Novel Chapter
Kai released his Conqueror's Haki. Luffy's shoulders sagged as he sucked in a desperate breath, though confusion still clouded his face—what the hell was this guy playing at?
A mysterious smile crept across Kai's features, his expression turning distinctly playful. "But... I did promise that old geezer Garp I'd teach you a proper lesson, Luffy!!"
His fist shot upward and came crashing down on Luffy's straw-hatted skull!
THUD—a sickening impact.
Luffy went face-first into the dirt!
"Owww... that hurts... that really hurts..."
Luffy's face scrunched up, both hands clamping onto his head as tears leaked from his eyes. After a long moment, he managed to look up at Kai, bewilderment written across every feature. "How is that even possible!? I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit—I'm made of rubber! How can you hurt me? Wait... Grandpa does it too!"
"It's called Armament Haki. Any halfway decent fighter on these seas has mastered this power, Luffy. If you can't even learn this much, maybe you should quit dreaming about being a pirate." Kai's tone was flat, matter-of-fact.
"No way! Becoming the Pirate King is my dream—I'll absolutely, positively, never give up!" The mere suggestion made Luffy explode like someone had stomped on his tail!
"Then show me what you've got." Kai's smile sharpened.
"Gum-Gum Pistol!!!"
Luffy's roar echoed across the beach. His right arm stretched at blinding speed, fist rocketing straight toward Kai's face.
Kai didn't flinch. He stood perfectly still, facing the attack head-on. Just as the rubber fist was about to connect with his nose, his left arm snapped up and caught Luffy's wrist mid-strike.
"Really... no threat at all, Luffy." Kai glanced at Luffy's frustrated expression, his smile almost pitying.
Then he whipped Luffy's arm backward with brutal force!
Luffy's entire body traced a violent arc through the air before slamming into the ground!
BOOM—dust exploded outward. If Luffy's body hadn't been transformed into rubber by the Gum-Gum Fruit—making him immune to blunt impacts and falls—anyone else would be dead or dying right now.
"Ptui..." Luffy spat out a mouthful of dirt.
His eyes locked onto Kai, and for the first time, his expression turned deadly serious. Both arms shot out, grabbing rocks on either side. Then he sprinted forward with everything he had, running until his stretched arms couldn't extend another millimeter.
His rubber limbs stretched well over a hundred meters! He sucked in a massive breath and bellowed:
"Gum-Gum... Gum-Gum Bazooka!!!"
His hands released. Both fists launched like missiles straight at Kai!
His strongest move—the most powerful attack he'd developed so far! Even if it couldn't defeat Kai, surely it would at least make him take notice!
Reality had other plans.
Luffy's fists did slam into Kai's body—both connecting solidly with his shoulder!
I got him!!!
A grin flashed across Luffy's face. Then it froze. His expression twisted into agony.
Pain erupted from his knuckles and exploded through his entire body like wildfire!
"How... how is he so hard!? Harder than solid rock!? Is that even a human body!?" Luffy's throat worked as he stared at Kai, shock flooding his eyes.
He was so stunned his body locked up completely!
"Getting distracted mid-fight—didn't the old man teach you that's the fastest way to die in combat, Luffy?" Kai's voice cut through the air, calm and cold.
In the same instant, he launched his counterattack!
"Six Powers: Finger Pistol—Heaven Piercer!!!"
His right hand shot forward—thumb, index, and middle finger thrust out in perfect alignment!
Three streaks of jet-black Armament Haki screamed toward Luffy!
Haki-enhanced finger strikes moving at supersonic speed—even pirates with hundred-million-berry bounties couldn't dodge these. What chance did Luffy have, with his current thirty-million-berry level strength?
The three strikes grazed him: one across his right cheek, one through the hair on the left side of his head, one along the right side of his neck!
Kai had held back, of course—otherwise those wouldn't have just broken skin!
Three shallow cuts appeared on Luffy's body before his brain even registered the attack! The Haki-infused strikes didn't slow down—they kept going, blasting past him toward the ocean!
The calm sea surface suddenly split open. Three massive grooves carved through the water—each over a hundred meters wide. Towering waves surged up on either side, making even the enormous warship rock violently...
"Admiral Hakuryū's Finger Pistol just keeps getting more terrifying!"
"That's... way too insane!"
"Hmph! What'd you expect? And that's one of Admiral Hakuryū's custom Six Powers extensions. Word is he mastered all the Six Powers in just three months—and developed his own advanced versions of every single one!"
"Three months!? I'd sell my soul to master them all in thirty years!"
"Keep dreaming. In all of Marine Headquarters, besides Admiral Hakuryū, only Vice Admiral Garp and Fleet Admiral Sengoku have fully mastered the Six Powers!"
On the rocking warship, Marine soldiers buzzed with conversation, every word dripping with awe and admiration for Kai.
The fight was winding down.
"Gum-Gum Pistol!"
"Gum-Gum Bazooka!"
"Gum-Gum Battle Axe!"
"Gum-Gum Gatling!"
With barely any real combat experience and having spent his whole life stuck in Windmill Village, Luffy's mastery of the Gum-Gum Fruit was painfully basic. He just kept cycling through the same handful of techniques over and over.
"Alright, time to wrap this up, Luffy. Check this out... Fist of Love—Giant Edition!!!"
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📚 BOOK COMPLETED ON PATREON!📚
This story has reached its conclusion on my Patreon!
🔥 Full story available now
💎 Exclusive bonus content & early access to new books
👉 Join my Patreon community today!
[✨patreon.com/DarkGolds]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━