The Buster Call continued to rage on, the sky lit up by constant explosions as cannon fire rained down without pause, tearing through what remained of Egghead. Smoke and fire swallowed entire sections of the island, the sound of destruction never once letting up.
Meanwhile, Luffy was still at gunpoint.
But that didn't last long.
His swollen stomach shrank rapidly as he digested everything in mere seconds, his body snapping back to normal like it was nothing. Then—just like that—he broke into that wide, unmistakable grin.
The kind that meant trouble.
The marines didn't hesitate. Cannons fired again, explosions erupting all around them, the smoke thickening until Luffy vanished from sight completely.
For a moment—
Nothing.
Then they heard it.
Laughter.
Light. Carefree. Completely out of place in the middle of total destruction.
The marines froze for a split second before immediately dropping their weapons and pulling out sea prism stone cuffs, their instincts screaming at them that something was very, very wrong.
Then the ground beneath them changed.
It softened.
Warped.
Turned to rubber.
It began to bounce wildly, rising and falling in chaotic waves as the marines struggled to keep their footing, their balance completely thrown off as the battlefield itself stopped behaving like reality.
And from within the smoke—
Luffy laughed.
Like this was the funniest thing in the world.
Then it came.
A sound that didn't belong on a battlefield.
A rhythm.
Deep.
Echoing.
Alive.
Drums.
The drums of liberation.
They began to beat faster...louder...building, revving up as red lightning crackled through the smoke, splitting the air itself.
Until finally—
He appeared.
Standing there, framed by smoke and chaos, his body warped and free, his grin wide and unrestrained.
Like a god of chaos given form.
Gear Fifth.
Without hesitation, he began bouncing on the ground like it was a trampoline, each step sending ripples through the terrain itself.
The marines made the smartest decision they could.
They ran.
Straight for the ships.
Because whatever this was—
They had no chance.
Meanwhile, high above, the rest of the group was still falling.
Kuma held Bonney tightly against him, his arms wrapped around her like she was the only thing anchoring him to the world.
Vegapunk, still mid-fall, forced himself to act, his mind snapping back into focus as he called out to Atlas. The satellite responded instantly, adjusting her position as they all continued to descend through the air.
