...
Kuzan ultimately withdrew that absolute zero capable of freezing everything; he did not deliver the final blow to his former mentor, Zephyr.
However, this did not mean he endorsed Zephyr's path or would allow him to march toward ultimate destruction.
In his heart, he already had another choice—a variable that might lead to a different outcome.
"Straw Hat brat… Monkey D. Luffy."
Kuzan silently recited in his mind as he turned to leave the cliff.
That boy who kept falling again and again, yet rose each time with clear yet extraordinarily stubborn eyes—perhaps… he was the only one who could possibly stop Teacher Zephyr from going all the way down this dead-end path.
Not as a Marine, but as a pirate.
But before that, the kid needed to understand exactly what he was about to face, and… why he had the right to challenge it.
The light screen continued: With his straw hat taken, suffering a second defeat, plus the devastation on Saiken Island and his own powerlessness, the usually optimistic Luffy fell into a rare state of depression.
He sat on a rock, hugging his knees, letting the drizzling rain fall on him, head lowered, saying nothing.
That straw hat—symbolizing a promise and a starting point—had vanished, as if taking away part of his vitality and confidence.
Zoro wiped his swords, Sanji smoked silently, Nami and the others—restored to normal—gathered nearby; the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.
They understood Luffy's dejection but didn't know how to comfort him.
The enemy's strength and cruelty far exceeded anything before.
In this stifling moment, a tall figure appeared uninvited once more, stepping on condensed water droplets to approach the group.
"Aokiji?!"
Usopp and Chopper clung to each other in fright; the sudden visit from this former Admiral still made them tense.
Luffy lifted his head, glanced at Kuzan, then lowered it again, reacting indifferently.
"Yo, no need to be so nervous."
Kuzan waved his hand, tone still carrying a hint of laziness: "I just came to… say a few words."
Kuzan waved again, then revealed Zephyr's ultimate goal to everyone.
It turned out it wasn't simple revenge—he planned to detonate Dyna Stones in three key locations in the New World, triggering a chain reaction to completely destroy the entire geographical structure of the New World…
The madness and scale of this plan made everyone gasp.
Destroy the New World?
This had gone far beyond personal grudges; it was a truly terrifying operation attempting to reshape the world order!
"He… is really going to go that far?" Nami's voice trembled.
"For the justice in his heart—or rather, to end what he sees as the 'age of evil'—he will."
Kuzan affirmed, his gaze falling on the still-silent Luffy: "And the one who can stop him… now it seems… is only you guys.
Especially you, Straw Hat brat."
Luffy's body twitched slightly.
"Your hat was taken by him, right?" Kuzan continued: "He said he would destroy it along with the hat.
That isn't just a straw hat—it's the promise you inherited from Red-Hair, the symbol of your pirate journey, the flag your crew follows.
Are you really planning… to just give up like this?"
"I…" Luffy opened his mouth, voice dry.
"Luffy!"
Zoro suddenly spoke, tone firm: "If the hat gets stolen, go steal it back! If you're knocked down, get stronger and hit back!
Isn't that your style all along?"
"Yeah, Luffy!" Sanji exhaled a smoke ring: "That old man is indeed strong, and the plan is terrifying, but if we stop just because we're scared, what kind of pirates are we?
How could we talk about finding the All Blue?"
"Luffy! We believe in you!"
Chopper, Usopp, Nami, Robin, Franky, Brook's voices rang out one after another.
Their trusting, fervent gazes pierced through the gloomy rain like sunlight, gradually dispelling the haze in Luffy's heart.
The information Kuzan brought about Zephyr's ultimate goal was horrifying, yet it also made him realize the fight was no longer just about reclaiming the hat or personal victory…
Luffy slowly raised his head; rainwater slid down his soaked black hair, but his eyes had reignited…
Burning with an even fiercer, more resolute flame than before!
"That's right…"
He clenched his fist and abruptly stood up: "The hat—we have to take it back! That old man wants to destroy everyone's dreams… I absolutely won't allow it!"
The negative emotions vanished completely, replaced by a do-or-die determination and soaring fighting spirit!
"Yohohoho! Now that's more like it!" Brook laughed.
Kuzan watched the Straw Hat crew rally, especially Luffy whose eyes had been reborn, and the corner of his mouth curved upward almost imperceptibly.
He left them the location of the third island.
Rally the troops and set out again!
To reclaim the straw hat and stop Zephyr, the Straw Hat crew moved swiftly.
The Sunny had already been repaired under Franky's superhuman efficiency.
An old sailor who had chatted with Luffy gifted them his treasured high-quality weapons, ammunition, and some special navigation gear free of charge.
