"Who are you?" Luffy lifted his straw hat slightly, his gaze calm.
"Rob Lucci."
At the same time, hearing the commotion, Marine soldiers and World Government personnel flooded into the train car, completely surrounding Luffy and Paulie.
Lucci said expressionlessly, "I haven't received any orders regarding your capture, and I have an agreement with Nico Robin. Leave here quietly, and I'll pretend nothing happened."
Luffy spun his straw hat, sweeping his gaze across the on-edge CP9 members and the nervous soldiers behind them with raised guns. His tone was relaxed: "You'll pretend nothing happened? I can't pretend nothing happened."
He looked around the packed train car and frowned:
"Besides, there are too many people here. It's a bit crowded."
Before his words faded—
BOOM!
Crimson light abruptly flared in Luffy's pupils. Within this confined space, a black and red torrent erupted from him like a tangible tsunami, surging toward the nearly hundred people surrounding him and instantly engulfing the entire car!
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
The Marine soldiers and World Government officials didn't even have time to react. They felt an irresistible pressure pounding their souls. Their mouths hung open unconsciously, eyes rolling back, and they collapsed like harvested wheat, sprawling haphazardly on the floor—completely unconscious.
Haoshoku Haku: Crowd Control!
Luffy grinned, revealing white teeth: "Much better. At least there's room to fight now."
In an instant, the only ones still standing in the entire car were Luffy, Paulie, and the six CP9 members.
Gulp.
Jabra's body trembled uncontrollably. He wiped the cold sweat instantly beading on his forehead and swallowed hard, stiff turning to his companions. "Wh-what the hell is this?" Some kind of Devil Fruit ability?"
The shock he'd felt was like the heavens collapsing!
He'd never experienced anything like it.
Kalifa's temple sweat trickled down her cheek. Even her motion of pushing up her glasses was visibly trembling.
Kumadori could no longer maintain his funny expression. His face grew solemn.
Fukuro clutched his head with both hands, the zipper on his mouth quivering.
Kaku's pupils had shrunk almost to the size of a pinhead. Cold sweat covered his face beneath his cap.
Even Lucci, perpetually expressionless, thoroughly darkened. He slowly spoke, his voice carrying a solemn undertone barely perceptible:
"Haoshoku Haku!"
"So this is the power called the qualities of a king... It truly lives up to its reputation."
Though he couldn't see the actual color of the Haki, he could clearly sense the overwhelming terror within that intimidation—enough to make souls shudder.
Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined this rookie pirate from the East Blue possessed the king's disposition—something found in only one in a million!
The CP9 members finally realized: this Straw Hat before them was completely different from any enemy they'd ever faced.
This was an essential gap in hierarchy!
After a moment of suffocating silence, Lucci's eyes flashed coldly as he launched the first attack.
He knew—facing an opponent with Haoshoku Haku, holding back was unthinkable.
Soru!
His figure vanished instantly, reappearing directly before Luffy. His body abruptly expanded, transforming into a muscular, humanoid leopard nearly three meters tall!
Both fists—one high, one low—drove toward Luffy's chest with a tearing shriek.
"Secret Technique: Rokuogan!"
He opened with his ultimate move.
Before seeing Luffy in person, Lucci could rely on absolute confidence to underestimate him. But after personally experiencing that Haoshoku Haku intimidation, such thoughts completely vanished.
He had to go all out—aim to defeat his opponent in one strike!
Almost simultaneously with Lucci's move, the other CP9 members also acted.
Kaku flickered into the air above Luffy, his legs becoming blurs as he kicked rapidly.
"Rankyaku!"
Countless vacuum blades rained down on Luffy like a violent storm.
Jabra appeared on Luffy's right, transforming into his werewolf form and roaring. He gathered power in his waist and threw a punch!
"Tekkai: Heavy Wolf!"
He was the only Rokushiki master who could use Tekkai while moving freely—this punch carried devastating force!
Kalifa silently approached from the side rear, her long leg snapping like a whip, viciously aiming for Luffy's back.
Kumadori slammed his iron staff against the floor. His long hair danced as if alive, the tips hardening like spears, striking at Luffy like countless venomous snakes.
"Seimei Kikan: Shishi Shigan!"
Fukuro's rotund body displays amazing agility, moving at high speed on Luffy's left, leaving afterimages. Countless fists hammered forward like machine guns.
"Jugon Ougi: Fukuro Rampage Fist!"
CP9's full force—from all directions, unleashing their respective strongest techniques—formed a net of certain death with no blind spots.
In this confined space, they would completely crush this greatest threat.
Facing this combined assault capable of instantly annihilating an army, Luffy merely grinned.
"Gear Fifth!"
THUMP-THUMP!
THUMP-THUMP!
Like war drums, his heartbeat resounded. Luffy's skin instantly turned crimson as steam erupted. White flame-like clouds of Haki faintly wrapped around him.
Even more astounding—the entire interior of the train car seemed to instantly take on a rubbery texture.
In such a confined space, using giant-sized techniques would destroy the train along with everything else. Both he and Robin were Devil Fruit users—falling into the sea would be disastrous.
Luffy appeared reckless in battle, but he always considered his circumstances.
Lucci's Rokuogan struck first.
That mountain-splitting shockwave slammed into Luffy's chest, covered in Busoshoku Haku, but produced a strange muffled thump. It was as if it had struck incredibly elastic super-rubber—the force was largely absorbed and rebounded.
Luffy didn't budget an inch.
"What?!"
For the first time, disbelief appeared in Lucci's eyes.
"Get lost!"
Luffy roared. His fist, wrapped around Haki, shot out at imperceptible speed, slamming directly into Lucci's massive leopard form.
BOOM!
Like a cannon blast, Luffy's fist exploded against Lucci's chest, sending visible shockwaves rippling outward. Lucci felt an irresistible force—his body uncontrollably flew backward. But as he moved, Luffy had already grabbed the attempting-to-sneak-attack Fukuro.
WHOOSH!
Luffy violently swung his arm, hurling the rotund Fukuro like a sandbag into Lucci. The superimposed force sent Lucci flying even faster, crashing through the connecting door!
Then, Luffy's arm bent bizarrely sideways—rubber elasticity making his movements unthinkable—and snatched Fukuro back again, using him as a shield against the countless Rankyaku slashes raining from above.
Seeing those slashes approaching, Fukuro was terrified out of his wits.
***
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