mere Amphiptere. The golem, however…"

Luffy frowned and resisted the urge to glare at the recruiters sitting near them. What did they know? Usopp had no doubt worked really hard to make a contract with that creature…how dare they look down on him! His anger subsided slightly when the golem rushed forward, starting the match without warning.

"L-Let's go, Kabuto!" Usopp suddenly yelled, prompting the snake to lower its belly to the sandy floor and bare its fangs, "Just like we practiced!"

On command, the snake leapt up into the air and spat a glob of poison onto the golem, making it stagger slightly. Before it could recover, the Amphiptere, Kabuto, smacked it with its scaled tail, sending it flying backwards. Luffy stood up and cheered while Usopp smiled shakily.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of the golem and it stood to its feet, lava pouring over itself. Luffy grit his teeth when the wound healed. The hit wasn't enough.

However, it was then that Usopp began to whisper something to himself while holding a small piece of paper he pulled from his pocket. Seconds later, Kabuto's underbelly glowed and changed color from purple to blue. Blinking in surprise, Luffy watched closely as the golem charged again, intending to finish the job. This time, instead of spitting poison, the snake blasted its enemy with water, turning the golem into a walking pile of dried rock in seconds.

"Look at that, folks! W-We have a winner!"

Coby and Chopper joined him in cheering for Usopp even as the young man's opponent stared in bewilderment. Luffy smirked and glanced over to the recruiters who looked just as surprised. He was pleased when some of them jotted notes onto their notepads. That's why you never judged a book by its cover.

"W-What did he do?" Chopper asked, excited but confused. Coby straightened his glasses and cleared his throat.

"That was an element switch. Some creatures can, with the help of a summoner, change their element temporarily. From what I understand, it requires intricately drawn runes to pull off, something I imagine Usopp is quite good at."

Luffy's grin grew wide as his long-nosed friend meekly waved at the spectators. Usopp was more amazing than even he knew.

"Ne, I'm gonna go get some snacks now. Do you guys want anything?"

"No thanks." Coby replied, "I'm too excited to eat!"

Luffy just giggled and slid out of his seat. Sanji's match was next but it wouldn't happen for a little while so he had time to try some of the delicious foods he saw on his way in. It was cool to wander around the usually closed off Colosseum alongside other students, teachers, and alumni. After everything that happened to him during his first semester, the atmosphere helped remind him that he was still a student.

When he reached the food court, Luffy had to hold in his drool. There were so many options…where would he start? Eventually, he settled on a hamburger and padded up to the vendor, ordering a full meal. His eyes scanned the other stands even as his food was being prepared. Maybe he could get a milk shake or-or maybe some cotton candy-

"Here you are, Sir."

"Thank you!" Luffy chirped, taking the tray gently. Settling on a milk shake, he practically skipped towards the stand in question, only to run into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry-"

Luffy's words caught in his throat when he recognized who he'd just run into.

"Oh." Katakuri said in a neutral tone, holding a cup of ice cream up out of harm's way, "Hello, little one."

"W-What're you…why're you…?" Luffy tried to speak but was honestly too shocked to say anything intelligent. Katakuri just stared down at him in amusement. The demon looked a lot different than he had in the mirror world, almost like a regular person, but if he used his mana sight, Luffy could see some sort of veil around him and small tendrils of his mana. "…you're not here to kidnap me again, are you?"

"No, I'm here to simply observe." Katakuri answered, glancing to the stand that sold milk shakes, "Were you going to buy something?"

"Um…I wanted a milk shake." Luffy mumbled, motioning towards the menu with his head, "A chocolate one."

"I see. Do they taste good?" The demon questioned with a slight tilt of his head, "This 'ice cream' is simply divine and I can't help but wonder if any more of your human desserts are also delicious."

Luffy blinked up at the creature.

"Well, yeah, milk shakes are good…but if you want a really tasty dessert, you should try donuts."

"Donuts?"

"Yeah! They're making them fresh right over there!"

A few minutes later, Luffy sat at a table across from Katakuri watching the demon tear into what had to be his tenth donut. He sipped his shake and couldn't hold in a smile as the creature licked his lips, clearly enjoying himself.

"I don't think I've ever tasted anything as good as these 'donuts'."

"Shishishi, yeah they're pretty good!" Luffy answered with a grin. He found it strange how different Katakuri could be when he was relaxed and not in 'battle mode'. They were actually pretty similar and both had a love of food. Still, it was hard to get over the whole kidnapping and mana thing. "Ne, Katakuri…if I get you another donut…would you consider taking your mana away?"

The demon blinked down at him for a few seconds before smirking.

