Is that Garp's grandson, Straw Hat Luffy's voice?
Fleet Admiral Sengoku immediately recognized the source of that unmistakable laughter. It belonged to Straw Hat Luffy, the boy who had mysteriously vanished from Marineford Plaza not long ago.
"He actually ran that far?" Sengoku muttered, frowning as he looked up. His gaze locked onto a white figure flying in from the distance, trailed by flickering white flames. "Strange. In such a short time, how did his appearance change so drastically?"
"So bizarre…"
"Hmm?" Garp squinted upward, staring at his grandson, who was still laughing wildly in midair. His eyes widened in disbelief. "That brat is coated in Armament Haki?"
Then his breath hitched.
"And Conqueror's Haki too?"
The old man's heart trembled.
What on earth had this brat gone through to grow so much in such a short time?
Shirogai Yamikuro?
Garp's thoughts instinctively turned to the one person most capable of causing such an explosive leap in strength. No, could the Luffy standing there actually be Shirogai Yamikuro in disguise?
The thought left him completely baffled.
"Ah hahahaha…"
High above, the figure hailed as the Warrior of Liberation, Sun God Luffy, laughed with unrestrained joy. His expression was bright and carefree, yet his crimson eyes swept across the blood-soaked battlefield below.
"What a tragic battle," Luffy said with a grin, a hint of sadness flickering through his gaze. Then his curly eyebrows lifted, and his smile widened again. "Heh heh, I've got a great idea! Hahahaha!"
Suddenly, Luffy's arms stretched outward through the air, wrapping around the thick, layered clouds overhead. With a powerful tug, he dragged them straight down from the sky.
"What?!" Sengoku's eyes went wide.
"What?!"
Across the battlefield, countless powerful fighters froze mid-combat, all staring upward in disbelief.
"What kind of ability is that?"
Hawkeye, World, Akainu, Bullet, Hancock, and many others could only watch as Luffy pulled an enormous mass of dense clouds into his grasp.
"Hehehe…"
The once shapeless clouds twisted and compressed, solidifying into the form of a colossal sword, as if plucked straight from a fairy tale. The giggling boy held it with ease.
"Hahaha, hahaha, I'm back!!"
Wrapped in flowing white flames like a divine ribbon, Luffy raised the gigantic cloud sword high above his head and flashed a huge grin at the stunned figures below.
"Heh heh, take this. Hero's Return!!!"
With those words, he dove downward, laughter bursting from his throat.
"Hehehe!!!"
Marines and pirates alike stared in horror as the massive sword, large enough to rival the entire island, descended with overwhelming force.
"What a huge sword!!!"
"Get out of the way!!!"
The Marines shouted in panic, scrambling to flee, but the attack covered the entire island. There was nowhere to run.
"There's no escaping!"
Vice Admirals clenched their teeth, gripping their weapons tightly.
"No! Stand your ground!!! Don't run! Marineford cannot be destroyed by him!"
Haki surged as they roared and swung their weapons upward, determined to resist the falling blade.
"Don't be reckless, Ace's brother!"
The Whitebeard Pirates looked up in terror at the descending cloud sword, their formation breaking as panic spread.
"Damn it, we're in the attack range too!"
"As expected of Captain Ace's brother, just as reckless as Ace himself!"
"If we die by our own side's hand, the whole world will laugh at us!"
"Hold it back!!! As long as we endure this, we can rescue Ace!!!"
One by one, the Whitebeard Pirates raised their weapons, bracing themselves against the massive sword slowly descending from the sky.
"Gurarararara, brat, you're something else," Whitebeard laughed.
With the two Marine Admirals momentarily disengaging, he leaned on his weapon and looked up at Luffy, who was laughing freely as he swung the sword down. A fierce grin tugged at Whitebeard's lips as he watched.
"How terrifying," Kizaru said as he flashed onto Marine Plaza, staring up at the colossal cloud blade. "In just a few minutes, he's grown into a monster like this?"
"This isn't right," Aokiji said grimly, eyes fixed on Luffy. "How could he grow so much in such a short time?"
"Forget that for now!!!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku, already transformed into a towering golden Buddha, appeared at the center of Marine Plaza. He raised his massive hands, his expression grave.
"We must stop this attack! Its range is far too wide! Ordinary Marines won't survive it!"
Like Garp, Sengoku could not shake the suspicion that this Luffy was actually Shirogai Yamikuro in disguise. Given that man's personality and abilities, such a trick would be entirely possible.
"Yes!"
Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji raised their power in unison, aiming upward at the falling sword.
"Garp! Your grandson is responsible for this! Are you really going to keep sitting there?"
"I'm coming, I'm coming! Really now, these grandsons are driving this old man insane!"
Grumbling loudly, Garp leapt down into the plaza and coated his fists with Armament Haki, preparing to resist.
"Hehehe, here it comes!!!"
As everyone poured their strength into defense, the cloud giant sword crashed down along with Luffy's laughter.
Boom!!!!
…
The sword fell, yet no one was hurt.
The moment it touched the ground, it shattered completely, dissolving into harmless mist that spread across the entire island.
"We were tricked?!"
Those who had braced themselves for devastation froze in shock.
That terrifying, island-sized sword had possessed no destructive power at all. It was nothing more than a prank, born from a moment of mischief.
Everyone had been fooled.
"Damn it! We fell for it!" Sengoku growled, grinding his teeth as he scanned the area. "Where did Straw Hat Luffy go? Find him immediately! He's acting far too strangely!"
Whoosh, whoosh…
Mist flooded Marineford, obscuring vision and disrupting the Marines' movements.
"Kizaru!"
"Understood."
At Sengoku's command, Kizaru shot into the sky, releasing blinding light that illuminated the battlefield.
Whoosh!
Sizzle!!!
Under the intense radiance, the mist condensed and quickly evaporated. As visibility returned, the plaza came back into clear view.
"Hehehe, I scared you all successfully! Hahahaha, that was fun!"
Joyful laughter echoed across Marineford.
"Hehehe!!!"
Following the sound, the Marines turned sharply, only to see, with shock and anger, Straw Hat Luffy already standing beside Fire Fist Ace atop the execution platform.
"Ace! I'm here!!!!"
"L-Luffy?" Ace stared at him, stunned and overwhelmed. "You actually made it…"
"Watch out for them trying to ambush you!"
"Heh heh, don't worry, Ace!" Luffy said confidently, patting his chest with a wide grin. "Ah hahaha, I'm ridiculously strong now!"
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