Luffy's Call: My Journey with the Straw Hats

He hadn't expected Kuma to appear at this time.

Kuma, having finished his call on the Den Den Mushi, let his gaze fall upon Moonlight.

"Moonlight, who is he?" Nami couldn't help but tremble. The Warlord's oppressive presence radiated from him; just a single look from across the courtyard made her feel a heavy, breathless weight.

"One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea," Moonlight said grimly. "The Tyrant, Bartholomew Kuma."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a calm voice sounded directly behind them. "So, you've been discovered. If you were to take a trip, where would you want to go?"

Nami whipped her head around, her blood running cold. At some point, the massive Warlord had vanished from the castle wall and teleported directly behind them.

"A Warlord!"

A chill shot up Nami's spine, and her body subconsciously tried to flee, but she found her muscles were sore and weak, refusing to move. Kuma had already taken off one of his gloves, revealing a palm with a soft, pink pad, like a bear's paw.

"If you won't say, I'll choose a random destination," Kuma said indifferently, his expression emotionless, his eyes empty. He raised his palm to strike.

"Crack!"

Nami trembled all over. Facing the immense pressure of the Warlord, she couldn't even summon the courage to resist, watching helplessly as his paw descended. But at the last second, Moonlight stepped in front of her, blocking the palm with his own.

"BOOM!"

A terrifying shockwave, centered on the two men, erupted in all directions. It tore through the courtyard like a hurricane, ripping up the very ground. Nami clung desperately to Moonlight's clothes, not daring to let go.

"Hm?" A flicker of surprise crossed Kuma's face, as if he'd never imagined someone could withstand his attack.

"Nami, you go first. Find Luffy and the others," Moonlight said, his expression solemn after the blow. Kuma's strength was immense. His power, speed, Haki, and Devil Fruit ability placed him among the strongest individuals Moonlight had ever faced, surpassed only by Mihawk and Aokiji. His Paw-Paw Fruit, in particular, was not to be underestimated. This man likely possessed the power of a Marine Admiral. Against such a foe, Moonlight knew he couldn't protect Nami once the fight began in earnest.

"Okay." Nami took a deep breath and, without another moment's hesitation, ran. She had to warn Luffy about the terrifying enemy that had just arrived.

Kuma did not stop her. Instead, he looked at Moonlight, a flicker of interest in his impassive eyes. "Are you the Vice-Captain of the Straw Hat crew, Moonlight?"

"I am," Moonlight said faintly, raising the Pheasant Sword. Whether this man was an enemy or a friend, a battle was now inevitable. Though they were far apart, he had overheard Kuma receiving orders to eliminate the Straw Hat crew on the spot.

"Is that so?" Kuma's tone became indifferent again. "Then where would you like to travel?" He raised his palm, and the very air seemed to compress, condensing into the shape of a bear's paw in front of his hand. He was weaponizing air pressure itself.

"Where would I like to travel?" Moonlight sneered. "Unfortunately for you, you can't send me to that place." He slashed his sword.

SWOOSH!

A crescent of violent, surging sword energy instantly crossed the dozens of paces between them. At such a close distance, it was impossible to dodge.

"Hmph."

But just as the sword energy was about to hit, Kuma vanished. He disappeared from his spot as if teleporting. The sword qi tore past him and slammed into the castle wall, slicing the entire structure in two. The energy lingered for a moment before gradually dissipating.

At the same time, Kuma's body reappeared behind Moonlight, his palm striking down.

"BOOM!"

The compressed air pressure erupted, bombarding the spot where Moonlight had been standing. The ground in a hundred-meter radius imploded as if struck by ten thousand cannons, leaving a crater several meters deep and sending a long trench tearing across the landscape, a testament to the power of the blow.

"Is he gone?" Kuma raised his head, his expression unchanging, only to see Moonlight now standing on the ruined castle wall. His attack had failed. A moment later, another crescent of sword energy fell from the sky.

CRASH!

The sword qi descended like a waterfall, piercing the earth and shaking the entire island.

