Faced with Moria's devastating two-pronged attack, Luffy unleashed every ounce of his willpower. The Lightning Flame surged violently through his hands, roaring without restraint.
The blazing orange flames shone like divine light, radiating waves of intense heat. Twin beams of searing brilliance pierced the heavens, their overwhelming energy shaking the entire island to its core.
In the moment before chaos struck, the calm ripples beneath Luffy's hands became the island's final moment of peace.
Then, two colossal beams of flame erupted from his palms, dazzling and furious. They clashed directly with Moria's fists, and in an instant, towering infernos consumed the giant's arms.
"What!?"
Moria's face twisted in disbelief as he watched the fierce orange fire pour out of Luffy's body. The torrent of flames radiated an oppressive force, as if it alone could suppress the entire world.
This power... Moria knew it too well.
Years ago, he had once stood against it. Back then, he'd felt powerless, lost, and ultimately, he had lost everything he once held dear.
He had escaped the hopelessness of the New World, determined to forget that past. Yet here it was again, this force. This unbearable familiarity. That crushing sense of helplessness.
Why? Why now?
No one could answer Moria's silent question.
An indescribable wave of destruction swept through him. In the final moment before his consciousness faded, as fire devoured his world, he saw a memory flicker in the blaze.
His old crew. Laughter ringing through a familiar castle. Goblets raised high, music playing, joy in every corner.
They had called him "Captain Moria" with genuine respect. No one had cared about his strange appearance. They sat together, side by side, feasting, drinking, laughing with his eerie chuckle, chasing their dreams across the seas.
As the illusion faded, Moria surrendered to the overwhelming force, unconscious before he hit the ground.
A single tear, rare and silent, vanished into the inferno before it could fall.
One by one, shadows drifted out of Moria's body, flying off in all directions. His massive form slowly returned to normal. Eyes rolled back, mouth agape, he plummeted from the sky and crashed hard into the earth.
"Ah!"
High above, Luffy screamed in pain. The immense recoil of his final attack overwhelmed him, and he lost control. His arms twisted wildly, his body spinning like a top through the air.
The sky was painted in smears of orange and red, scorched by the firestorm still raging from his hands.
The twin trails of the Lightning Flame tore through the clouds, lighting up the night sky as if to tear it apart.
The beams scoured the earth, carving molten trenches into the ground.
They struck the forest, setting it ablaze in an instant, incinerating trees and wildlife alike.
They plunged into the sea, boiling the water, sending enormous waves crashing toward the island.
In just thirty seconds, the entire Thriller Bark island was transformed into a wasteland.
The searing heat swept across the terrain, burning away the island's former gloom, and replacing it with the devastation of hell itself.
The castle was reduced to rubble. The masts of the ship turned to ash in the flames.
From above, Luffy's battered figure plummeted, unconscious and helpless.
"Mil Fleur: Gigantesco Mano: Stomp"
Panting heavily, Robin summoned the last reserves of her strength. A massive arm bloomed beneath her, catching Luffy gently from the air and setting him softly before her.
"Huff…"
Robin let out a long, shaky breath. Luffy's uncontrolled fire had narrowly missed her and Brook several times. Thankfully, she hadn't joined the fight earlier, so she had just enough stamina left to keep her powers active, and keep them both safe.
"That was… terrifying," Brook muttered, trembling as he crawled out of the crater.
He stared at the shattered remains of the castle, the smoking craters, the broken earth, and the forest that had simply ceased to exist.
No one would have believed it possible, that someone could reshape an entire island in such a short time.
Brook turned to look at Luffy, unconscious with his eyes closed.
For the first time, Brook understood what it meant to witness true power.
"Moria-sama!"
Elsewhere, deep in the underground operating room, Hogback and Perona had narrowly avoided the island-wide destruction.
Sensing the quakes and explosions above, Perona had left her body and sent her Mental Power to the surface.
She was the only one to witness the full scope of Luffy's destructive assault.
Once the battlefield quieted, she returned to her body and emerged from the underground chamber, finding Moria unconscious in a deep trench.
But Perona wasn't strong enough to move someone of his size, he was like a small giant.
She had no choice but to leave her body again to seek Hogback's help.
"Hm?"
Robin, carrying Luffy to safety, noticed Perona's floating form and instinctively reached out to grab her.
But, nothing happened.
The power of the Flower-Flower Fruit failed for the first time in Robin's memory.
Perona noticed Robin too. But still young and untrained in her Devil Fruit abilities, all she could do was float her Negative Ghosts around, she had no real offensive power.
The two women locked eyes in midair.
Each saw the same emotion reflected in the other's gaze, concern for their captain.
Neither had any desire, or ability, to fight the other.
Without a word, they turned away, silently agreeing to ignore what they'd seen.
Around them, the island's magic mist was already beginning to return. Soon, everything would be shrouded in gloom once more.
Unaware of the encounter, Brook looked around at the ruins and asked hesitantly, "Robin-san… what do we do now?"
Forty years without seeing another living person, and now this.
His bony heart still raced from the shock.
"We take Luffy back to the ship," Robin said, concerned. "The last time he pushed himself like this, he slept for three days and woke up fully recovered. Hopefully, this time won't be longer."
She lifted Luffy in a gentle bridal carry and started walking.
"Oh…" Brook murmured. Then fell silent, unsure what to say.
Am I going back to drifting alone again? he wondered. The thought terrified him. There was no way he'd stay here by himself.
As he wavered, Robin suddenly glanced back. "By the way," she said, "have you thought any more about what we talked about earlier?"
Brook blinked. "Wh-what do you mean?"
"Joining our pirate crew," Robin said softly. With Luffy unconscious, she felt responsible for carrying out his intentions.
"T-that…" Brook stammered, flustered. "That wasn't… just a joke?"
He couldn't believe it. Why would someone so strong want someone like him?
Robin tilted her head, pretending to think it over.
"I don't know about the rest," she said slowly, "but Luffy told me himself, he was serious about recruiting new crewmates. I don't think he was joking at all."
Her words struck Brook like spring rain on parched earth.
Even without Luffy saying it directly, if Robin believed it, then it had to be true.
Forty years of loneliness melted away, like an iceberg dissolving into the sea.
With renewed Mental Power, Brook blushed, somehow, on his skeletal cheeks and eagerly stepped forward.
"Robin-san! Let me carry him!"
"Get lost."
The warmth in Brook's heart froze over in an instant, like a river turned to ice by an ancient frost.
Robin's glare sent shivers down his spine, if he had one.
Even in death, he had never felt so close to dying.
==========
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