...
Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 13, where the Thousand Sunny was anchored.
The members of the Straw Hat Pirates were gathering from all over the world toward this agreed-upon meeting point.
The shipwright Franky was one of the first to arrive near the ship.
As he approached his beloved creation with full excitement, the scene before him shocked him deeply, causing his footsteps to halt involuntarily.
In front of the uniquely shaped Sunny sat a massive, silent figure!
The "Tyrant" Bartholomew Kuma.
Or rather, what remained of his modified mechanical body.
The current "Kuma" was in a miserable state. His originally thick armor was covered in dents, cracks, and charred marks from various attacks, as if he had endured a brutal beating.
Yet he remained motionless like a silent guardian deity, seated right at the Sunny's gangway, facing outward with his back to the ship, as though warding off any possible threat.
"What… what the hell is this?!"
Franky immediately assumed a combat stance. The weapon systems in his arms clicked into ready mode with a "ka-chak," his face full of shock, suspicion, and wariness.
He recognized this as the one who, two years ago in Sabaody Archipelago, had driven them all into a corner and ultimately scattered them by sending them flying.
But his current condition and the fact that he was guarding this spot were utterly baffling.
At that moment, the giant head of "Kuma" slowly turned. Red light flickered in his mechanical eyes, seemingly performing some kind of scan.
Once he identified Franky's identity and confirmed him as a member of the Straw Hat Pirates, his battered body emitted a low mechanical whir. Then, slowly and limping, he stood up—his movements stiff and labored.
He did not attack, nor did he speak. He simply turned around silently and began walking away from the Sunny step by step, dragging his heavily damaged body.
Each step seemed incredibly heavy, with sparks occasionally bursting from his broken joints.
Franky was completely baffled and had no idea what was going on.
He hesitated whether to chase after him to check or if this monster was plotting something.
He hadn't gone far when "Kuma's" body suddenly jerked. From within came an even more violent sound of mechanical overload and short-circuiting.
Then, right before Franky's stunned eyes, the already ruined body began to tremble uncontrollably. Black smoke poured from several critical areas, followed by small explosions and bursts of flame…
He was actually self-destructing!
"Hey! Wait! You…"
Franky instinctively wanted to rush forward. Even though the other was an enemy, this bizarre scene made him want to instinctively figure out what had happened.
Just then, an elegant and familiar voice rang out from behind him: "It seems everyone has returned safely, Franky."
Franky turned around to see the archaeologist Nico Robin had somehow already arrived. She stood not far away, a gentle and relieved smile on her face as she looked at him.
"Robin!!"
Franky immediately forgot about "Kuma" and shouted in delight, striking his signature "Super" pose.
The genuine joy of reuniting with a crewmate instantly washed away his earlier confusion.
Robin nodded with a smile. Her gaze also swept over the collapsing giant figure, a thoughtful glint flashing in her eyes, but she said nothing more.
The joy of reunion was the main theme at this moment.
Soon, the other crewmates arrived one after another.
The highly skilled but still timid doctor Chopper, the sniper and boastful storyteller Usopp—who appeared with new gear.
The navigator Nami had become even more mature and beautiful, holding a stack of new sea charts and economic newspapers.
Though there were some minor incidents along the way—including an encounter with the impostor Straw Hat crew—ultimately, all obstacles were cleared away by their combined efforts.
Amid laughter, accompanied by the melodious sound of a violin and "Yohohoho" laughter, the explosive-haired skeleton musician Brook made his dazzling, flamboyant entrance.
He reunited victoriously with his crewmates through music and bone jokes!
"Yohohoho! Everyone! It's been so long! You all look full of energy!"
Brook excitedly greeted each one in turn. Joyful tears seemed to sparkle in his empty eye sockets
(If he had tear ducts, that is)
Seeing Brook appear, the rest of the Straw Hats felt both happy and genuinely surprised.
After all, compared to the dangerous, uncertain life of a pirate, Brook's past two years as the "Soul King" touring the world with concerts and basking in the adoration of fans…
had undoubtedly been far easier, more glamorous, and safer.
"For Luffy to become the Pirate King!"
Brook seemed to sense his crewmates' puzzlement. He gave an elegant gentleman's bow and spoke in a joking yet utterly serious tone.
"These old bones of mine haven't been idle at all these past two years! Music and adventure have never been mutually exclusive! Yohohoho!"
He briefly recounted how he had used his celebrity status to travel the world, gather intelligence, and hone new techniques that combined swordsmanship with music.
His lighthearted and humorous tone immediately made the reunion atmosphere even warmer and more cheerful.
The crewmates looked at each other and smiled. All doubts vanished like smoke, leaving only gratification at each other's growth and boundless anticipation for the voyage about to restart.
At the same time, elsewhere in Sabaody Archipelago.
Although before setting out, Empress Hancock had repeatedly urged Luffy to keep a low profile and quietly head to the rendezvous point.
