Chapter 493: Genius Luffy
At that moment, aboard the Thousand Sunny sailing alongside the Dragon Hunter Pirates, Luffy came running over with eyes shining.
"Brother, I think I figured something out!"
He bounced in front of Ryuunosuke, waving his arms excitedly.
"Look, my Rubber Fruit can compress and convert power, right?"
"So what if I do the same thing with my Haki?"
"The nature of compression and conversion applied to Haki, huh?"
Ryuunosuke raised an eyebrow, genuinely interested.
"I get the theory. The question is, how are you planning to pull it off?"
He had always appreciated how Luffy treated his Devil Fruit. Something that should have been a joke fruit for entertainment had been developed into a monster in Luffy's hands.
As for what the Rubber Fruit really was, or what role it would play in Raftel later, Ryuunosuke did not care.
The closer he got to the truth of this world, the more he felt that no matter what kind of Devil Fruit it was, in the end it was just a vessel for power.
Whether it became infinite or not depended on the one who used it.
In a way, this Devil Fruit was very similar to the Infinity Stones.
And as one of the D clan, Luffy could not only eat a Devil Fruit, he could also wield an Infinity Stone.
With those two sources of power supporting him, Luffy's strength had soared compared to before.
At the very least, Luffy was no longer someone Keshia could flatten with a single blow.
"Watch, Brother!"
"Gear Fourth!"
With a deep breath, Luffy activated his transformation.
His body swelled, muscles bulged, steam and Haki billowed around him as he entered Gear Fourth.
Looking at the change in Luffy's figure, Ryuunosuke had to admit this form was still pretty stylish.
It looked a little bloated, but it carried a heavy, overwhelming presence. The mist-like aura coiled around him only made him seem more mysterious.
"And then?"
Ryuunosuke waited a moment, but Luffy did not move.
So he asked with a hint of curiosity.
"Now comes the important part."
"Gear Fourth, transformation."
As Luffy spoke, his inflated body began to compress.
The purple gold Haki that coated him was squeezed tighter, and under that pressure special patterns began to appear along his arms and chest.
Along the edges of those lines, a bright metallic gold shimmered faintly.
"This is…"
"Golden Haki."
Ryuunosuke's eyes sharpened.
His own Haki had evolved as his strength grew, all three types reinforcing each other until a qualitative change occurred.
Even now, he did not fully understand what was hidden inside that Golden Haki.
Yet Luffy, just by experimenting on his own, had actually forced his Haki to step into that realm. And on top of that, the patterns it formed on his body clearly had their own meaning.
"Gear Fifth."
Luffy compressed his form further, pushing everything to a limit.
In the next instant, his once bulky form snapped into a lean, agile frame.
Golden cloud-like patterns curled around his body, drifting along his arms, chest, and back.
His eyes went sharp and focused.
Haki pressure rippled out in all directions.
"Conqueror's Haki, focused into an attack."
"Observation Haki, guiding my aim."
"Armament Haki, for a precise breakthrough."
That burst of Haki contained all three types at once.
It was easy enough to coat your own body with Haki.
Most strong pirates and Marines in the New World could do that.
Even releasing Haki outward while maintaining its nature was something many veterans could manage.
But to combine all three types, compress them, convert them, and then fire them at a single point like this…
That was like a giant swinging a massive hammer, and that hammer was aimed directly at Ryuunosuke's head.
If it had been anyone else, they would have been caught completely off guard and taken heavy damage.
Fortunately, Ryuunosuke not only had terrifying Haki of his own, he also had the system in his mind acting as an extra layer of protection.
Even so, before he could think further:
Bang.
Luffy lunged, his figure vanishing and reappearing in front of Ryuunosuke as his fist crashed forward.
Ryuunosuke reacted at once, arms crossing in front of him as Haki surged to meet the blow.
Even with that, the impact sent him flying back.
The difference in raw strength between them was still enormous, yet Luffy's strike managed to leave a faint scratch on Ryuunosuke's skin.
For Luffy, that alone was already an incredible result.
"Not bad."
"This kind of attack is pretty interesting."
"How long can you maintain this form?"
"Come on, keep going."
Ryuunosuke grinned.
Dragon Hunting Armor snapped into place around him, black metal gleaming as Haki crackled over the surface.
Since Luffy's power was now enough to injure him, he saw no reason to hold back his defenses.
Even if it was just training, he had no intention of being beaten bloody by Luffy.
"It can last a bit longer!"
Seeing that his attack worked, Luffy's grin widened.
He roared and met Ryuunosuke's charge head on, fists colliding again and again.
A moment later, Luffy was sent flying across the deck.
Then the beating became completely one sided.
Five minutes later, Gear Fifth snapped off.
Luffy's form shrank back, not just to normal, but into his exhausted, rubber noodle state.
After using Gear Fourth, he normally needed a long period of weakness.
Gear Fifth, which he had just forced into shape, drained him even more.
"Here."
Ryuunosuke tossed him a drop of life essence.
Luffy really was like a berserker.
The stronger his attacks became, the more he burned through his own stamina.
Without some recovery, he was going to collapse sooner rather than later, and all this development would mean nothing.
…
Watching Ryuunosuke and Luffy fight, Keshia finally understood the phrase "birds of a feather flock together."
Anyone who got close to that man Ryuunosuke turned out to be insane.
Luffy, who was growing stronger by beating himself half to death in battle.
Zoro, who had been swinging his swords without resting since he boarded Ryuunosuke's ship.
And that perverted cook who popped out of nowhere from time to time…
Even Nami, the money obsessed navigator, carried a strange, dangerous aura that made Keshia uneasy.
They were all monsters.
Luffy's strength was rising at an alarming rate, but even so, it would not affect her future plans.
In the end, Luffy's foundation could only rise so fast.
"Ah!"
Just then, a sharp cry from the deck sliced through the air.
Kuina's voice.
Ryuunosuke vanished from where he stood, reappearing on the deck in a flash of movement.
Kuina stood there, pointing at someone in front of her, shock written all over her face.
"What is it?"
Ryuunosuke followed her gaze.
Standing there, looking nervous and out of place, was Momonosuke.
This brat was on board too?
Before this, Ryuunosuke's attention had been focused on Keshia and the Straw Hats themselves.
Since he already knew the main members on Luffy's ship, he had not bothered using Observation Haki to scan every last person.
He had not expected this kid to be hiding among them.
"Ryuunosuke, he…"
"I understand."
Without waiting for Kuina to finish, Ryuunosuke clenched his fists and walked toward Momonosuke.
"Captain Ryuunosuke, I…"
Bang.
Before Momonosuke could say another word, Ryuunosuke's fist smashed into his face.
What followed was a storm of blows.
Kuina covered her mouth in shock as the sound of fists pounding flesh echoed across the deck.
By the time she snapped back to her senses, Momonosuke's face had swollen into something barely recognizable.
Ryuunosuke grabbed him by the collar and casually tossed him aside like a sack of trash.
"Kuina, did he take advantage of you?"
"If you nod, I will kill him right now."
Ryuunosuke's voice was flat, but the killing intent beneath it was cold and real.
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