Boom boom boom!
The cannons and tanks all aimed toward Luffy and bombarded his position. In an instant, countless explosions erupted where Luffy stood. Merciless artillery fire swallowed his body, and the surrounding buildings collapsed and were destroyed along with him.
"Rubber-Rubber Axe!"
However, Luffy's voice still came from within the blazing light of the explosions. One of his feet shot straight into the sky, seemingly stretching dozens of meters. His foot was black, covered in powerful Armament Haki.
His leg, meanwhile, had turned reddish, as though it were about to be cooked. This was precisely Luffy's Gear Second!
His body was covered in traces of the explosions, but it was clear that his injuries were not particularly serious.
At the critical moment of the explosions, he had used Armament Haki to protect himself. In addition, his body, modified by Stigmata and strengthened through years of training, was powerful enough that even such a bombardment could not affect him much.
Compared with it, the explosions were not as powerful as Koza's earlier three-shot burst.
Back when they had been aboard the Going Merry, everyone on the ship had been hit by missiles from an armed helicopter without suffering much harm. They truly could be called monsters.
"Avoid it!"
Seeing Luffy appear again, with his right leg extended as though he were about to attack, Koza hurriedly shouted. Even as he spoke, he was already retreating to one side.
The next moment, Luffy's leg came down like an axe. With a boom, the tremendous force split apart everything the leg touched. In the end, a tank was crushed flat, while many Cartel soldiers along the path vomited foam, as though the pressure had squeezed their internal organs out of them!
Koza's pupils contracted. Those who had remained conscious under Luffy's earlier Conqueror's Haki could all be called Cartel elites. This was also intentional on Koza's part. He wanted to capture Cobra as quickly as possible, so after the city gate was breached, he had sent the Cartel's elite troops in to attack first.
There were also many modified soldiers among this elite unit. Most of those who remained conscious under Luffy's Conqueror's Haki were modified soldiers like these.
But even these modified soldiers had been powerless before Luffy's attack just now. If Koza had not reacted faster and moved more quickly, he would have had no future except falling beneath that kick as well.
"Are you pirates? Why are you helping Cobra?" Koza could not help shouting. "Is it for money?! They clearly have enough money, food, and water of their own, yet they use it all to hire people to deal with us!"
"We go hungry while they live comfortable, glamorous lives! Cobra... Cobra once promised me that he would make sure no one went hungry, but in reality, only they have enough food!"
Koza fired another three shots at Luffy. Luffy had already retracted the "axe" he had brought down and rapidly closed in on Koza, dodging at high speed when he saw Koza fire.
"But what about now?! You've eaten your fill, so why make everyone else go hungry?" Luffy shouted. "Just because you suffered, does that mean you have to destroy other people's happiness too?"
"What did you say?" Koza became furious. Seeing the serious expression on Luffy's face, he kept retreating and firing. He only wanted to laugh at Luffy's naivety, just as he had once been laughed at for his own.
But only after reaching this point did he understand that they had already drawn their bows and could not stop shooting.
Stop? How could they stop so easily?
Even without news of the Shinigami Mausoleum, even without Anzu's change of heart, the Cartel could not stop. The moment they stopped, they would be wiped out!
Sometimes, some people's happiness consisted of making sure that people like them could never obtain happiness!
After only a few simple exchanges with Luffy, Koza knew that this fellow was not an ally Cobra had invited. He was simply a simple-minded man. Even if Cobra had invited reinforcements, he would never have invited reinforcements like this.
Cobra himself was not much of a problem.
He truly was a good king and a kind person. But did a country really need a king, even if he was a good one?
Kings used hereditary authority and empty titles to make people kneel, but a better world should allow everyone to stand.
Therefore, Koza had resolutely chosen this path. Even though he knew that Cobra was a good man and a good king, he would still capture Cobra and force him to reveal the location of the Shinigami Mausoleum!
"Ouch!"
