"Gear Fourth — Boundman!!!"
——
At Marineford, tens of thousands of fighters froze, eyes locked on the impossible sight before them.
The Fifth Emperor, Monkey D. Luffy, thrust out his right arm. Muscles ballooned, swelling like the coils of a dragon. Air rushed into him, expanding his entire frame.
In just a few short seconds, the transformation was complete.
The once lean and battered pirate now loomed as a towering, muscle-bound warrior.
His arms and legs were coated in pitch-black Busoshoku Haki, while pale steam and white cloud-patterned vapor swirled about him.
DOOM! DOOM! DOOM!
Each time his massive feet touched ice or air, his body rebounded violently, producing a rhythmic Duang! Duang! that echoed across the battlefield.
Far away, in the Sabaody Archipelago—
"What's happening?! What in the world is that?!"
"Look! Straw Hat just transformed again! What kind of power is this?!"
"Is that still the Gomu Gomu no Mi?! How can he twist it into something like this?!"
"This kid… just with rubber alone, he's brought out something terrifying!"
"It must be his trump card!"
"Yes! He saved this ace for last! Now Straw Hat Luffy finally shows his hand!"
"The timing is perfect. After those twin sisters revealed their power, now Straw Hat unveils his hidden trump. This will be the deciding factor!"
Excitement boiled across the archipelago. Reporters clung to their transponders, broadcasting every second to the giant screens.
Hearts trembled between dread—that the Navy could not lose—and exhilaration—that history was being written before their eyes.
"Damn it all," cursed Capone Bege, captain of the Fire Tank Pirates. "How many aces does that brat have hidden away?!"
"We're all Supernovas of the same year," muttered Urouge, shaking his head, "but following in his footsteps… is nearly impossible now."
"Not necessarily," replied the fallen Rear Admiral X Drake coldly. "This strength belongs not to the Straw Hat we know, but to his future self. We still have time."
"No," said Jewelry Bonney, her lips curling as she grasped the truth. "That's exactly what the future holds for him. The little Straw Hat and the big Straw Hat—they're the same. And the gap between them… won't be more than two years."
Back at Marineford, the sound of Luffy's rebounding steps filled the air. Every gaze was drawn to him.
His Gear Fourth: Boundman form shocked even the hardest veterans.
There were cries of awe—
And mocking laughter as well.
"Everyone be careful!" Vice Admiral Jonathan barked, his expression grim.
From this new form, he felt crushing pressure—like staring into the eyes of a real Emperor.
"Don't underestimate him!" he warned. "My instincts tell me this one is different. Avoid direct clashes! Admiral Kuzan—we'll rely on you!"
The Vice Admirals braced themselves.
And then—
"Fufufufufu…"
From the sky, wild laughter rang out.
"Pathetic Marines, are you this afraid already? To my eyes, this so-called new form of Straw Hat is nothing but a joke! Look at him—he can't even stand still, bouncing around like an idiot!"
It was Donquixote Doflamingo, sneering even as he clashed with Sanji.
Ironically, two years later, that very same Doflamingo would be the first to learn firsthand how wrong he was.
While most ignored Doflamingo's taunts, one Vice Admiral did not.
"The only fate awaiting pirates is eradication," declared Vice Admiral Kōmei, twirling his war fan.
Ignoring the warnings of his comrades, he coated the fan in Busoshoku Haki. The weapon twisted and expanded, transforming into a massive black sword over ten meters long.
"Let me test this new form of yours, Straw Hat!"
With a roar, he thrust the blade straight at Luffy.
Two years ago, this very technique had scarred the young Emperor.
But this time—
THUNK!
The blade struck true—only to stop dead.
Kōmei's eyes bulged. His weapon hadn't even pierced Luffy's skin.
Gear Fourth's body was now dozens of times tougher, rubber flesh reinforced to absurd extremes.
"Not even close," Luffy growled.
He flexed, his entire frame reverberating with raw recoil. In an instant, his massive body snapped forward, moving even faster than Soru.
Kōmei's pupils shrank. He's already in front of me—!
"Busoshoku—Full Body!!!"
He covered himself in Haki at the last possible second.
But it wasn't enough.
