HOPE!

A large bird flies high in the sky, dropping a figure. Luffy, carrying a large barrel of water strapped to his back, plummets toward the ground and lands with a heavy impact, kicking up dust. He looks up with a fierce, determined expression and says, "WHEW! MADE IT JUST IN TIME!"

Vivi looks up at the sky, tears streaming down her face as she watches the large bird fly away over the palace. She cries out, "Uuu... Pell...! Luffy...!" Overwhelmed with despair, she sobs, "I can't save my c... And my voice won't reach anybody!" A close-up shows her face stained with tears as a voice announces, "The palace square will be blown up any moment now! Chaka and the others have already been done in..." Suddenly, a small speech bubble appears next to her, saying, "Don't worry."

Luffy's face suddenly appears right next to Vivi's, sporting a massive, confident grin. He tells her, "YOUR VOICE, REACHED US JUST FINE!" Vivi looks completely shocked, her eyes wide with disbelief. A wide shot shows the two of them standing on a high balcony overlooking the city, where a massive dust storm or explosion is raging in the distance. The sound of the chaotic battlefield, "WAAAAAA," fills the air.

Chaka, heavily injured and bleeding, looks up and warns, "Be careful, Luffy!" In the chaotic plaza below, a rebel soldier falls to his knees, groaning, "A-and, ohh I've lost so much blood I'm feeling dizzy..." Another voice angrily yells, "LIAR!" Nearby, small silhouettes of Zoro and Sanji are seen fighting as their voices bicker over the battlefield. "For a man, you sure do complain a lot! Look, I've injured my leg! I can't stand up!" "WHAT, ARE YOU ACTUALLY TRYING TO SAY YOU'RE MORE SERIOUSLY INJURED THAN ME RIGHT NOW!?" Vivi, still crying but looking relieved, says, "I won't..." Luffy pats his stomach, grinning widely. "And I'm full of surging blood! I ate a ton of meat!" Crocodile stands tall, his hook glinting, looking down menacingly. Luffy glares back at him, declaring, "LOSE ANYMORE!"

Crocodile, smoking his cigar, scowls in disbelief. "HOW THE HELL DID HE ESCAPE FROM THE QUICKSAND WITH THOSE WOUNDS...!?" Vivi looks back in surprise as Chopper runs toward them, tears streaming down his face. "Tony!" she exclaims. Chopper wails, "LUFFY'S ALIVE! AGHHHHH!" Luffy stands firm, facing Crocodile. Crocodile grits his teeth, "NGHHH!" Chopper reaches Vivi, crying, "Vivi's here too!" A silhouette of Crocodile looms over them as he demands, "LUFFY, IS THAT YOU!?"

Zoro, heavily bandaged and yelling, points triumphantly. "SEE! SEE! WHAT'D I TELL YA! I KNEW ALL ALONG!" Chopper looks up at him in awe, "You did!?" Sanji, standing nearby with a cigarette, mutters, "Is that really the face of a person who knew 'all along?'" Sanji then immediately switches to his swooning noodle dance, crying out, "Vivi, my love! I can't believe how horribly injured you are!" Nami, looking exhausted and battered, smiles in relief. "Usopp! Sanji!" Vivi looks at her friends, tears in her eyes. "Mr. Bushido... Nami... You're all safe...!" Nami, holding her Clima-Tact, suddenly looks annoyed and yells, "GAH! USOPP!"

Nami angrily points her Clima-Tact off-screen, yelling, "YOU'RE STANDING JUST FINE RIGHT NOW! Who the hell asked you to create a toy for parties!?" Zoro stands behind her, panting and looking exasperated. "Namiii!" Sanji glares angrily, "I'LL KICK YOUR ASS FOR LETTING NAMI GET INJURED!" A small bubble notes, "She's looking just fine right now though..." Chopper runs around in a panic, asking, "Vivi! What's the situation!? And what is up with this freaky dust storm!?" Usopp lies on the ground, heavily battered, groaning, "B... BURY MY BODY IN THE WILDERNESS... UGHH... CHOPPER... I HAVE A FINAL REQUEST..." Chopper screams in terror, "AHHHH! YOU'VE ALREADY KILLED HIM!" Nami glares down at Usopp, threatening, "I'll kill you later." Usopp weakly defends himself, "B-BUT... I STILL INCLUDED THAT ONE ULTIMATE ATTACK...!"

