"What?! That's Luffy's Gear Second?!"
At that moment, the Straw Hats were stunned.
Even Luffy himself was dumbfounded.
His fighting style was impossible for an ordinary person to imitate; it required a rubber body to withstand the rapid blood circulation needed to achieve such incredible speed and power.
How on earth did Lucci do it?
"Gehehe, Straw Hat boy, prepare to die!" Lucci roared, his body already transformed into his ferocious leopard form.
"Gum-Gum Jet Pistol!"
In an instant, Lucci's leopard claws shot forward, stretching impossibly fast and striking Luffy square in the chest.
Bam!
Luffy was sent flying, skidding and rolling for a hundred meters before coming to a stop.
"Luffy!" Zoro and the others cried out, their faces a mixture of anxiety and anger.
That was clearly Luffy's move!
"What happened...?" Luffy wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, looking in disbelief at Lucci.
"Hahaha, it looks like the effect is quite good!" Lucci grinned viciously. "My original Cat-Cat Fruit, Leopard Form, has been combined with the Gum-Gum Fruit. The power of the two stacked together is incredible. I have the robust physique of a Zoan and all the powerful attacks of the Gum-Gum Fruit!"
"Luffy..." Bartholomew Kuma gritted his teeth, a worried look in his eyes.
I've had enough. I have to use all my strength to defeat Gecko Moria.
A hint of coldness flashed in Kuma's eyes as he became completely serious.
But with his opponent's is not weak, plus the interference of the Seraphim, he knew he couldn't win this fight quickly.
"Hehe, I'll take care of Straw Hat. You guys deal with the others," Lucci ordered Kalifa and the rest of CP9.
With a powerful step, Lucci's figure shot forward.
With the speed boost of Gear Second combined with his mastery of Soru, he was unbelievably fast.
"Pigeon guy..." Luffy gritted his teeth, forcing himself to fight through the fatigue as he activated Gear Second again.
"Gum-Gum Gatling gun!"
Countless fists rained down like a violent storm, desperately pummeling Lucci's position.
But this time, Lucci advanced while deftly weaving through the barrage of attacks.
What the?! Luffy was shocked.
Even though he wasn't at his peak, he shouldn't be missing every single hit.
"Save your strength, Straw Hat Luffy!" Lucci's voice suddenly sounded from right behind him.
"I have the power of the Gum-Gum Fruit now, on top of my original strength. You're no match for me!"
"What?!"
A look of horror appeared on Luffy's face.
He instinctively turned his head, only to see Lucci's leopard claws stretch backward, converting the elasticity into terrifying rebound force.
"Gum-Gum Rocket Launcher!"
The claws slammed into Luffy's chest, and he felt a huge force ripple through his entire body.
Luffy's eyes went unfocused.
He staggered, looking as if he might collapse at any moment.
"Hmph, I won't give you another chance," Lucci sneered, putting his thumb in his mouth and blowing hard.
"Gear Third!"
The next moment, a giant leopard claw appeared.
"Straw Hat Luffy, it's over!"
With a cold light in his eyes, Lucci shot forward.
"Giant Pistol!"
The colossal fist descended with overwhelming momentum, aimed straight at the barely-conscious Luffy.
"LUFFY!" Zoro and the others screamed, their faces paling.
But their own opponents launched attacks at the same time, preventing them from helping luffy.
Just as the Straw Hats were about to be defeated, a huge shadow descended from the sky, covering the entire island.
At the same time, a cold snort echoed through the air, carrying with it a terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki that swept over everyone.
In an instant, it was like a bolt from the blue, stunning Lucci and his group.
They felt as if they had been plunged into an ice cellar, trembling uncontrollably, an indescribable fear rooting them to the spot.
Even Gecko Moria felt the terror.
Everyone looked up and saw a massive, galleon-like ship floating in the air—the Moby Dick of the Whitebeard Pirates.
At its bow stood a group of legendary figures, led by Whitebeard and Shiki the Golden Lion.
"Whitebeard?! The Golden Lion?!" Gecko Moria's eyes practically popped out of his head.
Lucci and the others trembled, their faces white as sheets.
Zoro and the other Straw Hats were just as shocked.
The Emperor Whitebeard and the legendary Golden Lion, one of the three great pirates of Roger's era!
How could these living legends suddenly appear in the first half of the Grand Line?
"Gurararara..." Whitebeard looked around indifferently.
His eyes then fell on Luffy and lit up.
"Are you the Straw Hat boy? Ace's brother?"
Luffy was covered in blood, but he remained standing through sheer willpower.
"I... I am. Who are you?"
"Gurararara! Your brother has told me a lot about you. Come with us. I'll tell you more on the way."
Whitebeard then turned to his commanders.
"Marco, bring Luffy and the Straw Hat crew aboard. Be friendly. As for these..... enemies, deal with them."
