Chapter 173 Luffy: I was clearly giving him a benefit"Tsk, tsk—!"The trailing sound was light and drawn out, carrying the unique nonchalance of a young man, yet it rang out clearly amidst the billowing dust and smoke.Facing an offensive that carried the force to destroy heaven and earth, Luffy didn't even lift an eyelid.His hands were tucked into his trouser pockets, and a faint, lingering smile still hung on the corners of his mouth, as if what was coming towards him wasn't a lethal strike capable of tearing the sky apart.That leather shoe, wrapped in blue lightning arcs and flames, carried a sharp whistle as it tore through the air, kicking squarely into his defenseless chest.Boom—!!!A deafening explosion instantly swallowed the entire sea area!Lightning and fire suddenly surged outward, the powerful shockwave stirred up a tsunami several meters high, and even the clouds in the distance were shattered by this terrifying force.That massive impact was like an out-of-control nuclear bomb detonating on the sea surface; scorching air waves burned the air, distorting the line of sight, and even space itself seemed to tremble slightly before this extreme power.Luffy's body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, his straw hat wobbled slightly from the airflow but remained firmly fixed on his head.The clothes on his chest were instantly ignited by the lightning and fire, then shredded by the airflow during his high-speed flight backward, revealing the sturdy muscle lines underneath.Luffy landed on his feet, plowing two deep grooves into the grass.He reached out and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.But the smile on his face didn't diminish; on the contrary, it grew more intense, a gleam of excitement flashing in his eyes, as a hearty, low chuckle spilled from his throat:"Ha—! This strength, it's got kick!"...The moment Luffy clenched his fist, the crisp sound of his knuckles colliding was torn apart by the suddenly compressed air."Bang!"A roar like an exploding charge erupted, the surrounding airflow swirled crazily, kicking up fine sand and stones from the ground, forming a visible cyclone around his feet.Since he had already figured out the development direction of that guy Sanji, the next thing to do was to push him hard!!The smile in the young man's eyes suddenly vanished, replaced by an extreme, burning seriousness and intensity.His figure shot out from where he stood, and amidst the splashing gravel, his form turned into a blurred black shadow; the moment he broke the sound barrier, a long white trail of air was left behind.Sanji's pupils shrank suddenly; that black fist mark, wreathed in an abyss-like aura, was already rapidly enlarging in his field of vision.That was the appearance of Armament Hakicondensed to its limit—pure black, oppressive black, as if even light was about to be swallowed.Fast, too fast!This burst of speed had long since surpassed the reaction limit of his Observation Haki; before his brain could even capture the complete trajectory, the suffocating sensation carried by the fist wind had already choked off his breath.He didn't even have time to defend, only able to subconsciously tense his muscles, yet there was not even a sliver of room for resistance.Boom!!There were no fancy moves, just a simple straight punch that condensed all his strength and Haki.But the moment the fist made contact with Sanji's chest, space itself was stirred into a shallow ripple by this extreme impact, like a lake surface into which a boulder had been thrown, rippling outward in circles and distorting the surrounding scenery.The dull sound of the impact made the air hum, and Sanji couldn't even let out a muffled groan; the bones of his entire body seemed to be groaning under the unbearable burden of that punch.The next second, his figure flew backward like a cannonball out of the chamber, his speed so fast that only a blurred afterimage remained.Circular white air waves emerged one after another along his flight path, like marks left by air being forcibly torn apart, lingering in the sea breeze for a long time.Accompanied by a massive roar that shook the entire island, the towering mountain was forcibly punched through; gravel, dust, and broken vegetation splashed across the sky, and the originally intact mountain was instantly blasted into a huge hole, with sunlight piercing through it to cast an irregular patch of light on the ground.And Sanji's figure was embedded in the rocks deep within the hole, the triggered aftershocks still causing the mountain to constantly shed loose rocks...."Sorry, Sanji—!"Luffy retracted his fist, which still held the lingering warmth of black Haki, and shouted toward the direction of the mountain hole, his tail note drawn out long, carrying a bit of deliberately affected softness.He pulled the brim of his straw hat a little lower, hiding the excitement he could barely conceal in his eyes, deliberately kept a straight face, and pretended to be sad as he furrowed his brows:"I have to put some huge pressure on you, otherwise how are you going to grow rapidly!"He paused, and even solemnly raised his hand to rub his chest, his tone drawn out, slow and leisurely, carrying a bit of