"Are you trying to bribe me, little one?"

"J-Just a thought…" Luffy muttered, whistling as he spoke.

"Sorry, Luffy, but that mana needs to stay, at least for now. I know it's uncomfortable, but I ask that you try and endure it." Katakuri continued, wiping frosting from his mouth, "Unfortunately, the only other option would be to kill you and I really don't want to do that."

"This. Is. Awesome!" Thatch exclaimed while holding up cotton candy sticks in both hands, "You two should invite us to human things more often."

"We'll keep that in mind." Sabo answered cheerfully while Ace entertained the dog. Whitebeard was nothing if not unpredictable and seemed to want to be everywhere at once. Ace cursed under his breath when a group of children approached the disguised creature and attempted to pet him.

"It's all right, yoi." Marco said, placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him from interrupting, "Pops loves kids and would never hurt a child, human or otherwise."

"Still makes me nervous." Ace answered, exhaling when the dog padded back to them, "You have no idea how many rules we're breaking bringing you three in here."

"We're aware and appreciate the risk." Marco replied with a fond smile, "Now, where is that hatchling of yours? It'd be good to see him-" Suddenly, the creature trailed off and frowned, eyes lifting slightly.

"What is it?"

"Hmmm…I sense some other creatures, yoi." Ace's eyes widened. "Pops, Thatch…what do you think, yoi?" The dog sat down and looked around while Thatch took a large bite out of the pink cotton candy in his right hand. They'd warned Ace and Sabo that other beings might try to infiltrate the Exhibition but he hadn't expected to run into any so soon.

"I do believe it's Dogtooth." Whitebeard said, tilting his head, "I'm not too surprised he's here considering his parenthood."

"Dogtooth as in Charlotte Katakuri?" Sabo put in with big eyes, "He's dangerous! The second son of Big Mom, one of the demons trying to become the Demon King!"

"Ah, he's not so bad." Thatch said dismissively, "He's definitely not the type to attack innocents so I don't think we have to worry about him. The other one though…I wonder what Dracule Mihawk is doing here?"

Ace frowned at the name. Mihawk was one of the demons who helped Luffy when he was trapped in Skotàdi…

Was he following him?

"You're worried, yoi."

"Yeah…I think we need to find Lu." Ace said, prompting Sabo to nod in agreement, "Who knows what Mihawk is here to do and I'd feel better knowing our little brother was safe."

"Great! Then let's go!" Whitebeard exclaimed, tail wagging in excitement. Ace sighed, not liking how eager the Bearded Giant was to meet Luffy.

"We should also alert the rangers." Sabo suggested, "They need to know that potentially dangerous creatures have infiltrated the Exhibition." Ace just stared at his brother alongside the 'potentially dangerous creatures' they'd purposefully let in.

"Yeah…maybe we shouldn't."

It actually didn't take long to locate Luffy given how well his brothers knew him. Sabo spotted the young boy upon their entry to the food court but they were surprised to see an unfamiliar man sitting across from him. When they got within earshot, they arrived just in time to hear something definitely alarming:

"Unfortunately, the only other option would be to kill you and I really don't want to do that."

Ace and Sabo immediately leapt into action and were beside the table before either of them could properly breathe. Luffy choked on the milk shake he was drinking at their sudden appearance while the strange man (AKA potential threat) just raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, did you just threaten our baby brother?"

"A-Ace…Sabo…" Luffy managed, voice scratchy as he tried to catch his breath, "It's okay, he's-"

"Dogtooth." Marco put in, finishing the boy's sentence. The three creatures walked up to the table, prompting the stranger to bow to both Marco and the dog. "It's been a while, yoi. I see you've met Luffy."

"Yes, we met not long ago."

Ace and Sabo's growls subsided slightly at the show of respect but remained tense just in case they needed to get Lu out of there quickly. Because why the hell was their precious baby brother having lunch with one of the most notorious demons known to man?

"Gurarara, I'm honestly surprised to see you here." Whitebeard stated while not so subtly inching his way towards Luffy, "Did Linlin send you?" Ace huffed when the dog finally abandoned his attempt at stealth and put his head on Luffy's lap, surprising the boy. Whitebeard's tail wagged vigorously, indicating he was pleased to finally meet the elusive 'hatchling'.

"I'm here of my own accord." Katakuri explained, "For…research purposes, I suppose."

"Right…" Thatch said, eyeing the demon closely before glancing to Luffy. The boy giggled and ruffled Whitebeard's ears, petting him like a common stray. "That why you marked the kid with your mana?"

Ace's blood went cold.

"What!?"