Luffy looks up at his crew, his expression serious. "Sorry, guys. I lost to him once." A wide shot shows the Straw Hats and Vivi looking up at him from the plaza. Luffy continues, "But I won't lose again! So take care of the rest in the meanwhile!" Close-up panels show the determined faces of Vivi, Chopper, Nami, Sanji, and Zoro. They shout together, "IF YOU CAN'T BEAT HIM, THEN WHO CAN!?" Zoro adds with a smirk, "Hurry up and beat his ass already..." A close-up of Luffy's face shows his fierce determination as he declares, "IT'S TIME... TO END EVERYTHING!"

Sanji and Zoro cheer loudly, "YOU BET!" Chopper and Nami are visible behind them, also looking determined. Pell, in his human form and heavily injured, looks up in awe. Chaka, also battered, smiles and says, "THAT'S RIGHT! I STILL HAVE MY FRIENDS!" Crocodile glares down, visibly annoyed. "NGHH..." Luffy stares back at him, his face set in a fierce scowl. "CROO..."

Luffy yells at the top of his lungs, "-DIIILEE!" He winds up his arm for a massive punch. Crocodile stands calmly, smoking his cigar. Luffy stretches his arm far back, the water barrel secured on his back. Crocodile mocks him, "YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO LAND EVEN A SINGLE PUNCH ON ME...! NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES WE FIGHT," Crocodile looks down with a confident smirk. Luffy launches himself forward, his fist flying toward Crocodile. Crocodile taunts, "SO YOU WANT ME TO IMPALE YOU AGAIN, DO YOU!?"

A massive splash panel shows the impact. Luffy's fist connects squarely with the side of Crocodile's face in a powerful punch. Crocodile's eyes widen in absolute shock, a large "!!!?" appearing next to him as blood flies from his mouth. Luffy is suspended mid-air, having thrown his entire body weight into the strike, the water barrel still strapped to his back.

The force of the punch sends Crocodile flying backward, tumbling uncontrollably through the air. Luffy lands gracefully on his feet. Crocodile crashes into the ground, skidding violently across the stone surface and kicking up a massive cloud of dust. A close-up shows Crocodile's face, bruised and furious, as he grunts, "NGHH-" He finally slides to a halt, surrounded by billowing dust.

Crocodile looks up from the dust, shocked and enraged. "WHO IS THAT!?" Luffy stands ready, stretching both of his arms far back. "STRETCH! STRETCH! GOMU GOMU..." Crocodile glares at him, "THAT BRAT!" Crocodile quickly transforms his right arm into a massive, sharp sand blade. Luffy launches himself forward, spinning rapidly through the air, water splashing from his barrel.

A close-up of Crocodile shows him sweating, his eyes wide with realization. "HE COULDN'T HAVE...!? HE..." Crocodile swings his sand blade defensively. Luffy hurtles toward him, spinning like a top. "BUZZSAW!!!" Luffy's spinning attack slams directly into Crocodile's head and shoulder, crushing him into the ground with tremendous force. Blood spurts from Crocodile's mouth as he is overpowered by the strike.

Luffy bounces off Crocodile from the impact, flying backward through the air with a triumphant laugh, "Shishishi!" He lands safely on his feet, sliding slightly on the ground. "LAND!" Crocodile lies flat on his back, completely floored by the attack. A small voice from the sidelines remarks in shock, "He hit crocodile..." Crocodile remains motionless on the ground, blood dripping from his mouth.

Luffy stands tall, panting heavily, "PANT PANT," with the water barrel still strapped to his back. Below, the chaotic battle in the plaza continues to rage. Nico Robin watches the fight from a distance, a slight, intrigued smile on her face. "Oh...?" Crocodile slowly sits up, laughing darkly, "Kuku..." A clock tower is shown, ticking away the time. "TOC TOC TOC" Luffy glares at Crocodile, commanding, "Stand."

Luffy holds a small nozzle attached to his water barrel, squirting a stream of water onto his hand. "You won't be able to turn into sand! If I touch you with water," he explains. "The water I received from Yuba taught me how. Back then, I managed to grab your arm." Crocodile glares at him, wiping his mouth. "KUKU... You're afraid of the water! That's why you stole this country's rain." Luffy points directly at Crocodile, his hand dripping with water, and declares fiercely, "OUR FIGHT'S FINALLY SET TO BEGIN! NOW I CAN FINALLY KICK YOUR ASS FOR REAL!"

No description for this page.