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  --xLOVEx--

  The crew had barely stepped out of the bar, eager to split up and explore, when they were interrupted by a familiar face—or at least, what looked like one.

  A t figure loomed ahead, resembling Bartholomew Kuma, but something was off. His meical movements, the eerie red glow of his eyes—it wasn’t the real deal.

  Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro tensed up immediately. The st time they faced Kuma, it had nearly killed them. The memory of Thriller Bark still hauhem, but Coby quickly stepped forward.

  “He’s not Kuma,” Coby said, pointing to the meical details. “It’s a Pacifista! Look at the hands—no paws.”

  The crew let out a collective sigh of relief, but the tension remaihe Pacifista raised its arm, a meical whirring filling the street as it prepared to fire a ser. Before it could unleash its attack, Coby acted.

  Without a word, he moved fast, raising his hand and eling his power. “Long-Distance Breath Fire Nuke!” Coby shouted, his voice carrying across the battlefield. He summoned a massive amount of explosive breath, isoting Mr. 5’s breath bomb with Wind trol, charging it up to dangerous levels. As the Pacifista opes mouth to fire its beam, Coby guided his attack straight to the target, bining the explosive breath with Hiken’s fme.

  The charged breath exploded ihe Pacifista’s mouth, the bst tearing through its internal meisms. The force of the explosion was immediate—parts of the Pacifista’s fad chest erupted in a fiery explosion, its metallic frame shuddering uhe impact.

  The crew, now emboldened, sprang into a.

  “Good shot, Coby!” Zoro called, already moving forward with his swords drawn. He sshed at the weakened Pacifista, aiming for its exposed circuits. The bdes sparked as they met the metal, but Zoro’s strikes were relentless, chipping away at the Pacifista’s armor.

  Sanji leapt into the air, spinning his body with a fiery kick. “Diable Jambe!” His leg ignited as he aimed a powerful strike at the Pacifista’s head. The impact sent the mae stumbling backward, smoke p from the damaged area.

  Luffy wasn’t far behind, ung himself forward with his signature move. “Gomu Gomu Pistol!” His fist shot forward, smashing into the Pacifista’s chest with a loud ch. The mae staggered again, barely holding itself together.

  Despite the heavy damage, the Pacifista wasn’t dow. Its meical body whirred back to life, firing off a barrage of ser beams. The crew scattered, dodging the bsts as they zig-zagged through the battlefield.

  Coby called out quickly, "Robin, close his mouth when he’s about to fire! Nami, Brook, get a bo lightning attack ready. Brook, use Nami’s clouds as a duit for your sword, fry his circuits! Usopp, toss explosives inside o’s open. The rest of you, distract him!"

  Robin responded immediately, activating her powers. " Fleur!" Ten arms sprouted from the Pacifista’s neck, g its mouth shut just as it began to charge its ser. The meism inside whirred and sputtered, momentarily disabled.

  Nami and Brook sprang into a . Nami formed a dark storm cloud above the battlefield with her Clima-Tact. "Let’s fry this tin !" she shouted, sending a charged bolt of lightning into Brook’s waiting bde. The skeleton swordsman grinned, his hollow eyes gleaming.

  "Yohohoho! I am struck!" Brook dashed forward, using his sword to direct the bolt of lightning. With rapid pierg dash, he sliced through the air, eling the electricity into the Pacifista’s exposed joints and circuits. The metal sparked and crackled uhe surge of power.

  Usopp, already set up nearby, took aim. "Eat this, you oversized toaster!" He hurled several explosives straight at the Pacifista’s now-disabled mouth. The explosives rolled inside

  "Take cover!" Coby shouted as the explosives detonated ihe Pacifista’s mouth, sending a violent shockwave through its meical frame. Smoke billowed from the inside, and sparks shot out from its joints.

  Zoro and Sanji moved i, with Luffy right behind them. "Let’s finish this!" Zoro yelled, drawing his swords for a final strike.

  Sanji spun into a, his leg igniting in fmes. "Diable Jambe: cassé!" His fming kick smmed into the Pacifista’s damaged chest, denting the metal further and sending it staggering back.

  Zoro followed up with a swift, powerful ssh. "Santoryu Ogi: Sanzen Sekai!" His swords whirled in a flurry, cutting deep into the Pacifista’s already weakened armor, leaving deep gashes across its torso.

  Luffy’s fist extended, charged up. "Gomu Gomu no Gigant Bazooka!" His palms rocketed into the Pacifista’s chest, driving the mae backward with such force that it colpsed, crumbling into a heap of sparking, brokeal.

