Five seconds passed, and all of the treasure inside the hole was gone. Not even a single bit was left.
They stared at the now-empty space with their mouths open.
"Such a power… and in just a second," Zoro said quietly.
Luffy's eyes, however, were sparkling like stars. "So cool…"
Then they noticed something else.
The ground they were standing on—the big hole itself—began to creak, like an old wooden floor about to collapse. Small cracks appeared, and water began to rush out from them. Then came bigger cracks.
"Luffy!" Zoro shouted.
Luffy noticed it too. He knew water was his weakness. Without hesitation, he stretched his right arm upward, grabbed Zoro, and launched them both like a rocket shooting into the air.
As they flew upward, they saw water violently bursting out from the broken floor of the hole.
BANG!
The ground completely cracked, and the water rushed in like a hungry predator, filling the hole in the blink of an eye.
Luffy and Zoro landed at the top of the hole.
"Are you alright?" Gaimon asked.
"Yup," Luffy and Zoro replied.
They looked down and saw the hole slowly filling with water again.
Nami finally snapped back to her senses. "If the water keeps rising, it'll flood the entire island," she said, panic in her voice.
Luffy and Zoro stiffened. "What now?" Luffy asked.
Gaimon, who had been watching everything, spoke slowly. "I told you… I don't know if what I saw was real or not. But if that thing really exists… then this hole was dug from the deepest part of this island."
"That's impossible," Nami said. "A monster like that can't exist."
Zoro grabbed Gaimon's green hair. "Are you blind?! Can't you see this massive hole?!"
Nami's voice trembled. "What are we going to do now…?"
Luffy stood there, dumbfounded, picking his nose.
Zoro kept watching the water rise.
"We have to cover the entire hole," Nami said. "Like how the old floor used to be."
"But where are we supposed to find something like that?!" Zoro shouted back.
"And even if we did," Gaimon added, "it would just break again."
Unlike the others, Luffy wasn't panicking. He walked toward Cry, who was silently watching them with curiosity written on her face.
"Yo, Cry," Luffy said, pointing at the hole where the water was rising. "You see that?"
Cry looked at the hole and nodded.
"Then… can you do this?"
Luffy made a motion with his hands, pretending there was a hole in the ground and covering it with his palm. He tilted his head. "Can you do it?"
Cry pointed at the big hole, then copied Luffy—placing her hands over it as if covering it.
Luffy laughed. "Shishishishi! Yes!"
He gave Cry a big thumbs-up.
Cry tilted her head, her sea-like hair flowing with the motion. She placed a finger on her lips, as if thinking. Then, without another thought, she jumped straight down into the hole.
Luffy was left speechless. He didn't know what she was about to do—but when he saw her eyes, he knew she had an idea. Still, one thought hit him late.
"Wait… isn't water bad?" Luffy said.
Nami, who saw Cry jump, screamed toward the hole, "Cry! What are you doing?!"
But Cry was already gone.
Zoro clicked his tongue in annoyance. "What is she doing? Doesn't she know a Devil Fruit user's weakness is water? She'll die at this rate."
But Luffy spoke calmly, confidence in his voice, his iconic smile on his face. "She knows what she's doing. Just believe."
Nami smacked Luffy on the head. "You idiot! Was this your idea?!" She kept punching him.
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.
.
Down below, Cry felt completely fine—like she was born to venture the sea. She dove deeper and deeper, farther than anyone could imagine.
Below the island, she saw massive rock formations—like seamounts or pinnacles—sharp, towering, and endless. Strangely, no fish could be found in the deepest part of the sea. Not a single one.
Cry looked around calmly. Even in the darkest depths, she could see clearly, as if the ocean itself welcomed her.
With her slender fingers, she gripped one of the pointed rocks. It was massive—volcano-sized. Slowly, she lifted it from the deep-sea floor with just one hand.
She was holding a sleeping volcano.
If anyone could see this, they would understand what kind of creature she truly was.
Cry pointed the massive rock upward, toward where she came from. She focused on the exact spot—the hole where the water was rising.
Positioning herself like she was about to throw a winning rugby pass, she stretched her right arm back. No veins bulged. No muscles showed. Only her slender, snow-white skin.
The massive volcano rested in her hand like a ball.
Her grip tightened.
Then, in a single motion, she threw it.
Swooooooosshhhhhh!
The massive rock shot upward like a bullet. Even in the deepest water, it moved at terrifying speed, showing just how much force Cry had used.
Straight toward the sinkhole.
---
Above the island, the water was nearly overflowing. Everyone was panicking—not because of the water, but because Cry still hadn't returned.
Countless horrible thoughts ran through their minds.
Then—
The ground shook.
It felt like an earthquake. The vibration was so strong the whole island trembled. Zoro, Luffy, and Gaimon stumbled and fell to the ground.
Then a deafening sound exploded through the air.
KABANGGGGGGGGGG!!!
From the massive hole, something enormous burst upward.
"WHAAAT?!" Luffy shouted.
"What's going on?!" Zoro yelled.
"I told you…" Gaimon whispered, shaking. "Something really is down there."
Nami fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
"Where are you, Cry…?" she cried.
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To be continued