"Hehehe--hehehehe--hahahahaha--!!!"
Luffy's laughter was unrestrained and joyful, echoing in the deep pit, rising from a low crescendo to a high crescendo.
From suppression to explosion, it was like laughter that had been held back for eight hundred years finally finding an outlet.
He bounced and jumped around at the bottom of the pit like a monkey, each jump sending him soaring higher on the bouncy ground, and each bounce making his laughter even louder.
Black and red Inazuma, Conqueror's Haki, erupted from his body.
It's on a completely different scale than before.
That Conqueror's Haki exploded from Luffy's body like a volcanic eruption, and dark red Inazuma spread wildly in all directions from him.
Wherever it passed, the stone slabs cracked, gravel flew, and the air was torn apart with a piercing explosion.
The pit walls collapsed completely in that instant.
The entire Skull Palace trembled violently, Conqueror's Haki's Inazuma pierced through every inch of the palace walls, spreading from the base all the way to the dome.
Then, Luffy exerted force with his feet.
The elastic ground was compressed to its limit by his force, and then suddenly rebounded.
Luffy's body shot into the sky like a cannonball, his legs rapidly alternating in the air, creating a series of explosive sonic booms.
Moonlight streamed down from the night sky, illuminating his white body.
Laughter echoed across the Onigashima, scattering the clouds in the sky.
The Conqueror's Haki shot straight into the sky, tearing apart the dense clouds Onigashima. The clouds churned and retreated in all directions, as if driven by an invisible force.
A bright, full moon appeared.
Moonlight poured down.
Luffy's figure hovered below the moon, his body silhouetted against the silvery-white moonlight.
His white hair fluttered in the night wind, and white smoke rose from his body, shimmering in the moonlight.
His body stretched freely in the air, like a monkey breaking free of all restraints, like a god emerging from ancient legends.
Joyful, carefree laughter still echoed over the Onigashima, lingering for a long time.
Everyone looked up at the scene.
Zoro tilted his head back, a slow smile creeping onto his lips.
Sanji a cigarette, and the smoke he exhaled was scattered by the laughter.
Nami covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face.
Chopper's mouth dropped open, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.
Kid stared at the laughing figure under the moonlight, his clenched metal fist trembling slightly.
Luo crossed his arms, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Garp stood at the edge of the pit, looking up at the little brat he had once thrown into the ravine.
Looking at that kid who couldn't even use his Haki, looking at that kid who had just crawled back from the brink of death.
Pride, satisfaction, and a complex mix of emotions that were hard to describe were intertwined on that wrinkled face.
His grandson has really grown up.
······
Luffy did several somersaults in the air before landing lightly back on the ground.
The springy feeling of stepping barefoot on the gravel still lingered in his feet, making him unable to resist jumping a couple more times.
He looked up and saw Garp, his eyes lighting up instantly.
Grandpa! What are you doing here?
Luffy shouted as he ran towards Garp, his steps as light as a rabbit's, showing no sign that he was on the verge of death just minutes before.
Garp stood at the edge of the pit, watching his grandson run towards him. His expression changed from pride to anger.
His anger turned into helplessness, and finally, his expression twisted into the awkward look typical of an old man.
He looked Luffy.
White hair, white clothes, white smoke rising from his body, and a light in his eyes that was completely different from before.
Using his Observation Haki, Garp carefully sensed Luffy's condition.
The injury has fully healed.
The broken bones, ruptured internal organs, and excessive blood loss were all repaired after the Devil Fruit Awakening.
And that newfound power was now gushing out of Luffy's body like a spring that would never run dry, incredibly powerful.
Garp finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After that initial relief, a wave of overwhelming anger washed over me.
"You brat--!!!"
Garp, enraged, threw a punch.
The iron fist, coated in Armament Haki, slammed into Luffy's face with such force that the surrounding air exploded.
Luffy's face was dented inwards from the impact; the properties of the Gum-Gum Fruit made it look like his face had been punched into a fist-shaped crater.
His body flew out like a kite with a broken string, crashing into a pile of rubble ten meters away, bouncing twice before coming to a stop.
Garp was panting heavily, veins bulging on his forehead.
This punch was for the fear he had just felt, and for the fact that this brat was always causing him trouble.
Luffy climbed out of the ruins.
He instinctively reached out to cover his face and scream, but his hand froze halfway up.
He touched his face.
It doesn't hurt.
Garp's iron fist slammed into his face, and it didn't hurt at all?
Luffy's expression turned strange.
He pinched his face hard, then patted it to make sure it was still the same face.
"Huh? It doesn't hurt?"
Luffy scratched his head and looked at Garp with a serious expression:
"Grandpa, are you getting old? Are you getting weaker?"
"Asshole!"
Garp paused for a moment.
He looked at Luffy's face, which was filled with innocent confusion, not mockery, but more like a child asking why there are stars in the sky.
He definitely used force in that punch.
An ordinary Devil Fruit user would lose half their teeth if they took that punch. But Luffy's face bounced back after deforming, without even leaving a red mark.
"It doesn't hurt?"
Garp's lips twitched slightly, and he thought to himself,
"It seems that this kid's rubber-like properties have become even stronger after his Devil Fruit Awakening."
Blunt weapon attacks were already quite ineffective against him, and now even punches imbued with Haki have been weakened...
Garp didn't reply, but simply put his hands behind his back and moved his fingers, which were slightly numb from the impact of Luffy's face.
That brat is getting tougher and tougher.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from the direction of the high platform.
Yamato glanced at Luffy, who was talking to Garp, then looked at the Straw Hat Pirates below the platform, and let out a soft breath.
The task Roy assigned me has been completed.
Straw Hat Luffy Awakening, and the Marines have arrived; there's no point in her staying here.
"Go."
Yamato muttered something Yamato a low voice, shouldered his spiked club Genzo, and disappeared into the ruins at the edge of the battlefield with a few leaps.
The Straw Hat Pirates were taken aback at first, but they couldn't care Yamato at that moment.
Zoro was the first to rush down from the platform, his three swords still hanging at his waist, the scabbards clanging together with a crisp sound.
Sanji followed behind, his steps a little unsteady but his speed undiminished.
Then comes Nami, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Brook, and Usopp.
Luffy stood amidst the ruins, watching his crew rush towards him. Before he could even smile, Nami pounced on him.
She was about to throw a punch, but her fist stopped in mid-air and ended up hugging Luffy.
"You idiot..."