"Gomu Gomu no… Kong Gun!!!"
Luffy's right fist compressed, layered with coiled power, then detonated forward.
BOOOOM!
The blow shattered Kōmei's full-body Haki, sending blood spraying as his body rocketed backward like a cannonball.
He crashed into the plaza with a thunderous impact, carving a crater a hundred meters wide.
"Vice Admiral!!!" the Marines screamed, but there was no saving him.
Kōmei lay broken and unconscious, the second Vice Admiral to fall beneath the fists of the Fifth Emperor.
On the execution platform, Instructor Zephyr's eyes softened.
"The moment I saw that form, I knew… Garp, your grandson is the spitting image of you in your youth."
A bittersweet tear welled in his eye.
"Fuffuffuffu!" Garp burst into booming laughter, no longer able to contain it.
Sengoku, beside him, ground his teeth so hard they groaned. The memory of the God Valley Incident thirty-six years ago resurfaced unbidden: Garp standing alone, his twin iron fists holding back the monstrous Rocks Pirates.
And now—Luffy, looking exactly the same.
"The old man's grandson, through and through," Garp said proudly.
"Ace, you're no match for your brother now."
"…Yeah," Ace admitted without pride or protest. "If I survive this… I'll train harder than ever. I won't let myself be captured so easily again."
"Garp!!!" Sengoku barked furiously.
"I didn't say anything! Not a word!" Garp quickly ducked his head, though his grin remained.
"Unbelievable!"
"That's the Straw Hat kid's hidden trump card?!"
"With just one blow, he crushed a full-body Haki Vice Admiral!"
A wave of awe spread across the battlefield.
"Luffy-san is incredible, Helmeppo!" cried Coby, shaking his friend's shoulders.
"Oooh, future Luffy is so dreamy~ I'm in love all over again!" swooned Boa Hancock, still lost in bliss.
But not everyone was in awe.
"If this is the power he'll one day wield…" a cold voice muttered, "then today is the time to end him!"
Smoker's expression was steely.
Taking advantage of Boa Hancock's dazed lovestruck state, he quietly slipped away—once again setting his sights on the Straw Hat boy from two years past.
---
Whitebeard's Orders
"Kurararara! Truly interesting, brat!" Whitebeard's booming laugh echoed from the Moby Dick. "Just how many surprises will you bring to this war… to this world?"
On the bow of the great whale-ship, Whitebeard laughed heartily, eyes shining with pride.
"Ngahh, Ace-brother," shouted Marco in midair, astonishment plain on his face. "That Straw Hat kid's new form is something else! At this rate, we might not even need to lift a hand!"
Then Marco's eyes hardened. "No—this isn't the time to stand around admiring him! Father has given us our orders!"
With a flap of his great blue wings, the phoenix shot off toward the battlefield.
"All men, fall back!" Marco commanded.
"This is the captain's direct order!"
"Don't rush into the plaza just yet! First, regroup with Ace and his brothers!"
"They're already taking the Navy's strongest attacks in our place—how can we just sit back and do nothing?!"
"Everyone, smash the Marines in your way, then join Ace for the final push on the plaza!"
"Uoooooohhh!!!"
Led by Jozu, Vista, Blamenco, Rakuyo, Izou and the other division commanders, the Whitebeard pirates who had already reached the bay turned back.
They charged straight toward the battlefield where the Straw Hat boy and his comrades were locked in combat.
Their battle cry thundered like a tidal wave.
Meanwhile—before Whitebeard's reinforcements arrived—Gear Fourth Luffy continued his desperate clash with the Navy elites.
"Gomu Gomu no…"
Compressing his massive legs into his body, Luffy launched himself forward like a coiled spring.
His target wasn't Admiral Aokiji, but another Vice Admiral.
He knew—even in Gear Fourth, he couldn't defeat a Logia-class Admiral in mere moments. Better to eliminate the other threats first and ease the pressure.
But this time, Admiral Aokiji was ready.
"Don't think you'll get away with it, Straw Hat!"
With a grave expression, Kuzan raised both hands.
The ice beneath them roared as a massive wall surged upward—ten meters thick, blocking the path to Vice Admiral Maynard.