"A formidable vice-captain," Kuma stated, teleporting once more to appear on the opposite side of the wall from Moonlight. He began to thrust his palms out continuously. Paws made of pure pressure shot from his hands, densely packed like a swarm of bubbles, overwhelming the battlefield and making it impossible to dodge.

"Extreme Ghost Swordsmanship: Meteor Fall!" Moonlight rose into the air, and from the void above, an infinite number of sword-energy projectiles rained down.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

The pressure paws and the sword energy collided in mid-air. The entire castle wall, already damaged, was subjected to a horrific bombardment, rocked by shocking explosions until it was reduced to a pile of rubble.

"What is that?"

The zombies scattered across the island looked up. Under the moonlight, two figures clashed again and again, and every building, wall, and tree in their path was obliterated.

By this time, Nami had found Zoro and the others. Even Brook was with them. He had been searching for his shadow when he noticed that Ryoma's shadow had somehow returned to its master. Surprised, he had then run into Zoro, who was now carrying Shusui. Brook had assumed Zoro defeated Ryoma, but before Zoro could explain, they found that Luffy was in danger. Moria had stolen his shadow and stuffed it into the body of the giant demon, Oars. The crew had just gathered, preparing to find Moria and retrieve the shadow, when they heard the commotion.

Even Moria was stunned by the scale of the destruction.

"What is that?"

"Such incredible destruction! Who is fighting over there?" Zoro and the others were shocked.

"It's Moonlight!" Nami said quickly. "He's fighting one of the Seven Warlords, The Tyrant, Bartholomew Kuma!"

"What?! There are two Warlords on this island?" Zoro and the others stared in disbelief. Dealing with Moria was proving difficult enough; the arrival of another Warlord plunged their situation into despair.

"Damn you, Tyrant Kuma! How dare you destroy my territory! Damn you!" Moria screamed in rage. Beside him, Perona, Absalom, and Hogback were already stunned. Kuma, another Warlord, was here?

"Oars, go! Kill them for me!" Moria ordered the giant demon.

"I wanna eat meat!" Oars bellowed, ignoring the command. Possessed by Luffy's shadow, he was even more independent and unruly.

"Fine! As long as you kill them, I'll give you lots of meat!" Moria sneered.

"Okay! I'm gonna eat meat!" Oars roared, turning his massive frame towards Moonlight and Kuma.

"STOP!"

A cold, harsh shout cut through the night. Everyone turned to see Luffy appear. But this was a different Luffy. His muscles were knotted, his body was swollen to twice its normal size, and his skin had taken on a bluish-green hue. He walked up to Oars and stared at him coldly, his entire demeanor changed.

This was Nightmare Luffy.

"Is that Luffy?" the Straw Hats gasped. He looked similar, but he was a full size bigger, as if he had doubled in mass.

"That's him," a zombie that looked like a wild sow explained, stepping forward with a group of other bizarre, mismatched zombies. "One hundred shadows have been stuffed into his body." Her name was Charlotte Lola, captain of the Rolling Pirates, also known as "Lola the Proposer." Her shadow had been stolen by Moria, and her body had been altered by Hogback. The people with her had all suffered the same fate. By chance, they had met the shadowless Luffy and had teamed up to help him defeat Moria and retrieve all their shadows.

"One hundred shadows are inside Luffy's body?" Zoro and the others were dumbfounded.

The transformed Luffy looked at Oars, his eyes deadly serious. "I'm going to send you flying." His tone and expression were shockingly imperious, a trait that seemed to run in his family.

"You're gonna send me flying? You and what army?" Oars laughed as if he'd heard the world's greatest joke.

"BOOM!"

The next moment, Nightmare Luffy vanished, reappearing directly in front of Oars and throwing a single punch. The giant's massive body was lifted off its feet and sent flying, crashing into the ground in the distance and leaving a huge crater.

"What?!"

"He sent Oars flying with one punch?"

"When did Luffy get that strong?!"

Everyone stared in shock. They had seen Luffy's strength increase dramatically with Gear Second and Third on Enies Lobby, but Oars was a colossal demon. For Luffy to defeat him with a single punch was unbelievable.