Marco and several other commanders leaped down.
They easily defeated Gecko Moria and his subordinates, even snatching away his Seraphim.
As for Lucci and the others, the Whitebeard Seraphim took action, its power so overwhelming that it crushed the CP9 agents with ease.
"Damn you, Whitebeard!" Lucci roared, attacking repeatedly in a fit of shock and anger.
But whether in speed or power, he was completely suppressed, unable to even touch a hair on the Seraph.
In the end, Lucci was thoroughly defeated, cant do anything but watch helplessly as Whitebeard took Luffy and his crew away on the flying Moby Dick.
*******
"What?! Ace was captured by the Marines?" Luffy said in shock.
Zoro and the others were equally stunned.
Whitebeard shook his head. "To be precise, he was defeated by a traitor from my crew, Blackbeard Teach, who then handed him over to the Marines in exchange for a position as one of the Seven Warlords. He's probably locked up in Impel Down now."
As soon as he finished speaking, Luffy stood up and roared.
"Then I'll go to Impel Down to rescue him!"
"Alright, Luffy, we're with you," Zoro said in a low voice.
"Me too," Sanji added, his face grave.
Usopp, Nami, and Chopper felt a chill of fear, but they still took a deep breath and nodded.
"Gurararara..." Whitebeard laughed.
"Very good. Ace is lucky to have you as a brother. But we can't be so reckless. Before rescuing Ace, you must be fully prepared. Don't act rashly, or you'll not only fail to save him but also throw away your own lives."
"Then, old man, what should we do?!" Luffy asked anxiously.
"You must have noticed that the Marine's strength has increased greatly," Whitebeard said slowly.
"That is because their technology is too advanced. Even I have to admit that while personal strength is important, technology is the fastest way to improve a group's overall power."
Luffy and the others frowned.
"But we don't have any technology!"
"No," the silent Golden Lion finally spoke, his eyes on Franky.
"Your master once built a ship for the Pirate King, did he not?"
Franky nodded.
"Yes."
"Then you, with your advanced shipbuilding skills, might be able to replicate a Seraphim," Shiki explained.
"You are not a scientist, so you can't invent one from scratch. But simply copying an existing model should be much less difficult. There's hope for success!"
Franky was stunned.
He'd never thought of it that way.
His hands-on ability was incredible, but he wasn't an inventor.
But a replication... he could try.
"Okay! I can try!"
"Let's start with the simplest Warlord-class Seraphim," Whitebeard smiled, handing him the one they had just taken from Gecko Moria.
"Alright, I'll start right now!" Franky said, immediately beginning his research.
Just as the work began, a shout rang out.
"Whitebeard!"
Whitebeard frowned, recognizing the familiar voice.
He looked over and saw a short old woman walking slowly towards the ship.
"Oh, it's you, Stussy."
"It's been many years, Whitebeard," she said.
"Tell me, what brings you here?" he asked, a hint of displeasure in his voice.
"Hehe, something important, of course!" she cackled.
"Come out, Weevil!"
In the distance, a fat man with a beard like Whitebeard's and carrying a similar massive blade walked over.
"Mother!"
Whitebeard's pupils contracted.
"Stussy, what is the meaning of this?"
"Hehehe, this is my masterpiece! You didn't know I was a scientist, did you? This is Whitebeard Jr, Edward Weevil! The culmination of my life's work! Son, show him your power!"
At her command, Weevil, despite looking a bit dumb, swung his giant blade with imposing force, carving a deep gash into the ground.
A hint of surprise flashed in Whitebeard's eyes.
'This power was far greater than that of an ordinary Seraphim'
Weevil's strength was easily comparable to a Marine Elite Vice Admiral's.
"How about it?" Stussy smiled. "He was cultivated using your lineage factor. You may have already guessed."
Whitebeard nodded. "So, Stussy, what do you want?"
"You should know my purpose," she said confidently. "The Marines is too strong now. With just Weevil alone, I can't survive their pursuit. And you... you must need technological help, right? Considering our past relationship, it's very suitable for us to join forces. Let me temporarily join your crew, and I can provide you with technical assistance."
Whitebeard remained silent.
He remembered their past.
After the Rocks Pirates disbanded, Stussy had followed him for a time, but he expelled her after discovering her horrifying human experiments.
It was during that time she must have obtained his lineage factor.
"Whitebeard, this is a win-win for us," Stussy pressed.
"Hmph... Alright, I agree," he finally said, a hint of disgust deep in his eyes.
He knew he had no better choice if he wanted to contend with the Marine's technology.
"But I have to tell you in advance: any research you conduct needs my approval first!"
Hearing this, Stussy smiled.
"No problem!"
With that, the Whitebeard Pirates had established their own technology alliance, with Franky of the Straw Hat Pirates and Buckinham Stussy joining forces to recreate the Marine's greatest weapons.
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