But Luffy's peculiar "wherever he goes, trouble follows" constitution, combined with his straightforward mindset that only cared about meat and crewmates, ultimately caused him to be exposed.
He was cornered by the Marine Science Division captain Sentomaru and his squad of Pacifistas!
"Straw Hat Luffy! We've found you!"
Sentomaru hefted his giant axe and shouted the order.
The Pacifistas immediately opened their mouths, condensing blinding golden light as their powerful laser beams charged up!
If this had been Luffy from two years ago, facing such high-speed, wide-area attacks, he would likely have panicked or even taken hits and gotten injured.
But now, facing the deadly beams shooting toward him, there was not a trace of panic in Luffy's eyes.
He didn't even enter Gear Second.
Just as the lasers were about to hit him, his body moved as if he had foreseen it, casually shifting sideways by a hair's breadth!
The two scorching beams whistled past, grazing his clothes and hair, exploding into two huge craters behind him.
Observation Haki! Rudimentary mastery, but already sufficient to handle linear attacks like this.
"What!" Sentomaru was slightly surprised.
This time, Luffy moved.
"Gear Second!"
His skin instantly turned bright red and began steaming as his heart rate skyrocketed! Speed and power increased exponentially!
"Rubber Rubber…"
Luffy's figure turned into streaks of hard-to-track red afterimages, darting like a phantom.
Then, using the momentum from one dodge, he leaped high into the air and pulled his fist back to the limit!
"JET Pistol!!"
"Bang!!!"
A fist wrapped in invisible Armament Haki shot forward like a cannonball at a speed barely visible to the naked eye, smashing brutally into the chest of the nearest Pacifista!
"Crack! Boom—!!"
The tough special alloy armor caved inward and shattered like paper! The Pacifista—which could crush ordinary pirates—didn't even grunt. Its massive body was sent crashing to the ground by this terrifying punch.
Like a broken toy, black smoke poured from its chest as it completely shut down!
Silence.
A deathly silence.
All the pirates around—who had either been running in panic from the Pacifistas or hiding in the shadows to watch—were dumbfounded, jaws dropping to the ground.
To them, the Pacifistas were nightmarish existences, the terrifying embodiment of Marine technology.
Yet such a monster… in the Straw Hat kid's hands, hadn't even lasted a single round?!
Taken down with one punch?!
"Mon… monster!"
"Is that really the same Straw Hat kid who was chased around everywhere two years ago?!"
"No way! This progress is insane!"
Shocked exclamations and incredulous murmurs erupted everywhere.
[Scene returns to God Valley]
The light screen showed Luffy cleanly dispatching the Pacifista, drawing gasps of astonishment from the surrounding pirates. Yet in the eyes of these true "monster"-level powerhouses in God Valley, it didn't stir much of a ripple.
"Worororo… He's starting to look a bit decent." Kaido commented while shouldering his kanabo.
To him, the power, speed, and rudimentary Haki usage Luffy displayed in that punch indeed proved he was much stronger than the reckless kid who had only relied on brute courage and luck at Marineford two years ago…
He had truly stepped through the threshold into the world of the strong.
But that was all!
In Kaido's view, he still had absolute confidence he could easily defeat the Luffy currently on the light screen.
"Mam-ma-ma-ma~ He's gotten the basics of Haki down, and his physical foundation is much more solid too."
Big Mom also nodded, her tone casual: "Looks like that Rayleigh guy really taught him something real.
But if he wants to stand firm in front of the real monsters of the New World, this is still far from enough!"
Rocks, Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and the others merely gave slight nods.
Luffy's growth was as expected and worthy of acknowledgment, but it was nowhere near enough to surprise them or feel threatening.
They had witnessed, experienced, and personally created battle scenes far more terrifying and shocking than this.
Sengoku, Garp, Zephyr, and other Marine higher-ups paid closer attention to Luffy's application of Haki.
His Observation Haki dodge and Armament Haki defense-breaking were still immature, but they had already formed an effective combat system.
However, this indicated that Straw Hat Luffy's future threat level would rise exponentially and required much greater attention.
"Garp, your grandson's been trained tough—his Armament Haki is solid, and his Observation Haki is developing fast too!"
Zephyr looked at Luffy with appreciation in his eyes.
"It's better than nothing, I suppose…"
Golden Lion Shiki curled his lip: "At least he's no longer just some brat who relies on rubber elasticity and yelling to fight.
But if he wants to rule these seas? He's still got a long way to go!"
…
In summary, the powerhouses of God Valley acknowledged Luffy's progress and saw it as the starting point for a qualified "New World challenger."
But the road to shaking the positions of these overlords was still unimaginably long.
Luffy on the light screen looked very "cool," but in the face of a true gulf in power, that "coolness" still seemed far too fragile.
His legend clearly still had many more chapters to be written, and the real trials might only just be beginning.
...