The pirates sat and forgot, and they really believed the nine truths and one lie.

As soon as they stepped out of Pawnshop No. 8, they were plunged into a deep, dark space-time rift that seemed capable of swallowing everything.

The darkness rendered any sense of direction completely useless here, and even sounds were eerily absorbed, so you couldn't even hear each other's footsteps.

Ultimately, they could only rely on their survival instincts and a sliver of trust in the shop owner's promise to silently grope their way forward.

Just when this suffocating darkness seemed endless, a pure, blinding white light suddenly burst forth before everyone's eyes without warning.

Everyone instinctively and painfully closed their eyes. As the light spots and afterimages in their vision gradually faded, they struggled to reopen their eyes.

To their astonishment, the three CP9 members and the pirate crew, who had chosen to leave in different directions, were now strangely reunited.

The environment had changed drastically. Above was a dim night sky, with a few scattered stars struggling to pierce through the thin clouds. The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder, mixed with the salty, fishy smell of the sea breeze.

All around were vast ruins of collapsed buildings, with embers crackling among the rubble. Finally, the sound of waves crashing against the shore could be heard again.

These familiar yet strange sounds of reality, in stark contrast to the absolute silence of the dark crevice just moments before, gave one a sense of security as if from another world.

“The Sabaody Archipelago…” someone murmured softly.

Yes, they've returned, back to the place where they first disappeared.

Almost instinctively, the CP9 and pirate forces immediately became alert and quickly distanced themselves, each occupying a small, relatively intact area of ​​the ruins, watching each other warily.

A tense atmosphere filled the air, but both sides knew that there was no fundamental conflict that required them to fight, and a pointless battle would not benefit either side.

"You're really back, Lucci!" Kaku's face lit up with barely suppressed excitement as he stretched his now even stronger body.

Although he had lost part of his lifespan and looked somewhat weathered, the surging new power within him, belonging to the Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit, made him eager to try it out.

"Let's hurry and find Bruno Gabra and the others. We need to show them my new look!"

Lucci's cold gaze swept quickly over the group of pirates, lingering for a moment on the straw-hatted boy who was bowing his head and clutching a jade box.

He didn't respond to Kaku's excitement, saying, "Let's get out of here first."

Do not show any signs of defection for the time being. The Five Elders should not make things difficult for their subordinates immediately. It is best to leave as soon as possible.

On the other side, Luffy seemed completely oblivious to the conversations and guardedness around him.

He gripped the small box containing the Soul-Saving Pill with such force that he almost crushed it.

The jade box held his last hope of preventing his brother from being separated forever. He carefully pressed the jade box close to his heart, as if he wanted to brand it into his body.

"Those five old guys from the Five Elders, they haven't left yet?" Hawkins' voice was tinged with a barely perceptible tension.

He quickly shuffled the new tarot deck in his hand, but the movement of his fingertips betrayed his inner unease.

Before the group could even catch their breath and return to reality, they hadn't even taken a few steps along the ruined shore.

Several concentrated bursts of Observation Haki, like invisible ripples on water, spread out from different directions, sweeping across the ruined area without hindrance and precisely locking onto everyone present.

"It really wasn't easy to escape after all..."

Capone Becky immediately used his telepathic ability to transmit his thoughts directly to Kid's mind: "Quickly use your magnetism to make me a metal frisbee that I can sit on and float. I have difficulty moving around and need to provide remote support from a distance!"

Kidd instantly understood Capone Becky's tactical intentions. This upgraded mob boss's new abilities were indeed best suited to be used effectively from a safe distance.

Kidd raised his only remaining hand toward the ruins, and a violent magnetic force surged forth, like an invisible giant hand, brutally seizing all metal objects within a hundred meters.

Broken steel bars, shattered weapon fragments, and even metal pipes buried deep under the rubble all burst forth from the ground and hurtled toward Kidd.

Kidd deftly made several complex gestures, demonstrating exquisite control over the magnetic force; the incoming metal was not simply piled up.

Guided by powerful magnetic force, it automatically fits and compresses, forming a circular metal disc about two meters in diameter in the blink of an eye, with slightly rough edges but an exceptionally stable structure.

Beneath the frisbee, the magnetic force naturally forms an invisible lifting field, allowing it to float steadily half a meter above the ground.

Capone Becky, without any hesitation, laboriously climbed onto the metal frisbee with his short, wobbly legs and sat down steadily.

The frisbee wobbled slightly before regaining its balance under Kidd's precise magnetic control. Capone Becky, feeling the sense of security of being off the ground, revealed a satisfied grin on his massive head.

He couldn't wait to test his newfound abilities on those five old monsters!

Kidd turned to the first mate beside him, "Hawkins, your abilities are limited in direct combat. Let's find somewhere to hide, so you don't die..."

Hawkins gave Kidd a deep look, a complex mix of gratitude and relief flashing in his eyes.

Without uttering any further words, he turned and quickly blended into the shadows of the ruins, his figure flashing a few times before disappearing from sight.

At that moment, Luffy, who had been in a low mood, slowly raised his head.

The confusion in his eyes was replaced by an unprecedented determination: "I'm going to beat those five monsters to a pulp! I'm going to save Ace!"

Allen stood silently beside Luffy. As a friend, he could clearly sense that Luffy's aura was beginning to undergo a dramatic change.

A pure white, strange light, possessing its own life, quietly emerged from the deepest part of Luffy's body and quickly spread upwards along his ankle.

From head to toe, Luffy's body was transformed into a flawless, dazzling pure white, with every part that could be dyed white.

A cluster of pure white ribbons, like flames or clouds, appeared out of nowhere behind Luffy, fluttering merrily on its own without wind, exuding an aura of freedom and liberation.

"This is real?!"

"Nika Fruit awakening?!"

"Is he Luffy or Joy Boy...?!"

The surrounding pirates, as well as the three CP9 members who had not yet gone far, all stared in shock, instinctively taking a few steps back, their faces filled with fear.

They weren't sure if the snow-white figure before them was the familiar Straw Hat Luffy, or the legendary Sun God who had stirred up the entire world—Nika.

Lucci, who hadn't gone far, stared intently at the white-clad Luffy, a hint of horror appearing on his usually cold face for the first time.

To witness the legendary Nika Fruit awakening in one's lifetime—I don't know whether to call it luck or misfortune!

Luffy, now white, glanced down at the exquisite jade box in his hand. Without hesitation, he exerted a slight force with his fingers, and the jade box softened into rubber.

The pure white Soul-Binding Pill and the emerald green Immortal Bean lay quietly in his pure white palm.

Luffy took off the straw hat that had been with him for many years and had long become a symbol of his will, and carefully put the Soul Pill and Senzu Bean into the straw hat.

Then he carefully put the straw hat back on his white curly hair, and the straw hat turned white as well.

In this way, he wouldn't lose these two things that were more important than his life during battle.

This straw hat was almost never separated from him in battle.

dong... dong... dong...

The drumbeats of liberation began to resound in Luffy's chest, a joyful rhythm brimming with boundless energy and power.

The solemn expression on Luffy's face gradually melted away, and the corners of his mouth began to spread uncontrollably to both sides, a smile that could dispel all gloom blooming again.

The smile grew brighter and brighter!

"Ha ha ha ha--!!!"

A wild, unrestrained laugh echoed beneath the silent ruins and the night sky.

Amidst this laughter that seemed to infect everything, even someone as attentive as Allen and as perceptive as Lucci could perhaps detect a trace of sorrow hidden deep within.

Others might just think that it's that rubber idiot, as always, just grinning like a clueless fool.