Marine Headquarters – Summit War Battlefield.
The tide of battle shifted in an instant.
No one—not even the top officers—knew why Fleet Admiral Sengoku had suddenly issued the order to kill the Straw Hat boy, Monkey D. Luffy. But orders from the top were absolute.
And so—
All across the battlefield, the forces that had been spread out to contain the Whitebeard Pirates began converging on one single point.
For the Straw Hat assault squad, this was nothing short of a nightmare.
Because what they were about to face… was the full concentrated power of the Marines' final elite force.
The scattered line-up had included fighters capable of going toe-to-toe with the 14 division commanders of Whitebeard's crew and forty-three New World captains—a roster numbering over a hundred elite combatants.
Now, all of them were closing in on one target: the Straw Hat team.
The pressure alone was crushing.
Individually, the Straw Hats' assault team was no slouch—in fact, they were terrifyingly strong.
Emperor Luffy could match the might of the world's strongest creature, Kaido.
Pirate Hunter Zoro and Black Leg Sanji were both core-level officers in an Emperor's crew.
General Franky's steel body crushed anything below a Vice Admiral.
Two Yamatos—the future Yamato who could fight Kaido to a standstill, and the younger Yamato from two years earlier, already strong enough to rival a Calamity.
Jinbe and Ivankov, both Shichibukai-class in raw power.
Together, the eight of them formed a force that could dominate a section of the battlefield…
But numbers still mattered. Against the concentrated elite of the Marines, the odds were grim. One wrong move, and they could all be wiped out.
"Thanks, Zoro, Sanji," Luffy said—two years younger, but grateful all the same.
"No need to thank us," Sanji replied casually, clapping his captain on the shoulder.
But his eyes narrowed as he looked ahead.
"The world's greatest swordsman, Hawk-Eye Mihawk… talk about bad timing."
Zoro's expression hardened.
As Mihawk's student for the past two years, he knew better than anyone how terrifying the man's skill was. He understood exactly what "world's number one" meant.
And yet… Zoro had never once feared him.
From the very start, his goal had been to surpass Mihawk and claim that title for himself.
Seven days ago, when he learned he'd been sent back to this era and could take part in the Summit War, Zoro had already been preparing—eager for a full-power duel with Mihawk.
But now? The timing couldn't be worse. With the battlefield the way it was, he couldn't afford to fight with both hands free.
"And there's the Shichibukai, Bartholomew Kuma…" Sanji muttered, memories stirring.
He recalled their two encounters from two years ago:
First at Thriller Bark, where Kuma crushed him and Zoro outright.
Second at the Sabaody Archipelago, where Kuma didn't even give them a chance to resist before sending them flying.
Later, they learned the truth: Kuma had actually been saving them, getting them out of Admiral Kizaru's reach. Even after his full Pacifista conversion, he had protected the Thousand Sunny for two years.
To the Straw Hats, Bartholomew Kuma was a great benefactor.
But benefactor or not, Sanji still resented being sent to Momoiro Island. The two years of hell he'd endured there were scars he'd never forget.
And as for Ivankov? Sanji kept his distance—the mere sight of the Okama King dredged up those memories.
As if on cue—
"You fake Kuma, lay one finger on Straw Boy and I'll kill you! Death Wink!"
Ivankov burst through the Marine lines, protected by Jinbe and his okama subordinates. He planted himself between Luffy and the Kuma before them—what he assumed was a Pacifista copy—and unleashed his attack, forcing it back a few meters.
"Ivankov, I don't think that's a fake—it's the real Shichibukai!" Luffy warned.
"What?! The real Kuma?!"
Ivankov looked closer. The subtle differences from the mass-produced Pacifistas were clear. Most tellingly, in his chest he carried a Bible—unchanged for decades—and when he removed his gloves, his palms bore the signature paw pads of the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi.
There was no mistaking it.
"Kuma! You've been here all along? Why didn't you come greet me? You haven't forgotten we were the closest of comrades, have you?" Ivankov said, strolling toward him.
"Wait—Ivankov, Kuma right now…" Sanji began to warn.
A second later, a laser beam erupted from Kuma's mouth.
Ivankov's reflexes saved him—barely. The blast missed his head by inches, detonating far behind him.
"That scared the hell out of me!" Ivankov gasped, sweat beading on his brow before anger took over.
"Hey, Kuma! What the hell's your problem? This is me—Ivankov! You don't recognize my face?!"
Another paw-shaped shockwave came flying his way. Ivankov dodged frantically, realizing Kuma was attacking in earnest.
"Ivankov, the Kuma you knew is gone," Sanji said grimly. "Vegapunk's completely finished his conversion. He's lost all sense of self."
"What?!" Ivankov's face fell in shock and denial.
"Hey, Kuma! Is that true? You really don't recognize me? If you don't stop, I'm going to have to fight back!" Ivankov shouted, still hoping to reach him.
Just then, a low, mocking laugh drifted in from the side.
"Fufufufu… Whatever history you had with him, give it up. Talking's useless. The Bartholomew Kuma you knew is dead."
It was Donquixote Doflamingo, strolling onto the battlefield with his usual arrogant swagger.
"Dead? Don't be ridiculous! Kuma's standing right here in front of me—of course it's him!" Ivankov snapped.
"Not quite," Doflamingo replied smoothly. "Until a few days ago, he still had his personality. But now? He made a deal with the World Government. They've turned him into the perfect human weapon—PX-0."
As if to punctuate the words, Kuma fired another massive laser at Ivankov.
"Damn you, Kuma!" Ivankov cursed, one knee on the ground, his eyes burning with frustration.
"To forget my face… this is the first time since I was born that someone's done that. I won't forgive it!"
He rose to his feet, fury radiating from him.
