“Beckman!!!”
Beckman's body fell on Sanji. Luffy, who realized it belatedly, looked in Sanji's direction and let out a heart-wrenching growl.
Luffy doesn't respect many elders in this world. Among the crew members of the Red Hair Pirates, apart from Shanks, who has the closest relationship with him, Luffy's favorite is Beckman, the calm vice-captain.
The feelings these two people gave Luffy during his childhood were completely different. Shanks' optimism and free-spiritedness influenced Luffy's growth, while Beckman's rationality and seriousness actually left some background in the shaping of Luffy's character.
Before the awakening of the Nika Fruit, Luffy was not a purely silly image. On the contrary, when he and his crew encountered danger at sea, Luffy would often show his calm and composed side.
However, since the awakening of the Nika Fruit and Luffy gained powerful strength, his personality has also changed unconsciously.
His willful and unrestrained side was infinitely magnified, but the basic character of Luffy was not completely changed by the devil fruit. When he saw Beckman's heart pierced by Yoriichi Tsugakuin, anger rushed straight to his brain, and his eyes searched around for Yoriichi Tsugakuin's figure.
"Has anger suppressed the influence of the devil fruit ability, and personal will has taken over again?!"
Just as Luffy was looking around for Yoshiichi Tsugakube's figure, Yoshiichi Tsugakube's voice suddenly sounded in Luffy's ears. Luffy was so frightened that he rolled sideways and quickly left the place, but his reaction was still half a beat slow. The blade in Yoshiichi Tsugakube's hand had already passed through Luffy's back, leaving a shallow wound.
The white flame-shaped vest was cut by Tsugikuni Yoriichi's long sword, the wound was exposed, and a trickle of blood oozed out.
But in just a blink of an eye, the white flames surrounding Luffy's body directly covered the wound, instantly healing the knife wound on his back.
After awakening the power of the mythical beast-type Nika-no-mi, Luffy also gained terrifying self-healing abilities, and even the scars left by Tsugakuin Yoshiichi's attack could be repaired.
“What a speed!”
"I can't see his movements at all!"
"Even Observation Haki can't lock onto his figure."
"What the hell is going on!"
Luffy's brain was working rapidly. Now, he did not rely entirely on his instincts to fight. He was also learning to fight with his brain, trying to analyze the characteristics of the enemy and seek ways to break the deadlock.
"Fortunately, in this state, I won't be hurt by ordinary attacks."
“Even if I’m injured, I can still do it.”
Luffy was feeling relieved when he suddenly felt a slight tingling sensation on his back. This inexplicable pain made Luffy's pupils shrink and doubts arose in his heart.
This was not the first time he had used the power of the Nika Fruit, but it was the first time that Luffy had felt the pain so clearly.
My back injury should have healed in the blink of an eye, so why was it still painful?!
What Luffy didn't know was that although the knife wound on his back caused by Yoshiichi Tsugakuin had healed successfully thanks to his ability, it had left a shallow scar.
The pain he felt was not from the wound itself, but from the memory of that muscle.
The pain from being slashed did not disappear as the wound healed, but was instead deeply engraved in Luffy's muscle memory, becoming a nightmare that haunted him.
Tsugikuni Yoshiichi's slash is so special that even the ability of the mythical beast's devil fruit cannot completely restore this non-pathological pain.
What Kaido, the King of Beasts, couldn't do back then, Luffy the Straw Hat can't do now either!
However, Yoshikazu Tsugakuni did not give Luffy too much time to think. He had already dealt with Beckman, who could provide external assistance to protect Luffy and others. What he had to do now was to make a quick decision, and his target was naturally the ultimate goal of this trip, Luffy.
Rayleigh and Kozuki Oden have been weakened to the greatest extent, and the threat they can pose to Tsugakuni Yoriichi is extremely limited. In order to prevent Luffy from escaping, it is necessary to attack Luffy!
With a flash of his figure, Yoshikazu Tsugakuni suddenly appeared in front of Luffy, and the long sword in his hand slashed directly towards Luffy.
Yoshikazu Tsugakuni is much taller than Luffy, and the slash with the knife made Luffy feel an indescribable sense of suffocation.
Until the figure of Yoriichi Tsugakuni appeared in Luffy's sight, his Observation Haki, which could clearly see the future for a brief moment, still did not give any warning signs.
