Luffy took the lead, leaping straight onto the warship's deck, which stood several hundred meters above the ground.
The members of the Starry Sky crew followed closely behind, landing one after another atop the deck.
A deck nearly two thousand meters long made everyone truly understand what real grandeur meant.
In this world, perhaps only Moria's terrifying Thriller Bark could barely qualify to compare in size with Pluton.
Before Luffy even had the chance to properly examine Pluton's exterior, an inexplicable tremor suddenly rose within his heart.
He immediately frowned, looking down at the unknown metal beneath his feet in surprise.
The instant his instincts reacted, he had already spread his Observation Haki to its limits.
Yet to his shock, the mysterious material used to construct the warship completely blocked his spiritual perception.
His Observation Haki could not penetrate the metal plating at all—he was unable to sense even the slightest detail inside the ship.
No wonder Pluton had been able to remain hidden in Arabasta for so many years.
This kind of special metal was something Luffy had never seen before—he had never even heard of it.
Standing on the steel deck, doubts filling his mind, Luffy paused briefly before slowly advancing toward the interior of the ship.
He could clearly feel it—
There was something inside that made his heart pound.
A sensation that felt both familiar… and unfamiliar at the same time.
And for some reason, the closer he got to the sealed hatch, the stronger that feeling became!
Wearing pitch-black gauntlets, Luffy carefully placed both hands on the rotating valve of the hatch.
The mysterious throbbing intensified!
At this very moment, Luffy could even clearly hear the sound of his own heartbeat.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Luffy let out a long breath.
"Huu—"
Under the confused gazes of the others, he began to turn the valve with both hands.
Creeeak… creak…
Even after several hundred years, the valve showed not a trace of rust as it slowly turned under Luffy's immense strength.
The instant the hatch opened—
Luffy's heart violently jolted!!!
"Fall back!!!"
There was no time to explain!
A scorching wave of heat erupted from Luffy's hands as he shouted to the people behind him.
In fact, no warning was even necessary.
The moment the hatch cracked open, everyone present felt that horrifying pressure!!!
BOOM!!!
The massive door was blasted open by an explosive force!
Yet despite the sheer power, the hatch itself suffered no damage at all.
WHOOSH—!!!
A violent wind pressure surged out like a collapsing mountain ridge, crashing toward everyone on the deck!
Nami, Robin, and Brook immediately shielded Vivi and the newly awakened Crocodile!
Under the sudden overwhelming force, Usopp instinctively grabbed Chopper, protecting him.
The two of them were then helplessly swept off the deck by the raging wind!
"USOPP!!!"
Koby shouted in panic as Usopp shrank into a tiny black dot in the distance.
Merry glanced anxiously at Luffy—who was still releasing flames to hold back the hatch—then stomped off without hesitation, chasing after Usopp who had been blown away by the gale.
CLANG!
Three Zanpakutō were drawn in an instant!
Zoro's eyes turned a terrifying blood-red.
His aura surged and condensed, the vague silhouette of a furious Buddha gradually appearing behind him.
Sanji's suit suddenly tore apart into countless fragments.
His once-healthy skin instantly transformed into a dripping, dark-gold hue.
His mouth split wide, stretching halfway across his face!
Sharp fangs jutted outward as if ready to devour everything in sight.
A long tongue slid out from the torn corner of his mouth, and his eyes turned into hollow, pitch-black voids—as though the eyeballs themselves had been swallowed.
The overwhelming flame pressure erupting from Luffy's hands slammed firmly against the entrance of the hatch.
Damn it! What the hell is this thing?!
Feeling the terrifying power blasting out from within the ship, Luffy cursed furiously in his heart!!!
He already possessed strength on par with a Yonko!
Yet he had never imagined encountering such a dreadful force in the first half of the Grand Line!
"Na… na… na…"
Amid the violent clash of forces, a hoarse voice suddenly echoed from the pitch-black interior—
Like a newborn baby just learning to speak, the sounds were broken and unclear.
No one could tell what the owner of the voice was trying to say.
"Nami!!! Koby!!!
Take Vivi and the others and get out of here—now!"
Grinding his teeth, Luffy forcefully squeezed out the words while pouring his spiritual power wildly into the X-Gloves, shouting to those behind him.
This terrifying power was far beyond what Koby could withstand.
Rather than keeping him here and becoming a burden, it was better to send him away immediately.
As for Nami—among those still on the ship, she was the weakest aside from Koby.
Having her leave would allow her to protect Vivi and Crocodile in case of emergencies.
"Luffy!"
"Luffy-sama!"
The two who had been called shouted back at him at once.
But Luffy gave no reply—
He only clenched his teeth and stubbornly resisted the unknown force ahead!
Seeing the determination in Luffy's eyes, Nami bit her lip, then suddenly turned to Koby.
"Koby, we're leaving—now!"
"But, Nami…"
"No buts!"
Just as Koby summoned his Nen weapon, Hero Mop, a violent gust suddenly formed around him.
Unable to resist, Koby was lifted into the air by the wind, carried away together with Nami—who was holding Vivi and Crocodile—toward the distance.
...
Time rewound to a few seconds earlier.
"Giant sir! I really do know Luffy-sama—please let us in!"
At the entrance of Hero Academy in Hero City, Godia pleaded helplessly with Brogy, the guard blocking the gate.
Brogy plopped his enormous body down in front of the academy entrance, drinking from a custom-made mug as he waved his hand dismissively.
"Nope, nope!
Princess Vivi said that before classes officially begin, no one is allowed inside."
"Giant sir—"
Just as Godia was about to continue persuading him, Issho suddenly stepped forward, positioning himself between Godia and Brogy.
His sightless eyes lifted at once, turning toward Yuba—the direction where Luffy and the others were.
His face filled with shock as he muttered in disbelief:
"This… this… no—impossible!!!"
"What's wrong, Uncle Issho?"
Godia asked curiously, noticing Issho's sudden change in expression.
Unlike Issho—who lived entirely through Observation Haki after losing his sight—Godia's own Observation was only sufficient for tracking opponents in combat.
Issho, however, was a terrifying existence who could extend his Observation into space itself and use his Devil Fruit power to drag down meteors!
The moment Luffy opened Pluton's hatch, Issho sensed the anomaly.
He immediately turned to Godia and asked:
"Young man, how fast are you?"
Though confused by the question, Godia saw the seriousness on Issho's face and answered without hesitation:
"Very fast."
Issho spoke urgently, not wasting a second:
"Could I trouble you to take me somewhere?"
"Sure!"
Godia asked nothing further.
His body instantly bent low as black, otherworldly energy erupted from him, drifting like fine fur.
In the blink of an eye, the handsome young man transformed into a massive black hound on all fours.
Mysterious runes glimmered faintly across his body, as if absorbing sunlight.
Baring his fangs, Godia turned back to the Night Hound Pirates and said:
"Garen, Arthur—wait for me here."
"Got it! Stay safe!"
"Be careful!"
Though filled with questions, the Night Hound Pirates responded decisively, not wasting a single second.
Issho leapt directly onto Godia's back and pointed toward Yuba.
"I'll leave it to you, young man!
We need to get there—fast!"
"No problem!"
Godia opened his massive jaws slightly as all four limbs burst into motion.
His enormous body leapt high into the air, running atop the clouds as he raced toward Luffy's location.