"Ah hahahaha, I'm finally back!"
A burst of jubilant laughter echoed across the sea.
Thump, thump, thump-thump!
To the rhythm of invisible drums, Luffy, in his awakened Nika state, cheered joyfully.
I… am… finally… back!
His shouts formed tangible words in the air, spreading far and wide.
"Caw, caw…"
Even the distant seabirds were affected. The materialized words caused a human-like gleam to appear in their eyes.
"Oh my god, it's so loud!"
The startled seabirds bulged their eyes, stuck out their tongues in shock, and flapped their wings frantically, spinning as they raced through the air.
Whoosh!
They vanished in an instant, leaving only feathers behind.
"Caw?"
After flying far enough to escape the effect, the birds resumed normal flight, utterly bewildered.
"I'm finally back…"
The echoes even reached Marine Headquarters, Mariejois.
"…Huh?"
Marine officers instinctively lifted their ears, twisting them to capture the sound. One second later, they froze.
Ordinary Marines and Pirates dismissed it as a hallucination.
But the strongest officers felt it—an unsettling, almost magical sensation, as if their ears had been stretched unnaturally.
"What kind of ability could do this?"
"Something's wrong! That sound… it's unnatural!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku frowned, deep in thought. "A Devil Fruit, perhaps?"
Garp, battle-hardened and sharp-eyed, sensed it too.
"…Luffy," he muttered, a memory of the young boy's childhood mischief flashing in his mind.
Bound by Sea Stone chains, Ace lowered his head, suppressing the shock. Luffy had once loved stretching his ears like horns to eavesdrop as a child. Could it be… this was that same playful act, magnified by incredible power?
Ace's fleeting suspicion was quickly dismissed. "Impossible. Luffy is far from awakening his Devil Fruit fully…"
The battlefield remained chaotic. Warriors, temporarily numb to pain, fought in frenzied desperation, biting and clawing at foes even as they fell. Only strikes to vital points could halt the madness.
Thump-thump, thump-thump-thump…
On the icy terrain where Luffy's joyful drums beat, he laughed wildly, his hair aflame white, a white sash floating behind him, his clothes now glowing white while still donning his iconic Straw Hat.
"Hehehe!"
Using his awakened Devil Fruit, Luffy manipulated the frozen waves as if they were elastic trampolines, twisting and bouncing them effortlessly.
"Shirogai! Thank you!"
He pulled the ice mountain, pressing it toward the sea, then stopped, laughing loudly.
"It's been so long since I shouted like this in the real world! That other place was fun, but…"
Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, forming a waterfall of embarrassment as he remembered the ten years spent in training.
Ten years in a realm of chaos, fighting monstrous foes daily. A dragon-like creature constantly beat him with a spiked club until Luffy awakened his Devil Fruit fully. Even after that, countless powerful enemies awaited—Crocodile, Enel, Lucci, and even entirely new adversaries.
"Mamamama! Straw Hat, die!"
A towering woman laughed maniacally, controlling bizarre creatures against him.
"Ka…me…ha…me…HA!"
A yellow-haired martial artist fired endless energy blasts.
"Fork! Knife!"
A muscular glutton wielded attacks shaped like a carving knife and fork. Luffy relished these challenges—not just fighting, but testing who had the greater appetite. He won this gourmet battle by a mere drumstick.
He learned to restore his body by consuming energy from food, mastering the Life Return technique of the Marine Six Styles. He survived on minimal sustenance, extracting full strength from dew, and under Shirogai's guidance, watched countless cartoons to better understand his Devil Fruit powers.
He could now imagine a massive spinning chainsaw, using Haoshoku Haki to rotate space itself.
Luffy's return to reality was his own doing, using Chainsaw Man to cut through the Dark Seclusion Chamber and escape.
"Hahaha, I'm finally out! Now I'll rescue Ace myself!"
In his Nika state, he waved to Shirogai, who hovered above with six black wings.
"Ah hahahaha…"
Releasing the ice mountain he had molded, it acted like a slingshot, launching Luffy across the battlefield.
"Woohoo! I'm flying!"
Whoosh!
"Hehe! Here I go! Ace! I'm coming!"
Luffy, gleeful, materialized a small plane with helmet and goggles, leaving trails of words and laughter behind as he raced toward Mariejois.
"Go! Make chaos! This world has pretended to be peaceful for too long. People need to see the truth!"
Shirogai flapped his six black wings gracefully, observing Luffy.
"When the warrior of liberation walks into Mariejois, will Imu still remain calm?"
A cold sneer formed on Shirogai's lips.
"Gorosei, I'm waiting! You've hidden for too long. Show yourselves to the world!"
Whoosh!
Shirogai vanished and reappeared above Mariejois.
Sengoku frowned, suspicion in his eyes. "Shirogai! This must be why Straw Hat Luffy vanished so mysteriously!"
Sengoku realized Shirogai would never allow his Captain to be in danger. The deduction was inevitable—Shirogai's presence was the only certainty.
Just then, a wild, childlike laugh approached from afar.
"Ace! I'm back again! Hahahaha!"
___
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