Pacifistas, the Marines human-weapon soldiers, advanced in unison.
In their path stood the steel colossus of the Straw Hats—General Franky—towering and unyielding.
"Franky—Ultimate Destruction Cannon!!!"
Inside the mech, Franky shouted the move's flamboyant name with absolute gusto.
In an instant, the surroundings erupted in shock.
"'Ultimate Destruction Cannon'? Watch out! That robot's about to unleash a finishing move!"
"All units, stay on guard!"
"Be ready to dodge!"
The nearby Marine officers grew tense, their stances tightening, battle-readiness at its peak.
Among the Pacifistas' targets was none other than the infuriated Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock, still fuming over Smoker's earlier attack on her beloved Luffy.
"Sentoumaru-san!" one soldier called.
"No problem! I'm the number one man in the world when it comes to defense!"
Dressed in his red bib and sporting his signature bowl-cut, the Marine Science Unit's captain, Sentoumaru, spoke with supreme confidence and Haki-filled bravado.
"Come at me, Steel Pirate! Let's see which is greater—your so-called Destruction Cannon, or the Pacifistas' laser!"
"Let's go, Franky! Ultimate Destruction Cannon!"
Luffy's eyes sparkled like starlight, his voice ringing with excitement as he waved enthusiastically.
"Ooohhh—"
"It's coming! The mecha warrior's ultimate move!"
"With a name like 'Ultimate Destruction Cannon,' it's gotta be insane!"
"Do it! Steel Pirate, blow all the Pacifistas straight to heaven in one shot!"
Even the pirates who'd once suffered from Pacifista bombardments during Whitebeard's era were shouting in excitement, praising and anticipating Franky's supposed god-tier attack.
"Does General Franky really have a move like that?"
On the Thousand Sunny, Nami's head was full of question marks.
"He does, he does! He's the Steel Pirate, after all!"
Chopper and Usopp nodded rapidly.
"I recall… Franky kinda just…" Robin trailed off, unable to find words.
All eyes focused on General Franky, waiting for his epic performance.
And then…
At that very moment, the Steel Pirate's dramatic pose froze.
Next—
Something no one outside the Straw Hats had ever imagined happened.
The mech's chest cockpit opened wide.
Franky himself stepped to the doorway, dropping to one knee.
Smack! Smack!
Two shoulder-mounted cannons extended and locked into place.
"Ultimate Destruction Cannon—Fire!!!" Franky roared.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Twin cannons on his shoulders erupted with blinding flames, shells flying one after another.
The shots slammed into the Pacifistas, explosions rocking the field.
The machines staggered, their laser charges cut short by Franky's relentless bombardment.
The battlefield froze in stunned silence for a moment.
"…So the 'Ultimate Destruction Cannon'… was just you firing regular shells?!"
From the Marineford battlefield to the Sabaody Archipelago plaza, from pirates to journalists—people collectively cursed out loud.
They had expected a hidden, king-level, mech-exclusive super move.
Instead, it was… this.
Even Whitebeard's allies felt the urge to swear—they couldn't shake the feeling they'd been ruthlessly trolled by Franky.
Marine officers who'd been holding defensive formations now stood red-faced with fury—except Sentoumaru.
His face wasn't red… because it was blackened from catching a shell full-on.
"…My crewmate's an idiot. I'm so sorry," Nami said, face in hand.
"No, Nami," Robin said with a faint smile. "Franky wasn't just putting on a show."
Brook laughed, bones rattling. "Yohohoho, indeed."
No sooner had he spoken than a new wave of explosions echoed—Pacifistas being taken down one after another.
The attackers?
The Straw Hats themselves.
"Gomu Gomu no… Jet Pistol!!!"
In Gear 2, the Fifth Emperor Monkey D. Luffy steamed like a furnace, his punch crashing down like a cannon shell, piercing a Pacifista's armor.
The impact flipped the massive cyborg head-over-heels, slamming it into the frozen ground.
Luffy's internal-damage Armament Haki erupted from his fist, detonating the Pacifista from within until it was nothing but scrap.
"Diable Jambe—Première Haché!!!"
Black Leg Sanji, now post–time skip, launched a blazing kick that sent another Pacifista soaring into the sky, bursting like a firework.