Watching them sail away, Kuzan murmured: "Teacher Zephyr… when he was young, he aspired to become a 'hero,' a man who protected the weak.
Unfortunately, fate played a cruel joke on him, leading him down another path.
If there's anyone who can stop him now… perhaps it's you pirates—who never claim to be heroes, yet dare to challenge any 'justice' or 'power' for the sake of freedom, dreams, and your crew."
"Set sail! Go take back the hat! Go blast that Destroyer old man away!"
Luffy stood at the bow, shouting loudly.
The Sunny raised its sails, breaking through the rain curtain and lingering volcanic ash, heading deep into the sea.
With Kuzan's help, Luffy soon found the third island. Dense lines of warships blocked the way ahead, cannons glaring menacingly.
"Perfect! Let's test the Sunny's new power after the repairs on them!" Franky excitedly dove into the cabin.
"Coup de Burst!"
The Sunny's stern blasted powerful airflow, speed surging as it nimbly weaved through the fleet's barrage.
"Lion's Roar Cannon! Fire!"
The lion figurehead at the bow opened its maw, unleashing a roaring beam of concentrated energy that instantly blasted several obstructing warships—hull and all—into fragments!
"Special Attack: Green Star: Rafflesia!" Usopp's sniping cleared the path for the charge.
Under the Straw Hat crew's seamless coordination and the Sunny's overwhelming firepower, the Neo Marine blockade line was forcibly torn open!
Like an arrow loosed from a bow, they charged toward the target island's shore!
Landing, fierce battle!
Zephyr had long been waiting in full readiness; his fleet anchored offshore, with large numbers of subordinates occupying the island.
The numbers were overwhelmingly against them, but the Straw Hat crew showed no fear, charging ashore amid a hail of bullets and cannon fire!
Zoro led the charge; wherever his blades flashed, enemies fell. He headed straight for one of Zephyr's strongest subordinates: Ain, who had eaten the Reversal-Reversal Fruit.
Ain was agile, and her Reversal-Reversal Fruit ability was particularly troublesome— a single touch could regress one's age.
But Zoro's Observation Haki played a key role in this fight; he could faintly predict Ain's attack trajectories and intentions.
"Your blade… is hesitating."
In a brief gap during their intense clash, Zoro suddenly spoke, eyes sharp: "You don't fully agree with your teacher's methods, do you?"
Ain's movements faltered slightly; a flash of panic crossed her face at having her true feelings exposed, but she quickly suppressed it with forced coldness: "Shut up! What do you know! For Teacher, I'd do anything!"
"Swinging your blade for someone else, yet unable to be certain why you fight…"
Zoro shook his head: "A blade like that is too dull!"
Zoro's aura surged!
He did not use a killing blow but flipped his sword, using the flat of the heavy blade with precise angle and force to strike the side of her neck!
"Mm!"
Ain groaned, vision darkening as she collapsed limply, temporarily unconscious.
Zoro had held back…
On the other side, Sanji's opponent was Binz, who had eaten the Grow-Grow Fruit.
Binz's ability let him wildly grow and entangle plants, making him extremely troublesome, but his constant shouting of "Teacher! For Teacher!"
Only made Sanji more and more irritated.
"Hey! Curly-brow!" Sanji kicked through a thick vine wrapping toward him, brows furrowed: "How old are you? Always yapping about 'Teacher'! Don't you have any beliefs or will of your own?
Blindly following someone else… I hate people like that the most!"
With that, Sanji's kicks grew fiercer; his flame-wreathed "Diable Jambe" repeatedly broke through the plant defenses until he seized an opening, slamming a brutal kick into Binz's abdomen and sending him flying…
With Ain and Binz—two of Zephyr's most core subordinates—defeated, the tide of battle began to turn.
More crucially, with Ain unconscious, the Reversal-Reversal Fruit effects she had placed on Nami, Chopper, Robin, and Brook started rapidly wearing off!
"Ah! My body… it feels like it's growing up!" Nami exclaimed.
"My antlers! My antlers are back!" Chopper felt his deer horns.
"Yohohoho! Though a skeleton can't feel it, my soul feels fuller!" Brook laughed.
Robin remained calm, saying nothing.
Under everyone's eyes, the four rapidly transformed from childlike forms back to their original ages and physiques.
The process was accompanied by strange faint glows and soft groans; the scene inevitably stirred some… imaginative thoughts among the pirates at God Valley.
"Hey! Over there! Look!"
"They… they're changing back! Ohhh!"
"This… this ability is really…"
On-site at God Valley, some pirates couldn't help letting out ambiguous cheers or gulps.
They only sheepishly shut up after being glared at sharply by their own captains or officers.
...