"Unbelievable… he actually pulled it off?!"
"So the power of Nika really needs a worthy opponent to be fully unleashed?!"
"But still… smashing someone straight into outer space with nothing but brute force—this level of power is way too absurd, isn't it?!"
At the same time—
Just as Luffy and Big Mom were flung away from Whole Cake Island together, Red—who had long known what Luffy was planning—stood at the highest point of the island. Watching the two figures vanish into the distance, he couldn't help but smack his lips in amazement.
The starry sky…
To most people in the world of pirates, it was a completely unfamiliar concept—one they barely even had words for.
Perhaps it was due to limited technological development, or perhaps because education was never widespread, but very few people in this world ever felt curiosity toward the vast, mysterious heavens above their heads.
From beginning to end, their gaze remained fixed on nothing more than the small patch of land beneath their feet, and that seemingly boundless—but ultimately finite—sea.
The people of the pirate world had never truly felt the urge to explore the stars.
And yet, if one followed the trajectory of pirate history, this world had undoubtedly come into contact with extraterrestrial civilizations before—and not for a short time, either.
Coupled with the existence of weapons like Uranus, which were highly suspected to be of extraterrestrial origin…
Red had every reason to believe that the history of this world from eight hundred—or even nine hundred—years ago still concealed secrets unknown to the present day.
It was just that, for various reasons, almost no one bothered to look beyond the sea.
Perhaps… that was where the true secret of the pirate world lay hidden.
"After all, the neighboring stories tossed out concepts like the universe and aliens ages ago. Even the cover stories in pirate history showed space pirates once…"
"If you only keep your eyes on the sea, the scope feels a little too small."
"And the cosmic environment of this world doesn't even seem that harsh. Any being with a bit of strength probably wouldn't be affected much at all."
"If the ancient Great Kingdom could create powerful extraterrestrial weapons, then it must have also mastered manned spaceflight."
"And yet, in the eight hundred years since the World Government was established, no one ever thought about the world beyond the planet…"
Lost in thought, Red murmured softly as his gaze drifted back down to the battlefield on Whole Cake Island.
Maybe this entire world was itself a gigantic cake.
Some people were the base sponge, some were the cream, and some special individuals served as decorative toppings…
But no one knew who the one eating the cake really was.
"Imu… are you the final gatekeeper?"
…
…
"Damn it! Where the hell is this place?!"
Beyond the planet, within the dark, boundless cosmos—
Using the water-like shimmering light reflected from the blue planet, Big Mom narrowly dodged another one of Luffy's Gum-Gum Supreme Grand Sandals.
But at this moment, her brows were tightly furrowed, her eyes filled with deep confusion.
In truth, Big Mom wasn't an ignorant fool. She had her suspicions about where she was now.
But precisely because that guess was far too outrageous, she would rather believe she had been struck by some bizarre Devil Fruit ability than accept reality!
"Mama! Watch out!"
Suddenly, Zeus—positioned near Big Mom's right hand—let out a terrified scream.
Big Mom snapped back to her senses at once, but it was already too late.
"Gum-Gum · White · Whip!!!"
Whoosh!!!
Luffy's left leg stretched hundreds of meters in an instant, transforming into a massive rubber whip that came crashing down toward Big Mom.
With no time to evade, Big Mom hastily hardened both arms with Armament Haki and crossed them in front of her.
Boom!!!
Armament Haki—capable of resisting virtually any Devil Fruit power—was instantly assimilated by the power of Nika the moment it made contact with Luffy's body.
In the blink of an eye, Big Mom's already massive frame suddenly became like a giant rubber ball…
Her body distorted violently in place, then—after seemingly storing up tremendous force—she was launched backward at full speed.
Whoosh!
Her figure turned into a streak of light, shooting rapidly into the distance.
"That's a home run!!!"
Pop~
Luffy's elongated leg snapped back like a spring.
At some point, he had pulled out a baseball cap identical in style—but different in color—to Red's, plopping it onto his head as he looked curiously in Big Mom's direction.
Then, all of a sudden, his expression froze.
"Crap!"
"Red said we shouldn't go too deep into space—or else accidents might happen, and you could get lost in the universe!"
Realization struck Luffy, and his face changed instantly.
The next moment, he leaned backward and took a massive breath.
Breathing in outer space should've been ridiculous and absurd—but Luffy's body swelled anyway, inflating into a gigantic sphere.
With his cheeks puffed out, he mumbled indistinctly:
"mmmm-mmmmm… Jet Rocket!!!"
Pshhh!!!
A violent jet of air blasted out from Luffy's mouth. His body compressed tightly, and propelled by the airflow, he shot forward at an outrageous speed—rocketing straight toward Big Mom.
"Red said you're not allowed to die just yet!"
Shua!
Luffy reappeared beside Big Mom in an instant, delivering another White Whip, striking her body for the second time.
"Uh-oh! That might've been too much force again?!"
Startled, Luffy jolted once more—and immediately chased after her again…
Three blessings, four joys, five grains of abundance, sixfold prosperity…
In the cosmos above the blue planet, Luffy and Big Mom were inexplicably playing a game of aerial pinball.
Luffy was the flipper.
Big Mom was the ball.
"Mama… I'm getting dizzy!"
The three Homies following Big Mom all had spiral patterns in their eyes, like defeated Pokémon in a video game, letting out weak groans.
Big Mom herself wasn't doing much better.
The unfamiliar environment of outer space prevented her from moving as freely as Luffy, who could exploit his Devil Fruit as if walking on solid ground.
In zero gravity, neither Zeus nor Prometheus could be used as footholds at all.
The starry sky had become Luffy's home field!
"Bastard!"
And it wasn't just the Homies who felt suffocated.
Every single one of Luffy's attacks landed squarely on Big Mom's body.
Thanks to her rubberized state, the actual damage wasn't particularly severe.
But the sheer humiliation of it all was worse than being killed outright!
Fortunately, heaven always leaves a path.
At that moment, Big Mom's sharp eyes caught sight of a small meteor flying toward them.
In the universe, small meteors appeared all the time.
Most of them burned up upon entering the atmosphere, turning into fleeting shooting stars.
Big Mom's mind raced.
After Luffy knocked her flying once more, she suddenly hurled Zeus downward with all her strength, stepped on him with one foot, and slammed straight into the incoming meteor.
Boom!!!
The violent impact made Big Mom spit out a mouthful of blood.
The force of a meteor strike was clearly far more devastating than Luffy's attacks.
Yet she paid no attention to her injuries—her eyes gleaming as she burst into laughter.
"Mama mama mama!"
"Wanderer of the starry sky, I now bestow upon you my special soul!"
"Come—eat this…"
"And become my new servant!!!"
Crackle…
A radiant sphere of light suddenly appeared in Big Mom's palm.
She thrust it straight into the meteor.
The meteor shuddered violently, its trembling growing more intense by the second.
Big Mom continued laughing wildly.
"Come and experience the real world!!!"
"Malphite!!!"
(End of Chapter)