Under this immense pressure, there was also that familiar feeling.
At this moment, scattered across Onigashima, the strawhat pirates and Luffy's ally sensed not only this powerful aura but also the sudden surge of vitality emanating from Luffy.
In the pleasure district, Sanji jolted awake, staring upward in shock while repeatedly calling out Luffy's name.
He recognized this overwhelming vitality all too well—it was unmistakably coming from Luffy.
*****
On the Skull Dome, Kid and Law were equally stunned, while Hyogoro also shouted Luffy's name.
Meanwhile, upon learning that Luffy was still alive, Tama and Nami, who had already been crying uncontrollably, burst into tears of joy, their emotions overflowing.
*****
At the very top of Onigashima, everything was eerily quiet, as if the fierce battle earlier had never taken place there.
Only the devastation strewn across the ground and the laughter echoing through the air served as proof of the recent fight.
Everyone stood dumbfounded, listening to the bizarre laughter.
Strangely, they all felt the same urge to laugh along.
A gentle breeze swept across the terrain, lifting fine grains of dust into the air.
Under the moonlight, these tiny particles shimmered with a silvery glow, making it a beautiful scenery.
The next moment—
In the brightest spot beneath the moon, a man with limbs bending freely danced and leaped.
"Looks like I can still fight! The sound of my heartbeat is so fun!"
"This is my peak!"
"This is my Gear Fifth!"
Never before in this battle had Luffy felt as powerful as he did now.
He believed that whatever he wished to do at this moment, he would undoubtedly succeed.
In the next moment—
Luffy unleashed his strength, his Haki materializing into tangible lightning that shattered the rooftop.
Instantly, the weaklings who had just regained consciousness under Bob's Conqueror's Haki were knocked out once again, foaming at the mouth as they collapsed helplessly.
Beside Bob, Kaido instinctively looked upward.
Something atop the highest roof filled him with an unfamiliar sense of danger.
At that moment, Luffy's Conqueror's Haki descended like black lightning screeching as it tore through the structures.
Suddenly, an enormous hand reached down from the gaping hole above, aiming straight for Bob.
The hand was unimaginably massive, like a mountain crashing down upon him with terrifying force and overwhelming pressure.
Before Bob could react, Kaido's pupils dilated in shock.
Staring in disbelief, his expression mirrored that of Big Mom, another Yonko standing beside him.
Neither of them could believe that Luffy, who had been on the brink of death moments ago, was not only alive but stronger than ever.
The sheer oppressive force radiating from him was enough to instill fear even in them.
As they stood frozen in shock, the colossal hand closed in on Bob—
And seized him in its grasp.
"COMMANDER!!"
Kaido cried out in concern as he watched Bob being clutched in Luffy's palm.
But soon, he regained his composure.
The current Luffy was indeed strong, far stronger than before.
But compared to Bob, he still wasn't enough.
Just as expected, Bob, held in Luffy's massive palm, looked like a tiny ant.
Yet, facing such a predicament, Bob remained utterly calm.
Even though, to outsiders, it seemed like Bob was being toyed with by Luffy.
The next moment.
Bob's aura erupted violently, a tangible surge of Haki relentlessly assaulting Luffy's palm.
That Haki transformed into strands of crackling lightning, piercing into Luffy's flesh.
At the same time.
Bob's arms flexed outward, immense power gathering from his arms into his palms before transferring into Luffy's gigantic fist.
Instantly, Luffy, who had been grinning just moments ago, suddenly felt an overwhelming force surging within his fist, as if trying to pry it open from the inside and break free.
In the next moment.
Luffy's lips curled into another grin as he tensed his right arm and clenched his fist with all his might.
He wanted to trap Bob inside his grip.
But contrary to his expectations, no matter how hard Luffy strained his massive arm—to the point where it trembled—he couldn't close his fist against Bob's resisting hands.
It was as if what he held in his palm wasn't a human, but an unshakable monster.
"Seems like your strength still isn't enough!"
"Straw Hat Kid!"
Bob looked up at Luffy above him, the moonlight spilling through the gaps of the stretched-open fist.
From Bob's perspective, he could see Luffy's transformed appearance beneath that colossal fist.
Luffy's once-black hair had turned completely white, like burning flames and his clothes had also turned white.
'Steam ribbons' coiled around his neck and underarms like in Gear Fourth, while his eyebrows curled like Sanji's, and his pupils underwent a strange transformation.
His entire face bore an expression of innocent child.
The next moment, Bob's body tensed and his arms exerted a sudden burst of force.
Immediately, Luffy felt an unimaginably powerful force acting upon his body from within his own fist.
Without the slightest delay, the mountain-like fist was flung open by Bob's strength.
But it didn't end there—Bob grabbed one of the giant fingers and, with a powerful yank, dragged Luffy down from midair.
Then, with a wild swing of his arm, he spun Luffy at high speed, slamming him repeatedly into the ground.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The earth trembled under Bob's assault, Luffy's massive arm crashing into the ground with deafening impacts.
The onlookers were utterly stunned.
Their eyeballs popped out of their sockets, jaws dropping to impossible lengths—none of their facial features stayed in place.
Ever since Luffy awakened his Devil Fruit, the nature of their battles and reactions had taken a bizarre turn.
Even those not involved in the fight were being influenced, their expressions warping in strange ways.
And the person in question, Luffy, was even more so.
The exaggerated expression on his face spoke of his current predicament, yet it looked utterly ridiculous.
It was as if he had stepped right out of a cartoon.
-----------
I release a new whitebeard scientist fic : One Piece : Scientist of Whitebeard Pirates
Go read it!