Everyone turned toward the voice and saw a large man wearing a simple red belt across his torso with three magatama-like symbols, a scar stretching from his left eye down to his cheek, step into the clearing. Behind him stood two figures identical in appearance to Bartholomew Kuma, each towering and expressionless.
"Old man, next time remember not to use that black Transponder Snail," the newcomer chided as he walked toward Kizaru.
"Oh, it's Sentomaru," Kizaru grumbled, rubbing his forehead, clearly recognizing him. "Fine, I'll remember."
Sentomaru, towering and muscular, eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the white-haired man confronting Kizaru. "Is this Dark King Rayleigh?" he asked quietly.
Anyone who could make an Admiral hesitate was not ordinary. It had to be Silvers Rayleigh, Pirate King Roger's legendary First Mate, rumored to be living quietly on the Sabaody Archipelago.
Rayleigh furrowed his brow as he sensed Sentomaru's aura. He scanned the battlefield — Luffy was still exhausted, and Renn, Sanji, and the others were already pushed to their limits. Rayleigh had just been gathering his strength to engage Kizaru, and now another strong opponent had appeared unexpectedly.
If it weren't for Rayleigh, these young fighters might truly be crushed here.
At the same time, Renn, Usopp, Chopper, and the rest felt their hearts sink again. Their brief hope faded the moment they saw two figures who looked exactly like Kuma standing behind Sentomaru.
"Two… two… two Kuma?!," Usopp stuttered, disbelief spinning his words.
"It's over, it's over," Chopper muttered, shrinking into a tiny dot as he spun nervously.
Luffy, still weak but alert, sensed something off. He looked at Sanji and Renn, distracted from his exhaustion. "They're not the real Bartholomew Kuma," he said calmly.
"Then… aren't they Kuma?" Usopp wiped sweat from his brow, relief washing over him.
But before anyone could react further, one of the robotic Kuma figures raised its palm, and a small black aperture formed there. A laser shot out and pierced Bari's shoulder with terrifying precision.
"Bari!," Sanji and the others yelled in alarm.
"Ah! They're exactly the same as the real one!" Usopp cried, falling into despair.
Sanji, brimming with pride in his leg work, rushed forward. He leapt onto the nearby PX-like figure's head and drove a powerful kick toward its neck.
Clang.
His heel connected solidly.
"That's excellent! Its neck must be broken now, you damn Warlord!" Usopp and Chopper cheered.
But the joy was short-lived. Sanji crumpled to the ground, clutching his leg, screaming in agony.
"What?!" Usopp cried as everyone realized how tough even a copy could be, its durability matching Kuma's metal frame.
Bari, clutching his pierced shoulder, groaned in despair. It didn't matter whether it was the real Kuma or not — it was just as lethal.
Renn raised his sword and charged toward the PX unit, but Sentomaru stepped forward, blocking him.
"Renn, Supernova with 140 million — you are under arrest!" Sentomaru declared, palms glowing with Armament Haki.
"Ashigara Dokkoi!" he shouted, thrusting both palms outward.
Renn slammed his blade up to block, but the force was so great that he was thrown dozens of meters backward, crashing hard into the dirt.
"Sanji! Renn! Damn it!" Luffy groaned, inching forward through the pain. "Only four minutes left…"
Renn lay on the ground, blood seeping from his wounded mouth and wrists, unable to move properly. That attack had emptied him almost entirely.
Rayleigh was about to rush to help when a sharp edge of light shot directly toward him. He barely raised his sword to block Kizaru's strike.
"Hmph, hmph," Rayleigh muttered under his breath, struggling to stay upright. "I want to help them, but it seems I truly can't."
"You shouldn't be out here anymore, Rayleigh," Kizaru commented, eyeing the veteran. "You're too old to be facing the Marines. It's bad for your health to oppose us."
Across the field, despair crept over the Straw Hats. Their strongest fighters were crippled. Luffy watched helplessly as his crew was beaten back.
"Only three minutes left," Luffy muttered, frustration brewing as helplessness washed over him for the first time.
Sentomaru stepped before Luffy now. "Monkey D. Luffy," he said, though it was clear they meant Luffy, "you are bold, but this ends now."
At the same moment, PX-like Kuma unit #2 extended its palm toward a fallen Sanji, a laser beginning to gather at its muzzle.
Sanji lay curled on the ground, trembling with pain.
Usopp charged at it. "Hissatsu: Kayaku Boshi! Hissatsu: Lead Star!" he cried, throwing every technique he knew. Still, nothing damaged it.
"Why? Why no damage?!" Usopp howled in frustration.
Just then, another figure stepped between Sanji and the PX unit, slowing its laser discharge.
The robotic eyes flashed red, and it recognized the newcomer.
"Bartholomew Kuma, Warlord of the Sea, ally," the mechanical voice declared, "cease attack."
Sanji, Chopper, and the others stared, bewildered.
"How many of these things are there?!," Chopper whimpered.
Luffy narrowed his eyes, sensing the aura. "This… this one feels different. It's the real Kuma."
Sentomaru corrected him sharply, "It's 'when it rains, it pours,' you idiot."
Sentomaru then looked at Kuma, surprised. "Why are you here on Sabaody Archipelago? What are you doing?"
Kuma's deep voice was calm as he focused on Sanji's condition.
"If it's just a trip, where do you intend to go?"
He removed the glove on his right hand, revealing the giant paw-like pad that only Kuma could have.
Suddenly, Kuma's palm slapped the ground beside Sanji.
Pop.
Sanji vanished instantly from the spot.
"Sanji!," Usopp shouted in shock, scrambling to look around.
But Sanji was gone — completely.
"Sanji!"
===
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