Grove 13.
It had already become a wasteland.
Nearly a thousand people were locked in chaotic battle.
They're not just the nearly thousand pirates brought by Blackbeard.
Sentomaru, who was responsible for garrisoning Sabaody Archipelago and served as the base commander here, had also arrived with Marine forces.
They were engaged in a fierce fight with the Blackbeard Pirates.
"Hey! Fat guy in the bellyband! You're not even a Devil Fruit user! Stop bothering me!"
Pizarro cursed impatiently.
He felt like he was cursed by some god of misfortune.
Counting up, he had already missed out on obtaining a Devil Fruit Ability twice in a row.
That time at Gran Tesoro, the Mori Mori no Mi was snatched by Shiryu.
Earlier in Totto Land, he had a chance to get Katakuri's Mochi Mochi no Mi.
If that wasn't possible, Oven's Netsu Netsu no Mi would have been fine too.
But who could have predicted that the spineless Big Mom Pirates would just give up?
Forcing him to stop.
This time, he absolutely wouldn't let the Gomu Gomu no Mi slip away!
To be honest, whether it was that Nika thing or not, Pizarro didn't really care that much.
After all, for a close-combat type like him, the Gomu Gomu no Mi was pretty good already.
Of course, if it really was a Mythical Zoan, that would be even better.
"Shut up! All you pirates are going to prison!"
Sentomaru brandished his large axe and roared.
The most eye-catching scene on the battlefield was the fight between the old rivals, Luffy and Blackbeard.
Unfortunately, Luffy hadn't yet evolved into Nika.
Otherwise, everyone could have witnessed the showdown between the Sun God and Darkness ahead of schedule.
"Zehahahaha! It's fate that I get your fruit here! After I take your ability, I'll go find Ace's Mera Mera no Mi and make it a power for my subordinates too!"
Blackbeard laughed heartily:
"Then the powers of you two brothers will both be mine to use! Doesn't that count as a reunion? Don't you think I'm too kind? Zehahahaha!"
Even though Luffy was a straightforward guy, this kind of joke from Blackbeard undoubtedly struck a deep chord.
Not to mention that Blackbeard's current strength far surpassed his own.
"Gear Fourth!"
Luffy amplified the power within his body to the limit, transforming into the springy balloon-man form with Armament Haki coating his limbs.
He probably never dreamed in his wildest nightmares that he would have to use this trump card even before officially setting sail again.
"Zehahahaha~ What is this? A joke?"
Blackbeard was amused by Luffy's appearance.
Gear Fourth Luffy's pupils constricted sharply, and he pushed off powerfully with his feet.
His entire body rapidly closed in on Blackbeard.
Crack crack~
During his charge, Gear Fourth Luffy's arms coiled up like springs.
The moment he was just two meters away from Blackbeard, he unleashed his attack in one go.
"Gomu Gomu no Kong Gun!"
Seeing this, Blackbeard clenched his fist, and a pale white, translucent energy sphere formed over his skin.
"Zehahahaha~ A bit stronger than before. But do you think this is enough to defeat me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Blackbeard swung out with his left hand.
Boom!!
The Armament Haki-coated rubber fist collided with the white energy sphere.
The air cracked instantly.
"That's Whitebeard's?!"
There were quite a few soldiers present who had participated in the Summit War two years ago.
Seeing this, they instantly remembered the old man who fought like a demon god at Marineford.
"Cough!"
The stalemate lasted less than two seconds before Gear Fourth Luffy felt a sweet taste in his throat.
He then spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Luffy!!"
The other Straw Hat crew members, who are busy dealing with the rest of the Blackbeard Pirates, screamed in panic.
"Zehahahaha! I can't let you escape!"
Just as Gear Fourth Luffy was about to be sent flying by the shockwave, Blackbeard's right hand ignited with deep black water.
"Dark Water!"
