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Holy Land, Marigoa:
"Why is Bartholomew Kuma present on the battlefield...?"
"Could it be an instruction from our counterparts in the manga... perhaps?"
"I doubt that..."
"It appears to me like he's a savior this time."
The five elders engage in a discussion about the sudden and unexpected appearance of the real Kuma on the battlefield.
"Fufufu~ I comprehend that..."
Suddenly, the sound of alluring female laughter resonated, causing the five elders to lapse into silence.
"What did Lord Imu-sama perceive?" Saturn inquired with humility.
"The so-called plot armor... has already started to take effect," Imu stated with an enigmatic smile.
...
•———•———•———•———•———•
"One Piece" Events:
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"…!!" ((This guy… Is the real one.)) Even in his extremely weakened state, Zoro managed to sense the arrival of the genuine individual.
"So, you're still alive, Roronoa." Kuma removed his gloves as he uttered those words.
Zoro stood with difficulty, "Thanks to your mercy…" he said.
"Hey, this isn't the time for a chat!" exclaimed Usopp.
"If you were to take a trip, where would you like to go…?" asked Kuma.
"Get aw—" Before Usopp could finish his sentence, Zoro vanished right in front of him.
After a single touch from Kuma, only a bubble remained in Zoro's place.
"Eh…?" Luffy felt Zoro's sudden disappearance.
"…? What?" "Zoro!!?…?"
"Zoro… Disappeared…!!! HAA…"
"What the hell did you do to Zoro!!? He… He was here just a second ago!!!" Usopp couldn't control himself at this moment.
"BUOOOOO!!!"
On the other side, Chopper couldn't differentiate between friend and foe.
"Chopper, don't be foolish!!!" Robin shouted, carrying the exhausted Luffy: "…!! Chopper…!! Haa…"
"Zoro!!! Where did he go!!?" exclaimed Luffy.
"Bartholomew Kuma…!! The Shichibukais have convened at Headquarters…!! ...This is exactly why 'Pirates' can't be trusted…" Kizaru was surprised to see Kuma here, as this wasn't part of the plan.
"… I'd like to go over there too, but…" Rayleigh said with frustration.
"Finally the real one…? He made Zoro disappear!" Franky said with hatred.
"There's no mistake… I've seen that ability before." Nami, who had witnessed a similar scene before, began to speak fearfully, "At Thriller Bark… He made a girl disappear like that, and she never came back… I wonder… What happened to her…"
"Kuma!! Why is that bastard here!?" wondered Sentoumaru.
"Hey!! What did he do to Zoro!!? Haa... Haa…!! Where did he go!!?" Luffy strongly desired to know what happened to Zoro, even if it meant questioning the enemy.
"I'm the man with the tightest mouth in the world, but the people who are repelled by those paws fly through the sky for three days and three nights… or so he says."
Sentoumaru continued the explanation: "But only the person himself knows where he flies to. At the very least… you won't be seeing him around here any time soon. He might have gone to the other side of the world."
•———•———•———•———•———•
Drum Kingdom:
"Zoro..."
Terra placed her hand over her mouth in a state of shock after seeing what happened to Zoro in the manga just now.
"What happened to Zoro... Where did he suddenly disappear to!?" Arashi exclaimed in surprise.
He had wanted to see what Zoro would do after meeting the person who had caused him all those severe wounds... Would there be a surprising change? And would Zoro gain a strong power to defeat his enemy...?
This had been happening repeatedly in every tough battle Zoro participated in... How many massive injuries had his son endured? How many terrifying wounds had he accumulated up until now... None of them had deterred him... He hadn't backed down even in the face of excruciating agony; his son's willpower was truly as strong as iron.
For this reason, Arashi wasn't truly worried about Zoro's loss, even after the manga revealed that he no longer possessed an ounce of strength. His body had reached its limit from all those past battles, and he was in desperate need of rest... a long rest.
"He didn't die... Isn't that right—"
Before Arashi could finish his sentence, he felt a strong hand on his shoulder.
"Young man, this Kuma is an ally. He doesn't act as an enemy at all. Focus on the events and observe carefully. You'll understand then that this is the only way out for the crew from their dire situation." At this moment, Ushimaru spoke, being the more experienced one with a keen insight.
"Ally... yes, he's from the Revolutionary Army led by Luffy's father... It's unthinkable that he would harm his leader's son, isn't it?"
Color returned to both Terra's and Arashi's faces after Ushimaru pointed out the aspect they had overlooked... the aspect that everyone had been neglecting up until now.
"Hahaha! Look at yourselves, my children. You're worried about your son in a drawing on a pile of paper. Just how attached have you become to One Piece?"
Furiko's laughter served as an alarm that awakened them all.
Wasn't all of this happening only in the manga?
"But Mom, the events in the manga have reached an extremely moving stage... It's impossible not to empathize with the Straw Hat Pirates."
...
Ohara, Art Palace:
"How strange it is…"
At this moment, tears welled up in the eyes of Toki, Sora, and Stussy.
"Yes, it's truly strange…"
"Even though I know they will be safe, I can't help but be affected... Why did this happen?"
Sora wiped away her tears, the image of the angry Sanji reflected in her eyes. Sanji was truly in a pitiable state, blaming himself for his weakness, having lost two comrades right in front of him.
In the end, he ran to meet the same fate as Zoro and Brook... he also disappeared into the unknown.
At this moment, Sora felt as if something had shattered inside her heart from the intensity of sorrow.
She had never felt such sadness before... She couldn't have imagined that seeing a few fictional characters suffer in the manga would make her feel this way.
The same held true for Toki and Stussy as well.
Bubbles burst one after another, deepening their despair and sorrow at such scenes.
Luffy wasn't the only one feeling profound grief and sadness in this moment; readers all around the world shared that sentiment.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 565: I Couldn't Save Them!!! (Part 1)
Chapter 566: I Couldn't Save Them!!! (Part 2)
Chapter 567: The End of the Straw Hat Pirates! (The End of the Arc)
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