Hancock, on the other hand, remained still amidst the chaos.
She was in a trance.
Her fantasy had become reality.
The eyes of the Pirate Empress were fixed on him. (My Luffy… This really happened!!)
But the wind shifted.
A sudden gust of sand swept across the battlefield. The ground cracked under the dry pressure.
Luffy stopped walking.
Before him, materializing like a desert storm, stood Crocodile.
"Hahahaha... Long time no see, Straw Hat Luffy."
His golden hook gleamed under the sun, and he stroked it with disdain, like a trophy of his own arrogance. The elegant suit had replaced the Impel Down uniform. Crocodile made a point of maintaining appearances — the typical vanity of an underworld lord.
Luffy stared at him emotionlessly.
"It was just over a month ago, Crocodile." His voice was dry. "Don't start. Get out of my way."
Crocodile narrowed his eyes but smirked. "Still as insolent as ever…"
His laugh was brief. "I came back from hell. And you took all my former subordinates, didn't you?"
Luffy shrugged. "You want them back?"
He spoke with disdain and a hint of sarcasm. Luffy knew that to Crocodile, those agents — with the exception of Mr. 1, who had once seemed extremely loyal — were nothing more than forgotten pawns. Even Daz Bones had pledged loyalty to the Straw Hat after witnessing the true value of freedom.
Crocodile spat on the ground, as if discarding a bitter memory. "No. That trash is no use to me anymore."
He crossed his arms. "But... what about what you told me back then? I know it's hidden in that place, and you won't be able to take it alone."
His tone grew colder. "So? Cooperation, Luffy?"
Luffy raised an eyebrow.
"You... proposing cooperation to me?" He gave a short, incredulous laugh. "You must be more desperate than you look."
Of course, he couldn't accept it.
He didn't even want to imagine how Vivi would react if he did.
"I refuse. You're not even worth the air you breathe, Crocodile."
Turning his back, he ignored him completely and resumed walking toward the execution platform, each step firm as steel.
Crocodile's face twisted in irritation.
But before he could react — a lazy voice echoed behind him.
"Fufufururu…"
Slow steps. Arrogant steps.
Doflamingo.
"Crocodile, I heard something about 'cooperation'? Why don't you share it with me?" he said with a wild smile, his fingers already in motion.
SHLICK!
In the blink of an eye, Crocodile's head was severed from his body by invisible slicing threads.
But sand swirled around his neck, reforming his structure. His mouth still moved, even before his body was fully restored.
"You...?"
His voice was filled with hatred and confusion.
Doflamingo just laughed. "A new world demands new kings… and old monsters must vanish."
Before anyone could react, the sky suddenly darkened.
But it wasn't a cloud.
It was fire.
CRACKLE!!
Akainu's magma fist, launched minutes earlier into the heavens, now returned in freefall — multiplied into massive blocks of molten rock.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!
The impact was catastrophic.
The ground exploded. Prisoners screamed.
"I WANT TO GO BACK TO PRISON!!"
"IT'S THAT BASTARD AKAINU!!"
"RUN, GET BACK TO THE SQUARE!!"
Panic spread like wildfire. Impel Down prisoners and Whitebeard's allies now shared the same goal: survival.
At the center of the chaos, Whitebeard clenched his teeth.
"FOLLOW ME!!"
Ignoring Teach completely, he raised his bisento and charged forward with surprising speed for someone of his age.
His eyes lingered briefly on the body of the giant Oars Jr., motionless on the ground.
"Oars… your death will not be in vain!"
With a monumental leap, he soared over the body of his fallen ally, landing with an impact that made the marines ahead instinctively recoil.
"MARINES!! COME AT ME!!"
Whitebeard roared with fury, and his right fist, wrapped in Haki and seismic power, came crashing down.
CRACK!
The air shattered like glass. Seismic waves tore through the atmosphere, ripping the earth apart and hurling soldiers through the air like leaves.
But then — three figures blocked his path.
Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru.
"Hmph… did you really think it'd be that easy to destroy the execution platform?" Akainu sneered.
"The strongest man in the world? That's just a myth for fools. In the end, you're just a tired old pirate."
Whitebeard spun his naginata and roared.
"I am Whitebeard!! AND YOU THINK THE THREE OF YOU CAN STOP ME!?"
BOOM!!
The collision was devastating.
Meanwhile, high atop the execution platform…
Sengoku narrowed his eyes.
"Luffy…? What are you doing here? As a Warlord, you're supposed to be preventing pirates from reaching the square."
Ace, still in chains, looked up.
"Luffy…?"
"Hey, Ace."
With a quick motion, Luffy tossed the key between his fingers.
"Sir Sengoku… sorry. But I don't think being a Warlord suits me. Being a pirate is way more fun."
In a flash, his hand grabbed Ace's arm and pulled him back.
Sengoku's jaw dropped at Luffy's action.
"You've got to be kidding me!?"
Sengoku's fury exploded.
His body began to grow. A golden aura surrounded him.
He roared:
"MONKEY D. LUFFY!! RELEASE THE PRISONER IMMEDIATELY!! NEVER MIND, I'LL EXECUTE HIM MYSELF!!"
WHAM!!
He came crashing down upon the brothers with a colossal blow.
But Luffy smiled.
"Just you?"
And in an instant, he entered Gear Fifth.
BOOM!!
"Shishishi!"
With the sound of the Drums of Liberation echoing through the skies, Luffy inflated, becoming a surreal, elastic, and radiant figure.
He grabbed Ace, and the two were launched into the air, dodging Sengoku's monstrous blow with a vibrant laugh.
---
At the same time…
The Holy Land of Mariejois.
A silent balcony, overlooking artificial gardens bathed in the soft glow of a blue sky.
There, the Five Elders watched the live transmission.
One of them suddenly stood up, his face filled with dread.
"This is…!"
"The awakening of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika…!"
---
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."