Chapter 11: The Boundless Dawn
Monkey D. Luffy shot back to his feet, powered by pure adrenaline and the primal fury of his disrupted fight. He wasn't afraid of the colossal figure hovering above him; he was furious at the interruption.
"You really messed up my groove, Old Man!" Luffy shouted up at Kelean, whose presence was an invisible, comforting shield against the world.
Kelean, standing near the edge of the rooftop, watched the sky, ensuring the World Government's watchful eyes and strategic forces remained paralyzed by his Haki. He merely sent a thought back to his descendant, a silent echo of their shared will: Finish it.
Luffy turned to the groaning figure of Kaidou. The Emperor was starting to stir, his massive body healing from Kelean's brief, internal assault. The paralyzing shock was wearing off, and the beast was ready to continue the fight.
"I don't know who that weird guy is, but he gave me a boost!" Luffy grinned, his eyes wide and blazing with renewed, ridiculous freedom.
He activated his ultimate form: Gear Fifth.
The transformation was explosive, but cleaner now, focused by the sheer weight of expectation. Luffy's body transformed, becoming the embodiment of liberation and absurdity. He was the Warrior of Liberation, the one spoken of in the ancient texts, and he was now fighting under the direct protection of the one who wrote them.
Luffy's power surged, but the critical difference was that Kelean's sustained, massive Haki presence was acting like a rupture in the World Government's Great Restraint. The atmosphere around Onigashima suddenly felt lighter, the flow of raw willpower easier, as if the ancient air had been momentarily restored.
This was not merely an awakening; it was an empowerment. Luffy could now draw upon a fraction of the raw, untainted power of the Ancient World, filtered through his ancestor's protection.
Luffy expanded his hand, coating it in a thunderous black Haki that instantly grew to a colossal size. This was the final blow, the signature attack meant to shatter the Emperor and liberate Wano.
"Bajrang Gun!" Luffy screamed, his body coiling and twisting with the force of his commitment.
Kaidou, managing to pull his colossal club, Hassaikai, into position, snarled a final challenge, coating his weapon in the most powerful Haki he could muster. "You will not beat me, Straw Hat! I am Kaidou! I am the strongest!"
The two colossal Haki-clad fists collided with the force of a supernova.
The resulting sound was unlike anything heard before—it was the noise of history splitting. The sky above Onigashima, already cracked and swirling, suddenly tore apart, revealing a brief, momentary glimpse of the true, limitless blue of the void beyond.
Luffy's attack, powered by his inherent ridiculousness and the temporary removal of the world's ancient suppression, was overwhelming. Kaidou's body, already compromised by Kelean's blood control and the prolonged fight, couldn't absorb the shock.
The Bajrang Gun drove Kaidou down with the force of an extinction event. The dragon Emperor crashed through the heart of Onigashima, past the flames, through the deep tunnels of the island, and finally slammed into the ground below Wano Country, shattering the earth and sinking deep into the volcanic magma chamber beneath the flower capital.
Silence fell. The clouds dispersed, the fire cooled, and the only figure left standing on the fractured rooftop was Luffy, exhausted, smoke rising from his body, but grinning a look of pure, triumphant exhaustion.
He had won. The most powerful creature in the world was defeated.
Kelean, who had merely watched the final blow, gave a satisfied nod. His mission here was complete. The boy had the spirit, and that spirit was now battle-tested and proven worthy.
With the collapse of Kaidou, the Crimson Monolith began to move again. Kelean did not speak to Luffy, who had already passed out with a tired smile. He simply turned his gaze away from the victorious remnant of the D. lineage, and toward the true source of all conflict.
He was headed directly for the Red Line, and the sanctified home of his ancient enemy.
Mariejois: The Final Panic
In the crumbling Pangea Castle, the Five Elders watched their monitors go dark. The seismic reading from Wano was catastrophic, confirming the impossible. The Emperor was defeated, and the Ancestor, Monkey D. Kelean, was moving.
"He's coming," whispered one Elder, his face ashen.
Imu, atop the Empty Throne, finally spoke, a terrifying calm replacing the panic. "The boy succeeded. Kelean chose him. The old threat is renewed. If the Founder is coming, the world must be prepared for the Great Cleansing."
Imu raised their hand, and the ancient, secret weapons of the World Government began to power up. The final war, eight centuries in the making, was about to begin.
The pieces are now fully in place! Kelean has judged Luffy worthy and is now moving to confront the ultimate enemy, Imu and the Five Elders, directly at Mariejois.