On a high platform built atop the collapsed ruins of an old daimyo mansion in Udon…
The so-called "Straw Hat" stood tall, arms raised high as he shouted his manifesto to the chaotic sea of pirates below.
"Little ones! From today onwards, you're all members of the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"When I become the Pirate King—each of you will be part of the Pirate King's crew!"
The disorganized pirates below erupted in excitement and delusion, raising their weapons to the smoky skies above Wano.
"OH!!! Boss Straw Hat!!"
"Captain Luffy!"
"One Piece! From now on, we're the ones who'll follow the path to One Piece!!"
Each pirate waved a rusted blade or shattered club, as if they had truly become crewmates of the future Pirate King himself.
Above them, on the crumbled platform once used by Kaido's subordinates, the man wearing a cheap imitation straw hat smirked with self-satisfaction.
He had done it—his plan was working.
Two years ago, the real Straw Hat Pirates had shaken the world.
The raid on Enies Lobby, the declaration of war against the World Government, the audacious infiltration and escape from Impel Down, and finally—Marineford.
All three of the highest institutions under the Celestial Dragons—the CP9, the Marines, and Impel Down—had been slapped in the face by that one reckless crew.
And because of that legacy, their legend still echoed loudly among pirates across the New World.
Yet, after the Summit War, the Straw Hats had vanished. Some thought they had perished in the war, while others whispered they were lying low, gathering strength.
But this man—this imposter—saw it as a chance to rise.
"The Straw Hat Boy…?"
Suddenly, a voice like steel rasping against stone cut through the air from behind.
"Who's there?!" the fake Straw Hat gasped, spinning around in panic.
There, standing tall at the edge of the ruined platform, was a monstrous figure cloaked in black, with a presence that bent the very air around him. The shadow he cast swallowed the imposter completely.
"You… who the hell are you?!" the man stammered, beads of sweat dripping down his neck.
His body retreated unconsciously—his memories scrambling. Though it had been two years, rumors of the Sabaody Incident still haunted the underworld. He hadn't believed them.
Now, standing before a figure so reminiscent of those rumors, fear resurfaced.
The towering shadow raised one arm.
"Air Pressure Gun."
He spoke the words without emotion—and a blast of compressed force exploded from his palm.
Fwoooom—!!
It was as if the very atmosphere had been compressed and detonated. A shockwave of pure pressure slammed into the fake Straw Hat's chest.
BOOM!!
The impact thundered across the ruins. The man was launched like a cannonball, his straw hat fluttering down slowly in his wake.
CRASH!!!
The imposter's body smashed into the remains of the collapsed quarters, stone and timber bursting into the air like shrapnel. A huge crater formed on impact.
Dust and debris blotted out the battlefield.
"B-Boss Straw Hat…" one pirate muttered, mouth agape as he stared into the cloud of destruction.
"D-Don't say that! That's impossible! How could the Boss Straw Hat die from just one hit?!"
But as the smoke finally thinned, the truth emerged.
The fake Straw Hat lay in a jagged crater, bloodied and unconscious—his chest caved in, arms broken, straw hat shredded beside him. It was obvious to anyone who looked:
He was dead.
"D-Dead…!"
"That guy—he's really dead!"
Gasps and cries of disbelief echoed through the crowd.
"You bunch of morons!" Caribou barked, rising up from the crowd and silencing the chaos.
"Now do you understand?! That wasn't the real Straw Hat Luffy!!"
The other pirates stared in shock, unable to refute him.
Caribou's twisted mouth curled into a sneer as he looked at the corpse in the crater.
"That scumbag was a fraud…"
"Heh heh heh—lying to idiots like you is one thing. But trying to pretend to be him? That pisses me off," he snarled. "Even if that guy survived, I would've killed him myself."
His murderous aura spiked violently, and even the toughest pirates nearby flinched.
Caribou—the self-proclaimed Swamp Man—was no longer just a grotesque figure. Right now, he felt like the most dangerous creature present.
"…So, who the hell are you?" Caribou finally turned his gaze toward the shadowy figure still standing calmly on the platform above.
"Marine? CP0?"
He licked his lips with his snake-like tongue.
But the tall figure said nothing.
He just stood there, the air around him eerily calm, unmoved by the chaos below.
Caribou narrowed his eyes, fingers twitching slightly.
"Hmph. Not talkin', huh?"
"No matter. Marine or pirate, it doesn't matter…
Today, in order to thank you for dismantling this guy, I'll leave you a whole body!
Sha!
A sharp gust followed as the figure leapt toward the upper platform.