"I-It's not as bad as it sounds." Luffy tried, giving them a big eyed look, "I mean, I don't like it, but-"

"Take your mana out of my baby brother, right now, before I fry you like a corndog." Ace growled while lunging at the demon. Marco, unfortunately, stopped him from attacking the creature. "Why are you stopping me, Marco!?"

"Because we don't want to make a scene, yoi." Su-zaku muttered while Dogtooth appeared to be as calm as ever, "We would appreciate an explanation though. As I'm sure you've noticed, young Luffy here is under our protection, so anything you've done to him…"

Dogtooth nodded and glanced to Luffy, causing a scarlet ring of mana to appear around his neck. Sabo immediately leaned down to examine it.

"To make a long story short, during our first encounter, Luffy saw something he shouldn't have…which was partly an oversight on my part. My mana keeps him from speaking of it. It is not at all harmful to him."

"Ah, I see…bummer." Thatch said while Ace continued to snarl.

"Why are you being so nonchalant about this!?" Marco simply sighed.

"I know it doesn't make much sense to you two, but given the situation, Katakuri did what I would've done, yoi. We should be grateful that Luffy didn't encounter anyone else and is still safe and sound."

Ace and Sabo glanced between each other at that. Neither of them were happy about some demon putting hands on their little brother, but it sounded like they didn't have much of a choice but to let it go. Sometimes they forgot just how different creature culture was.

"…doesn't mean we're happy about it."

Luffy released a sigh of relief when his brothers calmed down. He didn't want to see them get hurt and, frankly, he was just happy they didn't find out any more details about how he and Katakuri met. He had promised them he wouldn't get kidnapped again…

A bark drew Luffy's attention downward and a smile appeared on his face. The dog was cute and very affectionate. Of course it took about two seconds for him to realize it was a creature in disguise though he wasn't sure which one. Maybe it was another member of Marco and Thatch's clan?

"My name is Whitebeard, little one." Luffy jumped in surprise when the dog spoke to him using his thoughts. "I have been wanting to meet you for a while now."

"Whitebeard…? As in your Dad?" He questioned, speaking to Marco. The blonde nodded.

"Pops wanted to come and wouldn't take no as an answer, yoi."

'So much for upping security.' Luffy thought, recalling that the rangers were supposed to be on high alert for any unwanted visitors. Either they weren't doing a very good job or the creatures just had really good disguises. In their defense, Luffy had to look pretty hard to see their mana signatures and he was good at mana sight.

"And we're back with yet another match between first years!"

Luffy peered over the railing into the arena just in time to see Sanji step out onto the sand. His friend wore armor similar to Usopp's and waved excitedly at all the ladies sitting close to the ring.

"Oh no, Sanji's match!" He exclaimed, standing up abruptly, "I gotta get back to my seat so I can cheer him on!"

"I will accompany you, child." Whitebeard said, tag wagging, "I want to get a closer look at the fights."

"You just want to spend time with the kid, old man." Thatch accused, only to yelp in pain when the dog stepped roughly on his toes.

"…I can do what I please."

"We should probably head to our seats as well." Sabo put in while giving Whitebeard a distrustful look, "Luffy, I'm not sure it's a good idea to leave you two alone. Maybe you should come with us instead."

"Oh, let them go, yoi." Marco said with a thin smile, "Pops will behave…won't he?"

"You don't need to worry about us." The dog answered while placing a paw against Luffy's thigh. "Your brother will be safe with me."

Luffy giggled at the creature's antics before waving to the group. He needed to get back before the match started!

Once Thatch took Ace and Sabo towards the stands, Marco sat down across from Katakuri. The demon returned his stare with casual ease and sipped on a drink of some kind through a straw.

"What is it, Su-zaku? Something bothering you?"

"I want you to tell me more about how you met Luffy, yoi." He answered, frowning slightly, "I don't believe it was during his last escapade to Skotàdi…meaning it had to be while he was on the Mesa."

"Why do you want to know?" Katakuri replied, putting down his drink. Marco didn't flinch under the demon's scarlet stare. If Big Mom was up to something with Ace and Sabo's hatchling, he intended to find out what.

Inwardly, Marco was worried. He knew from what they'd gathered that things in Skotàdi were less than peaceful at the moment and some suspected Luffy of being something important, which put him in danger. While Katakuri was an honorable beast, his sire certainly was not, and Marco would be damned if he allowed Luffy to fall victim to their monstrous family.

"I worry when someone as powerful as you puts their mana into a child." Marco shot back, recalling the scarlet collar around Luffy's neck. He had neglected to inform his summoners about its ability to track the boy in an attempt to keep them from attacking Katakuri, but now he wanted answers.

