"Flame clouds? Drum sounds?"
Sengoku repeated these two keywords, his brow deeply furrowed.
In his mind, he rapidly retrieved the information the Navy and the World Government had on the Gomu Gomu no Mi. But there was little useful information.
He had even reviewed some of the World Government's classified files.
He only knew that the Gomu Gomu no Mi, over a decade ago, had been one of the Devil Fruits strictly controlled by the World Government. But for some reason, it had gotten out and eventually been accidentally eaten by Luffy.
About its previous user, there was no record at all, as if that information had been deliberately erased by some force.
"Devil Fruits actively choose their masters."
Sengoku said in a low voice. "If a very suitable host appears, the demon within the fruit whether by fate or coincidence will find a way to appear before its chosen host."
As the Fleet Admiral, he understood this better than anyone.
After all, he was also a Devil Fruit user.
That meant the Gomu Gomu no Mi, which had certain secrets hidden by the World Government, had likely actively chosen Monkey D. Luffy!
Thinking this, Sengoku felt even more headache.
Combined with Kizaru's report, Luffy had not only developed the Gomu Gomu no Mi to the point of awakening, but the strength he had shown was enough to hold his own against both an Admiral and the Marine Hero at the same time.
Though certainly not a match, this growth rate and potential were already terrifying.
"The Fifth Emperor?" Sengoku murmured.
This title, which had recently been considered a joke, now carries a troubling weight.
How much time had passed since the Enies Lobby incident?
Less than a month!
If he were given a few more years, the pattern of this sea might truly be completely rewritten by him.
"Oh, the more I think about it, the more terrifying it is."
Kizaru chuckled and continued, "So, Sengoku-san, should we increase his bounty?"
Both Kizaru and Sengoku believed Luffy had most likely not been eliminated.
"No. The government and headquarters have both decided that this incident must be suppressed! It must not be publicized!"
Regardless of whether Luffy was alive or dead, the impact of this incident was too severe.
Three Celestial Dragons had been killed. The Navy had deployed three top combatants and had not been able to achieve a perfect resolution.
If any of this—the terrifying power and threat level shown by Straw Hat—got out, it could have an unpredictable negative impact on the upcoming war targeting Fire Fist Ace and Whitebeard.
All attention and strength must be focused on the war that would decide the future pattern of the sea.
War was coming!
At this time, keeping Straw Hat away from the war was also a good thing.
The office fell into a brief silence.
Kizaru put away his cynical expression. The light behind his lenses flickered slightly.
Even he could feel the tremendous pressure of the coming storm.
Edward Newgate, Whitebeard.
The man called the world's strongest would definitely not stand idly by while the Navy publicly executed his son.
A huge war that would sweep across the entire Grand Line, and could even overturn the existing order, was already inevitable.
Compared to the coming war, the chaos on the Sabaody Archipelago seemed like nothing more than an abrupt and intense overture.
"Notify all Vice Admirals and above, as well as the Seven Warlords of the Sea,"
Sengoku turned and ordered. "Convene a supreme military conference! We need to determine the final battle plan!"
"Yes, sir!"
The messenger outside the door responded loudly. The sound of footsteps quickly faded.
Kizaru stood up, straightened his striped suit, and prepared to leave as well.
"Borsalino." Sengoku suddenly called out to him.
Kizaru stopped and looked back.
"Regarding the specific details of Kuma's elimination of the Straw Hat crew,"
Sengoku's gaze was profound. "Write a detailed report. Also, regarding the subsequent mass production and improvement plans for the Pacifistas from the Science Division, you need to pay close attention to that as well."
"Understood~"
Kizaru waved his hand.
...
Under the dark sky, Luffy had no strength left at all.
His body was still constantly enduring that torture-like punishment, as if being cut by knives.
"Zoro, Nami, Vivi..."
He took out a piece of paper filled with a list of locations. It marked places suitable for each member of the Straw Hat crew to train.
It had been sent flying by Kuma along with him.
Luffy looked at it and relaxed slightly.
He remembered a question Bonney had asked when they first met.
"Are you ready to enter the New World?"
Now it seemed they were not.
Faced with enemies like those, his only option had been to have his crewmates run first.
Without Rayleigh, without Kuma, what would he have done if he had encountered even stronger enemies?
He had to become stronger!
Where would Kuma send him?
Luffy's gaze moved with difficulty.
He looked at the various locations annotated on the paper.
Nami was on Weatheria, a country that researched weather.
Franky was on Baljimore on Future Country Karakuri Island, known as the land of geniuses, Vegapunk's former hometown.
Chopper had been sent to the Torino Kingdom in the South Blue.
Sanji... was on Momoiro Island, the "Island of Dreams."
The name sounded a bit strange.
It seemed to fit Sanji's hobbies. He would probably be happy, right?
Robin had been sent to the Kingdom of the Bridge in the East Blue?
Back to his home sea.
Usopp, Zoro, Brook...
"Wait. Endless Land?"
Luffy looked up at the moon in the sky. He seemed to have heard that name from some god on Skypiea.
Why had Merry been sent to a place like that?
And Bonney—how had she been sent to Fish-Man Island?
