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Only he truly understood how much effort and sweat this young man had poured into his dream. His relentless dedication to training was in no way inferior to his own.
"Rankyaku!"
With a thunderous roar, a massive slashing wave exploded outward, spanning hundreds of meters.
The gate tower was instantly cleaved in two, and the devastating strike carved a deep trench along the wall and into the ground. Luffy stared in shock at the destructive force he had unleashed.
"Have you ever heard of a battleship sandbag, Luffy?" Koby suddenly asked.
Seeing the confusion in his eyes, Koby clenched his fists tightly.
"Using a giant battleship as a sandbag to sharpen your strength and punching power—that's the training Master Garp drilled into me! I heard that my seniors, Kuzan and Arashi, endured the same."
"But training like that places an unbearable burden on the body."
As he spoke, a flicker of fear crossed Koby's eyes, as if he were recalling something terrifying. But he quickly steadied himself.
"The reason I can stand here today and face you is because I trained like a madman, gambling my life every step of the way! And all of it was carried by the conviction in my heart!"
Taking a deep breath, Koby clenched his fists once more.
"Come on, Luffy! Use your full strength! Use your conviction to become the Pirate King! Bet everything you have on it!"
"I will also give my all—with my dream, with my conviction to become a Marine Admiral—and I will fight you! This is the battle of our dreams!"
His voice shook the air itself, and the thunder rolling above seemed to answer his cry. Luffy's expression hardened as he recognized the force behind Koby's words.
"Alright, Koby! From this moment on, I'll see you as an opponent worthy of me!"
With a shudder, his body returned to normal. A wild grin stretched across his face, his straw hat hanging loosely from his neck.
Then came the deep, rhythmic sound of drums. Each beat made every heart present pound in unison, their faces paling as they realized what was coming.
Rob Lucci's eyes locked on Luffy instantly.
"That sound…?!"
Kuma snapped his head toward Luffy, shock flooding his gaze. The memory of that day two years ago surfaced, leaving his expression heavy and conflicted.
Nika! After two years, had Straw Hat truly mastered the Sun God's power?
"Hahahahaha!"
A joyous laugh rang out, shaking everyone to their core.
Koby's eyes sharpened with intensity. He watched as Luffy's hair burst into white flame, his brows curled, and steam wrapped around his neck and arms like a sash.
It was the awakened state of the Sun God Nika's fruit. Unlike in the original history, this Luffy had never touched Gear Fourth.
Instead, he had trained his Nika form directly after the Summit War—mastering it faster, more perfectly, and more powerfully.
"So then! Are you ready, Koby?" Luffy grinned, stomping the ground as laughter erupted from him.
Koby's face was grim, but his eyes blazed.
He took a steady breath, and flowing Armament Haki wrapped his fists and arms, glowing faintly like falling cherry blossoms.
"Let's go, Luffy!"
In the next instant, his figure blurred forward, striking first without hesitation. Even knowing Luffy's overwhelming advantage, Koby showed not a shred of fear.
"Hahahaha!" Luffy roared with laughter as their clash erupted.
A crackle of black-and-red lightning exploded, followed by a torrent of Haki that swept outward in a devastating wave, so intense it seemed even the storm above froze in place.
Rob Lucci's expression shifted. The weaker Marines collapsed to the ground unconscious, groaning under the pressure.
Below, Ace and Sabo exchanged a glance, both smiling faintly. Dragon's eyes, however, narrowed in thought as he observed.
"Sun God Nika… and Conqueror's Haki coating. Luffy, you've truly mastered it. Unbelievable."
He could feel the sharp, violent edge of the Haki, and even the Revolutionaries looked on in shock.
At the heart of the battlefield stood the brightest star of this era.
Inside the royal palace.
"Nika. Straw Hat has grown to a point even I cannot ignore," Arashi said quietly.
"Koby can't stop him… and as for Lucci," Kizaru sighed, scratching his head, "he'll have his hands full as well."
"How troublesome. Straw Hat Luffy has become the greatest headache for the Marines."
Arashi merely smiled. "Not just for us."
Kizaru froze, then chuckled faintly. "Ah… Nika."
The Warrior of Liberation himself. A direct threat to the World Government.
"Still, it seems the youngsters are carrying heavy burdens. Get ready to stretch your legs, Borsalino," Arashi said with a faint smile.
Before his words even faded, a tremendous impact shook the city walls. The shockwave reverberated through the air, rattling the sky itself.
Black-and-red lightning tore past Koby. His pupils shrank, then widened in disbelief. In that instant, Luffy's punch sent him flying.
Rob Lucci caught him midair. "You can't match him, Koby."
Blood dripped from the corner of the young Marine's mouth. His strength had been completely blown apart with a single strike.
"Has Luffy really… become this strong?"
Conqueror's Haki coating—a power reserved for the very strongest of the world.
"My effort… still isn't enough." Koby gritted his teeth, but rather than despair, his spirit blazed brighter.