A bullet struck Luffy in the thigh, while his head still bore a clear dent. That dent had been left by Koza's earlier Headshot.
The power of Koza's Headshot was greater than that of his ordinary shots. His ordinary gunfire could not break through Luffy's Armament Haki defense and could only hold it in a stalemate for a while.
But that earlier bullet had truly entered Luffy's head. It simply did not have enough kinetic energy left after breaking through the Armament Haki defense, so only part of the bullet had entered Luffy's head—or rather, Luffy had caught it in place.
Once the bullet had exhausted its power, he squeezed it back out.
Now that Koza had shot him again, Luffy was genuinely enraged. Under Gear Second, Luffy's speed increased tremendously. Although he was shot once more, he had already reached Koza's side.
This distance was close enough to make the Cartel soldiers arriving afterward hesitate. Koza and Luffy were extremely close to each other, so the soldiers did not dare fire, afraid that their bullets and cannon shells might injure Koza.
Although ordinary bullets and shells could not harm Luffy as long as he used Armament Haki, using Haki consumed a great deal of stamina. If the soldiers continued shooting and bombarding him, they would quickly exhaust Luffy's Haki.
Furthermore, Luffy had not yet reached the point where he could cover his entire body with Armament Haki. When faced with explosions, there would inevitably be places he could not protect, leaving him vulnerable to injury.
"Rubber-Rubber Pistol!"
Luffy shouted and punched at Koza. Unexpectedly, Koza's marksmanship was not merely extremely accurate; his physical abilities were extraordinary as well. He deftly dodged Luffy's full-power punch. When he saw Luffy approaching, he did not retreat but advanced instead, moving his body right into Luffy's embrace.
Then he suddenly drove his knee forward!
Koza's knee struck Luffy in the stomach. Luffy's eyes seemed to fly out of their sockets, and saliva spilled from his mouth. He staggered back two steps, while Koza immediately fired two more shots.
As rubber, Luffy was not afraid of blunt impacts. But Koza's knee had actually caused him intense pain. Did that guy have an iron knee?
"No wonder your leader could even give a Seven Warlord such a hard time." Luffy wiped away the saliva he had spat out. He dodged the bullets Koza fired at him with a shake of his head, then threw another powerful punch. Koza calmly used his "technique" to block it.
"Rubber-Rubber Gatling!"
Luffy increased both his strength and speed, throwing dozens of punches in barely a second. His fists seemed to turn into afterimages, forcing Koza steadily backward!
Cold sweat appeared on Koza's forehead. As a gunslinger, he had learned gun-fu, combining marksmanship with hand-to-hand combat. But his main strength still lay in his gun. He was truly not good at dealing with an opponent like Luffy, who closed in without reason and then simply pounded him relentlessly!
"Damn it..."
Koza gritted his teeth. He looked up at the sky and estimated the time by the sun.
He could not delay any longer. If he kept delaying, something unexpected might happen to Cobra. He had to capture him quickly.
The battlefield was incredibly chaotic now. Cobra might find an opportunity to escape in the confusion, which was why Koza, as the commander, had entered with the first wave. He had not expected to become entangled with Luffy.
Because he was distracted, Luffy finally found an opening. Luffy slammed a heavy punch into Koza's face, and his incomparably hard fist sent Koza flying.
Koza's head reeled, and blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. Severe pain spread throughout his body. He spat out a mouthful of blood. "I didn't want things to come to this, but... I don't have time to play house with you here."
After standing up, he took a remote control from his body. By then, Luffy had already charged over again. Luffy punched Koza in the stomach once more, bending him directly into the shape of a C.
Koza's eyes went wide, just like Luffy's had when Koza struck him with a knee. His eyes were bloodshot, and he spat out another mouthful of blood. His body flipped through the air several times before falling.
But at that moment, his hand also pressed the button.
Therefore, Luffy, who had been preparing to press his advantage, suddenly stopped.
Because he suddenly felt a tremor.
At the same time, there seemed to be some kind of growling sound.
