"Luffy!"
The sudden transformation didn't surprise Renedia much, but it did shock and delight Usopp and the others.
Thud!
Thud!
"I originally didn't want to use this here..."
Luffy's feet briefly touched the ground before springing up like a ball, remembering the moments on Shampodi two years ago.
"Never again... will I be so weak!"
Luffy shouted, "Come on, I'm going to knock you all flying!"
"What's the big idea with that winning look of yours, Weevil!"
Boom!
As Renedia called out, a burst of air exploded from the ruins of the research institute. Weevil landed heavily behind Renedia, patting the diamond-covered by Haki on his body, and said in a muffled voice:
"I was just knocked flying..."
"I saw it!"
Renedia rolled her eyes and sneered at Luffy:
"Transformation type? With your abilities and Haki fully unleashed, how long can you last? You're no Sage..."
This kind of form, it's not her first time seeing, it's just a change when abilities are developed to a certain extent, combined with a massive concentration of Haki.
But even with such usage, not even Sage, who had nearly infinite Haki, could sustain one form for long.
She didn't believe this Straw Hat could reach Sage's current level.
Moreover...
From what her Observation Haki perceived, the strength was just so-so...
"Weevil, take him down!"
Renedia shouted, and the Weevil behind her immediately roared and leaped forward, wielding his blade.
"Rubber Rubber..."
Meanwhile, Luffy quickly withdrew his fist into his thick arm, compressed it into a spring, and didn't dodge, confronting the ferocious naginata attack. He compressed his fist into his arm, fiercely colliding with the downward cleaving blade.
"Ape King Gun!"
Bang!
The Haki discharged from the fist and blade clashed, shattering the released Haki after a surge of impact. That fist collided with the smoky black blade.
It forcibly resisted Weevil's red-flashing downward swing and remained stalemated in the air.
Blocked?
Renedia was stunned, took a closer look, and saw Luffy's fist, compressed like a spring, had already shot out. When it hit the blade, the fist concentrated a lot of Haki, causing the rest of the Haki on his body to fade slightly.
Coiling?
Boom!!
With a loud explosion, Weevil's descending blade was actually lifted by the spring force. The gigantic fist adhered to the blade edge, brutally striking his torso, and the fist fully extending from the arm blasted him away.
In terms of strength, he unexpectedly pressed on Weevil briefly!
"Elasticity, huh..."
Renedia's eyes narrowed slightly, clicking her tongue: "There's also a technique like that which didn't show earlier, just learned?"
From the initial understanding and unconscious touching of Haki, to Hardening, Coiling, Emission, Destruction, and ultimately the extreme where Armament Haki can unleash lightning, aside from the final extreme Armament needing a lot of Haki, the remaining techniques can be learned.
Even those with Haki as small as a cup can learn these techniques too, though talent is required.
This Straw Hat seems quite talented; after battling with Weevil for a while, he unexpectedly learned 'Coiling.'
That allows for concentrated Haki attacks.
In terms of Haki quantity, although he falls short of Weevil, it's not that he can't fight, but with that strange elasticity assisting, he can suppress in terms of power.
"Rubber Rubber!"
After punching Weevil away, Luffy didn't stop, his legs also compressed, bursting with large amounts of air, shooting forward faster than Weevil, moving in front of the falling Weevil.
"Rhino Grenade Cannon!!"
Bang!!
Those legs shot out, blasting into Weevil's chest, causing his body to slam down like a cannonball, scattering ice shards and creating a massive crater.
"Roar!"
Weevil quickly climbed out of the crater, roared in anger at the sky, yet his elastic body already flashed before him again, striking out another punch that drove him into the ground, pushing away the ice, plowing out a deep furrow.
Thud thud thud!
Luffy landed on the ground, his feet quickly bouncing a few times, posed in a fierce stance, without saying a word, raised a straight hand like marking a target, his right fist compressed like a spring.
"Ape King Gun!!"
Crash!
A sound heavier than a shell's firing erupted, hurtling straight at Weevil's just-stopping face. As it struck, it more thoroughly shattered the ice behind Weevil, sending his body flying, heavily landing in front of Renedia.
"That hurts..."
This time, Weevil held his face, shouting out.
But his body still didn't take any real damage.
Though that move had great power, pure physicality was lacking against diamond covered in Haki.
Instead, Luffy's punch surface clearly had a notch from colliding earlier where he couldn't guard against Weevil's attack.
"Still not taking damage?!"
Luffy jumped all the way up, compressing his fist again, as if a heavy object from above, rapidly pounding down with that huge fist.
Weevil was about to attack, but at that moment, Renedia extended her hand.
Pop!
A strange air circle expanded out from Renedia in a fan shape. Luffy's fist entered the circle, the elasticity-enhanced force drastically reduced, turning it into an ordinary punch.
Feeling the reduction, Luffy withdrew his fist, landed on the ground again, bouncing while staring at Renedia's extended hand.
"Power Braking..."
Renedia's mouth curled into a smile: "Elasticity? Such propulsion is also power. As long as it's power, I can brake it. Your Haki can't match my skill prowess!"
Back when dealing with those captains and the captain in Whitebeard's homeland, she used her abilities to suppress them, and now, of course, she hasn't been stagnant.
"Luffy!"
"We'll help too!"
The Straw Hat Gang and Smoker all rushed over, only Chopper went to Law's position, seemingly for treatment.
"Quick and decisive, not turning one into two, following the previous tactics, no problem, just keep that Blast Hammer busy first."
Smoker exhaled, lowered his body, face serious, seemingly firm on a certain decision.
In this situation, even if injured, he was determined to hold Renedia, preventing her from commanding.
"Hold me? Hahaha, with your useless abilities, you think you're up to it, Smoky!"
Renedia flashed her little tiger teeth, glanced at the Mechanical Hammer devouring the ice, laughed: "Originally, I wanted to say anyone approaching me will get hammered... Forget it, it's about to explode, hurry up, let me show you all."
She twisted the hammer handle, retracting the Mechanical Hammer to a small hammer form, placed it before.
"My power!"
"Power Mode!"
Sizzle!
Sparks of electricity coiled around the Mechanical Hammer like a switch was turned on, the whole hammer suddenly disassembled, then recombined in the air, like fragmented exoskeleton, floating like remote armor on the arm and back, covering Renedia's arm and back.
"Infinite Energy State!"
Renedia extended her small hand, the armor on her fingers targeting them, grinning: "Witness the meaning of endless bombardment!"