Luffy's fist slammed into the wax tower like a meteor.
The moment stretched.
Sound disappeared.
A breathless pause, then—impact.
A concussive wave burst from his strike. Wax shattered outward in spiraling fragments, spinning through the air in slow motion. The tower cracked like dry earth in a drought, fault lines racing through its foundation.
Then came the collapse.
The entire upper structure exploded in a deafening roar. Debris rained from the sky as dust and smoke engulfed the clearing. Trees swayed, leaves were torn loose by the shockwave, and a burst of wind rippled across the forest.
Mr. 3 flew backward, his limbs flailing, eyes wide in disbelief. He crashed through a canopy of branches and slammed into the jungle floor with a grunt. Wax and dirt kicked up around him. His coat was shredded at the shoulder, and a cut streaked across his temple.
He groaned, pushing up on trembling elbows. "H-how… did he—?"
A shadow passed overhead.
Mr. 3 froze.
Luffy landed in front of him with a heavy thud. Shadows pulsed around his arms, his body steaming with leftover pressure. His expression was blank. Controlled. Deadly.
[TARGET NEUTRALIZED – STAGE ONE COMPLETE]
Mr. 3's breath hitched. He tried to crawl back, hand reaching toward his belt for a wax reserve dial.
Crunch.
Luffy's foot pinned his hand to the ground.
"Don't," he said.
His voice was quiet.
Final.
From the side of the battlefield, Sanji jogged toward them, brushing wax fragments off his shoulder. "Tch. You always gotta leave craters wherever you go."
He stopped beside Luffy, gaze shifting to Mr. 3's trembling form.
Nami, Vivi, and Usopp arrived seconds later. Usopp's jaw dropped. "That… was Luffy?!"
"Every last bit," Nami said, eyes on the crater.
Vivi smiled faintly. "He shattered it."
But before they could relax, a flicker of color streaked toward them.
Luffy's eyes snapped to the side.
A small, hand-painted tile struck the ground near his foot—its swirling blue, orange, and white design pulsing faintly.
Goldenweek stood in the brush, brush in hand.
Another tile spun toward Luffy's back.
[SYSTEM ALERT – MENTAL EFFECTIVE FIELD DETECTED]
He turned sharply, letting the tile pass his shoulder.
Without hesitation, he launched forward with Shadow Step and appeared beside her in an instant.
Goldenweek's eyes widened.
Luffy kicked low—not to hurt her, but to blow away her tools.
Her paintbrush flew from her hand.
The rest of her tiles scattered in the grass.
She stepped back, arms still at her sides. Her face was calm, but her rhythm was broken.
"You ruined his art," she said.
Luffy glanced toward the ruins. "It wasn't art."
Behind them, the ground trembled again.
The vibrations grew heavier, deeper.
Then came the sound.
Groaning metal.
Creaking armor.
Two massive silhouettes rose from the horizon line beyond the trees.
Dorry and Brogy.
Free.
Awake.
Alive.
The giants stood like mountains—scratched, bruised, but roaring with returning fury. Their voices shook the jungle as they stretched their limbs and let out twin war cries that sent flocks of birds fleeing in every direction.
Nami gasped. "They're up!"
Zoro stepped from the treeline, nodding. "Cut 'em loose. They were owed this."
Mr. 3's face lost all color. "No…"
Luffy looked down at him, shadows still swirling around his fists.
"You lost."
Mr. 3 reached into the wreckage with his other hand, fumbling for something.
Click.
A small Den Den Mushi blinked to life, its snail-eyes glowing, antenna rotating.
It chirped.
Then it began transmitting.
"…Live…"
Sanji's face dropped. "He's been broadcasting this whole time?"
Luffy turned slowly.
The Den Den Mushi's eyes locked on him.
"…To Crocodile."
[End of Chapter 117]
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