174 Vanished

"Shit! Old man! I have to—

" Go! Luffy-kun! Your nakama are more important! " Rayleigh shouted back. Luffy nodded as he disappeared using Soru. He quickly arrived at the scene where Chopper was wreaking havoc with Monster Point.

"Watch out! Robin!" Luffy shouted as he grabbed Robin and jumped away just in time to avoid Chopper's giant hand slamming onto the ground they were previously standing on.

Usopp was breathing heavily while looking at the Pacifista slowly approaching him. "Kaya, Zoro, Nojiko. We have to.... we have to get up! He's gonna shoot another one!!..." Usopp shouted while panicking a little. The Pacifista opened its mouth as it charged up a beam.

" Halt! Pacifista Six!"

Usopp shouted in horror as he saw Kuma in the flesh standing behind him. Kuma took off his glove, showing off his paw pads. Zoro, Kaya and Nojiko stood up protectively around Usopp.

" If you were to travel, where would you like to go?" Kuma asked as he appeared in front of the three. They were unresponsive.

" Run—

Kuma gently hits Zoro, Nojiko and Kaya with his paw pad, making them disappear into thin air. Luffy watched in horror as three of his crew mates vanished just like that.

"OI!!! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO THEM?!!" Usopp shouted at Kuma while raising his giant slingshot Kabuto. Meanwhile, Chopper was still rampaging. Luffy gritted his teeth as he ran away from the reindeer while carrying Robin. He glared at Sentomaru who was leaning against a tree.

"Bastard! What did he do to them?!" Luffy asked him. Sentomaru gave him the finger in response. Luffy growled angrily and kicked Sentomaru in the face, breaking his jaw and sending him tumbling violently on the ground.

"Look out Usopp! Behind you!!" Sanji shouted as PX-6 opened its mouth to fire a beam at Usopp.

"Do not interfere." Kuma muttered as he touched PX-6 with his own paw pad, making it disappear just like he did to the three Straw Hats.

"ALL OF YOU RUN!!!!!!" Luffy shouted. Franky grabbed the speechless Nami and they started running away.

"Take my shoulder quick!" Usopp shouted at Sanji and Brook who were grunting while trying their best to stand up. His eyes glowed bright red as he sensed Kuma behind them.

"Watch out, both of you!!" Brook shouted as he jumped in front of Usopp and Sanji.

"I will protect you even if it costs me my own life!!! Oh wait! I'm already dead—"

Brook vanished into thin air. Luffy was watching all of this with a horrified expression.

One by one, his crew was disappearing in front of his eyes. He wanted to move, but he couldn't after seeing all of that.

"Usopp..... Sanji..." Luffy whispered hopelessly as he saw the two vanish to thin air too. Kuma appeared in front of Franky and Nami.

Franky tried a desperate attack but he failed easily. Luffy activated Gear Second and charged towards Kuma. He arrived in front of him in a second.

"Gomu Gomu no..." Luffy got ready as his Busoshoku Haki infused hands caught on fire. Suddenly, Kuma appeared in front of him.

"Mugiwara no Luffy....." Kuma started whispering to Luffy who was shocked at what he was hearing him say.

"I am an officer of the Revolutionary Army, and I am here to help you and your crew escape. " Kuma explained his real reasons for doing all of this. Luffy glared at Kuma.

"And you expect me to believe you?!" Luffy shouted at Kuma.

" You can choose to believe me or not. But I will fulfill my mission. Tsuppari Pad Ho." Kuma whispered. Luffy widened his eyes and spat out some blood as Kuma fired a vast number of 'pressure shots' at Luffy, all landing clean hits on his chest.

Luffy slammed into a rock formation and looked with a defeated expression as Kuma made Chopper vanish.

"Stop it.....Stop it.... please....." Luffy whispered hopelessly as he dashed towards Kuma who was about to make Nami vanish. He was too slow as Kuma made her vanish right in front of his eyes.

Nami's last words were 'Luffy, help me'. The same words she muttered out before he fought Arlong. Luffy crashed into a tree and stood up immediately.

"Run for it, Robin!!!" Luffy whispered as he stood up and looked at Robin. He ran towards her, intending to sacrifice himself.

Again, he was too late. Luffy. Robin stretched out her hand to him, expecting him to help her. He failed. He failed at such a simple task.

Luffy wanted to believe that Kuma was an officer of the Revolutionary Army and that he genuinely wanted to help him.

But it was all too good to be true. Luffy looked at Kuma who looked down at him stoically.

"GAK!!!!!" Luffy suddenly spat out blood as he was shot by a light beam out of nowhere. Luffy spat out more blood as he laid onto the ground, his face facing the bright sky.

"Oops! That was meant for you, Dark King." Kizaru apologized nonchalantly.

"Luffy-kun!" Rayleigh shouted at Luffy who looked up at Kuma slowly walking towards him.

"Why are you giving up now, Luffy-kun!!! Shanks told me that not giving up is your speciality!!! So why do I see you having a defeatist personality right now!!!??" Rayleigh shouted at Luffy. Luffy gasped, hearing Rayleigh's words.

"You talk too much. It's time to shut you up for good, Dark King Rayleigh." Kizaru muttered while pointing at finger at Rayleigh, preparing to fire a light beam through Rayleigh's head.

Suddenly, an overwhelming pressure washed over him. That made Kizaru stop what he was doing as he looked at Luffy who was emitting his most powerful Conqueror's Haki with an enraged expression.

"Ooh? Conqueror's? How fun." Kizaru muttered, actually interested in this development. Luffy unsheathed his cutlass and appeared in front of Kuma.

