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"Where are you, Ace?! Where are you?!"
Luffy tore across the battlefield, eyes desperate, searching for his brother.
Every Marine in his way went down with a single punch as Luffy tore through them, desperately searching.
At last—he saw him.
Up on the execution platform—Ace!
"ACE!!!"
The roar shook the battlefield.
"LUFFY!!" Ace's eyes went wide, completely stunned.
"Ace, hang on! I'm coming right now!"
One Marine froze, horrified. "Wait… don't tell me… Crocodile?!"
Another stammered, "And that freak with the giant face—what the hell is going on?!"
Buggy threw his arms wide, laughing manically. "Tremble, world! Your reckoning has arrived!"
"Ace, I'm here to save you!" Luffy shouted.
The group behind him was so fearsome that both pirates and Marines alike gawked in disbelief.
Sengoku's face twisted with fury. "Garp! That grandson of yours again?!"
Garp slapped a hand over his face, torn between shock and despair. "Luffy!!"
Another Marine cried out, "Look—it's not just the Straw Hat!"
"Jinbe's with him!"
"And even the Revolutionary Army's Ivankov!"
"And behind them—nothing but infamous pirates!"
"Those are Impel Down escapees!!"
Hawkeye Mihawk's eyes narrowed. "Always in the center of the storm… Straw Hat."
Moria bared his teeth, seething. "Straw Hat brat!!"
Boa Hancock's beautiful face softened with relief. "Luffy… thank goodness you're unharmed."
Aokiji muttered coolly, "Another dangerous bunch shows up…"
Kizaru chuckled lazily. "Well, isn't this a quick reunion."
On Whitebeard's side, Marco tilted his head. "So that's the little brother Ace kept talking about."
Doflamingo licked his lips in excitement. "The old and new Warlords gathered together, and on top of that—the so-called 'legendary' rookie, Straw Hat Luffy?"
From the high platform, Akainu's expression turned to ice. "So that's him—the grandson of Hero Garp. The son of Dragon, leader of the Revolutionaries. That brat must be eradicated."
Sengoku thundered at Jinbe, "You've chosen to side with Straw Hat Luffy?! Is this your answer?!"
Jinbe stood firm. "That's right. I'm done being a Warlord of the Sea."
Garp's jaw dropped. "No matter how you slice it… that alliance is insane!"
"Prisoners mixed with Revolutionary commanders!"
"A crew of complete misfits!"
"And even Crocodile, a former Warlord!"
"There's no way they share the same goal… not on this battlefield."
Crocodile's sharp eyes shifted toward Whitebeard, standing proud on his ship. A thin smile curled across his lips.
Whitebeard's glare cut through the battlefield, so fierce that nearby Marines lost control of themselves and collapsed in terror.
Elsewhere, around the world…
Doflamingo laughed in the shadows. "Straw Hat's stirring up chaos too, huh?"
Shanks' eyes widened in shock. "Luffy! …I knew you'd go. To save Ace, there's no way you'd stay away. Cause a ruckus as big as you want—I'll be there before long."
Within the Revolutionary Army, Sabo slammed a fist against the wall, shaking with rage. "Luffy's gone to save Ace… and where the hell am I?! My brothers are suffering, and I'm not there! Damn it!"
"Luffy, Ace—just wait. Next time, I swear, I'll fight by your side. I'll never abandon my brothers again!"
His fury burned so strong it nearly shook the heavens.
Dragon, watching from a dark chamber, muttered, "Go wild, Luffy. Don't worry—your father won't let them take you. If the Navy dares lay a hand on my son, I'll drown them in blood."
Meanwhile, in another world entirely—the Shinobi world…
"Luffy!!" Naruto's grin stretched wide. "Man, I like this guy!"
Sasuke sighed, unimpressed. "Another idiot… just like you."
Kakashi rubbed his temple. "Why are there always so many problem children? Gives me a headache."
The Third Hokage chuckled warmly. "Youth with spirit… not bad at all."
Back on the battlefield—
Ivankov frowned. "Where's Croco-boy?"
Buggy snorted. "Probably fainted at the sight of all this chaos, hahaha!"
But Crocodile's body melted into sand and shot like a bullet toward Whitebeard.
Luffy's eyes widened. "That bastard—what's he trying to do?!"
"The target's Whitebeard!" Marines shouted in alarm.
Crocodile sneered. "Long time no see, Whitebeard!"
Whitebeard didn't even lift an eyelid. "Still haven't learned your lesson, have you, brat?"
Crocodile's golden hook arced forward, striking for Whitebeard's chest—
But a purple-glowing foot smashed down on it with explosive force.
BOOM!
A wall of mist swallowed everyone's vision.
"Straw Hat!! You dare get in my way?!"
Luffy's body blazed with violet energy as he kicked out. Crocodile slipped aside in an instant, landing lightly on the deck.
His sharp gaze fell on Luffy—already soaked in water.
"So… you came prepared to fight me."
He remembered all too well: the brat had drenched him once before, stripping him of his sand body, and that was how he'd been defeated.
"Our deal ended the moment we got here. Why protect Whitebeard?!"
Luffy blinked, realization dawning. "Wait… so this old man's Whitebeard? If that's the case, then I can't let you touch him! Ace likes this guy a lot!"
Marco chuckled. "Not bad, kid. Ace's little brother's got guts."
Whitebeard's men instantly drew their blades, blocking Crocodile's path. "Stay away from Pops!"
Whitebeard's eyes fell on the straw hat at Luffy's back. His memory flashed to another red-haired young man who once wore it.
"Brat… that hat looks an awful lot like Red-Haired Shanks'."
"You know Shanks? He gave me this hat to keep safe," Luffy grinned.
"You've come to save your brother?"
"Damn right!"
Whitebeard's face hardened. "Do you even understand who your enemies are? Charging in like this will get you killed."
"Shut up!" Luffy yelled back. "That's not for you to decide!"
He raised his voice again, defiant. "I know you want to be Pirate King, right? Well—"
Ivankov and Buggy were already drenched in sweat, frantically waving their arms for Luffy to stop.
"The one who's gonna be Pirate King… is me!!!"
Whitebeard slammed his massive blade against the ship, the shockwave nearly knocking everyone off their feet.
Then, slowly, his mouth curled into a grin. "You've got some nerve, snot-nosed brat. Just don't slow me down, or I'll crush you myself!"
"Fine by me!" Luffy shot back. "I'll do things my way—Ace is mine to save!!"
Kizaru chuckled to Sengoku, voice dripping with amusement. "Doesn't matter if we execute the lot of them at once, right, Fleet Admiral?"
"Of course," Sengoku growled.
Ace's eyes filled with panic. "Luffy!! Pops!!"
But Luffy didn't hesitate—he vaulted off Whitebeard's ship, charging straight toward the execution platform. Behind him, Jinbe, Ivankov, and the others surged forward into the heart of the Marine lines.
The battle was about to explode.
"..."
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