If dozens or hundreds of times the effort weren't enough, then he would train thousands, tens of thousands of times harder.
One day, he would catch up.
Kalifa carried Koby back, while the entire SWORD unit turned to face Luffy and the Straw Hats, who had just arrived.
"This makes it our second encounter. Fate has a sense of humor," Rob Lucci said gravely.
"Hahahaha! All familiar faces!" Luffy laughed, while Zoro remained silent, eyes fixed on the squad.
"Roronoa Zoro, how does it feel to face old acquaintances?" Kaku asked with a smirk.
"You should leave," Blueno said in his deep voice. "You spent two years at Marineford—you know very well who's inside that palace."
Zoro's pupils shrank. "That man… is he here?"
"You already know the answer," Lucci replied calmly.
Zoro's grip on his swords tightened. His grim look shifted into raw excitement.
"Perfect. A chance to see just how far I stand from the pinnacle of the world."
Lucci shook his head. "So many dream that, but the painful truth crushes them. The gap is so vast that it brings despair. Do you want to be one of them?"
Zoro flinched, but his voice was steady. "A failure? I'll never admit defeat."
Lucci leaned forward slightly, his expression cold.
"Words won't reach you, then. Whether Straw Hat or anyone else—there's one truth you all fail to see."
His body shuddered as he grew taller, his face transforming into that of a leopard, patterns swirling across his body.
It was his awakened Zoan form.
"The era has changed!"
With a stomp, the ground split apart as Lucci launched forward like a rocket.
"No era has changed! And even if it has, I'll carve my place in it with my fists!"
With a booming laugh, Luffy swung his fist, colliding head-on with Lucci. A massive shockwave erupted, black-and-red lightning crackling wildly.
At the same time, the SWORD unit charged the Straw Hats—their second war since Enies Lobby had begun.
But after only a few exchanges, SWORD's expressions changed. The Straw Hats before them were no longer the same—they had grown far beyond.
Luffy and Zoro, especially, now stood on a level equal to the Marine Admirals.
And no one felt it more than Rob Lucci.
The instant he clashed with Luffy, he knew the truth.
"This kid… has become one of the strongest in the world."
The battle raged fiercely. Again and again, Lucci was sent flying, crashing through castle walls.
Nika Luffy's fighting style was wild, free, utterly unpredictable. He even grasped lightning itself and hurled it like a weapon.
On another front, Kuma was facing his crisis, surrounded by the four Army Commanders.
"Stand aside, Kuma! You can't hold all of us back alone!"
Belo Betty exhaled a puff of smoke and sighed softly. Kuma remained silent as he lifted his head, stared at the four people before him, and extended his hand.
Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind swept through, and Kuma's expression shifted. In the next instant, a figure materialized on the wall not far ahead.
"Kuma. Long time no see." A rare smile crossed Dragon's usually stern face.
At that moment, lightning split the sky behind him, casting a blinding light across the world.
"Mr. Dragon," Kuma said in a low voice.
"Arashi should be here too, right?" Dragon smiled faintly. The thunder above was proof enough—only one man could command such a scene.
"The Fleet Admiral?" Kuma murmured.
Just then, a golden light flared, shooting into the sky before making a sharp ninety-degree turn, streaking toward them.
It moved at impossible speed, appearing before Kuma in a blink. The brilliance was so intense that many instinctively shut their eyes, unable to look directly at it.
"The Revolutionary Army sure has gathered some terrifying people this time," a voice drawled lazily.
As the radiance faded, it revealed a tall figure. Dragon's expression immediately hardened.
"Borsalino."
Kizaru's gaze met Dragon's, his eyes narrowing slightly before a faint smile curved his lips. "As far as I know, this isn't Revolutionary Army territory. Mr. Dragon, should I take your actions here as a provocation against the Marines?"
Dragon's expression didn't waver. "The Revolutionary Army exists only to uphold justice and peace in this world."
"Oh? How amusing. That's exactly what the Marines claim as well." Kizaru chuckled softly.
"We are not the Marines," Dragon said firmly.
"How frightening," Kizaru muttered, shaking his head. His eyes narrowed further. He and Dragon had known each other a long time. Meeting again here could only mean trouble.
"Where is Arashi?" Dragon asked, his voice heavy.
"What a coincidence. Fleet Admiral Arashi happens to be right here," Kizaru replied lightly.
The definitive answer sent Dragon, Ace, Zoro, and the others stiff with shock.
"What!? He's here! A man of his rank came here personally?"
"For real? It's just Lulusia Island—why would he come himself?"
A wave of tension, fear, and disbelief rippled through the Revolutionaries. No one could ignore the presence of Arashi. His very name was a deterrent. Dragon's sharp eyes turned toward the royal palace.
"An old friend has come to visit. Won't you come out to greet him, Arashi?"
A fierce gust of wind surged toward the palace as his voice boomed louder and louder, carried on the storm.
But before it could strike, an immense aura burst outward, shattering the wind and plunging the square into eerie silence.
