Marine Headquarters – Summit War Battlefield
The sudden arrival of the Impel Down Straw Hat squad from the sky brought the war to a brand-new turning point.
Two Straw Hat Luffys and two Knights of the Sea, Jinbe were now on display at the same time—
leaving everyone on the battlefield utterly bewildered.
For a brief moment, the scene froze in astonishment.
Then, the Marine elites finally took in the reality of what they were seeing—
and slowly realized that the tattered battleship that had fallen from the sky was carrying none other than…
the escaped prisoners of Impel Down!
"Those prison uniforms—there's no mistake…"
"That man—he's former Shichibukai Crocodile!"
"And what's with that giant face?!"
"I know that face—that's the Okama King, Emporio Ivankov! He's still alive?!"
"All of them… they're Impel Down prisoners!"
"But how could they be here?!"
"Don't tell me… the prison known as the iron-walled Impel Down has actually been breached?!"
"Could it have been overrun by pirates?!"
"That… might be possible!"
While the Marine elites voiced their shock, the hundreds of escaped convicts on the shattered warship were brimming with fighting spirit.
Sharp eyes like hunting hawks swept over the massive Marineford battlefield, their morale soaring.
The most excited of all was a certain big-nosed man whose red schnoz gleamed in the sunlight.
"Bwahahahaha! What's wrong, Marines? Scared by my heroic presence? Get used to it!"
The great pirate clown, Buggy, laughed proudly.
"As expected of the legendary Captain Buggy!"
"That entrance was just too stylish!"
"Falling from the sky and drawing all of Marineford's attention—Captain Buggy, I'll follow you for life!"
Buggy's prisoner underlings immediately shouted their praises.
Ivankov, Crocodile, and Jinbe ignored him completely.
Compared to Buggy's antics, they were far more curious about the other Straw Hat Luffy and Jinbe standing nearby.
As for the straightforward two-years-ago Luffy, his mind was elsewhere.
His eyes were locked solely on the execution platform in the bay plaza—
on his brother, Ace.
He took a deep breath.
"Aaace!!!"
"Luuufyyy!!!"
From atop the execution platform, Ace's voice rang out, answering his younger brother's call.
"Ace! Everyone and I—we're definitely going to save you!!!"
Two-years-ago Luffy raised his fist and shouted with full confidence, looking every bit like the future Fifth Emperor.
"Luffy-brother, before that, we should meet up with your crewmates—they've been waiting for you," Jinbe suggested.
"Yeah!" Luffy nodded.
Together with Jinbe and Ivankov, he walked toward a nearby little lion—
and the reunion began.
"Luffy!"
Chopper was the first to rush over, leaping into his captain's arms.
"Chopper!"
Luffy hugged him tightly.
"Luffy, I've gotten stronger!" Chopper beamed.
"Yeah, I saw it! In just a few days, you've gotten so much stronger—it really surprised me!" Luffy grinned.
"Luffy, if you're surprised already, it's still too soon!" Usopp said with a smile, stepping forward.
"Usopp! Those bullets you fired—what were they? They looked so fun!"
"They're called Pop Greens, I got them—" Usopp started to brag about his growth—
"Luffy!"
"Captain!"
"This time, you won't be alone!"
"We'll all work together to save your brother!"
"Yohohohoho!"
Nami, Robin, Zoro, Sanji, Franky, and Brook all charged in at once, swarming their captain in a joyful dogpile.
Though only two years apart, to the post-timeskip crew, seeing their pre-timeskip captain felt like looking at a child—adorable and nostalgic.
Two-years-ago Luffy, for his part, was dazzled by Franky's new cyborg form.
When Sanji showed off his "No. 3" transformation device from a hidden black box, Luffy's eyes sparkled even more—
more curious about the transformation than about Sanji's ability to kick at lightspeed.
Watching the Straw Hats' happy reunion, Ivankov, Whitebeard, and the pirates simply smiled, making no move to interrupt.
Meanwhile—
two blue-skinned Jinbes locked eyes across the field.
Even the Marines grew quiet, sensing a rare moment worth hearing.
