As Burgess clashed with Ronan in an instant, Blackbeard and Van Augur also began to move.
Blackbeard Teach's massive, bear-like body stepped forward through the flying debris, each step steady and heavy.
His gaze locked onto Luffy's Haki-coated fist.
His large hand slowly clenched, the air between his fingers cracking as if being crushed apart.
"Zehahahaha! Straw Hat brat, don't think that just because you learned a bit of Armament Haki in a puddle like the East Blue, you can act tough in front of me!"
His wide mouth, missing several teeth, twisted into a savage grin, his eyes gleaming with both brutality and greed.
He didn't immediately use the terrifying power of the Dark-Dark Fruit.
To him, dealing with a rookie—
If he had to reveal his trump card from the start—
Would be an insult to the patience he had endured for over twenty years.
"I'll show you something… Armament Haki has levels! What you've got isn't even worthy of carrying my shoes!"
"Boom—!!"
His right fist was instantly coated in an extremely dense, tar-like black Haki.
This wasn't ordinary hardening.
This was Armament refined through decades of slaughter—
Thick, violent, oppressive.
As he stepped forward, the floor beneath his feet crumbled into powder under invisible pressure.
Luffy stood opposite him.
Facing that fortress-shattering punch—
He didn't retreat.
Instead, a smile filled with burning battle intent spread across his face.
"Things like 'gaps'…"
"You won't know until you fight!"
With a low roar—
The Vajra Inner Energy within Luffy surged like a stampede, roaring through every vein and muscle.
Though his mastery of Armament Haki was still fresh—
His monstrous body elevated its quality far beyond a beginner's level.
When that golden energy fused with the black Haki—
His fist took on a strange metallic sheen—
Black and gold intertwined.
Even the space around it trembled under the density of power.
"Gomu Gomu no—Rocket!!"
His arm snapped forward like a fully drawn bowstring releasing!
BOOM—!!!
The two fists—
Both carrying terrifying force—
Collided in the center of the tavern.
For a brief instant—
Sound vanished.
Replaced by a suffocating vacuum silence.
Then—
A destructive shockwave exploded outward.
The already crumbling tavern—
Was reduced to nothing.
The wooden counter turned to dust.
Thick stone walls were blown apart.
The roof was ripped off and shattered mid-air.
Debris—
Rubble—
Broken bottles—
Everything was swept into the air and rained down like meteors.
"Hehehe… not bad, Straw Hat!"
Blackbeard stood firm against the raging pressure, his face twisted in excitement as Luffy's fist hovered inches away.
His arm muscles bulged violently.
His Haki—
Layered.
Stacked.
Deepened.
"But I told you…"
"You're still too green!!"
His massive fist surged forward—
A tidal wave of force crashing down.
Years of battle experience—
His Haki—
His strength—
All far denser, far more savage than Luffy's current level.
"Brat! Fall for me!!"
BOOM—!!!
Luffy's pupils shrank.
An unstoppable force surged through his knuckles, wrist, and arm—
Crashing into his shoulder.
Even his Vajra body creaked under the strain.
His balance shattered.
Luffy was launched—
Like a golf ball struck with full force—
Tearing through the air with a sonic boom.
CRASH—!!
He flew across half the town—
Before slamming into an open plaza.
The ground exploded.
A massive crater, dozens of meters wide, formed instantly.
"LUFFY—!!"
Chopper screamed in horror, tears flying.
"That fat bastard…"
Zoro gripped his sword, eyes deadly serious.
"That punch… was that absolute suppression from stronger Armament Haki?"
"No."
Ronan held his spear horizontally, the blue Seastone tip steady in the wind.
His gaze never left the dust-filled crater.
His voice calm.
"Luffy's body already surpasses logic."
"This level of impact…"
"…is just his warm-up ending."
Nearby, Burgess clutched his injured arm, laughing wildly.
"Wihahahaha! See that?! That's our captain's power!"
"You so-called 200 million, 100 million trash—before the real deal, you're nothing but lambs waiting to be slaughtered!"
But before his laughter finished—
From the depths of the crater—
A sound emerged.
"Thump."
"Thump."
"Thump."
Heavy.
Rhythmic.
Like the heartbeat of a prehistoric beast.
Each beat struck directly into everyone's ears.
"Zehaha… hm?"
Blackbeard's grin slowly faded.
That sound—
Was boiling blood.
A life force—
Being forcefully elevated.
"Heh… yeah… that hurt."
A voice rose from the dust—
Hot, steaming.
A towering figure stood up.
Six meters tall.
In this version—
Luffy's Gear Second was no longer just accelerated blood flow.
It was the forced activation of his rubber cells through Vajra Inner Energy—
Fusing his iron body with Armament Haki—
Turning defense into explosive power.
Luffy lifted his head.
His eyes—
Completely red.
Golden lightning flickered within his pupils.
"Fat bastard… I admit your Haki is stronger."
"But now…"
"I won't go down again!"
"Gear Second—Vajra Giant Mode!!!"
BOOM—!!!
An even more terrifying pressure burst outward.
The surrounding rubble—
Weighing hundreds of pounds—
Was blown into the air.
Luffy stood tall.
Six meters of overwhelming presence—
Shrouded in steam and smoke.
His aura—
Pure.
Violent.
Oppressive.
This was the manifestation of Vajra Body—
Mind, body, and spirit unified.
Blackbeard's face darkened completely.
For the first time—
He realized—
This brat in front of him…
Was doing something unheard of.
Forcing himself—
Across the gap in power.
And challenging—
A veteran pirate—
Head-on.
On this battlefield of ruins—
The real fight—
Had just begun.
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