"It's been a while, Dragon." A low voice, tinged with a faint laugh, echoed through the air.
Lightning crackled again, and from it stepped a figure—broad-shouldered, powerfully built, with a youthful face and eyes that seemed to pierce everything.
"Arashi!?"
"Fleet Admiral Arashi!"
"The World's Strongest Man!"
"He came!"
Panic erupted among the Revolutionaries. Ace's face darkened, while Marco and the others paled, sweat trickling down their brows. After the war on Onigashima, Arashi's strength was beyond question.
"Hahahahaha! This fight is really…" A thunderous laugh suddenly broke the silence.
All eyes turned to see Straw Hat Luffy, his massive hand gripping a struggling Rob Lucci as his arm stretched in Gear Five's cartoonish form.
"…getting me so fired up!" His booming laughter, carried by the Drums of Liberation, reignited courage in the Revolutionaries' hearts.
"Luffy!"
"It's Straw Hat Luffy!"
The atmosphere shifted instantly. Fear gave way to fiery determination.
That's right! So what if he was the world's strongest? So what if he was said to be unbeatable?
This was the perfect chance to measure themselves against the strongest man alive.
With a series of loud crashes, Luffy repeatedly slammed Lucci into the ground, collapsing parts of the city wall. Though the fight wasn't entirely one-sided, Luffy's dominance was clear.
His fruit—Zoan, Mythical class: the Sun God Nika—was a power the World Government had feared for centuries.
Its absurd versatility made Lucci's skin crawl. Every strike felt impossible. Even as he lay dazed in the fractured ground, he couldn't comprehend what he was up against.
The style wasn't just overwhelming in strength—it carried a crushing psychological weight through its sheer unpredictability.
Turning the ground to rubber, reshaping his body at will—too ridiculous, too comical. Yet paired with monstrous Haki, it was terrifying.
Elsewhere on the wall, Zoro's blade flashed once, felling Kaku.
"If Fleet Admiral Arashi hadn't trained you, I wouldn't have lost, Zoro!" Kaku spat before collapsing.
"My progress isn't just because of Master Arashi," Zoro replied firmly. "A teacher can only open the door. The student must walk the path himself."
Though Arashi had instructed him only a handful of times at Marineford, those few lessons were enough to guide Zoro's growth, allowing him to climb faster to the top. Sheathing his blade, Zoro turned—only to see Luffy charging recklessly at Arashi.
"Hey! Luffy, don't be reckless! You're not ready to fight that man alone!"
But his warning fell on deaf ears.
"Hahahahaha!"
Luffy bolted forward, legs spinning like wheels, comical yet swift.
At a hundred meters, he slammed his feet down, turning his legs into springs and launching himself skyward.
"So fast!" he cheered. Twisting like a corkscrew, he built massive force into his right arm before diving down like a comet toward Arashi.
The sky shook with black-and-red lightning as his Haki flooded the air above the palace.
Arashi looked up, smiling calmly, unshaken.
The distance vanished in an instant. Dragon, Ace, Zoro, Kuma—everyone held their breath.
This would be the battle's first true clash.
"Gomu Gomu no… White Star Gun!" Luffy roared.
The devastating strike surged forward, the palace trembling from its power.
Yet Arashi didn't move. He smiled as the fist closed in.
At the last instant—when the blow already rustled his clothes—a golden flash streaked in.
"Lightspeed Kick."
Luffy was struck square in the stomach, blasted thousands of meters away before crashing into the earth.
"How rude to charge at our king like that, Straw Hat Luffy," Kizaru said, retracting his glowing leg.
From the crater, Luffy rose, pulling his head free of the ground, laughing boisterously.
"I thought I'd get to fight him myself! Guess it won't be that easy! Hahahahahaha!"
Kizaru's brows rose, caught off guard by Luffy's cheerful resilience.
"You do have spirit," he muttered before his gaze swept over Dragon, Ace, and the others. "How frightening… These are opponents I'd rather avoid."
Dragon, Ace, even Straw Hat—none were foes to underestimate. And Luffy, despite taking his full kick, wasn't even badly hurt.
Kizaru's expression darkened. But then—
"Borsalino."
"Fleet Admiral Arashi?" Kizaru turned.
"If you don't want to face them, then don't," Arashi said with a smile, stepping forward. "Leave them to me."
Kizaru froze for a heartbeat, then grinned faintly. "Well, that saves me the trouble. I'll leave them in your hands, Fleet Admiral."
"However…" He scratched his head irritably. "What do we do about this group in the end? Do you have a plan?"
Arashi chuckled knowingly. Of course, Kizaru meant the Monkey family—and their bond with Garp.
"A plan? We'll think of one after we beat them into the ground."
Kizaru blinked, then sighed with exasperation. "What a willful idea."
Arashi only smiled, his gaze sweeping past Ace before settling on Zoro. "So tell me… will you draw your blade against the teacher who once guided your sword?"
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