"So listen, Kuma—whether you've lost your memory or not, if you've even forgotten my terrifying face… then I'll just have to engrave it back into you the hard way!"
Ivankov charged forward.
First came the move Ganmen Spectrum—
The sky filled with an overwhelming barrage of gigantic faces, each one his own.
Frankly, just looking at them was enough to give anyone PTSD.
But the truly terrifying attack came next.
"Galaxy Wink!!!"
Every one of those giant Ivankov faces blinked at once.
The synchronized flashes created a monstrous gale of explosions.
Even the Shichibukai Tyrant Kuma couldn't withstand it, blasted dozens of meters back.
---
Meanwhile, in a corner along the central plaza—
"This is bad! Mister Ivan and Uncle Kuma are fighting!"
Two years earlier, Sabo's expression changed.
"Luffy's side isn't doing well either?"
The older Sabo clenched his fists.
"What now, Sabo? Should we make a move?"
Karasu, commander of the North Army, asked.
Before the older Sabo could answer—
"Hold on a bit longer. We might still be able to wait for the right moment," said Lindbergh, commander of the South Army.
Elsewhere—
"Fufufufu… one nuisance down. That means it's your turn next, this year's so-called super rookies."
Doflamingo's voice was thick with mockery as he faced the Straw Hat trio, looking at them as though they were lambs waiting for slaughter.
"Shichibukai Doflamingo!!!"
Sanji clenched his jaw, fists tightening.
"What's wrong, Black Leg Sanji? We've never really had any personal grudges, have we? But I suppose that doesn't matter—one way or another, we're about to."
Doflamingo's smile widened.
"Even if you didn't come after us, we'd have gone looking for you sooner or later, Doflamingo! For your cruel oppression of Dressrosa, for the tears of its women, I will never forgive you!"
Sanji's voice roared across the battlefield.
From start to finish, his anger had nothing to do with Doflamingo simply standing in their way.
It was about what the man had done to Violet, to Rebecca, to the Tontatta Tribe, and to every single citizen of Dressrosa—atrocities that boiled his blood.
"Dressrosa?"
Doflamingo was briefly taken aback by Sanji's fierce sincerity. Then a vein throbbed on his forehead. His instincts told him this man might know something he shouldn't.
"Black Leg Sanji… just what exactly do you know?" Doflamingo demanded.
"Everything. Every rotten thing you've done to Dressrosa, and the truth about your toy-making secret. And soon, the whole world will know too."
Sanji's gaze was unwavering.
"The toy secret?!"
Doflamingo's composure slipped.
"Where did you people even come from…?"
Sanji didn't bother to answer.
"Law, if you don't get here soon, I'll just take this Doflamingo down for you myself!"
"Don't get cocky, Black Leg Sanji!"
Doflamingo's fury burst forth. His long legs shot forward like lightning, aiming a crushing kick at Sanji.
Sanji didn't dodge.
Instead, he raised his own leg to meet it head-on.
Bang!
Their legs collided, sending out a shockwave that rippled through the air.
"Once I catch you, Sanji, I'll make you spill every secret you know—before I kill you."
Doflamingo's grin was vicious.
"You can try. If you can manage it."
Sanji's voice was steady, without a shred of fear.
He remembered well their brief clash in Dressrosa, when Doflamingo had completely suppressed him. Worse, his overconfident counter-kick had ended with a fractured bone—something Zoro never let him live down, dubbing him the "Fracture King."
Sanji had endured that humiliation long enough.
This time, he would reclaim his pride and shake off that cursed nickname for good.
"Come on then, Doflamingo!!!"
Sanji's battle aura flared.
"Fufufufu… bold words for a brat barely twenty years old!"
Being openly challenged by someone so young made Doflamingo's expression darken.
He swung his right hand sharply, launching five thin strings of different colors straight toward Sanji.
"Goshikito!!!"
Sanji didn't flinch. With a sweep of his black battle-cloak, he easily deflected the razor-sharp threads.
"My turn—Diable Jambe!"
"Spider Web! And—Overheat!"
Boom! Crash!
The clash between the Straw Hat crew's senior officer—now an Emperor's top fighter—and the Shichibukai Doflamingo burned with ferocious intensity.
On another front, the Marines' elite Vice Admirals pressed hard toward Luffy.
Hiss hiss hiss!
Steam billowed from Luffy's body as he activated Gear Second. Facing dozens of Headquarters Vice Admirals at once left no room to hold back.
But even that wasn't enough. These were no weaklings—many wielded both kinds of Haki.
The most troublesome among them was Vice Admiral Vergo, known as "Demon Bamboo."
A top executive of the Donquixote Family, Vergo's strength rivaled that of a Vice Admiral, and he now fought without restraint. His full-body Armament Haki pressed Luffy to the brink.
Zoro saw his captain's peril, but—
Standing before him was none other than the world's greatest swordsman, Hawk-Eye Mihawk.
"Roronoa Zoro… you seem distracted," Mihawk finally said.
"This is a fight I've been waiting for a long time! But if possible, I'd like you to wait… just a little longer," Zoro said with a grin, half expecting to be refused.
But—
"I understand," Mihawk replied, sheathing the supreme-grade black blade Yoru.
Zoro blinked in surprise.
Of course Mihawk could read the situation—he was no mindless pawn of the Marines. Orders or no, he had no real interest in killing Luffy. His only goal was to test the strength of the swordsman before him.
If Zoro's heart was elsewhere, then Mihawk would simply bide his time.
"Thanks, Master Mihawk!!!"
Zoro confirmed the man wouldn't interfere, then immediately turned and sprinted toward Luffy's position.
Behind him, Mihawk froze for a second.
Since when am I his master? Is that kid trying to butter me up so I'll go easy on him? No… impossible. I never show mercy to those I deem worthy. This war… really is fascinating. Worth the trip.