But future Jinbe made no move to explain the truth aloud.
He simply walked up to his younger self and whispered a few words.
"What?!"
Past Jinbe's eyes widened in shock.
He never imagined…
that someone could truly cross over from the future to the present.
And yet…
Given the overwhelming strength of the Fifth Emperor Luffy, strong enough to repel an Admiral,
and the incredible growth of the Straw Hats in such a short time—
this was the only explanation that made sense.
"Oi, Jinbe—what's going on? Give us an explanation!" Marco, Jozu, and Vista approached, curiosity burning.
"Yeah, Jinbe—we escaped Impel Down together, didn't we? You can at least give us a hint!" Ivankov added, puffing out his massive face.
Jinbe only smiled, keeping his secret.
The others, desperate for answers, were left disappointed—and even more curious than before.
In Sabaody Archipelago, reporters and spectators were practically swearing in frustration.
But the next moment, something even bigger happened.
After greeting his crewmates, two-years-ago Luffy finally stood before the Fifth Emperor Luffy.
His eyes gleamed, his face turned serious.
"Who are you?" he asked firmly.
"I'm Luffy—the man who will become the Pirate King," future Luffy replied without hesitation.
Hearing that, past Luffy immediately bristled.
"What did you say?! You want to be Pirate King? Don't dream! The Pirate King will be me!"
With hands on his hips and his chin raised, the younger Luffy made his declaration before the ten thousand Marine elites and the entire watching world.
The battlefield froze for a beat—stunned by the audacity.
Then—
something even more absurd happened.
Future Luffy shot back just as sharply:
"No, you stop dreaming. I'm the man who'll be Pirate King!"
"I am!"
"No, I am!"
"It's me!"
"Not you—me!"
The two Straw Hats stood there, bickering loudly over the Pirate King's throne—in front of the whole world.
The Marines. The pirates. The crowd at Sabaody.
All fell silent at the ridiculous sight.
All except one hopeless romantic.
"Haa… The two Luffys are fighting… No—don't fight over me! No matter which one… I'll love you both~"
The Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock, clutched her chest in blissful agony, imagining an entirely different kind of rivalry—
where the two Luffys weren't fighting for the Pirate King's crown, but for her.
"What an idiot of a captain…"
"Yep—still the same idiot captain."
"Seriously… arguing with himself from two years ago? Unbelievable."
"Other than his strength, has Luffy improved in any other aspect?"
Zoro, Sanji, Nami, and the rest of the Straw Hats sighed helplessly.
"Hahaha! Now that's the Luffy I know!" Usopp laughed loudly, about to step in and mediate between the two Luffys.
But before he could speak, it happened—
In the very next instant, both Luffys vanished from sight.
BOOM!
Smoke and dust blasted across the icy battlefield. A violent sandstorm surged through—
the signature arrival of Shichibukai Crocodile in motion.
"Aaahhh!"
"Crocodile!!!"
"Damn you, Crocodile—what are you trying to do to Pops?!"
The Whitebeard Pirates shouted in shock.
"Crocodile's target is Whitebeard!" a nearby Marine cried out in alarm.
"Tch, he beat me to it!" Buggy stomped in frustration—
though the words barely left his mouth before his Impel Down lackeys immediately dropped to their knees in worship.
In the blink of an eye, Crocodile's sand form swept in behind Whitebeard.
"Been a while, Whitebeard," Crocodile said with a crooked smile.
"You really never learn, do you, brat?" Whitebeard replied, unmoved.
Shu-shu!
The sharp whistle of wind split the air.
The two Luffys—gone only a second earlier—reappeared suddenly at the bow of the Moby Dick.
"Don't you dare lay a hand on this old man! Ace really likes him!" the two-years-ago Luffy bellowed, brimming with fighting spirit.
Gear Second steam burst from his body as he dashed forward, kicking Crocodile back with a seawater-soaked foot.
At the same time, the post-timeskip, Fifth Emperor Luffy's eyes glimmered crimson. In his mind, he glimpsed a fragment of the immediate future.