Seeing Yoshikazu Tsugakuni's long sword slashing towards him, Luffy suddenly bent down, grabbed the ground with both hands and lifted it up suddenly, and he also used this force to quickly flash backwards.
The ground instantly turned into rubber. Jigokuen felt the ground beneath his feet bulge, and the direction of the long sword in his hand also changed slightly, allowing Luffy to escape smoothly and miss the target.
That kid has a quick reaction speed and is very good at adapting to the battlefield. With the addition of the Nika state to Luffy's various abilities, he is also able to react when facing the attacks of Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
However, this level of power can only allow Luffy to survive a little longer under the command of Yoriichi Tsugikuni, and there is no way to completely change the situation of the battle.
It is true that Luffy's growth rate is very fast. At such a young age, and having only been at sea for two or three years, he has already grown into a Four Emperors-level force, and his combat power has reached the top level. He can hold on for a long time under Tsugakuin.
but
Compared to Yoriichi Tsugakuni, Luffy is still too young after all. His fighting skills and thinking cannot keep up with Yoriichi Tsugakuni. It will take more experience and years of accumulation for Luffy and Yoriichi Tsugakuni to stand on the same stage.
Yoshiichi Tsugakuya flashed and chased Luffy. Being forced into a corner, Luffy quickly counterattacked with a punch. However, his invincible White Star Spear was full of flaws in front of Yoshiichi Tsugakuya. Yoshiichi Tsugakuya ignored the attacking fists and instead accelerated to quickly close the distance between himself and Luffy.
There was no way to retract the fist that was swung out immediately. Tsugikuni Yoshiichi also saw this opportunity and directly drew his sword to cut towards Luffy's arm.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni did not think that he could defeat a strong man of Luffy's level immediately. He would only seize every opportunity and turn the advantage into victory.
"Damn it. It's too late."
Luffy's middle door was wide open, and he said something in his heart, and quickly retreated in the hope of escaping the attack range of Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Luffy had suffered the same loss once before, but Rayleigh and Kozuki Oden came to his rescue that time. However, he seemed to have not learned his lesson and used the White Star Spear again.
If this move is used against other people, it may have unexpected effects. After all, it is a terrifying attack under the Nika state. Ordinary strong people simply do not have the speed to catch this fleeting flaw.
However, Yoshikazu Tsugakuni is obviously not an ordinary strong man. Not only can he accurately judge the direction of Luffy's attack, he also has the absolute speed to seize the small flaw revealed when Luffy's attack is "afterswinging".
It is precisely this strength of Tsugikuni Yoshiichi that allows him to always sit on the throne of the world's strongest!
Because no matter what kind of opponent, there is no way to completely hide his intentions in front of Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
"laugh--"
The long sword fell, and although Luffy tried his best to retreat in the hope of successfully avoiding Tsugikuni Yoshiichi's attack, when the black sword fell, Luffy could still see a line of blood spurting out from his arm.
Dawn swept past Luffy's arm and cut off his right arm. The sharp and fierce cut made Luffy unable to feel the pain in his arm even at the moment when his arm was broken.
Blood spurted, and Rayleigh and Kozuki Oden, who were rushing to Luffy's aid, growled in worry. Seeing this, they sped up even more, rushed behind Tsugakuin Yoshiichi and attacked him.
The two of them did not have the delusion that they could hurt Yoshiichi Tsugakuni with just such an attack. They only hoped that their attack could force Yoshiichi Tsugakuni back from Luffy, and that would be considered achieving their goal.
However, how could Tsugikoku Yoriichi, who had succeeded in one strike, let such an opportunity slip away?!
His body suddenly disintegrated into golden flames, and he transformed into elements before Rayleigh and Oden could attack. However, his lower body, which had not yet transformed into elements, continued to kick the ground and chase Luffy. His right arm still tightly grasped the long sword, and slashed towards Luffy's neck.
There was no intention of showing mercy at all. Jigokuen attacked again and again, still aiming for Luffy's life.
"No!!!"
"Luffy, get out of the way!!!"
As Kozuki Oden watched the elements of Tsugakuni Yoshiichi's body disintegrate, he realized that his attack might not be able to cause any substantial damage to the opponent, and he let out an unwilling roar.
Rayleigh also watched as Yoshiichi Tsugakure chased after Luffy, and while swinging his sword at Yoshiichi Tsugakure's body that turned into golden flames, he reminded Luffy in horror, hoping that Luffy could dodge.