Blackbeard's blackened right palm released a powerful attractive force, pulling the flying Luffy back towards him.
He directly grabbed Luffy by the neck.
The moment their bodies made contact, Luffy's balloon-man form of rapidly deflated, reverting to his normal state, looking completely drained.
"Luffy-!"
Seeing this, Zoro, wielding his three swords, tried to charge forward to rescue him.
"Brick Fist!"
However, Burgess promptly rushed forward, swinging his Armament Haki-coated fist to block Zoro's path.
"Zehahahaha! The Gomu Gomu... oh no, the Nika Fruit, I'll be taking it."
Blackbeard said, preparing to snap Luffy's neck and claim the Gomu Gomu no Mi.
"Fish-Man Jujutsu: Ocean Current Shoulder Throw!"
Sensing the danger from behind with his Observation Haki, Blackbeard had no choice but to leap sideways to dodge.
A massive pillar of seawater fell from the sky, crashing onto the spot where he had just been standing.
No matter what kind of ability user, they all fear seawater.
Without exception.
"You are... Jinbei!?"
After getting a clear look at the person who ambushed him, Blackbeard's expression changed dramatically.
However, another figure darted out from the side.
Wielding a pipe coated in Armament Haki, he struck Blackbeard's wrist.
In pain, Blackbeard instinctively released his grip on Luffy's neck.
The black shadow seized the opportunity to snatch Luffy away.
"You are... that Revolutionary Army..."
Blackbeard's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
'What's going on?'
'Why does someone always interfere whenever I have a major operation lately!?'
"Y-you are... S-Sabo!?"
Luffy's shock was even greater than Blackbeard's.
After all, for ten whole years, he had believed this person he loved was dead.
To see him appear again...
How could he not be astonished?
"Ahh~ It's me, Luffy. I came to save you."
Sabo smiled and nodded.
Luffy's jaw hung open in stunned silence, unable to form words for a long time.
Large teardrops continuously fell from his eyes.
"The new Revolutionary Army's Supreme Commander, Sabo, and the former Warlord of the Sea, Jinbei, who just joined the Revolutionary Army... Why are these guys here?"
Sentomaru said in disbelief.
"When a little brother is in trouble, how can his big brother not come to help?"
Sabo said with a smile.
"Big brother?"
Blackbeard's face grew increasingly grim.
This reminded him of what that man he tried to recruit two years ago had said.
'Damn, Straw Hat, your background is something else.'
'Having the Pirate King's son as a brother, a Marine's Hero as a grandfather, and the Revolutionary Army's Supreme Leader as a father.'
'And it doesn't stop there.'
'Your father dies, and the new head of the Revolutionary Army is your relative again?'
'Is there no end to this?'
"Killing Monkey D. Luffy isn't that easy, you know, Blackbeard. His connections are all over this world. I even suspect the boss of the Five Elders is his mother."
A teasing voice suddenly came.
Everyone turned to look.
99% of the people present were struck dumb with fear.
[Pirate Empress] Boa Hancock!
[Sweet Commander] Charlotte Katakuri!
[Paper Angel] Konan!
[Mermaid Princess] Shirahoshi!
...
And most terrifying of all, the man at the very front-
Uchiha Jin!
"He's here too!?"
Sentomaru was dumbfounded.
'What had I, a mere Marine Captain, done to deserve encountering so many monsters all at once?'
"What are you doing here? You're not trying to steal this Gomu Gomu no Mi from me, are you?"
The alliance relationship had ended.
Naturally, Blackbeard saw no need to be polite with Jin.
Especially when interests were involved.
"I have no desire to be possessed by Joy Boy. If you want to snatch it, go ahead."
Jin said with a laugh:
"Just happened to be passing by to watch the fun. Don't overthink it."
Compared to the others who focused their attention on the powerful figures like Hancock and Katakuri, the Straw Hat Pirates crew completely fixed their gaze on the two beautiful figures beside Jin.
