Luffy reached out toward Zoro, intending to pull him away from the Goa Kingdom to ensure the safety of its citizens.
But just as his fingers were about to touch Zoro's body, a shimmer of fluorescent light flashed, and his hand passed straight through, like grabbing at air. There was no resistance at all.
"What... what the hell!?"
"System! What's going on!?"
Luffy stared in shock as Zoro's body, under a faint, flickering glow, slowly began to stabilize again. He urgently called out to the system.
The system responded in its usual cold, mechanical voice:
[Response: Zoro is currently in the boundary between dimensions, in a state of interaction between Mental Power particles and matter.
In the Pirate World, his form is visible, but his body, being partially in another plane, cannot be touched.]
"What!? Then what should I do!?"
Boom!
Another violent shockwave struck, shaking the house. The collision between the Mental Power particles and the Pirate World grew even more intense.
For Luffy, the pressure wasn't particularly frightening.
But for the average citizens, it was as if they were trapped ten meters beneath the ocean. The crushing pressure made it hard to even breathe.
Many of the weaker people had already collapsed under the stifling weight, unconscious and sprawled across the streets like corpses. And with the pressure growing stronger by the second, even those still awake were barely hanging on.
"Luffy!"
Robin burst into the room, having sensed the abnormality from within the city. Her face was filled with worry.
Luffy pursed his lips, gave one last glance at the still-unconscious Zoro, and then turned and rushed out of the room.
He ran with Robin in tow, heading straight to the mansion's main hall.
There, Nami was supporting Brook, who looked as if he was being crushed under an invisible mountain.
Luffy hurried over, his eyes scanning Brook with concern.
Suddenly, his eyes flashed, he had thought of something.
"Brook, how are you feeling right now?"
The energy from another dimension continued to pour into Brook's skeletal body.
It was agonizing, but the increase in his power was equally astonishing.
Brook slowly raised his head at the sound of Luffy's voice. A cold sweat somehow clung to his skull as he replied weakly:
"I… I'm okay, Luffy-san… It's just… the Mental Power particles are so dense… The pressure… it's getting hard… to breathe…"
Gritting his teeth, Brook nodded to Nami, signaling that he could still stand. He forced himself up, swaying unsteadily.
"That's good enough!"
Relieved to see Brook still functioning, Luffy helped steady him and then said:
"Brook, give me Laboon's Pokéball…
We've gotten ourselves into a serious mess this time."
Even if they rushed to Foosha Village now, there was no guarantee they could save everyone. And the Dadan Family was in the opposite direction on Mt. Colubo.
Splitting up to rescue both? Not enough time.
Luckily, Luffy had just remembered he still had an overpowered ace up his sleeve.
Brook, though puzzled, obediently opened his skull and took out Laboon's Pokéball, handing it to Luffy.
Luffy immediately lifted the weakened Brook, turned to Nami, and said:
"Nami, take Robin and follow me to the coast!"
"Got it!"
Nami was starting to feel faint from the increasing Mental Power pressure herself, but she still responded firmly.
Robin didn't say a word. She simply moved beside Nami and leaned on her for support.
A fierce blaze erupted from Luffy's hand, and in the next moment, he shot into the air with Brook in tow.
Nami followed close behind, carrying Robin and riding a fierce gust of wind.
Both of them were at full throttle, racing toward the sea.
As they flew, Luffy spotted Naruto below, carrying the unconscious Sasuke and sprinting toward their previous residence in a panic.
But… they were already too late.
Luffy had no room left to care about minor details now.
The crimson blaze he left behind streaked across the sky like a shooting star, stretching from the center of the country to the sea, radiating a warmth like the sun itself over the Goa Kingdom.
Unfortunately, no one was in the mood to appreciate the beauty.
The spiritual pressure grew even stronger.
Finally, Luffy reached the coastline.
He tossed the Pokéball into the air,
"POH, OOOOOH!!"
A flash of red light, and Laboon's massive form crashed into the sea, creating a tidal wave that rolled like a miniature tsunami.
But Luffy didn't care about whether the waves would flood the island. He shouted:
"Laboon, can you use your ability to absorb this entire island into your small world?"
"Hmm?"
Laboon tilted his head with wide, innocent eyes. After thinking for a moment, he nodded confidently and let out a loud cry:
"OHHHHH!!"
"Perfect. Nami, take Robin and Brook into the small world first!"
Hearing that Laboon could do it, Luffy turned to Nami without hesitation.
"Right!"
As the massive wave approached, Nami grabbed Brook from Luffy's arms and descended onto Laboon's broad back. In the blink of an eye, they vanished from sight.
Now, only Luffy remained floating midair, suspended by flames, alongside Laboon, who looked giddy with excitement.
"Let's begin, Laboon!"
"OOOOHHHH!!"
Laboon let out a mighty cry to the heavens, then opened his huge mouth wide. Seawater began rushing in.
The approaching tsunami, just about to crash onto the island, suddenly lost its base. It shrank rapidly and was miraculously sucked into Laboon's mouth, along with the shrinking island.
From high above, Luffy watched in disbelief as the entire island governed by the Goa Kingdom shrank, smaller and smaller, until it was even tinier than Laboon's mouth. And then, vanished inside.
The sea roared in to fill the empty crater where the island once was.
"OHHH~"
Laboon chirped proudly like a child asking for praise.
Luffy finally let out a breath of relief. He floated down and gently patted Laboon's forehead with affection.
"We couldn't have done it without you, Laboon."
"Thank you."
"OHH!"
Laboon's big eyes squinted happily, basking in Luffy's praise.
Boom!
The world trembled again, but Laboon didn't seem bothered in the slightest.
Still, Luffy didn't take any chances. He raised the Pokéball and said to Laboon:
"There's danger coming. Go back inside for now, Laboon."
"Oh…"
Though reluctant, Laboon obediently transformed into red light and returned to the Pokéball.
Luffy glanced around. Other than the surging sea, the only thing left was Zoro, still floating in midair, encased in that soft blue glow.
After confirming nothing was left behind, flames flared beneath Luffy's feet, and he flew off once more, quietly waiting for Zoro to awaken…
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