Boom!!
The massive demonic body in its second form was smashed out of the sky by that single punch.
The ruins of Pangaea Castle exploded again, an enormous crater punched straight into the ground as rubble shot skyward.
Rock hovered off to one side, not immediately giving chase.
He glanced down into the crater first, then slowly raised his head.
Up in the sky, white-haired Luffy was still floating there, his rubber legs treading on air. One hand covered his eyes while the other slapped his thigh, his whole body shaking with laughter.
"Ahahahaha!!"
"I hit him!"
"I really hit him!"
The corner of Rock's eye twitched.
That laugh, those antics—he really was still the same little brat.
"...How did he get here?"
He had barely finished speaking.
Boom!
Black energy erupted from underground, and Imu shot out of the ruins into the sky.
That punch had landed far too squarely. Half of Imu's face was still distorted from the impact, slowly returning to normal amid the demonic energy.
But what truly sent a chill down one's spine were those eyes, their pupils locked on the white figure high above.
First came shock.
Then something that eight hundred years had never fully erased suddenly surged up from their depths.
"Joy Boy?!!"
Imu's voice cracked. Even Rock turned to look.
It was the first time he had ever heard Imu speak in that tone.
A loss of composure, furious outrage, and even... a trace of instinctive fear.
Luffy paid no attention whatsoever, still laughing so hard he could barely breathe.
An inexplicable silence settled over the scene.
A little earlier.
Marine Headquarters, the temporary medical ward.
Luffy lay in a hospital bed, his breathing already steady.
Chopper stood beside him, helping a military doctor change his dressings. Nami kept watch