One Piece: A Side Story – The Forgotten Isle

Chapter 103: One Piece: A Side Story – The Forgotten Isle (Part 104)



The battlefield seemed to blur around the Straw Hat Pirates, their senses overloaded by the constant warping of time. The Guardian's figure flickered like a broken hologram, appearing and disappearing with terrifying speed. The ground beneath them trembled with every strike, and the very air hummed with a force they couldn't comprehend.

Luffy, still grinning despite the chaos, raised his fist. "Alright, guys! We can do this! Let's beat this guy and move on!"

But his voice barely cut through the cacophony of sounds that surrounded them. The Guardian's blade swung again, faster than before, slicing through the air with a sound that was almost like a ticking clock.

"Careful, Luffy!" Zoro shouted, rushing in to intercept the blow, his swords drawn. But the Guardian's sword was quicker, slashing across Zoro's chest and sending him skidding back across the battlefield.

"Zoro!" Sanji yelled, rushing to his side. "Damn it, we need a plan!"

"Time's shifting too fast!" Robin called out, trying to maintain her focus. "This warrior is manipulating not just space, but time itself. Every strike, every movement, is part of a cycle we can't seem to break!"

Franky looked up, his mechanical arms glowing. "Super! We've got to find a way to stop him from warping around. We've fought tough guys before, but this is different."

The Guardian's form shifted again, reappearing directly above them with a swing of its massive sword. "You cannot escape what you cannot see. Time bends for me. For you, it bends... towards defeat."

Luffy's eyes narrowed, his grip tightening on the Heart. "Time, huh? You keep saying that. But if there's one thing I've learned, it's that no one can control everything—not even time!"

With a loud crack, Luffy launched himself into the air, his limbs stretching to avoid the Guardian's sword. "Gomu Gomu no...!" His arm extended and smashed toward the Guardian, but once again, the figure vanished in a flash, reappearing behind him with an impossible speed.

The crew watched as their attacks seemed to pass through the Guardian like a ghost. The harder they tried to hit, the faster the warrior moved, always staying one step ahead. The battle felt like it was stuck in a loop.

"We're getting nowhere!" Nami shouted, her staff crackling with electricity as she tried to channel a lightning strike toward the Guardian. But again, the warrior's form flickered and was gone before the attack could land.

Robin's mind raced. "It's not enough to just fight him physically. We need to disrupt the flow of time itself. But how? What is the source of his power?"

The answer came to her in a flash—the Heart.

"The Heart of the Forgotten Isle!" Robin said, her voice suddenly clear. "It's not just a key—it's part of the very power controlling this place! The Guardian is tied to it, but so are we. The Heart is the focal point. If we can stop it from resonating with time…"

"But how do we stop it?" Franky asked, his eyes flicking toward Luffy, who was still dodging the Guardian's strikes.

Before Robin could answer, the air shifted again. The Guardian spoke, its voice an ethereal whisper, "You think you can stop me? You are but children playing with forces you do not understand. The Heart has already chosen you. Now, you are part of this cycle. And the cycle… is endless."

As the Guardian spoke, the ground beneath their feet cracked open, and time itself began to distort again. The crew was thrown off balance, and before they could react, the world around them began to fragment. The sky shifted through countless time periods—one moment, the sun shone bright over a pristine ocean, the next, they were in the middle of a raging storm. Past, present, and future collided in a dizzying display.

"Time is collapsing!" Robin shouted, trying to focus. "We need to stop this distortion, or we'll be lost in time forever!"

Luffy, sensing the urgency in her voice, gripped the Heart tighter. "Right! I'm not going to let this whole island mess with us! Time or no time, I'm going to fix this!"

Suddenly, a pulse of energy surged from the Heart. It was a shockwave that rippled through the battlefield, distorting the air itself. The Guardian's form flickered wildly, as though it was losing its grip on the temporal rift.

"This is it!" Luffy shouted. "I can feel it! The Heart's power is starting to stabilize the island again. We just need to push it even further!"

"How do we do that?" Zoro growled, standing up despite his injuries. "We need a way to fight back! We can't let this guy keep controlling the battlefield."

Robin's eyes sharpened. "We need to synchronize our attacks with the Heart's energy. If we can channel its power, we might be able to reverse the cycle."

Luffy's grin spread wider. "Alright! You guys handle the distractions! I'll get the Heart to work!"

With newfound determination, the Straw Hats launched into action. Zoro charged the Guardian, his swords flashing with each movement, while Sanji delivered a rapid series of powerful kicks from above. Franky and Chopper launched simultaneous attacks from the sides, distracting the Guardian and buying Luffy the time he needed.

As the Heart pulsed again, Luffy held it out in front of him, his body crackling with energy. "Gomu Gomu no…!" He thrust his arm toward the sky, releasing a massive shockwave of rubbery energy. The pulse of the Heart intensified, aligning with his strike.

The world around them began to shift—slower this time, as if time itself were listening to Luffy's will. The Guardian staggered back, momentarily disoriented by the sudden force of the Heart's power. The air grew thick, and the battlefield began to settle into a strange stillness.

"Now's our chance!" Robin shouted. "Everyone, focus! We need to keep the flow of time steady!"

The crew combined their efforts, launching their attacks in perfect synchrony with the pulsing energy from the Heart. Zoro, Sanji, Franky, and the others all focused their powers on the Guardian, while Robin used her Devil Fruit powers to create barriers of arms, stopping the Guardian from disappearing again.

The Guardian, its form flickering and distorting under the combined force, finally fell to one knee. Its voice, now hollow and desperate, echoed one last time. "Time… will claim you… all…"

And then, in a flash of light, it was gone.

For a moment, silence reigned. The world around them seemed to reset itself, the fragments of time beginning to realign. The battlefield, once shattered, was now calm. The sky cleared, and the air grew still. The Heart pulsed gently in Luffy's hands.

"We did it…" Nami breathed, looking around in awe. "We actually did it!"

Luffy grinned widely, holding up the Heart triumphantly. "See? Told ya! We just needed to work together!"

Robin smiled, though her expression was still thoughtful. "The trial is over… but the Heart's power is still tied to this island. We'll have to be careful."

Franky stretched his arms, letting out a laugh. "Well, as long as it doesn't mess with us again, I'm happy!"

But even as they celebrated their victory, the ground beneath their feet trembled once more. The distant sound of a clock ticking echoed in the air.

Something told them… this was only the beginning.

To be continued...

........

"Don't miss the chance to get advanced chapters of my novel for FREE! Just copy the link now and start reading!"

https://shorturl.at/3DZhG


Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.