A growl?
On this battlefield, where gunshots and explosions filled every corner, how could a growl be heard?
But that was exactly what happened. The growl even drowned out the sounds of gunfire and explosions. Did that mean its source was more terrifying than guns and cannons?
Yes. That was indeed the case!
"Sorry, but I don't have time to stay here."
Koza did not know whom he was apologizing to. After struggling to rise from the ground, he looked at Luffy with pity. "Straw Hat, you'd better not chase me. If you aren't here, no one will be able to stop those monsters."
"What are you talking about?" Luffy asked in confusion. But Koza did not need to explain. The next moment, Luffy understood for himself.
The tremors were becoming increasingly obvious. Finally, the wall in front of him collapsed with a tremendous roar!
The things that had knocked down the wall were neither tanks nor armored vehicles, but a group of...
Gorillas?!
"Armed Gorillas. These creatures are the Cartel's finest creations. Unfortunately, they are not very well controlled. Once deployed, they will tear the enemy to pieces and leave no survivors."
Koza covered his stomach with one hand and held the pistol that seemed to be permanently in his other hand. He continued, "That's why I didn't want to deploy them, but you..."
"I can't stay here any longer. If you don't want the people of Alubarna to be torn apart by these gorillas, then don't get in my way!"
Koza was truly in a hurry. In the end, this operation did not follow proper procedure. He had mobilized troops and launched a general assault without Anzu Seifer's approval. Even with Hars's consent, it was still not entirely safe.
What if Anzu learned about his operation and ordered them to withdraw?
Koza could faintly tell from Anzu's attitude that he had some purpose for keeping Alubarna around. Anzu might not allow him to break through Alubarna at this moment.
If that order really came down, and the Cartel soldiers withdrew, this operation would fail.
Whether Anzu could arrive in time or not, Koza still had to find Cobra as quickly as possible, in case delay led to complications.
Besides, the Shinigami Mausoleum was right before him, and his dream of many years was finally about to come true. How could he possibly endure waiting?
Koza finished speaking in a forceful tone, then turned and ran toward the center of Alubarna.
The royal-capital soldiers here had already been dealt with by Cartel forces during his earlier battle with Luffy, so no one obstructed his departure. Even Luffy did not stop him.
The reason was exactly as Koza had said: Luffy sensed the savagery of these newly arrived mechanical monsters. If they charged into the city, they would probably tear everyone apart.
When the Cartel soldiers saw the Armed Gorillas rush in, they hurried forward as well. They no longer had time to worry about Luffy here and simply followed Koza without hesitation. Even the tanks were no exception, as though they were afraid the gorillas would tear them all apart.
A vacuum also formed behind them. It seemed that the Cartel soldiers farther back did not dare enter the city easily, wanting only to wait until the gorillas had advanced before following.
One, two, three, four, five, six...
Six gorillas. They were dark blue, wearing black-and-blue armor equipped with all kinds of weapons.
They were also enormous, standing three or four meters tall and extremely muscular. Anyone could tell at a glance that they were not ordinary gorillas.
They carried something on their backs that looked like a huge battery. It seemed to be charging them, giving them a violent strength and overwhelming presence as they charged toward the only person here without a Cartel insignia—
Luffy!
These were the Cartel's modified monsters. Every gorilla possessed the strength of an entire special-operations unit, with power reaching several hundred tons. If one of them punched a person, it would probably flatten them into a meat pie!
But they were facing Luffy, whose strength was equally terrifying!
Luffy stretched out his arm and punched one of the gorillas away. The gorillas probably weighed more than twenty tons, and after sending one flying, Luffy even felt a slight tremor in his hand.
"Sanji and Ben will definitely like you!"
Luffy suddenly spoke. "All right, I've decided. I'm taking you to Ben!"
Sanji and Ben were both searching for special creatures. Although these gorillas contained some technological elements, their bodies possessed terrifying strength, enough to bear this armor and equipment.
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