Nightmare Descends

"Regret? You're the one who should regret what you did! What right do you have to trample on the dignity and will of this country?" Luffy said angrily.

"Dignity? Willpower? Bah! Only power matters!" the Vulture scoffed.

"Since that's the case, then I'll use my so-called power to wake you up, Gum-Gum Rocket Launcher!" Luffy pulled his arm behind him, then instantly contracted it, unleashing a powerful burst of kinetic energy that slammed into the Vulture's face, almost smashing his nose and eyes into a mangled mess. His body crashed to the ground like a meteor with a deafening roar.

"That's great! We finally won! Father and the others should be able to recover now." Vivi almost cried with joy, her voice choked with emotion.

"If you saved a country, it shouldn't be too much to ask for 100 million in protection money." Nami's eyes had turned into the symbol of Beli.

"Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, are you alright? Sit down quickly, I'll treat you." Chopper, carrying his small medicine box, quickly ran to the three of them to check on them.

Ace, who hadn't lifted a finger and had been playing a supporting role the whole time, nodded with satisfaction, thinking to himself, "Luffy, grow up quickly. This era has started to go crazy, and those who can't keep up with the times will eventually be eliminated. I hope our next meeting will be at the peak of the pirate world."

Just as Ace was about to leave, he frowned and noticed that the faint aura was rapidly recovering. He was familiar with this kind of change, but he was still slightly surprised. "Even an ordinary cadre can possess such a rare potion. Just how rich is Nightmare's resources?"

"Hehehe, I never thought I would be defeated by a bunch of rookie pirates. How ironic!" Vulture's figure rose from the ruins again, and his injuries had almost completely healed, Nami and the others in disbelief.

"How is this possible? It's one thing that this guy isn't dead, but why is his injury healing so quickly? It doesn't make sense!" Usopp grabbed his hat and pulled it down, his mentality exploding.

"It was my oversight. I forgot to remind you that Nightmare has a miraculous potion called S-3. As long as you're not dead, you can recover in the shortest amount of time. So, if you encounter this kind of enemy in the future, never give them any chance to breathe," Ace said awkwardly.

Everyone looked at Ace with resentful eyes. You really didn't do this on purpose, did you?

Vulture sized up Ace with a wary look. "Fire Fist Ace, are you going to be an enemy of the Phantom Sword Pirates too? You'd better think carefully. My captain is the great pirate Nightmare Roy!"

"You can't possibly represent the Phantom Sword Pirates," Ace said dismissively. "Besides, my Old Man is the World's Strongest Whitebeard!"

After regaining his senses, he noticed that Nami and the others were looking at the Vulture with particularly intense gazes, which made him feel uncomfortable.

In their minds, the Vulture might have a second dose of the "medicine," which would represent a second life!

However, they were also a little jealous. According to Ace, this Vulture was clearly not a big shot in the Phantom Sword Pirates, yet it possessed such a magical treasure. It was enough to make them so jealous that they were practically tearing their own apart.

"In that case, let me knock you out again!" Luffy his fists together, showing no sign of discouragement despite all his previous efforts having been in vain.

Zoro and Sanji remained silent, but they both stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Luffy, their fighting spirit surging.

Seeing this, Vulture's lips twitched. The three people opposite him were all monsters who could grow stronger in battle. At the beginning, the three of them were struggling to fight together and could hardly hold their own. But in the end, one of them defeated him. This sense of disparity made him feel very uncomfortable, as if he had wasted his life.

So, Vulture just gave a sinister smile, "Hmph, you lot, don't be too smug. I'll show you my last trump card. Open your eyes wide and watch!"

Everyone fell silent, their breathing becoming heavy.

The Vulture's face turned solemn. He gathered his strength in his dantian, exhaled with a thunderous roar, and cried out, "Nightmare, save me!"

Puff!

Luffy and his crew nearly fell to the ground from using too much force. What's going on? They made so many threats, but in the end, they couldn't win and had to call for backup.

Ace seemed to realize something, his figure advancing at lightning speed, his expression changing drastically as he exclaimed, "Damn it, quickly unleash your full power and kill him!"

Although Luffy and the others did not understand Ace's meaning, they trusted him unconditionally and all followed behind Ace as they charged forward.

"Ah..." Vulture suddenly clutched his head and cried out in pain, but a smile played on his lips as he looked at Ace and the others with smug satisfaction. "It's too late... You'll experience what fear truly means in the endless Nightmare!"

A large amount of gray mist rose from the top of the Vulture's head, quickly taking shape and seemingly forming a hazy human figure.

Boom!

The exploding flames blotted out the sky and burned everything, like a red sun falling to earth, making the Straw Hat Pirates secretly tremble with fear. Luffy's brother was indeed abnormally strong.

But Ace didn't show much joy on his face. "So I still didn't make it? Damn it, it seems I've been too careless lately."

As the flames subsided, the Vulture was seen kneeling on the ground. A phantom projection appeared in mid-air, gradually solidifying. Its eyes were as deep as the night, captivating and mesmerizing. Even Nami, Usopp, Vivi, and Chopper, who were not very strong-willed, were instantly captivated and unable to extricate themselves.

"Wake up!" Ace roared, unleashing his power. Although his Conqueror's Haki was far inferior to Roy's, it wasn't too difficult for him to awaken the lost group.

"Wait, what just happened to me? I seemed to see a fantastic starry sky, and all around me were cute gold beckoning to me..." Nami said with a hint of regret.

"Really? What I see are my 8,000 men..." Usopp looked bewildered.

"What I saw was a prosperous and thriving Alabasta ..." Vivi shook her head, then said solemnly, "If I remember correctly, it seems we only saw those eyes in the sky after that..."

"He is the Nightmare!" Ace took a deep breath, trying to restore his mental state to its best. "Those of you with weaker wills must not look directly into his eyes, or you will be trapped in an eternal dream, unable to escape, and beyond redemption!"

Glug...

There was a chorus of swallowing sounds from the crowd. For them, who had just entered the Grand Line, this experience was indeed too terrifying. How could they fight an enemy they couldn't even look at?