  The crew regrouped, catg their breath as the smoke cleared. Coby stood at the back, the wreckage. "Good job, everyone," he said with a nod, wiping some sweat off his brow. "Let’s move out before more of these things show up."

  Nami twirled her Clima-Tact, still sparking from the electricity. "Let’s hope they don’t. That ain."

  "Yohohoho, quite arifying experience!" Brook ughed, though no one seemed to appreciate his joke. Usopp groaned, wiping some soot from his face.

  Before the crew could catch their breath, another Pacifista nded heavily in front of them, its meical body gleaming uhe light. A rge man with a giant battle axe followed, his rough voiing across the battlefield. “So, you’re the Strairates. I’m Sentomaru, the Marines' bat force leader.”

  Luffy ched his fists, eyes narrowing at the newer. “We don’t have time for this.”

  Sentomaru smirked, gripping his massive axe tightly. “Don’t think you run away so easily. You’ve caused a lot of trouble this time.” He raised the axe, aiming directly at Luffy. “I have ne, this is just business.”

  Luffy shot a quice at his crew. “Split up and run! We’ll meet in three days!”

  The crew scattered instantly, knowing Luffy’s orders were final. Nami and Usopp bolted to the left, while Sanji, Franky, and Robin took the right. Zoro, Brook, and Chopper darted straight down the middle, to disappear into the chaos of the isnd. Coby stood at his pce, knowing it was all for naught.

  Sentomaru barely gave them a sed gnce. “You think running will help?” He charged at Luffy, swinging his axe with surprising speed. Luffy barely mao dodge the strike, the grouh him crag uhe force of the blow. Sentomaru didn’t stop, his movements quid strong. He closed the distan a blink, his fist smming into Luffy’s chest.

  Luffy gasped as he flew backward, the impaog the wind out of him. “What the hell?” He gritted his teeth, trying to stand, but Sentomaru was already in front of him, a grin on his face.

  “You don’t stand a ce against Haki, Straw Hat.”

  Luffy tried to throunch, but Sentomaru easily dodged, smming him to the ground with another Haki-irike. The force of the blow left Luffy coughing, struggling to get up.

  Meanwhile, Zoro rinting through opposite dire, trying to put as much distaween himself and the battlefield as possible. “Damn it, where the hell is everyone?” he grumbled. Just as he turned a er, a powerful kick ected with his side, sending him flying bato battlefield. He hit the ground hard, groaning as he pushed himself up.

  Standing in front of him was a tall man with light-colored sungsses and a zy expression. His yellow jacket fred slightly as he tilted his head. “Maa maa, you’re moving a bit too fast, aren’t you?”

  The battle at Sabaody tio spiral out of trol. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and the rest of the crew found themselves ered by Sentomaru, Kizaru, and a new wave of Pacifista, with no real escape in sight. Sentomaru thrashed Luffy over and ain, while Kizaru's light-speed attacks targeted Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp. The rest of the crew struggled against the relentless Pacifista, their bodies slowly wearing down from the overwhelming force.

  Sentomaru smashed his palm into Luffy’s chest, sending him skidding across the ground. "You’re no mate, Straw Hat, just sit still" he stated, his face calm despite the devastation he was causing. Luffy, struggling to stand, wiped blood from his mouth and charged again, only to be met with another crushing blow.

  Meanwhile, Kizaru toyed with Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp, his body fshing in and out of sight as he moved at the speed of light. Zoro barely mao dodge one of Kizaru’s light-infused kicks, his body trembling uhe pressure. "You’re quite the strong one," Kizaru ented zily, his foot smashing into Zoro’s shoulder. Sanji came in from the side with a fming kick, but Kizaru sidestepped it easily, tering with a light-speed kick again that sent Sanji crashing into a nearby tree.

  "Where do you think yoing?" Kizaru said in his usual carefree tone as he aimed a light beam directly at Zoro’s head, ready to end it. Just as he was about to strike, a blur of a person appeared between them, and for the first time since he appeared, someone was able to touch Kizaru. Silvers Rayleigh had arrived, intercepting Kizaru’s attack with his kick.

  Kizaru raised an eyebrow, his toill light. "Dark King Rayleigh, I didn’t expect to see you here."

  Rayleigh grinned. "You’re a little too old to be bullying kids, don’t you think?" He raised his swainst Kizaru’s light bde he just created.

  Luffy saw his opportunity. "RUN!" he yelled at the crew, knowing they had no ce against these monsters. "Just get out of here! Don’t look back!"

  But it was no use. Sentomaru was to, his attacks relentless, and the Pacifista tio rain down sers on the rest of the crew. Blood was everywhere, bodies hitting the ground as the crew was overwhelmed. Franky’s arms sparked as he tried to bloother beam, Nami gasped in pain as she barely dodged an explosion, and Robin struggled to use her powers to hold off the onsught. Even Usopp, who was usually quick to retreat, was ered, his body bruised and bleeding.