"Ittoryu Iai: Shishi Sonson( One Sword Style Sword Draw: Lion's Song) !!!"
In an instant, Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro passed through his target.
Enma slid back into its sheath as sparks danced along the clean, mirror-like cut.
"Shinsoku!!!"
"Raimei Hakke!!!"
Two versions of Yamato, one from two years ago and one from now, swung their weapons in unison, blasting Pacifistas into the plaza walls so deep they couldn't be pulled free.
"Fish-Man Karate—7000 Brick Roundhouse Kick!!!"
Jinbe leapt high, smashing another Pacifista to pieces with a single spinning strike.
---
"Even if you're just a fake Kuma, I'll carve the Okama Queen's wrath into you! DEATH WINK!!!"
Emporio Ivankov batted his lashes, releasing an explosive gust that blasted his target away.
"My turn! Iron Fist, deploy!"
Franky himself waded in, his steel fists pummeling Pacifistas left and right.
Under the Straw Hats' blitz, the Marine Science Unit's defensive formation collapsed entirely.
And it had all started with Franky's so-called Ultimate Destruction Cannon—
the actual damage from the shells was secondary.
Its true purpose had been to draw the Marines' focus, disrupt their formation, and create openings for his crew to tear through.
It worked.
The Pacifista corps—built at astronomical cost—was falling apart.
"Damn you, Straw Hat brat!!!"
Sentoumaru finally snapped, fury blazing in his eyes as he locked onto Luffy.
"Ashigara Dokkoi Shove!!!"
He lunged, releasing a high-grade Armament Haki strike.
Luffy didn't dodge.
Instead, he caught the blow with both hands, skidding back several meters.
"…Huh?" Sentoumaru froze in shock.
Back at Sabaody, just ten days ago, this move had flattened Luffy.
Now? It couldn't even hurt him.
Their Haki were evenly matched.
"In just ten days… how the hell did you get this strong?!" Sentoumaru demanded, still oblivious to the fact there were two Luffys on the field.
"Not ten days—two years," Luffy grinned, slipping back into Gear 2.
"Gomu Gomu no… Jet Gatling Gun!!!"
A storm of fists rained down like a deluge.
Sentoumaru's eyes went wide—he could feel the killing intent in the air.
He hastily coated himself in full-body Armament Haki.
Bam bam bam—
The sound of flesh on flesh pounded like war drums.
Hundreds of blows landed in seconds.
Finally—
"Guhh—!" Sentoumaru coughed, overwhelmed by Luffy's superior Haki and relentless assault.
Sentoumaru, the Marine Science Unit captain famed for his impregnable defense, couldn't hold out any longer.
His eyes rolled once, blood spurted from his mouth, and he collapsed in defeat.
"One more of me… plus Zoro, Sanji, Franky—they're all so strong!"
Watching this "other him" easily handle an opponent he himself couldn't beat, the Straw Hat Luffy from two years ago bit his lip. For the first time, he felt truly impatient with his own weakness.
Just then—
"Don't rush, Luffy. You'll get stronger. That other you is the most convincing proof!"
A voice—strange, yet warm—sounded in his ears, startling him and easing his impatience.
"For now… all I have to do is give it everything I've got!"
The young Luffy's eyes hardened with resolve.
"Are you sure? You really won't step out and fight alongside your brother?"
Lindbergh stowed away the device two-years-later Sabo had given back to him.
"No need. We've waited long enough—no point rushing this moment," Sabo replied, suppressing the urgency in his heart.
"I believe the time will come when we're needed most—and there'll only be one chance."
---
Thud! Thud!
Heavy footsteps shook the ground.
"Mugiwara brat!"
A Navy Headquarters Giant Vice Admiral roared as he approached, his massive hassaikai club crashing down toward Luffy.
"Luffy!"
"This is bad!"
Zoro, Sanji, and even Jinbe from two years ago paled, ready to rush to help.
"Wait!"
The Fifth Emperor Luffy barked, stopping them.
"Gear Third!"
He bit his thumb, forcing air into the space between bone and flesh.
In an instant, his normal-sized fist swelled to giant proportions.
"Gomu Gomu no… Gigant Pistol!!!"
Boom!
