The Straw Hat crew, still marked by the discovery of the devastated island, remained on high alert. The old man's words echoed in their minds: a man with a mechanical arm, a shining weapon, a crusade against pirates.
"We'll find those guys and take them down!" Luffy shouted as he held a piece of meat between his teeth.
Sanji, emerging from the kitchen with a tray of cocktails for Nami and Robin, flashed a charming smile. "Don't worry, Nami-san. With me to protect your lovely curves, no danger will touch you."
Robin, sitting in the shade with a book, gave a faint smile. "The Dyna Stones... weapons of terrifying power. If this man possesses them, he is more dangerous than we thought."
Franky, clapping his metal fist against his palm. "SUPER! If they want to play with explosions, they'll taste the Franky Fireball!"
Usopp, beside him, swallowed loudly. "Keep your suicidal ideas to yourself. I vote we avoid these lunatics!"
Chopper, clutching his medical bag, nodded. "Yeah, it's too risky! And what if we run into this Gojo guy? He's even scarier!"
His question brought a pensive silence, broken by Luffy. "Doesn't matter who he is! If he's hurting people, I'll knock him out!"
The volcanic island appeared on the horizon, its black slopes smoking under a sky laden with ash. Lightning streaked through the clouds, and a sulfuric smell saturated the air.
The Sunny docked in a sheltered cove, and the crew ventured onto the island, their senses on high alert. The ground trembled slightly under their steps, and steam geysers erupted here and there.
Suddenly, a rustling sound echoed. Thick vines sprang from the ground, wrapping around Zoro and Sanji's legs. "What the...?!" growled Zoro, drawing his swords to cut through the vegetation. Sanji, pivoting, sent a fiery kick, but the vines kept pushing back. "What the hell is this?!" he exclaimed.
A slender figure emerged from the shadows. Binz, a lieutenant of the Neo Marine, adjusted his hat with a sly smile. "Welcome, pirates. You've fallen into my trap. Mushi Mushi no Mi: Vine Field!" The plants thickened, immobilizing Zoro and Sanji.
Luffy, furious, leaped towards Binz, but another figure appeared: Ain, her blue hair billowing in the wind. She extended her hand, and a violet light enveloped Nami and Chopper.
"What's happening?!" Nami cried, feeling her body shrinking. In seconds, she and Chopper found themselves rejuvenated, their oversized clothes hanging on their childlike bodies. "My Modo Modo no Mi," explained Ain, her voice calm but cold. "You're finished."
Luffy, fists clenched, roared: "Give them back their forms!" He activated his Gear Second, charging at Ain, but another massive figure intervened.
Zephyr, his Battle Smasher gleaming, blocked Luffy's attack with crushing force. "Straw Hat," he growled, his gaze stern. "You pirates are a scourge. This era must end."
Pushed back, Luffy rose, a fierce smile on his face. "Who are you?" Zephyr, impassive, activated his Armament Haki, his mechanical arm glowing with a black aura.
The battle ignited. Luffy, in Gear Second, unleashed a barrage of blows, but Zephyr agilely dodged for a man of his age. The Battle Smasher, reinforced with sea prism stone, countered each attack, and a powerful blow sent Luffy crashing against a rock.
Freed from the vines, Zoro charged at Binz, his swords swirling. "Santoryu: Toro Nagashi!" The vines were cut, but Binz counterattacked, his plants regrowing relentlessly.
Sanji, freed in turn, protected Nami and Chopper, now vulnerable. "Dirty cowards, attacking women and children!" he roared, launching a Diable Jambe at Ain. She dodged, but her gaze remained fixed on Zephyr, as if awaiting his orders.
Robin, using her powers, temporarily immobilized Binz with arms sprouting from the ground. "Flower: Clutch!" Franky, covering Usopp and Brook, fired a Radical Beam, forcing Ain to retreat. But Zephyr dominated the battlefield, his Haki overwhelming the crew. "You're weak," he said, his voice dripping with contempt. "Pirates like you have no place in this world."
He produced a luminescent sphere - a Dyna Stone - and raised it. "The End Points will be activated, and the New World will disappear with you."
Luffy, rising again, shouted: "You don't have the right to decide that! People have the right to live free!" He charged once more, but Zephyr triggered the Dyna Stone, causing a blinding explosion.
The crew was thrown back by the shockwave. When the dust settled, the Neo Marine had vanished, leaving behind a smoking crater.
Covered in ash, Luffy clenched his fists. "They won't get away with this!"
Nami, trembling with anger in her childlike body, "These guys are insane! We have to stop them before they cause more damage!" Chopper, still in shock, nodded.
Zoro, wiping blood from his forehead, growled: "Strong or not, we just have to crush them."
Sanji, lighting a cigarette, added: "They'll pay for what they did to Nami-san."
***
In their volcanic fortress, Zephyr, Ain, and Binz analyzed the confrontation. "The Straw Hats are more resilient than expected," Ain said, her neutral tone masking her worry.
Binz, adjusting his hat, added: "But they can't do anything against the Dyna Stones."
Zephyr, staring at a map of the End Points, clenched his mechanical fist. "They're just an obstacle. Once the End Points are activated, no pirate will survive."
His gaze burned with unwavering determination, but a shadow of pain crossed his eyes - the memory of his family, his men, all that he had lost.
***
On the volcanic island, the Straw Hats tended to their wounds near the Sunny.
Luffy, sitting on a rock, gazed at the crater left by the Dyna Stone. "These guys..."