"Divine Departure!!!!"

*BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!*

Kuma spat out large amounts of blood as he was sent blasting back into multiple mangrove trees before slamming into a large amount.

Rayleigh smiled warmly, feeling extremely nostalgic seeing Luffy use that move. It was Roger's signature attack and Rayleigh was extremely familiar with it.

Luffy looked at Kizaru while his hands and legs were hardened with Armament Haki. He produced a bright orange and red aura surrounding the red coating of the Busoshoku Haki.

"Oh? Emission too? Impressive." Kizaru commented as he appeared in front of Luffy at light speed. Rayleigh widened his eyes.

"Luffy-kun! Watch out!!!" Rayleigh shouted. Luffy already saw that coming using Observation Haki.

He dodged Kizaru's light speed kick expertly and kicked Kizaru in the stomach, sending the admiral flying away.

Kizaru slammed into a tree. "It stings a little." He commented as he got up. He then formed light between his hands, and reflected it off the trees.

At the same time, He transformed into the light in order to get to his desired location. He appeared at Luffy's left at the speed of light.

Luffy reacted fast enough and threw a punch at Kizaru. Kizaru hardened his right leg with Busoshoku Haki and used Emission too.

*BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!*

The clash created a giant shockwave that broke the ground under them. Kizaru was surprised, this rookie was surprisingly holding his own against his Busoshoku Haki.

"Well, it's too bad I fight dirty." Kizaru grinned as he raised his index finger and charged up a light beam, aiming it at Luffy.

He fired it, Luffy barely dodged it since he was still clashing with Kizaru. An explosion shook the ground behind him as Luffy jumped back.

[Gear Second: B-(2%)]

[Gear Third: B+(75%)]

[Remember host, leveling it up only makes it easier to use and reduces stamina usage while using these techniques.]

Luffy looked at his feet and swiftly pumped blood from it, activating Gear Second without having to assume his original stance.

Luffy's newfound refinement of Gear 2 led to him using the ability in short, controlled bursts, activating it briefly in order to use individual ability-specific attacks.

This push for brevity was done as a means of limiting the amount of strain that it places on his body.

"It's about time this succeeded." Luffy whispered with a grin in his face as he looked at Kizaru who was nonchalantly waiting for him to attack.

"Gomu Gomu no..." Luffy appeared above Kizaru who was surprised at his speed that he didn't have before.

"JET STAMP GATLING!!!!!"

Luffy delivered multiple Gomu Gomu no Stamp attacks with the same power and speed as if performing a Jet Gatling.

His feet which were hardened with Busoshoku Haki caught on fire and dealt more damage to Kizaru who was starting to feel the heat now.

Luffy then held his flaming feet together with the bottoms of each touching each other.

"Gomu Gomu no.... JET SPEAR!!!!!!"

He then kicked with both simultaneously via his toes giving off the image of an actual spearhead. It was so fast, Kizaru had to actually try to dodge it in order to not get hit by it.

*BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!*

The attack made a massive crater in the ground. Luffy landed back on the ground as he deactivated his short burst of Gear Second.

Kizaru then disappeared and appeared in the air at the speed of light. He then crossed his arms in front of him.

"Yasakani no Magatama." Kizaru muttered the name of the attack calmly as he used both hands to fire a torrent of deadly light particles at Luffy but also covering an extremely wide area around him.

The Grove was absolutely bombarded with Kizaru's light beams. The ground was obliterated and flames were everywhere.

Luffy walked out of the smoke with burnt skin and clothes. He unsheathed his cutlass and imbued it with Busoshoku Haki.

"KIZARUUUU!!!!!!!" Luffy shouted angrily as he dashed towards Kizaru who landed on the ground and zoomed towards Luffy at the speed of light.

"Ama no Murakumo!" Kizaru formed a long, very sharp and durable sword out of light and solidifies it, similar to Aokiji's 'Ice Saber' technique.

"HAAA!!!!!" Luffy swung his cutlass at Kizaru who did a stabbing motion at him. The battlefield was dead silent after that.

Luffy stared at Kizaru who let go of his light blade as he stepped back. Luffy looked down as he saw the light blade stabbing through his stomach.

He looked back up to see his cutlass stabbing through Kizaru's shoulder. He pulled his cutlass out, making Kizaru's wound splash blood onto his Marine outfit.

Luffy sheathed back his cutlass as he stared at Kizaru who raised a brow at him. Kizaru grabbed the light blade and pulled it out violently.

Luffy spat out some blood but he didn't fall to the ground. He just stared at Kizaru menacingly while emitting Haoshoku Haki.

Kizaru silently walked past him and towards the unconscious Sentomaru, leaving Luffy standing there with his stab wound leaking blood uncontrollably.

Luffy pushed down the wound with his hand as hard as he could. He needed to hold pressure to eventually stop the bleeding.

Kuma appeared in front of him out of nowhere. Rayleigh pointed his sword at the Warlord.

"Don't, old man. He's here to help me and my crew. Bastard says he's a part of the Revolutionary Army." Luffy explained weakly. Rayleigh frowned.

" And you believe him? " Rayleigh asked back. Luffy chuckled and looked at him in the eyes.

" My crew is gone old man, what more do I have to lose?" Those were Luffy's last words before he vanished to thin air.

Grand Line, Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 12. On this day, the pirate crew that was captained by Monkey D. Luffy, the Straw Hat Pirates were utterly defeated by Admiral Kizaru and the Warlord Bartholomew Kuma.

To be continued....