A few moments before Lucas left, he hovered over the Sabaody Archipelago, eyes scanning the glittering sprawl for The Destroyer 2.0. In a blur of motion he streaked down, snatched the hulking android with superhuman speed, and rose again. The Sunny wasn't where he'd left it. Guess Rayleigh moved it, he muttered, angling toward the island.
Shakki stepped out from a shadowed doorway, cigarette smoke curling like a lazy banner. She eyed Lucas's new silhouette and grinned. "I like the outfit—very dramatic."
Lucas gave a half-smile. "Temporary." He glanced around. "Where's the Sunny?"
"Rayleigh had it shifted to Grove Forty-One," Shakki said, nodding toward the harbor. "He said he'd keep it safe. You're welcome to it." Her tone was teasing, but there was a steady respect in her eyes.
Lucas tucked the Destroyer under one arm and launched skyward. He found the Sunny bobbing in a sheltered cove, crew busy with last-minute checks. He set the android down gently on the deck and tapped its chassis. "Protect the Sunny."
The Destroyer's optics blinked to life. A mechanical nod, a low whirr. Lucas exhaled, shoulders easing. "Been a while, Lili," he murmured, voice softening as he opened a small portal. GreenHaven's warm light spilled through.
The portal swallowed him and the world folded into the quiet of GreenHaven—Lilian's island, a place of gardens and soft rain. For two days Lucas let the world fall away: long, unhurried mornings beneath a canopy of leaves, hands entwined with Lilian's as they walked the island's hidden paths, evenings spent talking until the stars blurred. He fixed a broken gate with a laugh, she taught him how to coax stubborn flowers into bloom, and they shared quiet meals where the only clock was the tide.
When he left, Lucas felt steadier—like a man who'd refilled a well. He kissed Lilian once more, promised to return, and stepped back through the portal. The sky over Sabaody was a hard blue; the distant rumble of cannonfire threaded the air.
"Hope I get there in time," Lucas muttered, scanning the horizon. A sharp explosion cracked the sky ahead. He shifted from Big Chill into Astrodactyl, wings unfurling into a comet of blue energy. A shockwave rolled out from his wake, a sapphire ripple that cut the air.
Below, a Marine vessel had been commandeered—prisoners and pirates jammed on deck, a stolen ship barreling toward the giant gate of Impel Down. Other Marine ships closed in, their hulls bristling with guns. Lucas's eyes narrowed. It's them.
He dove, a streak of cobalt, and then compressed into Cannonbolt—a living battering ram. He slammed into the flank of a pursuing Marine ship with a thunderous CRASH. Wood splintered, rigging screamed, and sailors were thrown like rag dolls.
"W-what hit us?!" the captain screamed, voice swallowed by the roar.
"Something fell from the sky and tore through our hull!" another cried.
"We're taking on water—she's going down!" a marine bellowed as the deck listed.
Lucas didn't pause. He shifted again—this time a fusion of Humungasaur and Crashhopper—a towering, armored behemoth with spring-loaded limbs. He leapt, a living catapult, and slammed into the next ship. Metal groaned; cannons toppled into the sea. The air filled with the metallic tang of torn iron and the wet slap of waves.
On the commandeered vessel, the rescued group scrambled to their feet. Luffy's grin was a beacon even amid chaos. Buggy's eyes bulged, his nose twitching with equal parts terror and glee. Crocodile's expression was a flat mask of calculation; Jinbe steadied himself, water-sense alert to every swell.
"Wha—what's happening?" Buggy shrieked, clutching a mast.
"Marine ships are breaking apart!" Crocodile observed, voice low and cold.
"Something's smashing them from above," Jinbe said, scanning the sky with a practiced calm.
Luffy's head snapped up. "Hey—look! That's—"
A strange silhouette cut the sky, a blur of purple and blue. The crew tensed, weapons half-raised. For a heartbeat fear rippled through them—then recognition broke like sunlight.
"It's Lucas!" Luffy shouted, relief and joy exploding from him. "My friend!"
Lucas streaked down and folded back into human form as he landed on the stolen ship's deck. He brushed seawater from his sleeve, grin wide and breathless. "Sorry I'm late. Traffic."
Luffy barreled forward and grabbed him in a bone-crushing hug. "You came! You came!" he laughed, voice raw with gratitude. Buggy hopped in place, squealing that his collection of parts would be jealous. Crocodile's lip twitched—almost a smile. Jinbe gave a curt nod, respect in his eyes.