If Kuma were here, he would immediately recognize that the lifeless Revolutionary Army soldiers were performing the so-called Dance of Nika.
The movements of the Revolutionary Army grew increasingly exaggerated, while the aura emanating from Joy Boy above surged higher and higher.
Lucia sensed something was off. Drawing her sword, she pointed it at the Revolutionary Army and commanded coldly,
"Shatter their bodies!"
At her order, several Marines carrying cannons stepped forward, launching a volley of cannon fire.
However, an invisible barrier surrounded the Revolutionary Army, rendering the bombardment ineffective.
Lucia frowned and ordered,
"All officers of Colonel rank and above, follow me!"
With that, she slashed her blade, now engulfed in purple flames, and soared into the air. Her attack, "Fallen Angel's Hammer," crashed into the barrier, causing a dense network of blue cracks to appear.
The remaining Marine officers swiftly followed, unleashing their Armament Haki as fists and blades struck the barrier. With a resounding crack, the shield finally shattered into nothingness.
Yet, the Revolutionary Army within remained unfazed, continuing their eerie dance as if oblivious to everything around them—until the sky was set ablaze with purple flames, reducing them to mere ashes.
Above, Joy Boy's expression remained unchanged. Those Revolutionaries were already dead, their brief dance had merely been their last contribution.
Now, his power was fully amassed. Based on his calculations, it would be enough to severely wound Carl.
Carl, meanwhile, had become one with the darkness. At the center of the sky, a massive vortex of darkness was slowly spinning.
Sensing the terrifying energy radiating from the vortex, Joy Boy's expression turned grim. He glanced back at Nami and the others, then solemnly spoke four words:
"For the sake of freedom."
Nami didn't fully grasp the meaning behind Joy Boy's words, but her instincts screamed that something terrible was about to happen.
However, at this moment, she had no control over her own body. Even if she understood, what could she do?
All she could do was place her hopes on Luffy, mustering all her strength to shout:
"Luffy, wake up!! Don't let that guy control your body any longer!!"
Joy Boy didn't even glance at her. Her cries were meaningless—Luffy had consumed far too many Rumble Balls and was now in a fragmented state of consciousness.
A misty white breath escaped Joy Boy's lips, and under the glow of a holy radiance, his body suddenly expanded. A tangible force of Conqueror's Haki wrapped around him.
As he moved, Nami and the others winced in pain. Their bodies also began to enlarge, even Brook's skeletal frame was not exempt.
At that moment, from within the swirling darkness above, a colossal black blade tip slowly emerged, aiming directly at Joy Boy below.
Joy Boy roared,
"Come forth! For the sake of freedom! Nika's Liberation Fist!!!"
Before he could act, Nami and the others screamed in terror, their bodies involuntarily launching skyward with clenched fists. Joy Boy followed close behind.
From within the vortex, Carl's calm voice resonated:
"Dark Judgment."
Hum!
A massive blade of darkness erupted from the vortex, colliding head-on with Joy Boy's attack.
The entire battlefield split into two—one half engulfed in blinding white, the other in absolute black. At the forefront, Nami and the others grimaced in agony, but Joy Boy paid them no heed, pouring even more power into his attack.
Haki-infused lightning crackled, igniting titanic waves below. Moments later, Nami let out a piercing scream—her skin was riddled with cracks.
Among them, her endurance was the weakest, and she was the first to succumb. The darkness descended, swallowing her entire enlarged body.
In the next instant, Nami's eyes turned vacant. A long fissure ran down her forehead, and with a sharp crack, her body split in two, dissolving into countless white fragments.
Chopper barely had time to grieve before meeting the same fate.
Watching his comrades perish before his eyes, Brook was consumed by overwhelming sorrow. Within his hollow eye sockets, two green flames flickered to life.
In that instant, the power of the Revive-Revive Fruit erupted. Though Brook could not free himself from Joy Boy's control, he could separate his soul from his body.
Brook's jawbone snapped open, releasing a green, skull-shaped soul.
The moment his soul detached, his enlarged skeletal form was instantly swallowed by the darkness. As Brook's soul drifted, he felt an inexplicable summoning—a pull toward the underworld.
Having already died once, Brook knew this feeling all too well.
Without his physical body to anchor him, he could no longer remain in the world of the living. But through sheer will and the power of his Devil Fruit, he clung on.
Brook fixated on Joy Boy, who, preoccupied with the battle, had completely dismissed him. Losing Nami and the others had weakened Joy Boy significantly—something he had not anticipated.
Brook's soul flickered erratically before he suddenly let out a shrill wail, a cry from the depths of his very being:
"Luffy!!!"
Joy Boy's face twisted in shock. His eyes widened as he blurted out,
"Nani?!"
In the next instant, Brook's soul dove straight into Joy Boy's body.
Joy Boy trembled violently, the holy glow around him visibly dimming, and his attack lost momentum.
Slash!
The dark blade pierced through Joy Boy's enlarged fist, sending a surge of white mist billowing outward.
Joy Boy gritted his teeth, holding firm, but at that moment, a green flame flickered into existence on his forehead.
Inside his mind, Brook's voice echoed desperately, repeatedly calling out to Luffy, using his last moments to awaken his consciousness.
Joy Boy clutched his head in agony, his pain unbearable. His straw hat trembled wildly, while Brook's soul fire visibly shrank.
As his soul fire neared complete extinction, Brook mustered the last of his strength, sending out one final cry within Joy Boy's mind:
"Wake up, Luffy!!!"
With those words, Brook's soul shattered completely. He was not even granted the chance to return to the underworld—his existence was utterly erased.
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+200 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg