A Bold Idea

Zephyr's attitude was unyielding, and the Crusher Mechanical Arm emitted a low hum.

Allen helplessly rubbed his brow, but his gaze sharpened. "Looks like talking won't be enough."

Before his words had even faded, Allen lightly clenched his right hand! Zephyr's vision blurred, and the training ground, Ain, Binz, and the recruits instantly vanished!

In their place was a boundless, enormous space made entirely of soft white light.

Beneath their feet was solid white ground. Other than that, there was nothing.

Allen stood not far across from Zephyr, rolling his wrist with a challenging smile. "This is an absolutely safe alternate space. You won't have to pay for anything you break. Instructor Zephyr, let me see whether the commander-in-chief of the NEO Marines still has what it takes to live up to your former title of 'Black Arm.' Can your convictions support the 'Righteous Path' you insist on?"

"You arrogant brat!!"

Thoroughly enraged, Zephyr no longer held back. The Crusher Mechanical Arm erupted with intense purple light as Armament Haki instantly hardened over it!

Like a human-shaped tank, he charged at Allen, each step making the white ground tremble slightly! A punch containing monstrous strength and crushing power tore through the air, heading straight for Allen's face!

"Crusher Blaster!!"

Just as the heavy punch was about to strike, Allen's figure flickered like a bad signal and vanished from the spot!

Zephyr's sure-kill punch smashed viciously into empty air, and the bursting shockwave echoed through the pure white space.

Zephyr reacted swiftly and spun around with a sweeping strike! But Allen merely snapped his fingers, and the air around Zephyr instantly solidified into invisible "amber"!

Zephyr felt as if he had fallen into the thickest mud. His movements became incredibly slow, and even throwing a punch was immensely difficult! Roaring furiously, he erupted with Haki in an attempt to break free.

The instant Zephyr was about to break free of his restraints, silver light flashed in Allen's eyes.

To Zephyr's horror, the movement of breaking free, the flow of the Haki he had unleashed, even the speed of his thoughts—all of it became incomparably slow! It was as though someone had pressed a slow-motion button!

Allen strolled to the side of the "slow-motion" Zephyr and lightly patted his shoulder.

A tiny Space Gate opened beneath Zephyr's feet. His entire body instantly fell through it, only to Fall Out from a Space Gate above Allen's head, crashing awkwardly onto the ground some distance away!

In just over ten seconds of fighting, Zephyr possessed strength capable of destroying the heavens and earth, yet he could not even touch the hem of Allen's clothes!

Space had Toyed with him, and time had played him like a fool. He had power but nowhere to use it! That sense of frustration was even harder for him to accept than being defeated head-on.

He panted heavily as he looked at the light and space around him, slightly distorted by Allen's power. His eyes were filled with disbelief and profound shock.

This control over Space and Time, as effortless as moving one's own limbs... was completely beyond his understanding!

The alternate space dissolved, and the two reappeared on the training ground.

Ain and Binz nervously rushed forward, but Zephyr raised a hand to stop them.

He silently looked at Allen, his chest heaving violently as the light of the Crusher Mechanical Arm dimmed.

After a long while, Zephyr let out a long, heavy breath, his voice carrying a trace of exhaustion and complexity. "...You brat..." He raised his head. Some of the stubborn pride in his eyes had faded, replaced by helplessness in the face of an absolute gap in power, along with a faint, nearly imperceptible appreciation for Allen's abilities. "Those skills of yours... do make you Worthy of saying all that."

He put his sunglasses back on, as if trying to hide the wavering in his eyes. His voice returned to its usual deep tone, but it now carried a sense of resolve. "Fine! For that... illusory yet damned 'possibility' you spoke of... the NEO Marines will join the war!"

Then his tone turned forceful again. "But! Allen! Remember your promise! After the war, you must establish a truly fair and just order! Otherwise, my Crusher will be the first to target you!"

Allen grinned and held out his hand. "It's a deal! Instructor Zephyr! Welcome to the Table Flip Alliance!"

Zephyr looked at Allen's hand and gave a Hmph, but in the end, he still shook it with his enormous mechanical palm.

Having dealt with the toughest nut to crack, Allen looked at the legends who had gradually Gathered around him: Whitebeard, whose vitality had returned; Shakky, wearing a delighted auntie-like smile; the smiling Rayleigh; Gaban carrying an axe; Crocus with a medical kit on his back; Spencer and the other formidable former Roger crew members; and Zephyr, whose face plainly said, "I was forced into this."

Every one of them had once stood at the pinnacle of their era, but time had ultimately left its marks On Him and them all.

Got them on board... but sending a bunch of old men and women to fight the final boss... somehow, it still feels like it's missing something? Wait... A bold idea suddenly popped into his mind.

"What if... I returned all of them to the physical condition they had twenty years ago?"

Allen cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "Ahem, seniors, teachers, Old Friends! Since we've decided to flip the table together, then we need to do it cleanly and beautifully! I see that everyone is... Hmm... very experienced! But to ensure nothing goes wrong, I have a small, not entirely thought-out idea..."

Allen spread his hands as he explained, "I'm planning to open up a special alternate space! You'll all stay inside for twenty days, and I'll use my Time Law to try reversing the passage of time in your bodies. The goal is to... Hmm... refresh your condition to roughly the level it was twenty years ago! What do you think? Interested in reliving your youth?"

Whitebeard immediately burst into laughter. "Gurarara! Interesting! This old man has only just recovered some strength, and I can become even younger? Come on, brat!"

Rayleigh stroked his chin, his eyes shining. "Oh? Rejuvenation? Interesting! Shakky, it seems we can enjoy a few more decades together?"

Shakky smiled and rolled her eyes at him.

Gaban swung his axe. "Haha! I was just worrying that my axe wasn't fast enough! Twenty years younger? I could chop through the Red Line!"

Crocus was more rational. "Reversing time? This... can it really work? There won't be any side effects, will there?"

As he spoke, he worriedly glanced in Laboon's direction.

Zephyr wore a disgusted expression. "Nonsense! Utter nonsense! I don't need this crooked—"

Before he could finish, Whitebeard's huge hand slapped him on the back, nearly making him stumble.

The other Roger crew members were full of excitement and anticipation, rubbing their hands together eagerly.

Allen stopped wasting words. He pressed his hands together, then suddenly pulled them apart to either side!

Space was Tore open like a curtain, revealing a massive entrance glowing with hazy silver-white light!

Inside the entrance, Flowing Light shimmered brilliantly. The laws of time and space were Intertwined and flowed within it, emanating an aura that was both heart-palpitating and profoundly mysterious.

"Everyone! Please! Remember, stay inside for a full twenty days! The goal is a youthful state!"

Allen made a gesture of invitation.

Whitebeard laughed heartily and was the first to stride inside with Murakumogiri over his shoulder.

Rayleigh took Shakky's hand and walked in gracefully, as if they were going on vacation.

Gaban rushed inside impatiently.

Crocus shook his head, but still cautiously followed with his medical kit.

Spencer and the other crew members filed in excitedly.

Zephyr stood at the entrance with an unwilling expression, still muttering things like "wasting time" and "crooked methods"... Yet under Ain and Binz's worried yet expectant gazes, as well as Allen's "encouraging" smile, he ultimately gave a Hmph, lifted his chin stubbornly, and—despite his body being far more honest—walked inside.