He lunged in with a fist wrapped in advanced Busoshoku Haki—forcing Crocodile's eyes wide in shock—
BANG!
A heavy, dull impact rang out as the Warlord was sent flying dozens of meters, blood trickling from his nose and mouth.
"So strong…!"
Only now, having crossed fists with him, did Crocodile truly believe the stories.
Defeating a Vice Admiral, injuring an Admiral—none of it was exaggerated.
This Fifth Emperor Luffy had the raw power to stand on equal footing with the Yonko themselves!
"I promised pineapple-head that before he catches up, I wouldn't let anyone harm this old man," post-timeskip Luffy said calmly.
"Pineapple-head?" Marco muttered, feeling vaguely insulted. (Since when were we on a nickname basis?)
"Kurararara!"
From the bow of the Moby Dick, Whitebeard laughed heartily, golden eyes narrowing.
His gaze swept over the two Straw Hats, settling on the familiar straw hat between them.
He recognized it instantly—
the same one worn by his old rival, Gol D. Roger.
Whether it was this Luffy or the other, there was no mistaking it—
this was the real thing.
The hat Roger had passed to Shanks,
and Shanks had passed to Luffy…
The will of the ages, carried forward!
"You're here to save your brother, then?" Whitebeard rumbled, looking down at the two Luffys.
"That's right!" the younger Luffy answered without hesitation.
"Do you even know who your enemies are? Reckless brats like you won't last long if you're not careful," Whitebeard warned.
"Quit yapping! That's not for you to say!" the younger Luffy shot back, unwilling to be outdone.
The older Luffy didn't join the argument. Instead, he studied Whitebeard—and more importantly, his own past self.
He didn't know why, but two years ago, that Luffy had somehow reached the execution platform and freed Ace.
Robin and Nami suspected he'd been blessed with some uncanny luck back then.
If they charged together, maybe that luck could tilt the odds even more.
That was why the older Luffy had stayed here instead of rushing for Ace right away—
he'd been waiting for this moment.
And now—
The time had come.
"Ace—I'll be the one to save you!" the younger Luffy declared, fist clenched in confidence.
Without another word, he sprang forward like lightning, leading the charge.
"What a hotheaded captain," Sanji muttered, shaking his head.
"Finally—time to move! Let's go!" the two Yamatos said in unison, exchanging a glance before leaping into the fray.
"In front of me stands the world's greatest swordsman… and my true challenge!" Zoro's eyes locked on Mihawk—seeing no one else.
"SUPER time to launch! General Franky, deploying!"
With a super pose, Franky combined the Black Rhino IV with the Brachio Tank V, transforming into the towering General Franky and charging ahead.
"Jinbe, Ivankov—take care of the younger me!" the older Luffy called out.
The Jinbe from two years ago gave a firm nod.
"Leave it to me!" he said, clasping hands with his older self before moving out alongside Ivankov.
This battle wouldn't just need fighters to storm the plaza—it needed defenders for the Thousand Sunny as well.
The post-timeskip Jinbe stayed behind with Nami, Robin, Usopp, Chopper, and Brook to guard the ship.
At range, Nami, Robin, and Usopp could still lend support,
and Chopper's Monster Point remained a hidden ace in the hole.
"Everyone, cover the Straw Hats! The real battle starts now!" Marco roared.
"WOOOAHHH!"
Jozu, Vista, and the other division commanders bellowed back, rallying the Whitebeard Pirates to a surge in morale.
"Old man… I'll be heading out soon. Without me here, you'd better take care of yourself!"
When the older Luffy said this to Whitebeard, the nearby pirates froze.
Did this kid just… tell their captain—Edward Newgate, the Strongest Man in the World—to "take care of himself"?!
Was he seriously treating Whitebeard like some frail old grandpa?
The nerve!
Even Whitebeard himself fell silent for a moment, unsure how to respond.
Then—
"Kurararara! You're one arrogant brat!" Whitebeard laughed—not angry in the slightest.
"But with the strength you have at your age, you've earned the right to be arrogant. Now go!"