Chapter 431: Cracking [Kenbun-Goroshi]
The sky was gradually entering dusk. The setting sun burned the sky red, and the evening glow cast a somewhat sad light over the silent land of war.
Passing through the mottled and broken ruins, Mihawk, covered in wounds, walked out of the forest behind the castle.
Just as he came out, he ran into Sanji, who had just finished his battle and was rushing into the woods.
"Hawk-Eye Mihawk?!"
Seeing Mihawk emerge from the forest, Sanji's eyes trembled, and he cried out to the other in alarm,
"Hey! Where's the Moss-head? What happened to him!"
"You mean Roronoa..."
Mihawk's expression was cold as he glanced slightly at the depths of the forest.
Seeing this, Sanji's heart felt as if it had sunk into an ice cellar, and his face gradually turned pale with panic.
Only one person walked out of the forest. Don't tell me that guy, Moss-head, has already...
"He's probably lost,"
Mihawk said faintly, turned his head back, and walked straight past Sanji.
"He won..."
The light words entered his ears, and Sanji was stunned for a moment.
"...He... won?"
After reacting, Sanji slowly let out a sigh of relief. The weight in his heart was finally lifted, and he shook his head, a bitter smile on his face.
"I was worried for nothing. I knew that idiot had a hard life and wouldn't die."
Plop.
Sanji sat down on the ground, took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, then took out a delicately made lighter from his pocket.
Ding~
The sound of the flip-top was crisp and melodious. The flint struck a flame and lit the cigarette. Sanji took a drag and slowly exhaled a long stream of smoke. He looked up at the sunset-colored sky, and a corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"You idiot Moss-head... congratulations."
The golden evening light shone on the front of the castle ruins. The stone-paved ground, filled with the traces of time, was covered in the marks of battle.
Whether it was smooth slashes or craters from fists, the already dilapidated ruins had been almost completely reduced to rubble under the fierce battle.
Reiner, Beckman, and the others were still watching the battle from the top of the fort. Yasopp and Usopp, Nami, and Franky, who had long since finished their duel, had also come here.
"That kid is really capable, to actually be able to fight back and forth with Shanks,"
Watching the fierce battle before him, the two figures, one moment fighting in the sky, the next back on the ground, Yasopp couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
"The idiotic little kid who was always shouting about becoming a pirate back then... to think that one day he would become a great pirate on equal footing with Shanks. It's really hard to imagine."
Thinking of the little figure who had been toyed with by Shanks back then, and then looking at the Nika Luffy who was flying through the sky and遁地, Yasopp had a dreamlike, unreal feeling.
"The growth rate of young people really can't be underestimated."
Smoke swirled and rose. Beckman, a cigarette in his mouth, sighed with emotion.
Who among them could have imagined back then that Luffy would one day reach this height? Only Shanks had entrusted his straw hat to Luffy twelve years ago.
Thinking about it now, it was even more incredible.
Compared to the calm and composed Beckman and Yasopp, at the side, Usopp and the others already had anxiety written all over their faces.
Luffy in Nika form was clearly already very strong. His battle performance on Egghead was for all to see. But in the end, he still couldn't suppress Red-Hair.
"Every person who can ascend to the throne of the Four Emperors... their strength is indeed ridiculously strong."
Franky looked at their duel with a solemn expression.
"Luffy's Nika form seems to have a time limit, right? Can he withstand such an exaggerated consumption?"
Nami's eyes flickered, revealing a hint of worry.
"If this stalemate continues, I'm afraid he won't be able to maintain it for much longer..."
Clang!
The blade of the sword refracted the setting sun, giving off a golden brilliance. Luffy hurriedly bent his back and dodged. The blade grazed his face as it passed.
After dodging the attack, Luffy straightened his body and forcefully swung his leg up.
"Gomu Gomu no... White Stamp!!"
Shanks raised his arm to block. However, the next second, his brow furrowed.
His arm seemed to have been turned into rubber, and it caved in softly from the middle. He was kicked in the chest, leaving a sandal print, and his entire person was sent flying.
Hiss—
His two feet plowed the ground, sliding back several dozen meters before he finally stabilized his body. Shanks's two eyes focused as he looked at Luffy.
The awakening of a Paramecia-type fruit could affect and assimilate the surrounding environment. If one only looked at the surface, it was not an exaggeration to say that Luffy's awakened fighting style was the awakening of the Rubber-Rubber Fruit.
But in fact, it was clearly not that simple. At the very least, a Paramecia-type could not assimilate a person's body. Luffy's fighting style was much freer. It was as if, as long as he could imagine it, he could do anything.
This was the true essence of the Sun God Nika. Not restricted by anything, transforming imagination into a weapon, and fighting freely.
A corner of Shanks's mouth lifted slightly. He looked at the panting Luffy, his eyes showing a hint of gratification.
"From the little crybaby back then... to a great pirate who can stand on his own, and who also has a group of powerful companions who are famous on the sea."
"I'm really happy to see your growth, Luffy."
With that, Shanks raised his sword and pointed it straight at Luffy. Although there was a smile on his face, his eyes revealed even more seriousness.
"I won't go easy on you. If you want to ascend to the pinnacle of the sea, then surpass me in a proper way, Luffy!"
"But of course! Shanks!"
Luffy grinned, panting heavily. Although every muscle in his body was sore and on the verge of going on strike, his heart was incomparably surging.
His soaring fighting spirit made him forget the fatigue of his body. His consciousness seemed to have already shielded his body's senses, igniting an unquenchable flame of life. The Nika form, which should have been exhausted and unable to be maintained, showed no signs of deactivating at all.
Unconsciously, Luffy seemed to have forgotten how to think. He was completely immersed in a special state, and his strength, surpassing the limits of his physical body, was gushing out.
In his mind, there was only one thought, and that was...
...to surpass everything!
"Gomu Gomu no!"
Luffy's arm quickly expanded, his two eyes focused intently on the front.
Shanks swung his sword in a jolt, and his figure instantly disappeared from the spot, his presence disappearing from everyone's perception.
On the other hand, Luffy, faced with this unbeatable move that countered Observation Haki, actually chose to close his eyes.
He completely sank into a dark space. The presences around him gradually disappeared, one by one, until only a single white figure was left standing in the middle. That was himself.
The next second, a streak of crimson light appeared in the darkness, streaking across in a ghostly trajectory as it rapidly approached.
"As expected... as long as I do this, I can see it..."
Luffy, with his eyes closed, had a corner of his mouth lift. He decisively smashed out his giant fist!
"White Kong Gun!!"
Bang!!
A muffled impact sound was heard out of thin air. A scene that no one had expected appeared.
Luffy's massive fist had actually solidly hit. Even Shanks's pupils constricted in shock, and a look of disbelief appeared on his face.
Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!
The terrifying force sent Shanks's entire person flying, crashing through two giant stone pillars in a row, and finally crashing heavily into a stone wall, kicking up dust and smoke.
"This? What's going on? He suddenly hit him?!"
Nami cried out in surprise and hurriedly looked at Reiner.
It wasn't that Luffy hadn't hit Shanks until now in the battle, but those were all very dangerous passive counterattacks. The hasty attacks had also found it difficult to have a sufficient effect on Shanks.
And almost every time Luffy had taken the initiative to attack, the other had easily dodged it.
This time, to have solidly hit Shanks with one punch... it had made everyone, including Reiner, very surprised.
"Your ability is to make others' Observation Haki unable to see your future, I'm right, aren't I, Shanks?"
Luffy's eyes burned as he looked at Shanks. His eyes were full of confidence, and he grinned.
"Since I can't predict you, I just need to see my own future!"
(End of chapter)