Kulusimiya, Brown Square.
At that moment, Luffy's appearance began changing dramatically.
His black hair slowly turned pure white while becoming larger and wilder.
Even the red vest on his body gradually faded into white.
The corners of his mouth lifted uncontrollably before he suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Ahahahahaha!"
Clap clap clap!
Clap clap clap!
He continuously clapped his hands while laughing wildly.
As Luffy completely transformed into his white-haired Nika form, an overwhelmingly powerful burst of Haoshoku Haki erupted into the sky!
Boom!
The dark clouds pressing down over the entirety of Kulusimiya Island were instantly torn apart.
A massive opening appeared in the heavens.
Everyone in Brown Square froze.
Whether it was Marines, Cipher Pol agents, the Whitebeard Pirates, the Red Hair Pirates, or Buggy's crew, all of them were shaken by the terrifying Haoshoku Haki pouring from Luffy's body.
"What insane Haki!"
"It feels like the sky itself is splitting apart!"
"This pressure is terrifying!"
Lucky Roux stared at Luffy with unconcealed shock.
"Boss, Luffy's Haki is unbelievably powerful!"
He could clearly sense that Luffy's Haoshoku Haki was already on the same level as Saint Saturn's.
But the feeling was completely different.
Saint Saturn's Haki felt oppressive and absolute, like a divine force standing above all living beings, crushing the world beneath it.
Luffy's Haki felt entirely different.
It carried freedom.
Warmth.
Liberation.
Like sunlight breaking through endless darkness.
Shanks silently touched the empty sleeve beside his left shoulder.
He had regained the arm after eating a Senzu Bean long ago, but old habits still remained.
His expression became nostalgic.
For a moment, it felt as though time had returned to over ten years ago.
"Get lost!"
The Sea King roared violently.
Then came the crying voice of a child.
"Wuwuwu…"
"Don't cry, Luffy. Aren't you supposed to be a man?"
"But… Shanks… your arm…"
"Haha, it's only an arm. As long as you're safe, it's worth it."
The crying became louder.
Then another voice echoed in his mind.
"One day, I'll gather a crew better than yours!"
"I'll find the greatest treasure in the world!"
"And I'll become the Pirate King!"
Then came the final memory.
"I'm leaving this straw hat with you."
"It's my treasure."
"Return it to me after you become a great pirate."
Shanks slowly looked up toward the sky split open by Luffy's Haoshoku Haki.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Time really flies."
"That loud little brat can already stand at the top of the sea now."
Beside him, Benn Beckman also looked somewhat nostalgic.
"Yeah."
"Time moves faster than Lucky Roux emptying a plate of meat."
"Hahahahaha!"
The Red Hair Pirates burst into laughter instantly.
Lucky Roux's face darkened.
"Oi! Beckman! You bastard!"
Even during the middle of a war, their atmosphere remained relaxed.
On the other side, Buggy stared at Luffy with flickering eyes.
"So this is the Sun God Captain Roger mentioned…"
"What a ridiculous power."
Meanwhile, atop the execution platform, Sabo stared blankly at Luffy's transformed state.
"Luffy… what is this form?"
He had never seen anything like it before.
"Is this the awakening of his Devil Fruit?"
"Why have I never heard about this?"
At that moment, he suddenly noticed trembling beside him.
Sabo turned toward Vegapunk.
The old scientist's entire body was shaking violently.
His eyes were fixed on Luffy with uncontrollable excitement.
"Impossible…"
"Is this truly the Warrior of Liberation, Sun God Nika?!"
Clank! Clank!
The chains around Vegapunk rattled continuously as he struggled from excitement.
"So Rolan really wasn't lying…"
Elsewhere on the battlefield, another person was visibly trembling.
Kizaru.
Beneath his yellow tinted glasses, his normally lazy eyes had widened completely.
His body shook slightly as he stared at Luffy.
"What an incredible era…"
"Isn't that right, Kuma?"
His gaze slowly shifted toward Vegapunk on the execution platform.
For a brief moment, memories resurfaced in his mind.
The days when he, Kuma, and Vegapunk danced together while talking about impossible dreams.
Now, one of those dreams had finally appeared before them.
Within the Revolutionary Army camp, Dragon silently watched Luffy's transformed figure.
A rare smile slowly appeared on his face.
"So this is Nika…"
"Exactly like the records described."
"A warrior who brings liberation and laughter to the world."
As the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon naturally possessed far more historical information than ordinary people.
According to ancient records, Sun God Nika would one day return to the world and liberate people suffering under oppression and war.
But Dragon had never intended to place his hopes on legends.
That was why he founded the Revolutionary Army.
He intended to change the world with his own hands.
Yet now, with Rolan's emergence, the increasing exposure of the World Government's true strength, and the reappearance of Nika…
The Revolutionary Army suddenly seemed far less significant than before.
Dragon slowly raised his head toward the sky.
"Rolan…"
"What exactly are you planning?"
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Luffy continued laughing loudly while his heartbeat echoed across the battlefield like war drums.
The ground beneath his feet transformed into rubber.
Even Saint Saturn's enormous spider body began bouncing unnaturally along the softened terrain.
Saint Saturn looked at Luffy coldly.
"What an irritating ability."
A terrifying aura surrounded his body.
It felt as though he could destroy the world at any moment.
He lightly raised his hand.
Instantly, the atmosphere within several hundred meters became incomparably heavy.
"Haha…"
"We originally intended to execute the Revolutionary Army's Chief of Staff immediately."
"But in the end, we decided to let him serve one final purpose before dying."
"And look at that."
"It drew both you and Ace here."
Saint Saturn tapped his cane lightly against the ground.
Boom!
The earth shook violently.
"All three of you will die today."
Luffy grinned fearlessly after hearing those words.
"Then come try it!"
He crouched low.
The rubberized ground beneath him sank deeply like a stretched trampoline.
Thump!
Boom!
The compressed ground suddenly rebounded.
Luffy shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
His fist, wrapped in overwhelming Haoshoku Haki, tore through the air.
Golden light mixed with red and black lightning.
The sheer force distorted space itself.
"Hmph."
Saint Saturn remained motionless.
But his eyes suddenly turned blood red.
The next instant, an invisible force burst from his gaze and collided directly against Luffy's punch.
Boom!!!
A deafening explosion erupted across Brown Square.
A violent hurricane spread outward from the collision point.
Large sections of the plaza cracked apart instantly.
Many weaker fighters collapsed unconscious from the overwhelming pressure alone.
The entire battlefield trembled violently.
Luffy laughed excitedly.
"Hahahaha! This is fun!"
Without hesitation, he charged toward Saint Saturn again.
This time, his Haoshoku Haki surged to an even greater level.
His fist smashed toward Saint Saturn once more.
Saint Saturn raised his cane coldly.
An enormous wave of destructive energy exploded outward from it.
Boom!!!
The collision between the two attacks shook the entire island.
The sea surrounding Kulusimiya became chaotic.
Massive waves surged violently.
The heavens changed color.
Even the atmosphere itself seemed unstable.
At the edge of the battlefield, aboard Buggy's ship, a towering figure stared at Luffy with burning excitement.
"Monkey D. Luffy…"
A dangerous grin slowly spread across his face.
"Let me fight you."
The next second, the giant figure leaped directly off the ship.