"He has the power of 100 shadows inside him! His strength has been amplified immensely!" Lola quickly explained.

"ROAR!" Oars roared, trying to get up, but Nightmare Luffy was too fast. He flashed around the giant, landing blow after devastating blow. Oars, despite his strength, was completely overwhelmed.

"Give me back my shadow!" Luffy shouted, his attacks raining down like a torrential storm. Oars screamed, unable to even muster the strength to fight back.

"Straw Hat brat!" Moria yelled and leaped into the fray. Perona and Absalom followed, while Hogback commanded the zombie army to charge Luffy's allies.

Zoro and the others immediately engaged them. A fierce battle erupted. The army of zombies was endless, and though the crew was powerful, they were quickly bogged down by sheer numbers. Absalom, using his invisibility, moved through the battlefield like a phantom, his powerful attacks coming from nowhere. Perona's Negative Hollows drifted through the fight, and one by one, fighters would suddenly drop to their knees, crying in despair.

"I'm sorry, I am a caterpillar!"

"I'm sorry, I don't deserve to stand with you!"

"I'm sorry, I don't deserve to be a person!"

Seeing this, Lola and her zombie allies joined the fight, but they were still no match for Moria. The Warlord's control over his Shadow-Shadow Fruit was masterful. He easily broke through their lines and reached Oars. He then opened a hatch in the giant's torso, revealing a hidden cockpit filled with controls, and climbed inside.

The next moment, Moria was piloting Oars. The giant's movements became precise and terrifyingly destructive. This new version of Oars was completely different from before, its power on another level entirely. Nightmare Luffy was immediately suppressed. With Moria, Perona, and Absalom fighting in concert, the pressure on the Straw Hats and their allies increased tenfold, and they were quickly pushed into a corner.

"Oh no, it's almost time," Lola said, looking at the time with a grim expression. Though the 100 shadows gave Luffy incredible power, it came with a strict limit. "This state can only be maintained for five minutes!"

As she spoke, Nightmare Luffy's body suddenly shrank. Countless shadows flew out of his body, and he returned to his normal size. He was still the same Luffy, but he no longer possessed that overwhelming power.

"Gear Second!" Luffy's fighting spirit still burned. His blood flow accelerated, steam rose from his body, and his skin took on a reddish hue. He charged at Oars again. While still fierce, his attacks were nowhere near as powerful as before.

"Straw Hat boy, is that all the strength you have?" Moria's mocking laugh echoed from inside Oars.

"Damn it!" Zoro and the others tried to move forward to help, but Perona's ghosts were everywhere, dominating the battlefield. Combined with Absalom's invisibility, it was an almost unsolvable situation. They were trapped in their own desperate fights, unable to help their captain.

"This is bad," Lola and her crew murmured, their hearts sinking. The situation was looking dire.

"CRASH!"

At that moment, the shockwaves from Moonlight and Kuma's battle spread to their location. The two men were still locked in a fierce duel, their air-pressure paws and sword-energy slashes colliding violently, blasting the area with residual energy. A hundred-meter zone around them had become a terrifying vortex of destruction where everything was annihilated. The fight had now moved right on top of them.

The shockwaves of sword qi and air pressure rained down on the battlefield. Everyone scrambled to dodge the bombardment. Even Absalom was forced out of his invisibility, hastily dodging the terrifying aftermath. Perona fled far away. Luffy and the others dodged frantically. Only Oars, controlled by Moria, was able to withstand the shockwaves with his terrifyingly durable body.

"Those two are monsters!" Lola and the others retreated from the battle to avoid getting caught in the crossfire, horrified by the sheer destruction the two men were causing.

"So that's the Warlord Bartholomew Kuma?"

"To be able to fight Moonlight to a standstill is incredible!"

"Moria, Kuma... two Warlords," Zoro muttered, moving to the side with the others.

"You bastard Kuma! And you, Vice-Captain Moonlight! I'll kill you both!" Moria roared from within Oars, manipulating the giant to charge toward the two dueling figures. How could he allow others to wreak such havoc in his own territory? His years of work were being wantonly destroyed. He would not tolerate it.