While sprinting, his right arm liquefied entirely into black sludge—a viscous swamp stretching unnaturally long—and from within it emerged a jagged, crescent-like weapon.
"Swamp Sickle!"
Boom!
A massive hand, padded like raw meat and wide as a barrel, caught the deadly strike midair—its power instantly nullified.
Caribou's face went rigid.
"I can't move…" he whispered, horror-struck.
From the towering shadow rose a suffocating aura—an overwhelming pressure that distorted the air itself.
"Pressure Cannon."
Boom!
The crushing force came down like a meteor.
The entire upper platform caved in with an explosive crash. Caribou, already reverted into his swamp form, splattered into a puddle across the shattered debris.
Then, the black muck pulled itself together slowly atop a lone boulder, reforming his human shape.
"Puh–!"
Caribou vomited a mouthful of blood the moment he stabilized.
On his back, a grotesquely deep palm-print was burned into his flesh—unthinkable for someone of his fruit's nature.
He stared at the looming figure in disbelief.
"Why… I'm a Logia-type! The Numa Numa no Mi (Swamp-Swamp Fruit) user! That shouldn't be possible!"
Since devouring the Logia fruit, Caribou had cruised through battle after battle with impunity.
No sword, bullet, or cannonball could strike him. Every attack phased through, swallowed by the bog his body became.
But now—one slap from this monster had nearly crushed him.
It defied the laws he thought governed the sea.
"Ignorant ant."
The giant shadow's voice was chillingly flat—devoid of emotion.
"The first half of the Grand Line is filled with creatures like you. No wonder they call it Paradise."
"But this is the New World—a realm apart."
In the New World, even cabin boys on Emperor ships learn Haki.
While over in Paradise, most pirates get drunk off power just because they ate a Logia-type.
The best example was Enel of Skypiea—once wielding the fearsome Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit)—believing himself a god, until the rubber kid from East Blue decked him.
Sha!
'Nobita' vanished from the boulder and reappeared instantly among a group of pirates, sending a chill through the air.
His gigantic palm raised—and with it, the air around him warped unnaturally.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The earth cracked. Dust and smoke shot skyward.
One after another, titanic palm strikes dropped like judgment, compressing the air into destructive bursts.
Each time he struck, it was like a hammer smashing the entire battlefield.
"Run!"
"Monster!"
"Wait—I remember now! The dark legend from two years ago on Sabaody… it's him! He's returned! That demon!!"
Panic rippled like wildfire. Pirates fled in chaos, trampling over each other to escape the battlefield.
Amidst them, a figure with a bulging backpack and a cheap fake-beard mask paused.
His eyes locked on 'Nobita,' his gaze intense.
"Why… does this man feel so familiar?"
The events at Sabaody two years ago had burned deep into his memory.
But back then, that cloaked man had always kept his face hidden.
So Luffy—despite the gut feeling—had never connected the dots.
Boom!
A shockwave landed nearby. Pirates were crushed flat by the overwhelming pressure.
The ground burst open like an eggshell, sending Luffy's body flying into the air.
The massive shadow halted mid-motion.
Its head tilted up—gaze sharp and unwavering.
"It's you…"
"Oi! That was dangerous!" Luffy barked midair, frustration flashing in his eyes.
The familiar straw hat sat proudly atop his head.
As he spun, the fake beard mask was flung away, revealing the unmistakable face that graced wanted posters across the world.
"It's the real Straw Hat Luffy!" a voice shouted from afar—Bright's voice, trembling with awe.
'Nobita' extended his right hand toward the airborne Luffy.
The air twisted. A translucent sphere pulsed outward, the pressure curling reality itself.
And then—like a cannon—
Boom!
The compressed atmosphere launched a shockwave at blinding speed straight at Luffy.
Eyes widening, Luffy grit his teeth.
"I'm not who I was two years ago!"
"Gear Second!"
Puff–!
Steam burst from under his feet. His body flushed red-hot, pulsing with blood-accelerated power.
Invisible Haki shimmered faintly across his limbs.
"Gomu Gomu no… Jet Stamp!"
His leg, now coated in Armament Haki, slammed against the incoming force.
Boom!
For a fraction of a second, the two forces held.
But the shockwave broke through. Luffy was flung like a ragdoll, crashing through air.
"Guahh!"
He spat blood as his body tumbled down.
'Nobita's' voice echoed coldly from above.
"You learned Armament Haki in two years, and that gave you confidence?"
"Know your place."
"The weak… must accept being weak."
"I'm not the weakling I was two years ago!!"
From inside the massive crater he'd fallen into, Luffy rose—hands trembling but eyes defiant.
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