The sun was setting on the horizon, bathing the volcanic island in a reddish glow. The Thousand Sunny, anchored in a protected cove, gently swayed on the waves. The Straw Hat crew, still reeling from their encounter with Aokiji and Gojo, was preparing to leave the island. Aokiji's words echoed in their minds: Zephyr, the former admiral turned leader of the Neo Marines, planned to destroy the New World with his Dyna Stones, weapons capable of annihilating entire islands.
On the Sunny's deck, Luffy, hands on his hips, scanned the horizon. His straw hat cast a shadow on his determined face. "This Zephyr guy, he wants to break everything! We'll stop him, right?" he exclaimed, his confident smile lighting up the crew.
Zoro, leaning against the mast, sharpened his swords with an Olympian calm. "If he's as strong as Aokiji says, we'll have to give it our all." His voice was low, but his gaze betrayed contained excitement.
Sanji, lighting a cigarette, grumbled: "This old fool wants to play with explosives? He'll regret crossing our path." His mind, however, was still haunted by Gojo's remark about his sister Reiju. He shook off the thought with a toss of his head.
Nami, leaning over a map, furrowed her brow. "We need to locate Zephyr before he activates those Dyna Stones. If he destroys an island, the currents will become unpredictable!"
Usopp, beside her, was already trembling. "Why are we getting involved?! This guy has weapons that pulverize everything! We should just run away!"
Suddenly, an explosion rang out in the distance, shaking the island. A column of smoke rose on the horizon, followed by a deep rumble. Luffy leaped onto the figurehead of the Sunny, his eyes gleaming. "It's him! Zephyr! Let's go!" Without hesitation, he dashed forward, followed by a crew both resolute and worried.
A few kilometers away, on a black sand beach, Zephyr stood atop a promontory, his mechanical arm - the Battle Smasher - gleaming in the last rays of sunlight. Behind him, his Neo Marine men loaded Dyna Stones into a giant cannon. His eyes, marked by years of pain, fixed on the horizon. "Pirates... all parasites," he murmured. "With these stones, I will purify this world."
As the Straw Hat crew approached, Gojo, appearing, observed the scene with a mocking smile. "Zephyr, you're really stubborn," he quipped, his drawling voice. "But well, I guess it's time to have a little fun."
After Luffy arrived, standing face to face with Zephyr, he adjusted his straw hat, a daring smile on his lips. "Hey, old man! I'm here to get my revenge!" he yelled, slamming his fist into his palm.
Unperturbed, Zephyr activated his Battle Smasher, its mechanisms clicking loudly. "Straw Hat... you are a nuisance. You will die with the rest of the pirates." Without another word, he charged, his mechanical arm glowing with a red light.
Luffy, leaping backward, activated his Gear Second. His veins bulged as steam escaped from his body. "Gum Gum Jet Pistol!" he shouted, launching a lightning-fast punch. The fist stretched, aiming for Zephyr's chest, but the latter dodged, seizing Luffy's arm with his Battle Smasher.
"A kid like you can't do anything against me," growled Zephyr, crushing Luffy's arm in a steel grip.
The pain made Luffy grimace, but he chuckled. "You're strong, old man! But I'm not done!" In a flash, he switched to Gear Third, his right fist swelling to a monstrous size. "Gum Gum Elephant Gun!" he roared, slamming his gigantic fist onto Zephyr.
The ground shook under the impact, raising a cloud of sand. Zephyr, thrown back, planted his Battle Smasher in the ground to halt his course. "Impressive," he admitted, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. "But not enough." He leaped, his mechanical arm opening to reveal a vibrating blade. "Smash Buster!" he roared, striking Luffy with a force that cracked the ground.
Luffy, thrown against a rock, spat blood but stood up, laughing. As he transformed, his hair turned red, his arms too.
Zephyr, using his Armament Haki, enveloped his Battle Smasher in a black aura. As he prepared to leap toward Luffy, suddenly, a drawling voice interrupted the fight. "Wow, are you having fun without me?" Gojo, floating above the battlefield. His glasses sparkled, and his mocking smile annoyed Zephyr. "Gojo... you again," growled the latter.