Did Kuma have a connection with fish-men too?
There was no time to think about these things. Luffy felt his eyelids were extremely heavy. His stomach was almost empty.
Now, inside Kuma's ability, the air shockwave carrying the paw print was hurtling along, destination unknown.
Luffy knew where everyone was, but the place he was going was not on the paper.
Where was he being sent?
"It's a place where I can get stronger quickly."
That's what Luffy believed.
Actually, as long as it was a safe place, anywhere was fine.
Either way, he would have to properly thank Kuma when the time came. The deal between him and Kuma had not included all these extra services afterward.
"Then I'll take good care of Bonney."
Though he had only met Kuma a few times,
Luffy felt that the best way to thank Kuma was probably to take good care of Bonney.
But that was all in the future. Right now, the most important thing was his own physical condition.
The severe pain, like countless tiny blades, continuously cut at Luffy's nerves.
His eyes were tightly shut. Fine beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead. But he did not let out a single sound.
The Level 3 punishment continued unceasingly. He didn't know when it would stop.
Constantly having small knives scraping and stabbing him—an ordinary person would have passed out from the pain long ago.
Compared to the pain, what Luffy wanted more now was food.
After being sent flying by Kuma's Nikyu Nikyu no Mi ability, he was flying at high speed inside this invisible shockwave. His body could not move on its own. Only his consciousness struggled in the gap between pain and hunger.
"So hungry. I want to eat something."
This was the strongest thought in Luffy's mind, even momentarily overwhelming the ever-present punishment pain.
His stomach was completely empty. The continuous fierce battle with his grandfather Garp, Admirals Kizaru and Aokiji, and finally forcing the awakened Nika form, had nearly drained all his stamina and reserves.
Now, he felt his stomach was about to stick to his back. Waves The dizziness of weakness kept hitting him.
"Robin said this kind of flight might last several days,"
Luffy tried to move his eyes to observe his surroundings, but besides the blurry clouds speeding past and the occasional blue sea, he couldn't see anything clearly.
"Everyone is probably flying like me right now, right? I wonder how they're doing."
As long as everyone was okay.
That was the most reassuring news for Luffy. Ace had been captured and thrown into Impel Down. If anything happened to his crewmates too, what would he have left?
Though separated, at least they were alive. And they seemed to have been sent to places suitable for their training or temporary refuge.
But this state of separation from his crewmates had directly escalated the punishment of the Pirate King Training Plan.
Stage Three.
This punishment was not like the electric shocks of Stage One, which could be endured using his rubber body. Nor was it like the punishment of Stage Two, which could be avoided by multitasking and executing the plan.
Stage Three's punishment was continuous mental and physical torture, like a gangrene, constantly reminding him of his dereliction as a captain who had lost his crewmates.
This pain did not cause serious physical injury, but it greatly consumed his spirit and will, preventing him from resting properly and even making it difficult to concentrate.
It would be great if he could distract himself now.
Just as he was trying to distract by recalling his crewmates' faces, the cold, merciless warning sound rang in his mind again:
[Warning: Time for Haki development plan. Host must complete Kenbunshoku Haki meditation practice within the specified time...]
"!!!"
Luffy's body instinctively tensed. The movement pulled at the invisible pain, making him gasp.
"Is this plan trying to kill me no matter what?"
Luffy was speechless.
He could distract himself, but who taught him to distract himself like this?
He was now hungry, in pain, Unable to move his body—even moving a finger was difficult. And he was supposed to train his Haki?
Right now, only his brain could move.
"Even in this situation, I still have to study."
He sighed. He inexplicitly felt like he had just gotten this mysterious plan again.
Back then, he had also been caught off guard by all kinds of sudden tasks and punishments.
"No. I can't let the punishment level up again."
Luffy knew very well that Stage Three's punishment was already this
hard to bear. He didn't know what hellish experience Stage Four would be.
He didn't want to experience it.
Moreover, now that he calmed down and thought about it—
The battle that had just ended, though brutal, had indeed given him many new insights into Haki—especially Kenbunshoku Haki.
While facing Grandpa Garp's iron fists and Aokiji's freezing ability at the same time, that nearly instinctive anticipation of danger, that subtle capture of the enemy's attack trajectory—all were potential forced out at the edge of life and death.
As they said, breakthroughs are most likely to occur in desperate situations.
Now, in this state of extreme pain and weakness, his spirit was instead being drained to its limit.
He forced himself to ignore the physical pain and sink into his consciousness to review and sort out his Kenbunshoku Haki.
Gradually, he entered a strange state.
The physical pain seemed to be isolating to the edge of his consciousness. Though still present, it was no longer so aggressive.
His spirit was highly concentrated. His mind kept replaying the scenes of his battles with the strong, sensing the invisible sounds in the air.
In this situation, the result of his extreme mental draining was that he could see the proficiency of his Kenbunshoku Haki rapidly increasing.
[Mental strength severely overdrawn. Your willpower has increased. Kenbunshoku Haki proficiency +3]
[Mental strength severely overdrawn. Your willpower has increased. Kenbunshoku Haki proficiency +3]
[Kenbunshoku Haki proficiency +3]
...
