Above the massive hole in the ocean, a swirling vortex of darkness slowly emerged, condensing into Carl's figure.
He floated midair, gazing down at the gaping chasm in the sea with a solemn expression.
This scene had also appeared in the manga before. To Carl, this was very likely one of the Ancient Weapons—Uranus.
Judging by its effects, it could be called a space-based weapon.
Even Carl, without using intangibility, would have suffered severe damage if he had taken a direct hit from that bombardment.
Thinking this, Carl looked up toward the sky. It was now clear and tranquil, as if nothing had happened.
Imu's voice had also fallen silent.
Carl withdrew his gaze, convinced that Joy Boy wouldn't die so easily. After a moment of silence in the air, he flapped his wings and transformed into a streak of darkness, diving into the sea.
Beneath the waves, Carl unleashed his Observation Haki and sonar abilities, scanning the area. After searching for some time and finding no trace of Joy Boy, he finally left the water.
His eyes narrowed slightly—he still wasn't convinced.
With a slight raise of his fingers, the sky was once again shrouded in darkness. Moments later, countless black spikes, sharp as needles, rained down from the darkened sky, bombarding the ocean below in an inescapable onslaught.
After a long while, Carl dismissed the dark veil in the sky and vanished into another swirling vortex of darkness.
The Deep Sea
Amidst the darkness, a faint white glow flickered. Upon closer inspection, it was a glowing, straw hat-shaped barrier—a protective dome, inside which were Joy Boy and Nami's group, crammed into the limited space.
Joy Boy took a deep breath, looking at the unconscious members of the Straw Hat crew. The fiery clouds at his back gradually dissipated.
In his hands, he held the glowing straw hat, which he slowly placed atop his own head.
Lindbergh swallowed nervously and asked, "That straw hat…?"
Joy Boy spoke softly, "It's always good to have a backup plan."
Lindbergh struggled to move within the confined space of the barrier. The main reason for the tight squeeze was the presence of a massive iron head—Emet's head.
Emet's body was simply too large, and the protective barrier Joy Boy had created had limited capacity. Ultimately, only Emet's head had been squeezed inside, while the rest of his colossal steel body had been obliterated by Imu's attack.
Emet was a highly advanced robot built through special methods. Even with only its head remaining, it wasn't completely deactivated. The light in its eyes flickered weakly, on the verge of going out at any moment.
It emitted a fragmented mechanical voice: "Joy Boy… sorry… I… can't go on… any longer…."
A look of sorrow appeared on Joy Boy's face. Clenching his fists, he said in a deep voice,
"Don't say that, Emet. It was my fault for not protecting you. I promise—I won't let you die!"
"I… am… just… a robot… death… does not… apply to me…."
Joy Boy remained silent, shifting his gaze to the headless body lying beside Nami.
The corpse, of course, belonged to Franky, whose head had been blown off by Carl's lightning attack.
He stared at it for a few seconds before abruptly turning to Lindbergh. "Lind, you're an inventor, right?"
Lindbergh nodded.
Joy Boy continued, "Then you must be skilled in mechanics?"
"I'd say I'm decent…."
"Good. I have a request. Franky had a cyborg body, and now he's gone… I want you to build a mechanical head and transfer Emet's core into it. Can you do it?"
Lindbergh was momentarily stunned but quickly grasped Joy Boy's intention. He exclaimed,
"You want to attach this mechanical head to Franky's body?!"
"That's right."
Lindbergh frowned, glancing at the unconscious members of the crew.
"Shouldn't we discuss this with Luffy's companions first?"
Joy Boy thumped his chest and said in a low voice, "Luffy already agreed. His only request was that the head be made to resemble Franky as much as possible."
Lindbergh was skeptical but eventually said, "If that's the case, I'll do my best…."
Joy Boy gently patted Emet's head and said, "Thank you."
With that, he sat cross-legged, his flowing white hair gradually lowering, its color shifting from white back to black.
Lindbergh understood that this meant Luffy's consciousness was about to resurface.
Indeed, Joy Boy was relinquishing control of the body back to Luffy. Just before his presence completely faded, he murmured,
"Try communicating with the straw hat… it will take us somewhere safe…."
His voice grew fainter and eventually disappeared.
Luffy slowly raised his head. Lindbergh hesitated for a moment before calling out to him, but Luffy remained unresponsive.
Lindbergh couldn't tell whether the person before him was truly Luffy. Seeing no reaction, he reached out to place a hand on Luffy's shoulder.
That was when Luffy finally moved.
He got up, slowly walking toward Franky's lifeless body before suddenly collapsing to his knees.
The next moment, without warning, he let out a heart-wrenching cry.
"AAAAAAH! FRANKY!!"
He pounded his fists against the bottom of the barrier, causing ripples to spread across its white surface.
"Damn it! Damn it! Why does it always end like this?! I can't protect anyone! I CAN'T PROTECT ANYONE!!!"
The protective barrier sealed Luffy's wails within. Lindbergh, watching his overwhelming grief, felt a pang in his heart. He let out a heavy sigh and turned his head away.
Luffy's cries continued to echo.
"They're gone! Everyone's gone! My friends, my brother—they're all gone! I'm too weak!"
His anguished voice roused Nami and the others from unconsciousness. They sat up abruptly, turning to see Luffy kneeling beside Franky's body, his face streaked with tears, his eyes rolling back in despair.
Seeing this, Nami and the others couldn't hold back their own emotions.
"Luffy!" Nami cried out in anguish.
She threw herself onto him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, sobbing, "Luffy, Franky was killed by the Fleet Admiral! I'm so scared!"
During the battle, though Luffy had lost control of his body, he had remained aware of everything that transpired. He had seen exactly how Franky had died.
His body stiffened. Slowly, he turned his empty, hollow gaze toward Nami and asked, "Nami… will you leave me?"
Nami shook her head vigorously. "Never! Luffy, I'll always stay by your side!"
-----------
+240 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg