Time seemed to freeze.
Every member of the Straw Hat crew turned around.
Kojin stood over three meters tall, his powerful frame resembling a savage beast from the wilderness. With one hand, he had Nami by the throat.
Her pale, slender neck looked so fragile that he could snap it with the slightest squeeze.
"NAMI!!!"
Luffy's panicked shout shattered the silence.
Bubbles slowly drifted upward, reaching the top of the massive tree before bursting with soft pops. In that moment, it felt as though something inside every Straw Hat shattered along with them.
'CRACKLE!'
A blinding flash erupted. Blue arcs of electricity shot dozens of meters into the sky, the scorching heat instantly raising the temperature around them.
"NAMI!!!"
Terrified screams rang out.
More bubbles reaching the treetop burst one after another.
The lightning around Kojin's right hand gradually faded, and then his fingers loosened.
'THUD!'
Nami hit the ground hard. Smoke rose from her entire body as she lay there motionless, her condition unknown.
"YOU BASTARD!!"
Sanji roared and charged forward, swinging a powerful kick at Kojin.
"You didn't seriously think…"
Kojin casually raised an arm and blocked the kick,
"…that this time, as a Marine, I'd still let all of you escape without a scratch, did you?"
He twisted his wrist, grabbed Sanji by the ankle, and tossed him aside as though he weighed nothing. The force behind the throw sent Sanji crashing heavily into a tree.
'BANG!'
"Monkey D. Luffy. You've certainly got guts. But that reckless habit of doing whatever you want has finally brought disaster down on you. And this time, it won't stop with you. Your companions are going to pay for it, too."
Kojin stepped forward. Every single step placed an enormous pressure on the Straw Hat Pirates.
"Your lives end here."
His cold, indifferent words made everyone's expressions change.
Luffy clenched his fists. White steam began pouring from his body.
"You…" Luffy suddenly raised his head and roared, "You're the one person I'll NEVER forgive!!"
White steam burst from his entire body, his skin turning red from the heat.
"Oh?" Kojin gave a soft laugh. "Then show me. Exactly what are you going to do about it?"
The moment he finished speaking, he was already standing in front of Brook. His fingers spread open.
'CRACKLE!'
Lightning burst from his palm. It was dazzling, almost beautiful, and carried unimaginable destructive power.
Brook's eyes widened, his entire skeletal body stiffening. Facing that overwhelming lightning, he felt something he hadn't experienced in a very long time: the presence of death.
"If I execute your crewmates… one by one… what exactly can you do about it, Straw Hat?" Kojin spoke quietly.
As the last word left his mouth, a brilliant pillar of lightning crashed down over Brook.
'BOOOOM!'
Thunder exploded across the area. Brook's entire body convulsed violently under the lightning, his skeleton rattling uncontrollably.
"BROOK!!" Chopper covered his mouth in horror.
After several breaths, the lightning finally faded, and Brook collapsed limply to the ground.
"DAMN YOU!!"
Luffy completely lost it, his body blurring as he charged straight at Kojin.
"Your resolve still isn't enough. Your heartbeat still isn't loud enough, Straw Hat."
Kojin's voice remained calm. He clenched his right fist and threw a punch. Even though he moved second, his fist reached Luffy first.
'BAM!'
The punch smashed directly into Luffy's face, sending him flying nearly a hundred meters, bouncing and rolling repeatedly across the ground.
"As I said," Kojin smiled faintly, "I'm not letting you go this time."
His figure flickered. In the next instant, he was standing in front of Robin.
"Nico Robin. When are you finally going to grow a little?"
Kojin bent slightly toward her. Robin froze.
In the very next instant, agonizing pain exploded through her stomach, she hadn't even seen his knee move. Her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground, unable to summon even the slightest bit of strength.
"ROBIN!!" Sanji roared and charged at him again.
Kojin merely turned and threw a single punch, knocking Sanji to the ground effortlessly. Then Kojin followed with a kick.
'BANG!'
Sanji was launched into the distance.
"Monster! You're a damn monster!" Usopp screamed as he fired his slingshot again and again.
But none of the shots could harm Kojin. They couldn't even hit him.
Suddenly, Kojin vanished. A moment later, he was standing directly in front of Usopp.
The crushing pressure coming from him froze Usopp in place, his eyes filling with terror.
"Choose how you want to die," Kojin bent down and smiled at him. "I could crush your skull with one punch…"
He raised his right hand and slowly clenched it into a fist.
"…or I could burn you into a pile of ash with lightning."
Usopp's pupils shrank violently. He shook his head so fast it looked like it might come flying off.
"You won't choose?" Kojin shook his head regretfully. "What a picky pirate. Fine. I'll choose for you."
He lowered his right hand, and lightning began crackling around his left.
Usopp's eyes widened. In that instant, memories flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern, everything that had happened throughout his life seemed to replay before him.
Then his vision was swallowed by brilliant light.
Kojin watched as Usopp's body went limp and fell to the ground.
He slowly straightened up, then his figure flickered again, appearing in front of Chopper.
"You may only be their pet… but this time, I'm afraid I can't let you off either."
Tears streamed down Chopper's face. With rage written across his features, he charged straight at Kojin. Watching his companions fall one after another, Chopper had finally broken under the grief and rage.
"Boring." Kojin shook his head and slammed him into the ground with a single punch.
Next came Franky.
"You're that shipwright's apprentice, aren't you? Franky?" Kojin spoke casually.
"You know Tom-sensei?!" Franky forced down his anger and fear as he shouted the question.
"He's doing just fine," Kojin smiled faintly, then abruptly changed the subject. "Interested in handing Pluton over to me?"
Franky's eyes widened in shock and fear. "NO WAY!!"
"What a shame." Kojin shook his head.
Lightning burst from his fingertips, and another figure dropped to the ground.
By this point, the Straw Hat Pirates were practically wiped out.
At some point, Bartholomew Kuma had appeared nearby. He silently watched everything unfolding before him, a faint glint passing through his eyes.
"AAAAAAAH!!"
Luffy dragged himself back to his feet again. His eyes burned with fury while tears blurred his vision. He clearly believed Kojin had stopped holding back.
The ruthless efficiency of his attacks, combined with the sight of every one of his friends lying motionless on the ground with smoke rising from their bodies, nearly shattered Luffy completely.
'Thump-thump.'
'Thump-thump.'
His heart suddenly gave two heavy beats.
Kojin snapped his head around and stared at Luffy, a grin slowly spreading across his face.
"I heard it. Your voice… Joy Boy!"
The moment that name left his mouth, Luffy's body seemed to freeze for the briefest instant. Then he roared and charged forward again.
Kojin threw another punch and sent him flying.
"Strength. Speed. Reactions. You're still nowhere near good enough, Monkey D. Luffy. So where does that courage to keep charging at me even come from?"
His calm words made Sanji, who was struggling back onto his feet nearby, see red. Sanji roared and rushed him.
"Your heartbeat still isn't fast enough," Kojin spoke softly. "Looks like you need a little more stimulation."
He suddenly turned and knocked Sanji down with one punch before planting a foot on his face.
"He's about to die, too, Monkey D. Luffy."
Those quiet words made Luffy's body jerk. He lifted his head, fury twisting his face, and what he saw nearly made his eyes split with rage.
Kojin had spread his fingers, pointing his hand directly at Sanji's head.
'BZZZZZT!'
The sharp crackle of electricity rang clearly through the air as countless currents rapidly gathered into a blazing pillar of lightning.
"You can't do anything, Luffy! Are you angry? Sad? Desperate? This is the price of being a pirate, and right now, it looks like you can't bear that price."
Kojin's fingers hovered over Sanji's face. The electricity grew stronger, brighter, and more violent, but he didn't release the attack. Because in his ears, Luffy's heartbeat had become unmistakably clear.
It was pounding faster and harder with every second, like war drums being struck one after another.
"Aaaah… waaah…!"
Strange, broken sounds escaped Luffy's mouth, impossible to make sense of. His eyes turned bloodshot as his consciousness seemed to be slipping away. After watching his companions fall one after another and being pushed into absolute despair, his mind had finally reached its limit.
"Hehehe… shishishi…"
Then came laughter, a strange, inexplicable laugh.
Steam poured off Luffy's body. He suddenly vanished from where he stood, appearing directly in front of Kojin in an instant.
"You still can't do anything," Kojin repeated calmly, casually swinging his fist.
The blow distorted Luffy's entire head. His body spun through the air for hundreds of meters before crashing heavily into the ground.
Kuma's eyes narrowed. He almost moved, then stopped himself. Against a man like Kojin, even the smallest move had to be made at exactly the right moment. Otherwise, there would be no chance at all.
"Aaaah… hehe… shishishi…"
Crying, laughter, and rage all twisted together into a bizarre sound.
Then Luffy suddenly sat straight up from the ground. This time, however, his eyes had rolled completely white. He had lost consciousness.
'THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!'
In Kojin's ears, the heartbeat now sounded more and more like drums. Clearer. Louder. Closer.
"Almost there?" Kojin narrowed his eyes with a smile. "Looks like you still need something stronger."
Sun God Nika. Just how powerful was it?
And that voice, that will, inside Straw Hat Luffy… was it truly the sleeping Joy Boy?
Perhaps the answer was about to reveal itself.
The pillar of lightning in Kojin's right hand blazed with unbearable brightness, spraying countless arcs of electricity in every direction.
Then suddenly, the lightning roared as it shot forward.
Sanji's pupils contracted. His entire life began flashing before his eyes. For the first time, there was no doubt about it: he was staring death directly in the face.
Then a figure came flying in at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Kojin and kicked straight at the pillar of lightning.
'WHOOSH!'
Incredibly, the kick actually knocked the lightning off course. The attack slammed into the ground nearby and exploded with a deafening blast.
Kojin's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the man who had appeared.
"Running into an old acquaintance is usually a pleasant surprise. But you just ruined something important for me, Silvers Rayleigh."
''End of Chapter''
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