performed heaviness:"As a Captain, seeing my crew member get hurt, my heart is super—painful too!!"But as soon as he finished saying this, the corners of his mouth hidden under the straw hat couldn't help but curl upward, and even his shoulders began to twitch slightly.In fact, at this moment, every pore on Luffy's body was screaming with satisfaction, as if the foul air he had been holding in for a long time had finally been fully exhaled, and every inch of his muscles exuded a relaxed comfort.He couldn't help but roll his eyes in his mind, secretly complaining:What kind of annoying things had he encountered these past few days?!Those old antiques from the Gorosei, each with sinister eyes, their moves vicious and difficult to deal with;The light beams, freezing, and magma of the Three Admirals, every move was lethal, making him feel restricted when fighting;And that monster, the Four Emperors Kaido, so ridiculously thick-skinned that punching him was like hitting a steel plate.Although he didn't suffer much, and even punched back, the opponents were just too strong, and every duel required him to give his all, leaving him feeling an indescribable frustration.But now, he had finally caught an opportunity to release that pressure!Sanji's potential was unquestionable, but he just lacked that burst in desperate situations, making him the perfect object for him to vent his pressure.Luffy couldn't help but grin, revealing two rows of neat white teeth, a cunning and hearty gleam flashing in his eyes, feeling wonderful inside:Although bullying a weaker opponent doesn't add combat experience or improve Haki, you can't deny the feeling—it's great!!This kind of feeling of doing whatever he wanted, of being able to deliver an extremely satisfying punch, was simply more enjoyable than eating his favorite meat!..."You bastard—!! Are you trying to kill me?!"An angry roar, wrapped in blazing fire, exploded from the hole in the mountain.The next second, a blinding blue arc of electricity suddenly tore through the smoke and dust, accompanied by the sharp whistle of air being torn apart.Sanji's figure darted out like an arrow off a bowstring, his right leg glowing with lightning carrying the force of a thousand jun, kicking fiercely toward Luffy's face.—Clang!!The crisp sound of metal colliding was deafening.Luffy's eyes narrowed, his right hand instantly covered in pitch-black Armament Haki.His five fingers reached out precisely like iron pliers, firmly gripping that lightning-glowing ankle.The electric current surged into his body through his palm, bringing a tingling, stinging pain, but he bore it through sheer force of will, his arm not moving a muscle."Look, look!"Luffy grinned, showing two rows of white teeth, a gleam of excitement in his eyes, his tone filled with matter-of-fact joy, "Isn't this getting stronger?!"His Observation Haki had long been spread out, and Sanji's state was invisible to him:The surging aura, the more condensed Devil Fruit ability, the physique faintly breaking through its shackles, and that previously stagnant Observation Haki, were now like seeds nourished by spring rain, quietly loosening and sprouting.Sure enough, this method of extreme pressure was effective!!Luffy was overjoyed; it seemed his effort to "beat up" Sanji hadn't been in vain. This guy's potential really needed to be pushed hard to explode."So what?!"Sanji's eyes were bloodshot, the veins on his forehead bulging, his anger almost clouding his mind, "If I didn't get stronger, I'd be lying on the ground right now! You're basically beating me to death!"Amidst the roar, the power within Sanji surged again, the blue lightning becoming even more intense, and his other leg swept fiercely toward Luffy's waist with the sound of tearing air.Luffy was "caught off guard" and struck hard by this immense force, his body flying backward as if hit by a heavy hammer.The air whistled past his ears, and Luffy twisted his body in mid-air, tracing a beautiful arc trajectory and landing steadily on the ground, the rocks beneath his feet cracking from the impact."I didn't try to kill you!"He brushed the dust off his body, his tone still relaxed, but there was a hint of cunning understanding in his eyes.As someone who had also awakened the bloodline factor, he could easily perceive Sanji's physical limits.This special constitution was the type that gets stronger the more it is beaten; the closer to the limit, the more potential could be triggered, and before truly breaking through the limit.The recovery ability was simply as monstrous as Marco's Phoenix, so there was no need to worry about being truly injured.That punch just now had been precisely calibrated to the edge of Sanji's limit; it looked fierce, but in reality, it was giving this guy a huge benefit, helping him break through his long-standing bottleneck.And what was the result?!Luffy blinked, looking at Sanji, who was still furious and ready to pounce again at any moment, and couldn't help but mutter to himself:He, Monkey D. Luffy, had good intentions to help his crew member break through, so how did he end up becoming the unappreciated scapegoat?!This whole operation was even more frustrating than not being able to eat meat!