One by one, his crewmates mysteriously disappeared, Luffy to a frenzy as he lunged at Kuma.
The fist pounded on the Kuma, making clanging sounds, but the Kuma didn't budge.
"Give me back my partner--!!!"
Gum-Gum Gatling rained down on the Kuma's body.
The Kuma's body didn't even sway.
The third palm strike.
Nami flew away.
The fourth palm strike.
Robin flew away.
Robin took one last look at Luffy from inside the bubble, a slight smile playing on her lips.
Her mission was accomplished.
Next, it will be time for each of us to focus on our own cultivation.
Captain Roy was right—everyone on this ship considered each other true partners.
Luffy's fists kept pounding.
But the Kuma's fifth paw had already struck.
The last one to take flight was Camie.
It's the mermaid girl they just rescued from the auction.
Camie cried out " Luffy-- " inside the bubble, but her voice was blown away by the wind, and she turned into a tiny dot in the sky.
The streets were quiet.
Luffy knelt on the ground, his hands supporting him as he gasped for breath.
He was all alone, surrounded by emptiness.
My friends have all disappeared.
They were all sent flying.
I don't know where it flew off to.
I don't know if we'll ever see each other again.
Luffy's body was trembling.
It started at the fingertips, went up to the shoulders, and then spread throughout the body.
The trembling wasn't from fear or anger, but from a deep-seated fear of loss.
He remembered when he was a child in Foosha Village, Ace said he wanted to go to sea, and he cried as he chased after him to the dock, but Ace walked away without looking back.
He remembered Shanks saying, "I'll leave this straw Straw Hat with you for now," and then the ship sailed away. He stood on the dock and cried all day.
He recalled every parting, every "goodbye," every farewell where he didn't know if he would ever see them again.
"Ah--!!!"
Luffy roared to the sky.
The sound didn't sound like a human; it was more like the howl of a wild beast driven to the brink of despair.
With that roar Conqueror's Haki exploded, and dark red arcs of electricity surged from his body, spreading in all directions.
The ground cracked, the walls collapsed, and even the tiles on distant buildings rattled and clattered.
But the Kuma stood before him, completely still.
Rayleigh stood on the roof and closed his eyes.
Kizaru leaned against the wall, squinting as he watched everything, his expression unchanged.
Kuma lowered his head and looked at Luffy kneeling on the ground.
He raised his bear paw, aiming it at Luffy.
See you next time, Straw Hat Boy.
The bear slammed its paw down.
Luffy's body was enveloped in bubbles, and he transformed into the final shooting star, soaring into the sky.
A dozen or so shooting stars streaked across the sky above the Sabaody Archipelago, heading in different directions.
Each shooting star carries a member of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Every shooting star carries the destiny of a person.
The streets were completely quiet.
There were no sounds of fighting, no screams, and no roars from Luffy.
Only the mournful sound of the sea breeze blowing through the ruins and the distant alarm bells still ringing that the Celestial Dragons are under attack.
Kizaru straightened up from the wall and dusted off his suit.
"Oh dear~ They've all flown away~"
"The mission failed~ What a hassle~"
He glanced at the Kuma, then at the red tree where Rayleigh stood, before transforming into a golden beam of light and disappearing into the sky.
They come quickly, and they leave even faster.
Without any hesitation or fuss.
Rayleigh jumped off the roof and landed next to the Kuma.
He glanced at the Kuma, remained silent for a few seconds, and then sighed.
"That kid Roy really does take everything into account."
The Kuma did not answer.
He put away the bear paw, picked up the Bible, and turned to walk towards the other end of the street.
After taking a few steps, his body began to flicker, and the next second he disappeared from the spot.
Rayleigh stood alone on the empty street, looking at the devastated battlefield, and then looked up at the sky where Luffy had disappeared.
" Luffy?"
He whispered something, his voice so soft it was almost as if he were talking to himself.
"It seems he's the one Shank chose, even at the cost of his arm."
The wind blows through the mangroves of the Sabaody Archipelago, and bubbles float down from the branches, refracting into colorful spots of light in the sunlight.
Everything looked peaceful as if the storm had never happened.
On a mangrove tree in the distance, Roy withdrew his Observation Haki.
He stood up from the branch, stretched his somewhat stiff body, and then turned and jumped down from the tree.
The Kuma was already waiting under the tree.
When Roy landed, Kuma nodded slightly.
"Mission accomplished."
"Thanks for your hard work."
Roy patted Kuma on the shoulder, and the two walked side by side toward Grove 13.
" Kizaru is gone?"
"They're gone."
Where is Rayleigh?
"Back to the tavern."
Roy nodded and said nothing more.
The two walked through several streets affected by the fighting and arrived at the wooden door deep in the Grove 13.
Shakky's Rip-off Bar.
The signboard still hangs crookedly, and the wind chimes on the door still jingle.
Roy pushed open the door, Rayleigh was already sitting at the bar.
A glass of wine sat before him, half of which had been drunk, the remaining half gleaming amber under the lamplight.
Shakky stood behind the bar, a cigarette dangling from her lips, her expression as calm as if nothing had happened.
You're back?
"You're back."
Roy sat down next to Rayleigh, while Kuma sat in the corner.
Shakky poured him a glass of wine, and then poured one for Kuma.
Kuma didn't drink; he just sat there holding the Bible.
Rayleigh picked up his glass, took a sip, put it down, and looked at Roy.
"What exactly are you plotting, you little rascal?"
Roy picked up his glass, took a sip, and didn't say anything.
Rayleigh didn't press the matter.
The tavern was quiet for a while, with only the clinking of glasses on the table and the sound of Shakky turning the pages of her newspaper.
After a long while, Rayleigh finally spoke.
" Luffy's future is going to be tough."
"I know."
"You're not going to help him?"
"We're already helping."
Roy put down his glass and looked at Rayleigh.
"I arranged for him the best teacher, the strongest opponent, and the most difficult path."
But he has to reach the final destination himself.
Rayleigh was silent for a moment, then smiled.
"The way you talk is a bit like Roger's."
"Yeah?"
"Um."
Rayleigh picked up his glass and downed the rest of the wine in one gulp.
"They're all bad news."
Roy smiled too.
He picked up the bottle, filled Rayleigh's glass, and then refilled his own.
"Cheers?"
"Dry."
The clinking of glasses echoed crisply in the tavern.
Rayleigh put down his glass, leaned against the bar, and tilted his head to look at Roy.
"You came all the way to Sabaody Archipelago just to see this show?"
"Otherwise what?"
Roy picked up his glass and took a sip.
"Do you think I came here to capture Supernovas?"
What are you going to do with capturing Supernovas? Eat them?
Rayleigh snorted but didn't reply.