The cold notification sound now sounded almost pleasant.
The notifications of increasing proficiency kept popping up in his mind. Though the amount of each increase was small, they were continuous.
Under these extreme conditions, his Kenbunshoku Haki was increasing at a considerable rate.
Time slowly passed in pain and mental focus.
He didn't know how long it had been. Maybe a few hours, maybe longer. The warning sounded again:
[Warning: Time for sleeping plan. Host must immediately enter sleep state to ensure adequate rest.]
Luffy slowly exhaled. He struggled to lift his head and, through the barrier of the shockwave, could see the bright moon in the sky.
The pain remained, but he was surprised to find that he seemed to have somewhat adapted to it?
"Have I become as strange as Vivi?"
Luffy's eyes were somewhat dazed.
Why did he say that? Because Vivi quite liked being...
Vivi: "???"
Not only that, a thought even naturally popped into Luffy's mind: "It would be great if I could study a little longer."
This thought did not come from nowhere.
If he could be a little stronger, could he have achieved a different outcome on the Sabaody Archipelago?
An Admiral? The Marine Hero?
If he had enough strength, he could just punch his way through!
What he had said to Grandpa Garp was no joke.
If he couldn't negotiate with the World Government to save Ace, then he would fight his way into Impel Down!
But he still wasn't strong enough.
"There's still time, anyway."
Luffy comforted himself.
He didn't know that after Ace was thrown into Impel Down, the date of his execution had already been set and made public.
"Everyone is training. When the time comes, I'll find a way to contact them. After I train for a while longer, I'll fight into Impel Down, rescue Ace, and then set out together into the New World!"
That was Luffy's simple plan.
The powerful resilience brought by the complete awakening of the Nika fruit was slowly repairing the hidden injuries and fatigue left by the fierce battle in his body.
But this recovery did not come from nowhere. It relies heavily on energy replenishment.
The recovery of his stamina and the healing of his wounds were frantically consuming his already nearly depleted body energy.
So, what Luffy was most worried about now was not a strong enemy, not the punishment, but whether he would become the first Nika user to starve to death?
That would be too embarrassing!
His consciousness was about to sink into sleep. He pulled Nika out of the conscious space.
If he fell asleep, at least someone would be watching outside.
He didn't know when he would land, after all.
In several critical moments, Nika had served as his backup hidden energy source, with him drawing on her power, helping him greatly.
Now, this Sun God also looked seriously weakened.
"Hey, Nika."
Luffy called out weakly.
But Nika also looked shriveled. The first time she saw Luffy, she gritted her teeth. "You're going to drain me dry, you bastard!"
"Sorry, sorry. There was really no other way."
Nika was angry, but Luffy also looked shriveled. This was the aftereffect of using Gear Fifth.
What could she say?
There was nothing she could do now anyway. She even suspected that Luffy had called her out to use her as emergency food.
Thinking this, she got goosebumps all over. She didn't dare provoke him.
"What do you want?"
"Well, well. I need your help."
Nika looked up and saw Luffy's eyes gleaming with hunger. She shuddered and gritted her teeth. "You bastard! You really want to use me as emergency food?!"
"Of course not, of course not."
Luffy forced a strained smile. "You're not even enough to..."
Not even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.
Nika was so angry she could jump.
What did that mean?
Were you making fun of me?
Who said I was small? I can get big anytime!
But seeing Luffy himself also shriveled and about to starve to death, she ultimately didn't say anything harsh.
She was even a little afraid. If this guy went crazy from hunger, he might not care about filling gaps between teeth.
Thinking this, she felt very uncomfortable. She didn't dare provoke Luffy anymore.
"It's time for the sleeping plan."
Luffy felt his heavy eyelids. "Once I fall asleep, I probably won't feel hungry anymore, right? That should help me last a while longer."
This thought became his only comfort.
He no longer resisted the onslaught of sleepiness. His eyelids slowly closed. Almost instantly, his consciousness was pulled into the dream space construction by the Pirate King Training Plan.
Then, he saw Garp's fist.
Luffy: "Bastard."
...
While Luffy was once again facing his grandfather's Fist of Love in his dreams, his crewmates, whom he was worried about, also arrived at their respective destinations.
The first to arrive was the princess of Alabasta.
Nefertari D. Vivi.
She did not appear in some remote wilderness. Quite coincidentally, she crashed through the ornate ceiling of the office of the president of the World Economic Times, the Big News Morgans.
Amidst the chaos and flying paper, she landed gracefully.
"What is Kuma thinking? Is this also part of his deal with Luffy?"
Vivi brushed the dust from her skirt, looked around, and quickly locked on the white bird in the well-tailored suit behind the desk, staring at her with its mouth agape.
"This is the World Economic Times?"
Vivi immediately recognized the place and the identity of the person before her.
As someone who had once been undercover in Baroque Works, specializing in intelligence work, she was not unfamiliar with this giant of the world of public opinion.
Morgans looked at this uninvited guest. The relevant information quickly flashed through his mind.
He soon recognized her signature blue hair and her special identity, with a bounty as high as 500 million Berry.
***
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