...
The light curtain scene continued. The pirates who had rushed onto the bubble floating island had no time to marvel at the bizarre wonders of this aerial secret realm before a new round of even more white-hot chaos erupted!
Their target was aimed straight at the unassuming wooden treasure chest placed at the center of the island—
The final treasure rumored to contain clues left behind by Pirate King Gol D. Roger!
Various powerhouses displayed their abilities: Kid's magnetic demon swept in all directions, Hawkins' cursed straw man was eerily difficult to deal with, Drake transformed into a dinosaur and charged recklessly, Apoo's sonic attacks came unpredictably...
Straw Hat Luffy, along with Zoro and Usopp, worked together seamlessly, pushing forward fiercely amid the flashes of blades, swords, and storms of abilities.
However, just as the intense battle reached its peak and everyone thought the ultimate victor would emerge from among the Supernovas, an unexpected "variable" appeared that no one had anticipated!
"Split-Split Emergency Escape!"
Taking advantage of the chaos and smoke from a massive clash of abilities, a comical figure with a red nose and blue hair shot out like a bouncing ball!
He followed an extremely tricky and bizarre route, rolling and crawling his way around the core areas of all the major battle zones.
Using the power of the Split-Split Fruit to disperse his body into small pieces, he "flowed" unnoticed right up to the treasure chest!
"Hee hee hee hee! Got it!"
Buggy the Clown abruptly reassembled his scattered body, grabbed the chest in a fierce hug, his face beaming with ecstasy.
His subordinates—Alvida, Mohji, Mr. 3, and the others—also seized the chance to shake off their pursuers.
Under the stunned, furious, and even bewildered gazes of the Supernovas, they actually succeeded in "stealing" the chest, then ran without looking back toward a relatively safe ruined building at the edge of the floating island!
"What?! That clown stole it?!" Kid roared in fury.
"My divination shows... an enormous variable..." Hawkins' expression was grave.
Luffy and Zoro were also dumbfounded, clearly not expecting this outcome.
After Buggy's group ducked into the building ruins, Buggy finally let out a sigh of relief, wiped his sweat, and looked at the seemingly plain, even somewhat aged wooden chest in his hands, muttering: "All that effort, and this is it?
Doesn't look anything special... Whatever, let this great me see what Captain Roger left behind that's so good~"
With a mix of anticipation and curiosity, he cautiously lifted the lid of the chest.
There were no dazzling jewels or treasures inside.
However, the instant Buggy's gaze fell upon the object within the chest, his face—which always wore a comical expression—froze as if petrified, instantly turning deathly pale!
Bean-sized beads of cold sweat poured from his forehead, and even his exaggerated snot flowed out from sheer fright!
His whole body trembled violently as if he had seen a ghost, the hands clutching the chest shaking uncontrollably!
"This... this is...!"
Buggy's voice cracked, filled with extreme terror and disbelief. "How could it be this thing?!!"
In God Valley, every viewer's curiosity was raised to the utmost!
Even Roger himself couldn't help stretching his neck and widening his eyes: "What the hell is it? Something that could scare Buggy this badly?"
But the light curtain did not satisfy their curiosity.
In the scene, Buggy recoiled as if burned, slamming the chest lid shut with force!
It was as though what lay inside was not treasure, but an abyssal demon that could devour everything!
He clutched the chest tightly, his eyes darting around in panic, seeming to want to flee immediately yet simultaneously frozen in place by some overwhelming shock.
At that moment, another change occurred!
"Boom!!!"
A dull, far more terrifying explosion than any previous one rumbled from below!
Immediately after, the entire bubble floating island shook violently and tilted!
A massive sailing ship—of unknown origin—had been hurled upward like a meteor, smashing through the tough bubble layer at the bottom of the floating island.
It crashed brutally into the island's interior, triggering a chain of devastating explosions!
The bubble structure supporting the island rapidly collapsed; enormous chunks of rock began peeling away from the sky and plummeting!
The once-stable floating island instantly became a disintegrating aerial warship!
The numerous pirate ships anchored at the port below, as well as those that had just surged up from the sea currents and hadn't yet stabilized—including the Sunny—were all caught in the sudden collapse and shockwaves, falling toward the ground below like dumplings!
In the chaos, the chest that Buggy had been clutching so desperately slipped from his panicked grip due to the island's violent tilt. It flew through the air in an arc, falling toward the cluster of crashing ship wreckage below.
On the ground, Buena Festa—monitoring everything through a Den Den Mushi—took in the entire scene. Far from being surprised, a dangerous, satisfied smile spread across his face, the smile of a plan coming to fruition.
"Finally... made your move, huh. Then the true protagonist of this banquet should make their entrance."
He murmured to himself, his eyes flashing with mad light.
Fall and Rise Again
Amid the chaotic crash site, thick smoke billowed, and wails filled the air.
The impact from such a high fall injured even the toughest pirates.
The Straw Hat crew struggled out, fortunately the ship's sturdy structure meant they were only battered and bruised, with no serious injuries.
"Cough cough... Ptoo!"
Luffy spat out the water in his mouth and shook his somewhat dizzy head. Zoro gripped his swords warily, scanning the surroundings.
Usopp clutched his bruised waist, grimacing in pain.
Just then, a wooden chest rolled with a "clang" to Usopp's feet, its lid jarred open a crack.
"Huh? Isn't this... that treasure chest?"
Usopp's eyes lit up. Ignoring the pain, he hurriedly bent down to pick it up, secretly delighted: "Could this be fate? The Pirate King's treasure ultimately falls into the hands of the great Usopp?! Hahaha!"
Eagerly, he opened the chest, anxious to behold the true appearance of the "clue left by the Pirate King."
But the moment his gaze fell inside, his expression mirrored Buggy's from moments before almost exactly!
His smile froze on his face, pupils contracting sharply, mouth gaping wide enough to fit an egg, cold sweat pouring down in an instant!
"This... this is...?!"
Usopp's voice was filled with incredulous shock and a trace of instinctive fear; the hands holding the chest began to tremble.
Just as his mind reeled in turmoil and he stood frozen in bewilderment, a tall, burly shadow—like an iron tower—silently enveloped him.
The thick smoke was parted by an invisible surge of force!
A man in a black military-style coat, muscles bulging, with long golden hair and a cold, hard face slowly stepped in front of Usopp.
His sharp gaze swept over the chest in Usopp's hands before finally settling on Usopp's terrified face.
...