The colossal punch landed square on the Giant Vice Admiral's chest, sending him flying dozens of meters before he crashed to the ground.
"Hulululu…"
Exhaling hard, Gear Third Luffy shrank down, his body reduced to a tiny "Chibi Luffy" from the aftereffects.
A chance!
Nearby Marine officers lit up at the opening—
but before they could move—
A blinding golden laser streaked across the air.
"Death Wink!!!"
Okama King Ivankov batted his lashes, releasing a gale-force blast that sent Chibi Luffy flying clear of danger.
A massive explosion tore through the spot where he'd been.
"Thanks, Iva!"
The Fifth Emperor Luffy called out.
Ivankov began to respond… then froze.
This Luffy could go toe-to-toe with an Admiral. His strength was far beyond anything Ivankov had imagined.
"Whew! That was close! And I'm back to normal!"
Recovering, the young Luffy sighed in relief as the Gear Third aftereffect faded—only for another danger to appear.
---
A chilling white mist descended from above, laced with killing intent.
The smoke-user Marine who'd been chasing Luffy since Loguetown—Smoker—had arrived.
He couldn't touch the Fifth Emperor Luffy… but this Luffy, he could rough up a little.
"Gear 2—Gomu Gomu no… Jet Gatling Gun!"
Faced with his old nemesis, the young Luffy used the same move his future self had unleashed on Sentoumaru.
But without Armament Haki, the punches didn't even brush Smoker's coat.
In moments, Smoker had slapped Seastone cuffs on him and slammed him to the ground.
"Luffy!"
Two-years-later Zoro moved to help.
"Not so fast, Roronoa Zoro!"
Tashigi—wearing glasses and looking exactly like Kuina—stood in his way.
Though she knew she couldn't win, she didn't back down.
Zoro, so fierce against Kizaru, faltered before her and decisively turned to run.
Elsewhere, two-years-later Sanji kicked East Blue nobodies Fullbody and Jango into the distance—
but against the beautiful Marine Captain Tina, he folded instantly, unable to fight back.
Franky, the two Yamatos, two-years-prior Jinbe, and Ivankov were all tied up battling Vice Admirals who'd appeared from nowhere.
Before anyone realized it, the Marines' elite had surrounded the Straw Hat assault team.
And standing directly in front of the Fifth Emperor Luffy…
was one of the Navy's highest combat powers—Admiral Aokiji.
Even for the Emperor-level Luffy, seeing Smoker knock his beloved to the ground was too much for Pirate Empress Boa Hancock.
Her volcanic fury erupted, her peerless beauty twisting into a terrifying, demon-like expression.
One kick shattered Smoker's Seastone cuffs.
Her overwhelming Conqueror's Haki made sweat bead on Smoker's brow.
"Cough, cough—thanks, Hancock. You saved me again," the young Luffy said, with a gratitude so casual it made Hancock's demonic glare melt instantly into springtime bliss.
"Luffy…" she breathed, lovestruck, a wedding march playing in her head.
Snapping back to herself, she hurriedly pulled a key from her cleavage—
the Seastone key for Ace's cuffs, stolen with her beauty from a Marine soldier.
"Luffy, this is your brother's key. Keep it safe," she said.
"Really? That's great! Thanks so much!"
Luffy's eyes lit up as he joyfully leapt forward, wrapping the world's most beautiful woman in an octopus-like hug.
The Pirate Empress—ever unshakable—went completely limp, happiness nearly knocking her unconscious.
---
"He used it! The legendary Hug Attack!!!"
"Damn it, that Straw Hat brat was hiding a trump card like that!"
"Even the Pirate Empress is down!"
Marine soldiers gawked, spinning wild fantasies in their heads.
In the void above, sparks of jealousy flared—
it was Sanji, who'd escaped Tina only to witness Luffy hugging the world's most beautiful woman. His entire body trembled with envious rage.
"Don't get distracted, lovesick cook!"
Zoro—having slipped away from Tashigi—grabbed the young Luffy's shoulder from one side. Sanji took the other, and together they dragged him back.
Crash!
An enormous sword slash split the ice, opening a bottomless chasm.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The world's greatest swordsman, Hawk-Eye Mihawk, had arrived.
And with him… Tyrant Kuma.