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The executioner's blade was about to fall, gleaming with a chill that cut deeper than steel.
Luffy, locked in a desperate battle with the Navy, threw his head back and roared at the top of his lungs.
"STOP!!!"
His heart burned with frustration and rage.
All around, the crowd froze, eyes locked on the descending blade—yet not one of them could do anything.
"STOP IT, I SAID!!!" Luffy's scream tore through the air.
And then it happened.
A terrifying force erupted from deep within him.
The world itself seemed to fall silent. Time, for an instant, felt frozen.
Under the weight of Luffy's overwhelming presence, color drained from faces across the battlefield. The shockwave of his spirit rolled out like a storm, shaking the ground, swallowing everything in its path.
Sweat poured down Sengoku's forehead.
The two executioners collapsed, unconscious before their blades even touched the air.
Marines near Luffy dropped one by one, slumping to the ground like puppets with cut strings. The number of fallen kept climbing—hundreds, thousands—all crushed beneath the same invisible power.
The battlefield grew eerily quiet, the silence broken only by the sound of bodies hitting the ground.
And Luffy… Luffy didn't even realize what he had done. He just kept charging toward the execution platform, eyes burning with only one thought: Ace.
The strongest fighters on the field stood dumbstruck.
Ivankov's jaw dropped. "Luffy… what was that just now?!"
"That was… Conqueror's Haki!!!" gasped a pirate, his voice trembling.
"No way!" Even Aokiji's face darkened with shock.
Kizaru tilted his head, lips curling faintly. "Well, now… isn't that something."
Akainu and Ace both stared wide-eyed, their disbelief written plain across their faces.
From Whitebeard's bloodied mouth came a deep, rumbling laugh. "That brat… how terrifying."
"He has the same kingly Haki as Pops and Red-Hair!" shouted one of Whitebeard's division commanders.
Marco clutched his wound, eyes wide. "That… that was him?!"
Akainu clenched his fists together, grimacing. "So it was an unconscious burst… but the potential he hides is terrifying."
On the high platform, Garp finally spoke, his voice heavy. "So it really is something he was born with…"
Luffy had awakened the Conqueror's Haki—an ability said to appear in only one person in a million, the mark of a true king.
A Vice Admiral stared in disbelief. "Conqueror's Haki… as the son of Dragon, the Revolutionary, it makes sense that he'd have such potential!"
"Kill him!" barked the Marines. "If we let him grow any further, he'll become a monster! Take Straw Hat down now!!!"
But before they could close in, Whitebeard raised his fist. Power surged, the very air around him cracking like shattered glass. His blow didn't land on flesh—it struck the world itself.
A quake rippled outward, crushing Marines beneath its weight, sending shockwaves like tsunamis across the battlefield.
"Cowardly Navy dogs!" Whitebeard bellowed. "All of you rushing just to take down a single brat? What about my head? Don't want it anymore?!"
Another earth-shattering punch tore through the air, his Tremor-Tremor Fruit splitting the battlefield with roaring force. Tornado-like shockwaves ripped through the ranks, scattering Marines like leaves in a storm.
His crew surged forward, shouting, "We'll cover Pops!"
"Don't falter! Get Whitebeard!" the Marines rallied, fear twisting their voices.
"Straw Hat Boy! Now's your chance, run!" Ivankov shouted.
Together, he and Luffy sprinted toward the platform. The short distance stretched into something endless, every step heavier than the last.
"Almost there!" Luffy gasped. "Ace—wait for me!!"
Other Worlds Watching
One Piece world, Sunny Go—
Sanji exhaled smoke slowly, his eyes narrowed but burning with pride. "Conqueror's Haki… I knew it. Luffy, you really do have the spirit of a king. I'll follow you to the very end."
Usopp jumped up and down, fists pumping. "LUFFY!!! I knew it, you're the strongest!!"
Naruto world—
Sasuke stared at the screen in silence. "What kind of power is that…? Just being near it makes people collapse. Even watching, I can barely breathe."
Might Guy's eyes gleamed. "So this is youth! Such perfect youth—it even surpasses my Daytime Tiger! Clearly, I need more training. Fifty laps around Konoha, upside down, should do it!"
The Akatsuki gathered.
Deidara cackled, eyes wide. "So this is art! Magnificent, just like my art! I acknowledge you, Straw Hat Luffy! ART IS… CONQUEROR'S HAKI!!!"
Nagato's face hardened. "Power from another world… stranger even than the Rinnegan."
Konan touched his shoulder gently. "Don't trouble yourself. It's not of this world—it won't interfere with our plan."
Saint Seiya world—
In the Virgo Temple, Shaka slowly opened his eyes. "Such strange energy… to reach me even here, through a screen. Terrifying indeed."
For the man closest to god, few forces were worthy of awe.
The Pope rose to his feet. "Conqueror's Haki… is this the power of the divine?"
Dragon Ball world—
Master Roshi frowned deeply at the screen. "That energy… I've never felt anything like it."
Goku grinned, fists clenched in excitement. "Conqueror's Haki, huh? My blood's boiling! I wanna fight him so bad!!!"
Bulma's lips trembled. "Another monster? How many of them does this world have?!"
Krillin shook all over, pale as a sheet. "Goku, are you crazy?! That guy doesn't even need to touch anyone and they drop like flies!"
Back on the battlefield, Whitebeard raised his fist once more, white energy crackling around him as if the world itself was about to shatter.
"Gather yourselves, Marines!" Akainu barked. "We fight to the last!"
But Whitebeard's thunderous voice cut through the chaos.
"Listen well, boys! From this moment, protect Straw Hat Luffy with everything you've got!"
"Protect Ace's little brother!!!"
"Pops!!!" his crew roared back, their eyes wet with both rage and devotion.
Kizaru lifted his glowing finger, aiming at Luffy. "Guess I'll finish you off here and now…"
But a wall of pirates—fearsome names from the New World—closed ranks around the boy, shielding him.
"Go, kid! Don't waste this chance!"
Ivankov yelled after him. "The strongest man in the world has staked it all on you! Don't let that go to waste!"
"I don't care what Whitebeard's plan is!" Luffy shouted, eyes blazing. "I came here for one reason!"
"TO SAVE ACE!!!"
The Marines pushed forward. "Take down Whitebeard and this war is over!"
But Whitebeard just bared his teeth in a bloody grin. "All of you against me? Fine… let's see if you can!"
His massive blade howled with energy as he swung it, unleashing a storm so fierce it swallowed the battlefield whole.
"Go on, brat," Whitebeard muttered under the roar of battle. "You stopped the execution for Ace. If you carry the Will of D…"
"Show me the future of this era!!!"
"..."
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