In front of where Apoo had been standing, Luffy's figure had somehow already appeared. He remained slightly leaned forward, his right fist still suspended in mid-air.
The Luffy before them now was completely different from just moments ago.
His skin had turned slightly red, with wisps of white steam rising from his body. Visible red and black Haki stripes wrapped around him, flowing slowly like living things.
A violent breath spread outward from him, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.
"Annoying." Luffy looked toward where Apoo had been and said coldly.
"Wh—?!"
Kid's eyes widened. The arrogant smile on his face instantly froze, replaced by disbelief and shock.
What the hell was that speed?!
He hadn't even been able to fully see Luffy's movements.
He had just blinked, and Apoo was already flying through the air.
That speed was completely beyond his reaction limit.
If Luffy had targeted him instead... The more Kid thought about it, the more gloomy his gaze became.
Drake was also confused.
In his transformed Allosaurus form, his huge vertical pupils were filled with gravity.
Was that burst of speed Soru from the Six Styles?
As a former Marine, Drake was very familiar with the Six Styles.
Normally, he avoided using them to avoid suspicion.
But if it was Soru, it felt completely different.
And Luffy's current form—was that a Devil Fruit ability?
He sensed a threat at the level of life itself.
"So cool—"
Uta covered her small mouth in surprise, but her eyes sparkled. She tugged at Nami's sleeve and asked excitedly in a small voice, "Nami, what is that?"
Uta's focus was completely different from everyone else's.
She just thought the red and black stripes on Luffy looked incredibly cool!
Nami's lips curled up involuntarily, showing a proud expression. She tilted her head slightly and introduced it to Uta with a hint of smugness. "Hmph. You don't know about this, do you? This is a new ability Luffy developed—an upgraded version of Gear Second: Gear Second: Haoshoku-Infused Internal Fortification Form! Pretty impressive, right?"
She felt secretly pleased. Finally, she had a chance to show off something Uta didn't know in front of this childhood friend.
She had been tired of hearing Uta talk about her and Luffy's childhood.
But the further questioning and amazement Nami had expected from Uta never came.
Instead, Uta clasped her hands in front of her chest and vigorously. "Mm! I don't understand it, but it looks cool, so that's all that matters!"
Nami: "..."
Couldn't you at least ask a couple more questions?
I haven't even started my detailed explanation yet!
Faced with Luffy's overwhelming single-blow defeat of Apoo, all the Supernovas present showed expressions of extreme surprise—even horror.
The air seemed to freeze. Only the terrified gasps of Apoo's subordinates could be heard in the distance.
"C-Captain!"
Apoo's men snapped out of it, a mix of shock and anger.
Almost instinctively, several of them raised their guns or swords at Luffy.
They all knew their captain had a habit of running his mouth and that it would get him into trouble eventually. But they hadn't expected it to happen before even entering the New World.
The finer points of combat between top-tier fighters might have been lost on many of them, but the sheer crushing momentum was obvious to anyone.
They were on completely different levels.
Had Luffy really earned the title of Fifth Emperor?
This sudden turn of events was like a fuse. Under the extremely tense atmosphere, the subordinates of the other Supernovas also instinctively assumed defensive or offensive postures.
The sound of swords being drawn rang out one after another. Gun barrels were vaguely aimed at Luffy and his group.
In the face of an unknown and powerful common threat, banding together seemed to bring a false sense of security.
For a moment, Luffy and his group seemed to be the target of everyone.
"Tch,"
Luffy frowned slightly, a flicker of impatience crossing his face. "This is troublesome indeed."
His plan—
The big plans that concerned Ace's life—could not be disrupted by these unexpected conflicts.
If he caused too much of a commotion, those delicate Draco might be too scared to come out, or the Navy might pay attention too quickly. That would be bad.
At this moment, Luffy still couldn't fully understand the strange brain circuits of the Celestial Dragons that even if the sky fell, they would maintain their divine posture. He was just worried that his target would hide.
Looking at the pirates who had raised their weapons at him, their faces glowed fiercely, Luffy's gaze suddenly sharpened.
"I don't have time to waste on you."
An invisible, formless, yet mountain-heavy force, like a bursting dam, erupted from him!
Conqueror's Haki swept across the entire scene!
Urgh—!
THUD!
As if hit by an invisible heavy hammer, the pirates who had raised their weapons and snarled at him rolled their eyes back and collapsed like wheat being cut down. In an instant, they lay unconscious on the ground.
The previously noisy, chaotic scene was cleared.
Not every member of the Supernovas' crews was
a powerful executive.
Under the impact of this kingly quality, fewer than one in ten remained conscious.
