Luffy, Ace, and Sabo arrived at an open field.
Once they stopped, Sabo spoke in a low, heavy tone,
"Luffy, do we really have to go this far? We're brothers!"
Luffy stayed silent. The white smoke rising from his body grew thicker and thicker, gradually obscuring his face.
Ace couldn't hold back anymore. Clenching his fists tightly, he shouted angrily,
"Looks like we've got no choice but to fight today, Luffy! Take this! Let me see how strong you've become!"
With that, Ace charged straight at Luffy. His fists turned pitch-black with Armament Haki, and he threw a fierce punch toward him.
"Flame Fist!"
But Luffy didn't even try to dodge. Facing Ace's powerful strike head-on, he simply reached out his hand—catching Ace's fist in his palm.
Then, his arm softened suddenly, twisting like a snake as it wrapped tightly around Ace's arm and hurled him aside.
Seeing that, Sabo frowned. Without hesitation, he rushed forward right after Ace.
He extended one clawed hand toward Luffy's face.
Luffy narrowed his eyes slightly. His right arm swelled up in an instant before slamming forward at Sabo.
"Giant Rubber Gun!"
Bang!
They clashed for a brief moment—but Sabo was soon sent flying, following the same fate as Ace.
Both of them landed close together. After exchanging a quick glance, they charged at Luffy again, attacking from the left and right simultaneously.
However, Luffy suddenly pounded his fists into the ground. Strangely enough, the earth beneath him didn't crack apart—it softened instead, rippling like water.
Moments later, several rubbery fists emerged from the ground, blocking Ace and Sabo's approach. They were both forced back after taking several heavy hits.
Sabo glanced at the glistening surface of the ground and said gravely,
"The earth's turned into rubber… so it's true—Luffy's fruit has awakened!"
Ace nodded slowly.
"I didn't expect Luffy to awaken his Fruit at his age. No wonder he's so confident about setting sail."
"But what's with all that white smoke? This doesn't look like a normal Paramecia awakening..."
"No idea. Paramecia-type Fruits are unpredictable. Maybe each awakening has its own unique form."
Luffy looked at Ace and Sabo with a complicated expression.
"Ace, Sabo... I really don't want to fight you. Just go back."
Ace's expression darkened.
"You idiot! You think we want to fight you? Can't you just listen for once and stop chasing this pirate dream of yours?!"
Luffy shook his head firmly. His resolve was clear—there was no way he'd turn back with Ace and Sabo.
Clenching his fist, a powerful pressure burst out from him—Conqueror's Haki.
"This world doesn't belong to them... I'm going to take it back!"
Ace's gaze sharpened as his own Conqueror's Haki flared up, clashing violently against Luffy's.
Sabo didn't possess Conqueror's Haki, but he wasn't affected by theirs either—he could only stand aside, watching in silence.
Their Haki pressures collided evenly for a few moments before dispersing at the same time.
Luffy exhaled slowly.
"Ace, I remember you once wanted to be a pirate too... but in the end, you gave up. You let that Uchiha Kaito influence you and joined the so-called Navy."
The disappointment in Luffy's tone was evident—it stung Ace as an older brother. He glared at Luffy and shouted,
"Joining the Navy was my choice! And I was right to make it! Pirates have no place in this world! You're the one walking the wrong path!"
Sabo placed a hand on Ace's shoulder, then looked at Luffy.
"Luffy, stop being so stubborn already."
Luffy felt frustration boiling inside him. He shook his head and yelled,
"Why is everyone like this?! What did Uchiha Kaito do to brainwash you all?!"
His emotions spiraled out of control. The white smoke around him stopped drifting aimlessly—it gathered and twisted into a white ribbon that floated behind his back.
His hair began to rise, slowly losing its color, turning faintly white.
This couldn't be explained by the usual Paramecia awakening. Ace's eyes widened in shock.
"What the hell is this? Is that still the Gum-Gum Fruit?!"
Sabo said nothing. He just stared at Luffy, utterly dumbfounded.
Luffy's pupils flashed with a streak of gold. He looked up at Ace and Sabo—and in the very next instant, vanished from sight.
Sabo's eyes widened. On instinct, he shoved Ace aside just as Luffy appeared between them, swinging his leg up into Sabo's stomach.
Sabo's body bent like a noodle before he dropped to his knees with a loud thud.
Ace reacted immediately, charging in to help. He punched Luffy hard in the back—but Luffy didn't even flinch. His body shuddered, effortlessly absorbing the impact and sending the force back at Ace.
Pfft!
The backlash was even stronger than Ace's original punch. Blood spurted from his mouth as his strength drained rapidly.
Luffy turned, grabbed Ace by the arm, and swung him violently.
Ace's body went limp, twisting uncontrollably as he was flung around like a rag doll. When Luffy finally released him, Ace crashed brutally into a rocky cliff with a thunderous crack.
"Ace..."
Sabo clutched his stomach, trembling as he forced himself back to his feet. His voice shook as he glared at Luffy in disbelief.
"You hit Ace that hard... Are you even Luffy anymore?"
A flash of struggle crossed Luffy's eyes. Gripping his forehead, he gritted his teeth and shouted,
"I didn't want this either! You forced me!"
"We did this for you! Do you have any idea how special your existence is?! What do you expect Vice Admiral Garp to do? If the King gets involved, do you think you'll even survive?!"
"My life has nothing to do with them! And stop bringing up Uchiha Kaito in front of me! I'm not afraid of him!"
The moment he finished speaking, a mocking voice echoed around them—familiar enough to send a chill down Luffy's spine.
"Oh? Is that so? Sounds like I didn't leave enough of an impression last time."
"Nani!?"
Luffy's eyes went wide. His body stiffened. Before he could react, a familiar repulsive force surged from behind him.
"Almighty Push."
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