Katakuri sighed.

"Like I said, it was a last resort."

"What did he see that warranted such an action, yoi?"

"The future." Katakuri finally answered, making Marco's eyes widen, "For whatever reason, my mana reacted to him and gave him a vision…one that the humans can't have knowledge of. I won't tell you any more than that, Su-zaku…you'll just have to trust that I made the right decision."

"I see." Marco muttered, holding a hand to his chin. That was odd…Katakuri's mana was old and definitely shouldn't have resonated with a human. "Forgive my rudeness, I simply wish to look out for my summoners' hatchling, yoi. We are all quite fond of him."

"As am I, believe it or not." Katakuri added, "He has spirit for one so small."

With that, the two powerful creatures turned to watch the match that was about to begin. Marco had to admit that the festival-like atmosphere of the Exhibition was quite entertaining. However, just before the match began, someone cleared their throat.

Marco turned and smirked at a familiar red-haired ranger who looked particularly peeved at their presence.

"Shanks, yoi. It's nice to see you again."

"Right…" The ranger drawled before leaning over them, "Care to explain what you two are doing here?"

Luffy yelled Sanji's name when the young man summoned his creature, a beautiful pitch-black Kitsune, to fight against another first year named Duval (who looked sort of like Sanji, weirdly enough). The fox was elegant in her movements and used fire to fight, which seemed to fit well with Sanji's personality. Her nine tails also looked super fluffy, which made Luffy wonder if his friend would let him cuddle with his creature sometime.

Whitebeard the dog sat next to him, tongue hanging out of his mouth as he watched the match. Coby and Chopper had questioned the animal's presence at first but were quickly distracted by the rather flashy fight occurring in the arena. Duval's creature was some sort of bison that Luffy had never heard of and was actually pretty tough.

"Your friends are quite skilled."

"Yeah, they really are." Luffy replied quietly, glancing at the creature that sat beside him, "Ne, aren't you worried about getting caught? Shanks and the other rangers are on the lookout for creatures sneaking in."

Whitebeard just laughed as well as a dog could.

"I'm not worried about those young pups. Shanks is certainly strong but he wouldn't dare try to kick me out when I'm having fun."

"You know Shanks?"

"Oh yes…we've met quite a few times over the short years of his life." Whitebeard continued, "I vividly recall kidnapping him from his team when they encountered some of my commanders in Fotià. He fought like a wildcat, that one…but a little booze softened him right up."

Luffy wasn't sure how he felt about that statement or the glint in Whitebeard's eye. Eventually, the dog huffed, like he was sighing.

"Unfortunately, not even my best alcohol could convince him to join my family, and my own sons helped him escape…said the boy was too attached to the Mesa to ever be a proper member. Oh well, maybe someday."

"Do you, uh, kidnap people regularly?" Luffy asked with a shaky smile. Whitebeard just chuckled.

"Some might say it's my hobby."

Luffy swallowed and turned back to the match. Maybe he should've taken Sabo's advice and stayed away from the kidnapping dog. His unease, however, dissipated the longer he remained in the old creature's presence. There was something warm and fatherly about Whitebeard that made Luffy want to trust him despite his reservations.

"And that's it, folks! Sanji and his Kitsune win!"

He clapped loudly when Sanji came out victorious, happy his friends were seeing success in the arena so far. The only ones left were Vivi and Zoro…hopefully they'd do just as well as Usopp and Sanji.

Above the roaring of the crowd, Mihawk sat and observed the event with relative disinterest. Though many of the young summoners showed some promise, the only one he was truly interested in had yet to grace the field. He frowned when he noticed Shanks, the annoying ranger, had finally noticed Su-zaku and Dogtooth amongst the humans.

That meant it wouldn't be long until the rangers found him as well.

He wasn't sure what the Bearded Giant's children were doing there but what really bothered him was Whitebeard's presence. The great creature hardly ever left his domain and now he'd settled himself next to Monkey D. Luffy like some sort of guard dog. He knew that Edward Newgate had proclaimed that the boy was under his protection…was he concerned Mihawk would hurt him just like Katakuri?

Mihawk snorted at the notion and turned his attention back to the arena where a blue-haired girl was attempting to fight alongside a spot-billed duck. Despite what everyone seemed to think, he had no intention of hurting Monkey D. Luffy unless he gave him a reason to.

"Oh, tough luck for Princess Vivi of Alabasta."

The blue-haired girl appeared to have lost and slunk off with a dejected look on her face. Too bad, she seemed to have a good amount of mana but appeared to have no idea how to properly handle her creature. Spot-billed ducks were very useful but only if you understood how to command them.