"Urgh?!"
Trafalgar Law's forehead beaded with cold sweat. He gripped the hilt of Kikoku tightly.
"Are you kidding me—"
Eustass Kid gritted his teeth. His slightly trembling arms showed that he was under immense pressure.
If Luffy's previously displayed Busoshoku Haki and bizarre speed had still been within the realm of understanding or even catching up then this terrifying power that had instantly cleared hundreds of people was completely beyond their cognition.
"Hey... was that Conqueror's Haki?!"
A remaining executive of the Kid Pirates said in a trembling voice, almost groaning.
Not just him. In his transformed Allosaurus form, Drake's huge vertical pupils were also filled with disbelief. He stared hard at Luffy, as if re-evaluating this opponent.
As one of the few Supernovas who knew both Haki and the Six Styles before entering the New World, Drake had originally regarded the other so-called Supernovas with a condescending attitude.
But Luffy's Busoshoku and Kenbunshoku Haki both seemed more skilled than his own.
That was one thing.
But Conqueror's Haki—not only had he awakened it, but it had reached this level?
If Drake hadn't known that Luffy was born in the East Blue, he would have suspected that the old man had been in the New World.
Haki was already a high-end power.
In the first half of the Grand Line, apart from the Navy, which had sufficient teaching ability to train its vast numbers of soldiers, pirates had neither the time nor the channels to learn.
That Zoro the bounty hunter knew Busoshoku Haki and could turn his blades into Black Blades had already surprised Drake.
Now it seemed that the man who was not yielding easily could become the vice-captain of a pirate crew—there was a reason.
Apart from the already unconscious Apoo, all the Supernovas still standing showed expressions of extreme shock.
Many of them knew what they were looking at.
"The qualities of a king?"
Urouge still maintained his signature strange smile, but his tone had become extremely solemn. "It seems reaching this level of bounty is indeed not without reason. The rumors of a Fifth Emperor are probably not without reason."
Capone Bege's cigar was almost bitten through. Over eighty percent of the men inside his castle-body had lost consciousness in that instant!
Most of the remaining twenty percent who could still maintain consciousness were weak in the legs, their combat effectiveness drastically reduced.
He cursed inwardly:
"The World Government's newspapers really know how to downplay things!"
For a dangerous man like Luffy, the newspapers had endlessly sensationalized his crimes but had probably hidden ninety percent of his true combat strength and abilities!
A pirate with this kind of aptitude—even in the New World, where the strong were as common as carp swimming upstream—was still rare!
"Less than one percent chance of victory?"
Basil Hawkins quickly drew a Tarot card. His fingertips trembled imperceptibly. He glanced at the card, and his expression turned extremely ugly.
This winning rate was not his personal chance of victory against Luffy.
It was the chance of victory if all the Supernovas present united against Luffy!
A guaranteed defeat!
"You're all still standing."
Luffy looked around at the several Supernovas who, though disheveled, were still upright. His tone was flat, as if stating a fact. "As expected of Supernovas."
Coming from his mouth in this situation, those words carried an invisible sense of humiliation.
But Luffy was just stating an observation. He had thought his Conqueror's Haki would clear everyone out. It seemed Shakky was right—these guys did have some skill.
This also made him more certain that to successfully execute that plan, he had to first clear out these potentially unstable factors. At the very least, he had to make them afraid to hinder him again.
The plan to rescue Ace could not afford any sloppiness or accident.
"Straw Hat!"
Kid's roar broke the stagnant atmosphere. He drew his blades and snarled, "I am very unhappy right now! So what if you have this damn aptitude? Aptitude is completely useless for becoming the Pirate King!!"
The moment Kid's voice fell, Killer, standing beside him, blurred. His two scythe-like blades, carrying sharp, shot toward Luffy like ghosts!
The speed was amazing.
"Hmph!"
Zoro noticed this. He let out a cold snort and drew his three blades halfway, ready to attack.
But Luffy moved faster.
"Wait, Zoro."
Luffy's voice was calm but carried an unmistakable tone. "It'll be faster if I take care of them."
He turned to Nami. "Nami, explain to Zoro what we're about to do."
Hearing this, Zoro clicked his tongue in disappointment and sheathed his swords. "That's a shame. I wanted to try it out."
Even so, he chose to obey his captain's order unconditionally.
Besides, whatever had made Luffy so seriously had sparked his curiosity.
It was rare to see Luffy this serious.
You see, there was an understanding in the Straw Hat crew: the captain was usually the one who took the cannonballs. But when the captain told you to take the cannonballs, that was when things were truly dangerous.
Of course, with Luffy's personality, he would never give such an order.
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!
patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!