Buzz—!
Just like years ago, Luffy was once again blasted away by an Almighty Push. Under the crushing repulsive force, his body flattened in midair before smacking hard into the ground.
Kaito walked over slowly, holding a dazed Ace in one hand, stopping before Sabo.
Sabo swallowed nervously and said,
"Your Majesty... why are you here?"
Setting Ace down, Kaito replied,
"Someone called for me, so I came. But I really didn't expect the two of you together still couldn't handle Luffy."
A few minutes earlier, when Nojiko and the others realized Ace and his group hadn't returned for quite a while, they had used the Flying Thunder God kunai to summon Kaito.
The moment Kaito appeared, the entire street almost erupted in chaos.
Nojiko, seeing him again after so many years, dropped all pretense of composure—she immediately threw her arms around Kaito's, pressing herself against him.
Nami was even bolder—she practically clung to him like a koala, calling out "Kaito!" again and again, leaving him utterly confused. For a second, he thought something dangerous had happened—but clearly, that wasn't the case.
Finally, it was Tashigi who worked up the courage to step forward. She didn't even light a cigarette this time. Face full of respect, she reported everything that had happened.
After getting the full picture, Kaito gently extricated himself from between Nojiko and Nami and made his way to where the three brothers were fighting.
When he arrived, he saw Luffy trading blows with Sabo.
Luffy's form surprised him for a moment—he hadn't expected Luffy to have entered the Nika form. Although not fully awakened yet, it was close enough.
Hearing Kaito's teasing tone, Ace lowered his head in shame, while Sabo's face tightened with embarrassment.
Straightening his back, Sabo said,
"Your Majesty, my apologies. Once Luffy's fruit awakened, it became completely bizarre. Ace and I couldn't handle him. We've troubled you again!"
Kaito chuckled softly. Being a noble by birth, Sabo still spoke with the kind of refinement that made his apologies sound pleasing to the ear.
Not that Kaito actually blamed them. After all, the Rubber—no, the Nika Fruit—was practically a cheat code. It was only natural that Ace and Sabo would have trouble.
Turning around, Kaito raised a hand toward one direction.
"Universal Pull."
Whoosh!
From the distance, a small black dot shot toward him—it was Luffy, the same one who had been sent flying moments earlier.
He was yanked straight into Kaito's grip, neck caught tight in an unbreakable hold.
Luffy's face turned blue and purple. He tried to turn his body into rubber to slip free, but his powers failed him completely. Kaito wasn't affected at all.
Kaito narrowed his eyes slightly, attempting to strip Luffy of his fruit power—but that didn't work either.
The fruit seemed to possess its own will—it actively resisted him.
This was the first time Kaito had encountered such a thing, and it actually piqued his interest. He released his hand.
Luffy dropped to the ground, instantly kicking backward, retreating as fast as he could, keeping as much distance as possible from Kaito like he was avoiding the plague.
The ground beneath his feet stretched out with rubbery tendrils that wrapped tightly around his ankles—precautions against being pulled in again by another Universal Pull.
Even with his immense increase in strength, Luffy couldn't suppress the instinctive fear he felt before Kaito.
Right now, he was deeply regretting it—regretting that he hadn't left sooner. If he'd known Kaito would show up, he'd never have thought about recruiting a navigator. He'd have just taken a dinghy and drifted off wherever the wind carried him.
He had planned to grow slowly, step by step... but now? He hadn't even left the tutorial zone before running into the final boss. How was he supposed to play this game!?
Kaito looked at the tense, trembling Luffy with calm indifference and said,
"If I remember right, I've already taught you a lesson twice before. You're persistent, I'll give you that. Still dreaming of becoming the Pirate King, are you?"
At the words "Pirate King," Luffy's spirit reignited. He puffed up his cheeks and shouted,
"That's right! I'm going to be the Pirate Ki—"
Bang!
Before he could finish, Kaito appeared right before him and slammed a fist into his face.
Luffy's face caved inward, a fist-shaped bulge forming out the back of his skull.
Retracting his arm, Kaito stared down at Luffy's disfigured face.
This time, it didn't bounce back like usual. Luffy waved his hands wildly, clutching at his head and yelling in horror,
"What's going on!? I can't see anything!?"
Luffy stumbled side to side like a crab. Kaito clenched his hand, and an invisible force crushed Luffy into a compact ball of flesh. Then, with a casual kick, he sent him flying skyward.
Luffy shot out of sight, disappearing beyond the clouds. After a long moment, he reappeared, trailing a blazing tail of fire as he plummeted back down like a meteor, slamming into the earth and creating a massive crater.
Ace and Sabo watched, stunned into silence.
When Luffy still didn't move after a while, Ace hesitated and asked,
"Luffy's not... dead, right?"
Sabo stiffly shook his head.
"Shouldn't be. If His Majesty wanted him dead, he'd already be dead."
Floating midair, Kaito gazed down at the crater where Luffy lay spread-eagle. Under his watch, Luffy's body began to change again.
His hair turned completely white, rippling upward as though alive. Parts of his body seemed to melt into a black fluid that oozed downward.
Kaito raised an eyebrow and murmured,
"So it's a full awakening now? Guess I ended up finishing Kaido's work for him."
The moment he spoke, a powerful heartbeat echoed from below—deep and resonant, like the beating of a war drum.
Luffy had transformed fully, entering his Nika Form.
His ancestral red vest had turned white like his hair, and all his injuries vanished.
Now he stood in the beastified state of the Nika Fruit, overflowing with energy. He couldn't help but throw back his head and laugh.
"Ha ha ha ha ha—!"
He hadn't even finished a few laughs before a heavy punch descended from above.
"What the hell are you laughing at!?"
Boom!
Luffy's head was smashed down into his chest—it was horrifying to look at.
Thankfully, the Nika Fruit's recovery was monstrous. After some struggle, his head popped back out with a "boing!"
But the terror in his eyes was unmistakable. The surge of confidence he'd just felt vanished like smoke.
Kaito snorted coldly. A milky-white halo flared around his fist, and he punched through the air—his strike landing squarely on Luffy's abdomen from afar.
Crack!
Dense blue cracks spread outward in all directions. This wasn't just the Tremor-Tremor power breaking the air—Kaito had shattered space itself.
The power of the ruptured space nearly tore Luffy's body apart.
When Kaito finally withdrew his hand, Luffy was nothing more than a mangled heap, lying limp on the ground like a puddle of flesh.