  In a desperate move, Chopper transformed into his Monster Point. The massive reindeer roared, charging at the Pacifista, smming into it with full force. For a moment, it looked like Chht turide, his monstrous strength pushing the Pacifista back. But then, anure appeared—Bartholomew Kuma, the real ohis time.

  Kuma stood otlefield, his expression unreadable as he watched the chaos unfold. With a single, calm motion, he raised his hand toward Chopper.

  "No!" Luffy screamed, his eyes wide with horror. Although he didn't know what was going to happen, he k wasn't good. But before he could move, Kuma sent Chopper flying with a siouch, one sed he was there, sed he was gone.

  "CHOPPER!" Luffy’s voice cracked with pain, his heart breaking as he watched his crewmate vanish. The battlefield was in plete disarray now.

  Kuma turned his gaze toward Coby, his stoic expression unging as he spoke. "So, you are still alive, Copy Ninja." Without any further warning, Kuma raised his massive hand, aiming to send Coby away as well.

  But in an instant, Coby vanished, using Shadow Step to evade Kuma’s attack. Kuma blinked in mild surprise, but instead of pursuing Coby, he shifted his attention to Zoro. With another swipe of his hand, Kuma sent Zoro flying into the sky, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

  "ZORO!" Luffy's desperate scream filled the battlefield, his voice crag with grief and disbelief. His fist pouhe ground, but he couldn’t stop what was happening.

  Kuma’s meical frame tis systematisught. Just as a Pacifista aimed a ser at Sanji, Brook, and Usopp—who had been standing near Zoro moments before—Kuma stepped in front of them, his cold voice cutting through the chaos. "Don’t get in my way." With a single, swift motion, he sent the Pacifista flying, disappearing just like the others.

  Then, one by ohe Straw Hats began to vanish.

  "NO!" Luffy cried out, pung the ground again as he watched Sanji, Usopp, and Brook disappear, swallowed by Kuma’s ability. His body shook with rage and sorrow, uo stop the iable.

  "Stop!" Luffy pleaded, but the battles around him halted as eveomaru and Kizaru paused to watch. Sentomaru's voice was gruff with frustration. "What the hell do you think you’re doing, Kuma?"

  Ign Sentomaru’s question, Kuma passed by Rayleigh, who stood in Kizaru’s way. As Kuma walked past, he whispered something to Rayleigh. Though Rayleigh’s expression was skeptical, he nodded, deying Kizaru as requested.

  The rest of the crew desperately tried to fight back, but every attempt was useless. One by ohey were taken out of the battle. Franky was the o fall, vanishing with a siouch.

  Nami, her eyes wide and desperate, looked toward Coby, silently begging for a save. But it was futile. Kuma sent her away in an instant, leaving Luffy, Robin, and Coby as the st oanding.

  Kuma didn’t pause. He moved swiftly to Robin, his massive frame looming over her. With a final touch, she, too, was gone.

  Luffy colpsed to the ground, tears streaming down his face as his entire crew vanished, one by one. His body trembled, powerless to stop the nightmare unfolding before him. "They’re all gone…" he whispered, his voice barely audible as sobs wracked his frame.

  Kuma appeared o Luffy, t over the broken captain. But before Kuma could make his move, another Luffy appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, shoving the inal Luffy out of the way. The real Luffy, still stunned, looked up in shock at his doppelg?nger.

  It was Coby. Using Mr. 2's powers, he had transformed into Luffy. He gred at Kuma and whispered something, making the giant's man's eyes open wide in surprise. "Trust me," Coby said, his voice clear, yet firm. Kuma’s eyes widened slightly, caught off guard by the sudden shift is. But Coby had no time to expin.

  With a siouch from Kuma’s massive hand, Coby vanished, leaving only the real Luffy behind.

  Luffy stared in shock as his friend disappeared before him. "Coby…?" he muttered, but there was no time to process. Kuma turned his attention back to Luffy, his hand raised again.

  Before Luffy could react, Kuma’s palm touched him, and in an instant, Luffy was gooo, vanishing into thin air.

  This was the day, Strairates were pletely crushed.

  --

  Oh, how much I waited for a Kyubi, a Hollow, a demon, a god to appear at that moment when Luffy was at his lowest. He could only watch helplessly as his crew was scattered. He had no idea whether Kuma killed them, sent them somewhere dangerous, or if they were safe. He was utterly powerless. When I watched for the first time, I remember hoping that something inside of him would e out to save the day, but nothing did. riting this se brought back memories of that time.

  --

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