Silence.
An oppressive silence spread through the alley.
The air felt heavy—so heavy it made breathing difficult.
Every member of the Straw Hat Pirates lay where they had fallen.
Some on their backs.
Some on their sides.
Some barely conscious.
Their bodies ached, but that wasn't what crushed them most.
It was despair.
"This…" Usopp stared blankly at the sky. "…We really lost."
His voice trembled—not loudly.
Just… weakly.
Nami hugged her knees tightly. Her body shook uncontrollably.
Her eyes had lost their usual brightness.
"How could it be like this…" she whispered.
"We didn't even… have a chance."
Chopper curled into himself. Tears welled in his eyes.
"I couldn't help at all…"
"I was completely useless…"
Sanji leaned against a shattered wall.
His cigarette had long since fallen—crushed under rubble.
"…Damn it…"
He laughed bitterly.
"I couldn't even protect anyone."
Robin sat quietly, hands on the ground.
Her expression was calm—
But her eyes were dark.
"This kind of gap…"
"…is absolute."
Zoro lay flat on his back, staring at the night sky.
His chest rose and fell violently.
"…That guy…"
"…wasn't even serious."
His fingers trembled as he clenched his fists.
"…If he had wanted to kill us…"
"…we would all be dead."
Silence again.
The truth was cruel.
But undeniable.
Luffy lay in the center.
His straw hat had fallen to the side.
His eyes stared upward, unfocused.
He didn't speak.
Didn't move.
Everyone subconsciously looked toward him.
Their captain.
Their pillar.
But for the first time—
Luffy didn't immediately stand back up.
Didn't laugh.
Didn't shout.
Didn't say—
"I'll beat him!"
Time passed slowly.
Seconds felt like minutes.
"…Hey…" Luffy finally spoke, voice hoarse. "…Was I wrong?"
Everyone froze.
Nami's eyes widened.
"Luffy…"
Luffy slowly sat up. His face was pale.
"…I thought…" he said, swallowing hard, "…as long as we kept moving forward…"
"…we could beat anyone."
He lowered his head.
"But… I couldn't even touch him."
His fists clenched.
The faint sound of nails digging into skin echoed.
"…I wasn't strong enough."
Those words hit harder than any blow.
Usopp's lips trembled.
"No… that's not—"
Zoro interrupted quietly.
"…It is."
He turned his head slightly.
"That guy… was on a completely different level."
Sanji clenched his teeth.
"…If even Luffy…"
"…then what are we supposed to do?"
Chopper's tears finally fell.
"Are we… going to die someday like this?"
No one answered.
Because no one knew.
Despair spread like poison, seeping into every corner of their hearts.
Robin closed her eyes.
"…This is the first time…"
"…I've seen everyone like this."
Nami hugged herself tighter.
"…I'm scared."
"I've never been this scared before."
Usopp forced a laugh that sounded worse than crying.
"…Yeah…"
"…Me too."
The image of Raifeng—standing calmly, looking down at them—
Refused to fade.
"That monster…" Sanji muttered. "…He treated us like children."
Zoro clenched his jaw.
"…No."
"…He treated us…"
"…like nothing."
The difference in strength wasn't something courage could erase.
It was reality.
Cruel.
Cold.
Then—
Luffy laughed softly.
Everyone looked at him.
Luffy raised his head. Pain still filled his eyes—
But something else flickered there now.
"…He said he'd be waiting," Luffy murmured.
He clenched his fists.
"I don't want to lose like this."
His voice shook—
But it didn't break.
"I don't care how strong he is."
"I don't care how impossible it seems."
"I…"
"…won't accept this."
Zoro's eyes flickered.
Sanji raised his head.
Nami stared at Luffy.
Chopper sniffed hard.
Usopp swallowed.
Luffy's voice turned firm.
"I'll get stronger."
"…All of us will."
"Strong enough…"
"…that he can't look down on us again."
The despair didn't disappear.
But—
A crack appeared.
A tiny crack.
Robin opened her eyes.
"…Hope…"
"…is born in moments like this."
Nami wiped her tears.
"…Then we can't stop."
Usopp nodded shakily.
"…Yeah."
"…We can't stop."
Zoro closed his eyes.
"…Next time…"
"…I won't lose."
Sanji picked up the crushed cigarette and stared at it.
"…That bastard…"
"…I'll kick him back twice as hard."
Chopper sniffed.
"…I'll become stronger too."
Luffy looked up at the sky. The shadow of his straw hat covered his eyes.
"…We're still alive."
"…That means…"
"…this isn't the end."
They were overwhelmed.
Crushed.
Driven into despair.
But—
They were not broken.
Not yet.
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