Gojo chuckled. "Oh, I'll do better than that." He raised a hand, and the air around him distorted.
Zephyr, furious, charged at Gojo. "I'll crush you to pieces, Emperor!" His Battle Smasher, reinforced by Haki, struck... but stopped a few inches from Gojo, blocked by an invisible barrier. "Infinity," explained Gojo, amused. "Nothing can touch me..." he said with a smile. He snapped his fingers, and a gravitational force crushed Zephyr to the ground. "Red: Attraction!"
Struggling to stand up, Zephyr roared, "I won't yield!" His Haki exploded, breaking Gojo's hold. He leaped, his Battle Smasher aiming at Gojo's head. The latter dodged, then counterattacked with "Blue: Repulsion!" A shockwave pushed Zephyr back, creating a crater in the beach.
The previous attack smoked under a torrential rain. Zephyr, on his knees, the Battle Smasher half broken, panted, his gaze fixed on Gojo. The sand around him, vitrified by the shockwave of Blue: Repulsion, crunched under his boots. Gojo stood ten meters away, watching Zephyr with a smile. "No barriers today, old man. Just you, me, let's have some crazy fun."
Zephyr stood up, the ground trembling under his weight. Despite his Battle Smasher being cracked. "Yeah, let's have fun," he said with a smile. His Armament Haki exploded, shrouding his mechanical arm in such a dense black aura that it seemed to absorb the light. He vanished into a Soru, the shockwave sending sand flying.
Gojo anticipated Zephyr's move before he reappeared. The admiral emerged a meter away, his Battle Smasher aiming at Gojo's chest with a force capable of pulverizing a ship. Gojo sidestepped. The blow grazed his chest, leaving a furrow in the ground.
Gojo counterattacked, his fists wrapped in Armament Haki, striking Zephyr. His straight punch hit the Battle Smasher, the impact sending a shockwave that cracked a rock twenty meters away. Zephyr growled, retaliating with a left uppercut, his Haki vibrating the air. Gojo blocked with his forearm, but the impact pushed him back, his boots slipping in the mud.
Zephyr leaped, using Geppo to attack from the air. "Smash Barrage!" he roared, unleashing a flurry of blows, each impact reinforced by his Haki. Gojo, without his barrier, dodged the blows. One blow grazed his cheek, leaving a bloody gash. He countered with a Haki-charged kick, aiming for Zephyr's chest. The admiral blocked with his arm, but the impact further cracked the mechanical armor, pushing him back five meters.
The battle intensified, the rain turning the beach into a quagmire. Zephyr, his face marked by a gash on his forehead, charged again, combining Soru and Rankyaku. Black air blades, imbued with Haki, streaked toward Gojo, cutting through rocks like butter. Gojo leaped to dodge.
"You're fast, old man!" Gojo exclaimed, a grin on his face. He activated Blue Strike, a technique of the Infinity Fruit creating an attractive point just in front of Zephyr. The ground tore apart, sucked in violently, and Zephyr was pulled forward, off balance. Gojo followed up with a left hook charged with Haki, aiming for the jaw. Zephyr activated Tekkai at the last second, absorbing the blow, but a crack widened on his Battle Smasher. He retaliated with a straight punch, but to no avail.
The fight escalated. Their Hakis clashed, creating black and red sparks. An uppercut from Zephyr missed Gojo, shattering a rock. Gojo countered with a knee strike to the stomach, but Zephyr tensed his Tekkai, absorbing the blow. The ground crumbled under their feet, the beach becoming a chaos of craters and debris.
The volcanic island trembled, cracks opening in the rock. "They're going to destroy everything!" Nami cried, clutching Usopp.
Zoro, a smirk on his face, murmured, "He's truly a monster."
Gojo released his Conqueror's Haki, a wave of spiritual energy so powerful that it made the Neo Marine men on the horizon faint. The sand vibrated, the storm roared, lightning striking around them. Zephyr, gritting his teeth, resisted, his steel will keeping him upright. "Your