Two years later, in the Calm Belt.
It was still that deserted island.
But the island no longer resembled what it had been two years ago.
The once-lush forest was now riddled with devastation, with traces of battle everywhere.
Broken giant trees, collapsed mountainsides, and enormous bottomless fissures looked like scars left after the earth had been bitten by some colossal beast.
At the center of the island, two figures were locked in a fierce clash.
"Ha ha ha ha! Shanks, take this punch!!!"
Luffy threw back his head and laughed, already in Nika form.
His black hair had turned white as clouds, white vapor curling up around his body, while his eyes gleamed with excitement and fighting spirit.
His rubber fist rapidly expanded, swelling in an instant to the terrifying size of a small mountain. Carrying an earth-shattering force, it came crashing down toward Shanks!
"Whew!"
Shanks took a deep breath, his face filled with gravity.
He tightened his grip on his sword, narrowed his eyes, and unleashed both Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki. They condensed into a solid, pitch-black gleam along the blade.
"Come on, Luffy!"
With an angry roar, he swung his sword forward.
Riiip!
A huge red-and-black slash tore through the air, carrying an edge capable of cleaving mountains apart as it charged straight at the enormous fist.
BOOM!!!
Fist and blade collided violently in midair!
At that instant, it seemed as though heaven and earth lost their color.
A terrifying shockwave exploded outward from the two of them. The ground cracked apart instantly, dirt and shattered stones spraying in every direction like a torrential downpour.
The island trembled violently.
The mountains that had barely remained standing collapsed beneath that destructive impact.
The dense web of cracks across the ground spread and widened at a visible