Show Off and Run, What a Thrill

"I'm sorry, everyone, but today I might drag you all down with me and die."

"It should have been like this a long time ago. Even dying here would be much better than being a deserter." Zoro gripped the last remaining Wado Ichimonji in his hand, assuming a fighting stance.

"You're the captain, so I'll listen to you." Sanji shrugged indifferently, but the slight upturn of his lips betrayed his true feelings.

"You guys... you really are a bunch of idiots!" Nami covered her mouth and laughed.

"I am the brave warrior of the sea, Captain Usopp! Even if the enemy is a great pirate like Nightmare, I will... I will never be afraid!" Usopp forced himself to cheer up.

"Everyone... it's so wonderful that this is happening!" Chopper said happily, wiping away the glistening tears from the corners of his eyes.

"Is it the most foolish thing to do, yet it just so happens to provide the most perfect answer?" Roy shook his head, filled with emotion. Trapping Ace had consumed most of the power of his soul projection, leaving him with only enough strength for one more strike.

That's why he's forcing Luffy and the others to make a choice. If the Straw Hat really fall into his trap, even if they get out alive, they'll be pretty much done for. People like them who value their friendship so much will definitely live with guilt and regret for the rest of their lives.

"Nightmare, I don't know what you mean, but I will never sit idly by and wait to die. I said I would beat you, and I will beat you!" Luffy swung his right hand like a windmill.

"Wait, Luffy, perhaps... we don't need to continue fighting anymore," Nami said softly as she stepped forward.

Although her strength is not as great as Luffy and the others, thanks to her experience as a "Cat Burglar," she is the most sensitive to changes in her surroundings.

Seeing Luffy and the others looking at her with confusion, Nami explained, "If you observe carefully, you should be able to see that Nightmare's figure is constantly darkening and fading. Just now, it even flickered and trembled a few times. If I'm not mistaken, the sword strike that defeated you earlier was actually his last bit of power, which means..."

"I understand now. He wasn't trying to be merciful and let us go; he was just bluffing because he was powerless. After all, Brother Ace said that he only possesses a portion of his original strength in his current state. Plus, he used up most of his power fighting Brother Ace, so he has very little power left to fight us, only enough for one more attack." Usopp shouted excitedly as if waking from a dream.

"Great, great! Does that mean none of us have to die?" Chopper cried with joy.

"Phew, I finally survived." Sanji breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground, almost exhausted. Facing such an enemy was too much pressure. His mind was like an overstretched spring that instantly relaxed after losing its support.

After calming down, everyone felt a lingering fear. If they had truly believed the Nightmare's spell and chosen a crew member to die in their place, they would likely have lived with self-blame and guilt for the rest of their lives after learning the truth.

If we think about it more deeply, the outcome might be even more terrifying. After all, survival is a human instinct, and even if one person has a selfish thought, it could eventually escalate into a major war between the crew members, or even lead to their demise in a civil war.

You can kill someone, but you also have to destroy their spirit!

Thinking of this, everyone gasped, and their eyes involuntarily turned to Nightmare with a hint of horror.

At that moment, the void, which had been as calm as a traditional Chinese ink painting, suddenly began to boil, and a scorching heat spread everywhere. Finally...

Boom!

With a loud bang, orange flames surged and burst forth from the void node, transforming into human figures that eagerly flew to the ground.

"Luffy, you guys are not..." Ace was dumbfounded when he landed on the ground. Although Luffy and the other two were in a terrible state, covered in blood and without the strength to even stand up, the situation was better than he expected. After all, the difference in their levels was too great. Even a small portion of Nightmare's extremely limited power was something that Luffy and the others could not withstand.

In his mind, the best outcome for Luffy and his crew would be losing an arm or a leg, but the current situation was making it hard for him to process what was happening.

Nami and the others were actually quite speechless. You really are just like those Marines, arriving late even after the battle is over.

"Although this soul clone of mine doesn't even have one-tenth the combat power of my original body, you were able to get out of my Other Dimension Labyrinth in such a short time. It seems that your two years of hard work haven't been wasted. Fire Fist Ace, the Second Division Commander under Whitebeard!" Roy looked at Ace with great interest and said with admiration.

Perhaps because of the repeated blows he suffered, Ace in this timeline is much stronger than in the original story. If he had a few more years, he might have grown to the level of Blackbeard. Unfortunately, he is still too young.

"Stop looking down on me!" Luffy and his crew were somewhat dissatisfied. They had all witnessed Ace's strength. Even if he wasn't Ace's match, describing him as having only one-tenth of his original strength was going too far.

Indeed, after the life-or-death decision-making incident, Roy's credibility in their eyes had plummeted, and they no longer believed a single punctuation mark of his words.

But Ace didn't refute much. He knew that Nightmare's casual clones could reach the level of Shanks, one of the Four Emperors Red Hair, so his words weren't really an exaggeration.

"Nightmare, that's enough. Alabasta may be just an insignificant stronghold to you, but to the people of this country, it is their home. If you want to continue, then I will be your opponent!" Although Ace was well aware of the gap between himself and Nightmare, he still took the blame for the matter so that Nightmare's attention would be diverted from his brother.

"Insignificant?" Roy shook his head with a strange expression. "Whatever. I'm busy fighting Red Hair right now, and I really don't have much energy to devote to the first half of the Grand Line."

"But don't think that everything you've done has truly saved Alabasta. Without my protection, even more terrifying enemies will set their sights on this poor country. Perhaps when you return, all you'll see is a desolate wasteland. In the end, you'll realize that your so-called liberation today has only accelerated the destruction of this nation!"

"Shan... Shanks? Nightmare, what do you mean by starting a war with Red Hair? Answer me now!" Luffy roared.

"Destruction, ruins..." Vivi was horrified. Forgetting her resentment towards Roy, she cried out, "Nightmare, is there really an even more terrifying enemy eyeing Alabasta? Who exactly are you referring to as this enemy?"

Roy ignored the two of them and turned to Ace, saying in a charlatan's tone, "And you, Ace, the gears of fate have begun to turn, and no one can stop this tide. Do you remember what I told you two years ago? If you cannot break free from the shackles of fate, then use your misfortune and calamity to usher in the great era I have been waiting for!"

It seemed that the body's strength had finally reached its limit, and it could no longer maintain its form, shattering like a dream bubble, leaving everyone looking at each other in bewilderment.