Mihawk stood to his feet when he felt Zoro moving. It was time.

"I feel bad for Vivi." Chopper said sorrowfully, "She tried so hard…but still lost."

Luffy hummed in agreement. Vivi had fought valiantly with her duck companion but it hadn't gone well. He couldn't help but wonder if she would've seen more success if she'd ridden on him? The duck was really fast, so maybe-

"And now, onto our final match of the afternoon! It's a big one folks: Roronoa Zoro vs. a rising star, Bellamy!"

Luffy's countenance lifted when his best friend appeared on the field, decked out in black armor that looked badass. He had his three swords on his belt and a serious look about him that, surprisingly, didn't seem to intimidate his opponent. Bellamy cackled in Zoro's face like the annoying hyena he was, spitting insults the second they made contact.

"You know him?"

"Yeah, he's my best friend!" Luffy chirped to answer Whitebeard's question. The dog tilted his head as he appraised Zoro, more interested than he had been in the others. "He's super strong, but…I am a little worried about him."

"Why?"

'Because he's not a very good place right now.' The boy thought, unwilling to voice everything about Zoro to Whitebeard right away. He just hoped his friend could get through the match without incident.

Zoro ignored Bellamy's insults and focused on his swords instead. It'd been a while since he'd actually fought with his creatures and he could tell they were getting restless. All three had once served different members of his family and using them brought back memories, both good and bad.

Wado Ichimonji.

Shusui.

Sandai Kitetsu.

Even as he thought their names, the hounds within the blades growled against his consciousness, rousing from their sleep.

"Oi, you listening to me, Roronoa?" Bellamy snarled, clearly getting agitated that Zoro was ignoring him.

"Not really." He admitted while laying his hand casually on Wado's hilt, "Why would I listen to rambling of an idiot?"

That really pissed Bellamy off and he wasted no time smacking down his palms and summoning his creature. It was a Crocotta, an abnormally large hyena-dog hybrid that cackled almost constantly. If he remembered correctly, they were from Louloùdi.

Bellamy seemed confident and pleased with his contracted creature, but Zoro wasn't worried at all. His hounds would get the job done like they always did. He took his time and drew one blade at a time, whispering his contract phrase to them as they were removed from their scabbards. When the hellhounds appeared, it almost felt like the crowd around him went silent.

Sandai emerged first, ever the energetic one. His coat was a deep scarlet and flames like that of hell surrounded his feet. He barked lowly at his opponent, licking over his sharp teeth as he appraised their enemy.

Shusui was next. He was just a bit larger than his brother and had a purple coat that was almost always on fire. The blue flames were concentrated across his spine and tail, unlike Sandai, and his teeth were much too big for his maw. They protruded slightly, giving him a look similar to a tiger.

Wado came last, always taking her time. She was the oldest of the three and pure white. Her fur was always sleek and many had called her beautiful before falling to her deadly precision.

"W-What a display! Roronoa has unleashed all three of his creatures…this should be quite a fight, folks!"

'It'll barely be worth your time.' Zoro thought, smirking at a now nervous looking Bellamy. He'd honestly been a bit anxious going into the fight after discovering Mihawk's mana, but here, standing on the edge of battle…he couldn't be more at ease.

"I-I won't lose!" Bellamy managed before ordering his creature to charge. Without even bothering to speak, Zoro whistled to his hounds, prompting them to rush forward and meet the beast head-on.

The poor thing never stood a chance.

He called them back before the Crocotta was killed, knowing there were children in the audience. The announcer stuttered, trying to find something to say while Bellamy fell to his knees, overwhelmed by his easy defeat. Eventually, the crowd recovered and roared in praise but he focused on sheathing his blades.

Easy.

It was then, however, that the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, alerting him that something was wrong. He swallowed and scanned the spectators but saw nothing. Now sweating, Zoro turned around and was immediately pinned in place by golden eyes.

Dracule Mihawk was just steps away from him.

"W-Wha-"

"Hello, Roronoa."

Memories of his family, blood, and years of pain erupted in his mind, keeping him from thinking rationally even as his hounds howled for him to release them. So overwhelmed by the creature's presence, Zoro couldn't move a muscle even as the demon took a step forward and lifted a hand like he intended to touch him. Was this it? Was he going to be killed in front of everyone?

But suddenly, the wind picked up and someone appeared between them. Mihawk was forced to guard himself when a skinny leg smashed into him. Zoro's eyes widened when he recognized Luffy. The teen was in his Valera form despite wearing nothing but shorts and a t-shirt, his teeth gritted as he landed in front of Zoro and spread his arms wide.

"If you want him, you'll have to get through me."