Luffy, who was retreating rapidly, looked at Yoriichi Tsugakuni who was chasing him with a sword and realized that he could not dodge in time. He could only bite the bullet and infuse his domineering aura into his left arm, and then blocked it in front of him.
The blade flashed, and Luffy's body was directly chopped away by Tsugakuin's sword, and a forearm, along with Luffy's retreating figure, rotated in the air and fell to the ground.
The arm that could grasp the lightning was still unable to withstand the slash of Tsugakuni Yoshiichi for even a moment, and was directly cut off by Tsugakuni Yoshiichi.
Fortunately, Luffy, with both arms missing, survived.
Because Rayleigh and Kozuki Oden had successfully circled in front of Yoriichi Tsugakuni and stopped Yoriichi Tsugakuni who was planning to continue chasing Luffy.
“Plop—”
"ah--"
“It hurts so much!!!”
Luffy's body fell to the ground with a bang, and he slid and rolled backwards for several meters before he stopped. The severe pain from his arms made Luffy couldn't help but cry out in pain. He looked like a child who had never suffered any hardship and didn't feel any pain at all.
But what is surprising is that there is no blood flowing out of Luffy's broken arm at this moment. In just a blink of an eye, the power of the Nika Fruit helped Luffy stop the bleeding.
Yoshiichi Tsugakuni glanced at Luffy who had successfully escaped from the battle, and when he looked at Rayleigh and Oden, his face darkened. While he drew his sword to attack the two of them, a golden flame ignited on Yoshiichi Tsugakuni's body. The flame condensed into substance and quickly wrapped around Rayleigh and Oden.
"Since you're seeking death, I'll get rid of you two first!"
Yoshiichi Tsugakuni himself had no intention of letting Rayleigh and Oden leave. These two were old men on Roger's ship and knew the secret of Raftel. Even if Luffy could be eliminated today and the two of them escaped, the secrets on them would eventually cause turmoil in the world.
Yuichiro Tsugikuni hopes that the great treasure will sleep forever in the sea. If no one has any desire for this great treasure, there should be fewer pirates who blindly go out to sea for wealth.
Yoshiichirō believed that in the absence of such extreme temptations, he only needed to lead the navy to calm down and govern the world well, and true peace would come.
In order to realize the utopia in his mind, Tsugumi Yoshikazu will never allow himself to be lenient!
"boom--"
The golden flames in the sky directly enveloped Rayleigh and Oden. They did not sit there and wait for death. Rayleigh launched his strongest attack at the incoming golden flames, while Kozuki Oden integrated the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit into the slash and slashed at the incoming golden flames.
A loud roar sounded above the harbor, and the flames released by Ji Guoyuanyi suddenly collapsed under the combined attack of the two people, turning into a golden rain of fire, pouring down towards the coast.
Before Rayleigh and Oden could catch their breath, the golden rain of fire not only did not extinguish, but instead grew rapidly during the descent. In just a blink of an eye, the rain of fire turned into rockets and fell towards the harbor.
At this time, Tsugikuni Yoshiichi's figure turned into a golden phoenix. As he flapped his wings, he turned into a stream of light that passed by the sides of Rayleigh and Oden, and attacked Luffy who had just stood up in the distance.
When they turned around hastily, they saw the Golden Phoenix suddenly appear in front of Luffy, and its wings were like a slash, hitting Luffy's chest fiercely.
Blood spurted out from Luffy's chest, and the terrifying force directly knocked Luffy, who had just stood up, into the ground.
“!!!”
Rayleigh and Oden, who saw this scene, only felt a strong despair. They could clearly sense that when the attack of the golden phoenix hit Luffy, Luffy's opportunity suddenly disappeared without a trace.
Not only Luffy, but also Oden and Rayleigh had to face the golden rain of arrows falling from the sky.
The figure of Jiguo Yuan appeared, looked down at Straw Hat Luffy who was cut into two pieces and had no breath in front of him, and remained silent for a long time.
On the battlefield behind him, rockets shot down and bombarded the battlefield, drowning the figures of Oden and Rayleigh, and the golden flames shot into the sky, illuminating the sky.
“Boom boom boom boom—”
The firelight reflected Yoriichi Tsugakuni's shadow on Luffy's body, and the incessant roar behind him was like a death knell specifically for Joyboy.
(End of this chapter)
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