Luffy: "Nami! Robin!"
Zoro: "Hey! What's the situation with you two!?"
Sanji: "Nami-san! Robin-chan! Run away from that bastard quickly! Don't worry, I'll protect you!"
Chopper: "Sanji's right! Nami! Robin! Run away!"
Franky: "Hey! How's Sunny doing?"
Seeing their companions, or rather, former companions, shouting at them, Nami tightly pursed her pink lips, her entire body trembling.
The Pure Gold on the ring on her left hand's ring finger glittered brightly.
"I never force anyone. If you want to go back, then go back, Nami. The companions you can't forget are right there. Go."
Jin said, his hands resting on Nami's delicate shoulders.
However, feeling the warmth from his hands on her shoulders, Nami trembled even more violently.
Robin's situation wasn't much better.
While Nami was torn between friendship and love, Robin's dilemma stemmed from her better understanding of the stakes involved.
If she and Nami returned, the Straw Hat Pirates would face endless pursuit from the world's number one pirate crew.
At this point, Robin also understood why Nami had been so reluctant to leave when Dragon took her to Sunny to find her.
It wasn't just a simple matter of her having developed feelings.
It was truly because Jin and his group were even more terrifying than the World Government!
"Nami! Robin! What's wrong? Come back!"
Seeing their navigator and archaeologist remain motionless, Luffy shouted again.
Nami took a deep breath, stepped forward, and shouted:
"S-sorry! Luffy, I... I'm going to be his navigator from now on. Y-you all need to find a new navigator."
As these words fell, Luffy was struck as if by lightning, standing there wide-eyed, his gaze empty.
Though it pained her, Robin forced down her inner sorrow and shouted:
"Luffy! Don't worry about us anymore, go chase your own dream! Don't you want to be the Pirate King? And Zoro, Sanji, Chopper... don't you all have your own dreams? Hurry up and go!"
"Don't believe them, Luffy!"
Seeing the look of despair in his little brother's eyes, Sabo quickly shouted to warn him:
"They're not speaking from their hearts! They're just being forced to submit to Jin's power!"
His sworn brother's comfort briefly restored the light in Luffy's eyes.
The next second, he leaped into the air, bit his thumb, and blew.
His right fist inflated to the size of a hot air balloon, coated in Armament Haki.
"Give me back my comrades!"
"Gomu Gomu no Elephant Gun!!!"
Jin watched the descending fist with an unruffled expression.
There was no need for him to personally intervene.
A graceful figure suddenly leaped up, kicking Luffy's fist away with a high heel.
The moment that Armament Haki-coated high heel made contact with the balloon-like fist, the Haki covering the long, beautiful leg overpowered the opponent's.
It petrified and then shattered Luffy's little finger.
"Urgh ah!?"
Luffy cried out in pain and was sent flying backwards.
Sabo saw this and quickly jumped up, catching Luffy for the second time.
Looking down, he saw that Luffy's right little finger was petrified, with clear cracks running through it.
"Hah... Han, Hancock... you, why..."
Luffy asked while enduring the pain.
Only then did he realize that Hancock, who had helped him before, was also standing on Jin's side!
'Wh-what exactly is going on?'
'Didn't Rayleigh say Hancock and the others had business and left Amazon Lily?!'
"Although I am very grateful for your help in the past, Luffy... but trying to harm Jin is unforgivable!"
Hancock flicked her hair behind her head.
Although a flicker of hesitation passed through her eyes, she resolutely stated her position.
"Nami... Robin... Hancock... you, you all... wh-what's going on?"
Luffy looked at the three peerless beauties standing on either side of Jin with disbelief.
The shock and blow he received at this moment might only be second to Ace's death at the Summit War.
Jin's eyes shone as he looked at the bewildered Luffy.
'Ooh!'
'This expression!'
'I've always wanted to see this expression on your face!!'
'That expression of jealousy towards me!!!'