Three minutes earlier.
"Luffy, everyone! I see it! That's our ship—the Thousand Sunny!!!"
From the lookout on the Beasts Pirates' warship, Usopp and Chopper shouted in excitement.
"Thank goodness, the Sunny's completely unharmed... It's like nothing ever happened to it!"
Nami breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's all thanks to that Shichibukai, Tyrant Kuma, and the Rosy Life Riders! While we were gone these past two years, they were the ones protecting the Thousand Sunny," Franky said, adjusting his sunglasses with heartfelt emotion.
"Tyrant Kuma, huh? I really want to thank him properly if we ever get the chance," Zoro muttered.
"And the Rosy Life Riders, especially Duval and his men!" Sanji nodded in agreement.
"Yohohoho! Whether it's the Rosy Life Riders or Tyrant Kuma, looks like we'll finally get to see them again!" Brook laughed.
"Guys—!"
Luffy, standing at the front cannon of the warship, stretched his arms out dozens of meters.
"I'm going ahead. I'm going back to the Sunny first!"
Before anyone could respond—
Luffy launched himself like a cannonball, flying through the air at lightning speed, crossing hundreds of meters in a blink.
His right arm stretched even farther, latching onto the Sunny's mast.
At that moment—
The outlaw alliance at Sabaody had finally taken control of the helm of the Sunny, leaving the wounded Rosy Life Riders behind.
"You… You bastards won't get away with this. Our boss and the others will be back soon. And when they do... cough cough... you scum..."
A Rosy Life Rider, his chest and stomach pierced with a deep wound, leaned against a small cabin near the ship's entrance.
Even though he could barely move, he refused to beg for mercy.
The outlaws' expressions turned cold.
"Boss, let's not waste time. Just finish him off already!" one of the lackeys growled.
"Hmph. Rosy Life Riders? Just a bunch of fools who don't know when to give up!" sneered the outlaw leader.
"If you love this ship so much, then you can die on it!"
Another thug sneered, raising a gleaming blade to deliver the finishing blow.
But suddenly—
Thud!
The Sunny shook slightly.
"Boss! Look at the mast!" a sharp-eyed lackey shouted.
Everyone followed his gaze—
A black dot had suddenly appeared on the mast.
It grew larger and larger in their vision—
BOOM!
Like a human bowling ball, Straw Hat Luffy crashed down from several hundred meters away, knocking dozens of outlaws across the deck like pins and slamming them into the ground.
"Phew~ The Thousand Sunny really is the ship that puts me at ease~"
Luffy adjusted his straw hat and smiled.
"Cough cough..."
The wounded Rosy Life Rider's painful coughing drew Luffy's attention.
"Hey! Are you okay? Why're you bleeding so much?! Stay with me! Our ship's doctor is on the way!"
Though he didn't know who the injured man was, Luffy had always been kind-hearted. Seeing someone hurt on his ship, he grabbed the man by the shoulders and shook him.
"Cough cough..."
The Rider coughed harder, thinking, If he shakes me any more, I might actually die...
But more than pain or fear of death—
What overwhelmed him most was the shock and joy of seeing Straw Hat Luffy, the true owner of this ship, the infamous 300 million Belly pirate—
After ten long days of holding the line—
They had finally returned.
They had protected the ship.
And now, the rightful owner had come home.
"Damn it! Who the hell are you?!"
The outlaws, having been knocked over like dominoes, stood up groaning and turned their furious glares toward Luffy's back.
Hearing this, Luffy finally stopped shaking the Rider.
He turned to face the group of strangers on his ship.
"That's my question. Who are you—and why are you on my ship?"
Luffy asked calmly.
"Cough cough... Straw Hat sir, they're from the outlaw gangs of Sabaody! They've been trying to steal your Sunny for days!" the Rosy Life Rider quickly explained while catching his breath.
"WHAT?!"
Luffy's eyes widened with fury.
Meanwhile—
Now that they could clearly see the young man's face—
The outlaw gang was completely stunned.
"H-He..."
"This guy... he really looks like..."
"He IS... Straw Hat Luffy!!!"
Boom!
A wave of panic exploded across the deck.
"What the hell is going on?!"
"Weren't the Straw Hats supposed to be completely wiped out?!"
"Why the hell is he here?!"
"No way! That's impossible!"
"No, there's no mistake! He's the one who punched a Celestial Dragon! Straw Hat Luffy!"
"Three hundred million Belly bounty! Supernova! We're doomed!"
"Boss, RUN! If we don't run now, we're dead for real!"
The deck turned into total chaos.
Cries of panic, terror, and disbelief rang out everywhere.
"Tch... so noisy."
Luffy shook his head.
He took a step forward—
And from his body exploded a golden wave of overwhelming Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki).
In an instant—
The world went quiet.
Except for the Rosy Life Riders, everyone else collapsed at once.
Their eyes rolled back, consciousness ripped from their bodies in an instant.
Thud—Thud—Thud!
Bodies dropped to the floor.
"Finally, some peace. Now I'll wait for Zoro and the others to show up."
Luffy adjusted his hat again.
Just then—
The roar of flying fish motors echoed through the air.
Duval and the rest of the Rosy Life Riders returned in a rush.
Their eyes widened.
They saw their hated enemies—unconscious and sprawled on the ground.
And on the deck—
Bathed in sunlight—
Was the Straw Hat boy.
"Wha— Straw Hat kid!!!"
"A-A-Ah ah ah!"
Duval and the Rosy Life Riders gasped in unison.
"More of them?"
Luffy raised his hand, ready to release another wave of Haoshoku—
"Wait, Luffy!"
Sanji's voice came from midair.
"Look carefully! These are the Rosy Life Riders—the ones who've been guarding the Sunny in our place!"
Robin and Nami arrived, riding Zeus the cloud.
"Ah ah ah! Sanji-senpai! And Miss Robin and Miss Nami!"
"It's not just Luffy—THE WHOLE STRAW HAT CREW IS BACK!!!"