But Luffy had already committed.
"Gomu Gomu no… Rhino Schneider!!!"
BOOOM!!!
His leg smashed through the towering ice wall like paper, shards blasting outward in a blizzard of glittering fragments.
The unstoppable strike continued straight toward Maynard—
"Ice Ball!!!"
Aokiji's fingers spread. Five icy pillars shot forth, forming a spherical cage that froze Luffy in midair.
"I—I'm saved!" Maynard gasped in relief.
"Not yet! Retreat, quickly!" Kuzan shouted.
A second later, cracks spiderwebbed across the sphere.
CRAAASH!!!
The frozen cage exploded.
"Alala… you really have risen to our level, Straw Hat," Aokiji admitted, his tone still lazy but his eyes sharp. "A most unpredictable brat indeed."
Luffy answered only with action.
"Gomu Gomu no… Culverin!!!"
His fist coiled, then launched, snaking through the air with impossible angles.
"Alala, what impatience," Kuzan muttered as he leapt aside, evading the initial strike.
But the danger didn't fade—the fist twisted mid-flight, curving after him like a serpent.
"Caution, Admiral Aokiji!" the Vice Admirals cried.
Even without their warning, Kuzan's Haki had already traced the punch's path.
The absurd maneuver left even him speechless.
"Hmph. Dodging is pointless. Until I hit my target, this fist will chase you down!" Luffy shouted.
"Interesting," Kuzan smirked. "Let's see the limits of your pursuit."
He used Geppo to flit about, his speed unmatched. Even so, Culverin hounded him relentlessly.
Its accuracy wavered slightly—but it would not stop.
At last, Luffy's punch landed—not on Kuzan, but on another fighter drawn into the chaos.
BOOOOM!
Doflamingo plummeted from the sky, smashing into the ground. Blood spurted from his mouth and nose, his head ringing with a deafening hum.
For a long moment, he lay stunned.
Then, blinking the stars from his eyes, he realized—Luffy hadn't even noticed him. The brat had simply continued fighting Aokiji.
Rage boiled inside him.
Me?! Donquixote Doflamingo—an Ōka Shichibukai! The Heavenly Yaksha! The greatest broker of the underworld, master of the New World's black and white alike!
And yet today—here, on this battlefield—
I've been struck down like a mere passerby! A collateral casualty!
"Unforgivable… absolutely unforgivable!!! Straw Hat brat!!!"
BANG!
He slammed a hand against the ice, his body rising.
The ground beneath him writhed, transforming into countless thin, white strings.
The Ito Ito no Mi, awakened at last!
"Your opponent is me!!!"
"Diable Jambe — Concassé!!!"
Sanji descended in a blaze of flame, heel aimed at Doflamingo.
"Annoyance!!!"
With a sweep of his hand, Doflamingo conjured dense layers of threads, forming a shield that blocked the burning kick.
Then, with a twitch of his will, a tide of strings erupted, surging toward Luffy and Aokiji alike.
"Thousand Arrows Piercing the Heart — Flap Thread!!!"
The sky darkened as countless thread-spears rained down, each one wrapped in Haki, stabbing toward Gear Fourth Luffy.
"Dofla!!!"
Luffy's eyes blazed with fury. He had promised Law to leave Doflamingo to him—but faced with such a threat, he could no longer hold back.
"Gomu Gomu no—!!!"
As he gathered power, Kuzan too readied his icy palm, cold mist swirling.
The battlefield tensed to breaking point. Three titans converging for a cataclysmic clash.
At that very moment—
On the Thousand Sunny, Usopp suddenly turned, eyes wide.
"Something's coming!"
"Huh? What is it, Usopp?!" Chopper asked.
The answer erupted from the sea itself.
The calm waters split apart, and a yellow submarine burst forth, spraying foam and shards of ice.
"Room!"
A blue hemisphere expanded rapidly from the vessel, enveloping everything around.
"Hold it right there, Straw Hat!"
A voice rang out clear and cold.
"We agreed before—Doflamingo is my prey!!!"
Appearing at last, two years older and deadlier than ever—
The Surgeon of Death, Trafalgar Law!