At those words, flames of anger blazed in Luffy's eyes. Without hesitation, he jumped onto Firmament's back and hugged the great dragon's neck tightly.
"Don't say that!" Luffy shouted. "Firmament is our friend! No one gets to control our friends!"
He pressed his body against Firmament, trying to share his dragon friend's pain. Though Luffy could not directly fight the Lord of Nothingness's mental assault, his touch conveyed the purest friendship and care.
"Luffy..." Firmament felt the warmth coming from his friend. "But you'll suffer too..."
"Who cares about pain!" Luffy grinned. "My friends' pain is my pain! We'll bear it together!"
That selfless friendship moved Firmament deeply. In that moment, he remembered the joy of first gaining his freedom, the days he had fought alongside Luffy and the others, and what true friendship meant.
"That's right... I'm no longer a lonely prisoner..." A determined light rekindled in Firmament's eyes. "I have friends... I have companions worth protecting..."
Suddenly, a powerful force erupted from deep within Firmament's heart. This was not the evil power of the void, but a sacred power from the depths of his draconic bloodline-true Dragon Might.
"I am Firmament! A descendant of the mighty dragon race!" Firmament let out a roar that shook the heavens. "No one will ever control me again!"
Pure Dragon Might burst from his body like a tsunami, instantly washing over every void mark within him. Before its power, the purple patterns melted like snowflakes, and Firmament's scales regained their original silvery-white luster.
More wondrous still, other powers had merged into this Dragon Might. Luffy could feel the power of storms-Firmament's innate gift as the Storm Dragon-and the power of the stars, the stellar energy he had absorbed while living on Skypiea. Guided by Dragon Might, these different powers fused perfectly, forming