Translator's Note:
First, I would like to sincerely apologize for not uploading the chapters as scheduled, and second, for not informing you all beforehand about the delay.
I understand that many of you look forward to regular updates, and I take full responsibility for failing to meet those expectations. I promise this will not happen again.
Moving forward, even if I cannot upload for a day, I will make sure to inform you all about any delays in advance.
Thank you for your patience and continued support.
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"Damn it!"
Although Luffy was usually... to put it nicely, straightforward, or more bluntly, a bit simple-minded, he wasn't actually stupid.
When faced with real humiliation, he would get angry too.
"Gum-Gum—Bazooka!"
Seeing Naruto take his attack head-on with his face, Luffy immediately realized how strong his opponent's physical defense was and instantly switched from one hand to both hands.
Both hands rapidly stretched backward, then snapped back like cannons, attacking Naruto again with a whooshing sound.
But Naruto simply tilted his head slightly, and the attack missed by a hair's breadth.
"Too slow, kid."
Two moves had passed—now it was Naruto's turn.
Of course, he naturally couldn't go all out.
Not only did he somewhat admire this boy, but he also couldn't get past Shanks. If he really went too far and seriously hurt him, the next time the two brothers met, they'd probably have to fight.
After dodging the opponent's punch, Naruto lightly tapped the ground with his foot and appeared in front of Luffy as if teleporting.
"So fast!"
Among the spectators, only Zeff, Sanji, and Zoro could barely make out the blurry trajectory.
And this was still the result of Naruto holding back.
An ordinary punch hit Luffy squarely in the stomach, sending him flying backward.
Luffy's eyes were already rolling back while he was in midair.
His body crashed through two mooring posts without obstruction, knocked over a pile of cargo boxes nearby, and then lay motionless on the ground.
"Luffy!"
"Luffy!"
Zoro and Usopp both cried out in alarm and wanted to rush forward, but unexpectedly, old man Zeff grabbed both their collars from behind.
Zeff shook his head at them, indicating they shouldn't interfere, but he was also puzzled.
Wasn't Naruto being too harsh? Was it necessary to target a kid who just set sail like this?
He was the only one present who truly knew how powerful Naruto was. For such a world-class powerhouse to deal with a rookie pirate, this seemed unnecessarily troublesome.
On the other side, Naruto waited for two seconds, then gently shook his head.
Is this all?
Seeing that Luffy seemed to have lost consciousness, he walked forward, bent down, and prepared to take off his hat.
Slap.
At that moment, a trembling hand grabbed Naruto's arm.
"...What do you want to do to my hat!"
Seeing that he had apparently regained consciousness and stood up again, Naruto sighed inwardly.
Dragon, your son really is exactly like you in this regard.
"Don't resist pointlessly. Clearly, you don't have the qualifications to wear this hat."
As Naruto spoke, his hand began to apply force, pushing Luffy back continuously.
"If you don't let go, I'll get serious."
"Stop babbling so much, it's annoying! I won't give you my hat!"
Naruto's psychological warfare seemed completely ineffective on this kid. After shouting, he simply pulled back his hand and immediately began throwing wild punches at Naruto.
"Gum-Gum Gatling!"
Countless punch shadows rapidly struck forward. Due to the speed, it looked to the spectators as if Luffy suddenly had dozens of fists.
But such an airtight attack was still ineffective against Naruto.
His strong figure suddenly became like paper, swaying back and forth with the airflow generated by each punch, remaining untouched despite the flurry of fist shadows.
"What kind of technique is that?"
Zoro watched as every one of Luffy's attacks was perfectly dodged, equally astonished.
Zeff glanced at him but said nothing.
However, he was also puzzled—how had Naruto learned the Navy's Six Powers? Given his relationship with the Navy, how could anyone be willing to teach him?
Seeing that his continuous attacks couldn't hit Naruto at all, Luffy took advantage of the gap while retracting his fists to lift his left foot high.
"Gum-Gum Battle Axe!"
That foot seemed to truly become an axe, chopping toward Naruto's head.
Bang!
Luffy's powerful strike was caught by Naruto with one hand. Then he grabbed Luffy's ankle and began swinging him left and right like pounding rice cakes.
Seven or eight craters instantly appeared on the ground, all smashed by Luffy's body.
After a few swings, Naruto released his grip, letting Luffy lie gasping in the crater.
"It's still not too late to give up now. The next strike... I will kill you."
"No!!!"
Luffy didn't think for even half a second before shouting with all his might.
He staggered to his feet again, staring intently at Naruto.
However, although he was stubborn verbally, Luffy's mind also realized the gap in strength between himself and his opponent.
Continuing in his current state, he absolutely couldn't defeat this fox-faced old man.
His attacks had to be faster! Even faster!
Suddenly, as if blessed by divine inspiration, an idea appeared in Luffy's mind.
That's why Luffy was actually a battle genius.
Not to mention later when Teacher Kaido taught him Conqueror's Haki coating, just in the Sky Island arc, he used "Gum-Gum Blank" to break through Enel's Mantra, and in the desert, he used water to hit Crocodile's true form.
Under battle pressure, Luffy could always break through himself and create miracles.
Think and act.
Luffy knew there was no time to hesitate. Enduring the pain from all over his body, he jumped out of the crater, then immediately spread his legs and crouched down, fists touching the ground.
Then, his skin and blood vessels all became rubber-like material, and his heart became like a pump, beating rapidly.
More blood was brought to his heart, then quickly flowed to his limbs. Under these circumstances, his skin instantly turned red, and steam slowly rose from around Luffy's body.
Seeing this scene, Naruto's face showed an almost imperceptible smile, and his appreciation for Luffy deepened.
"Gear Second! Jet Pistol!"
Luffy's figure shot out from his original position as if disappearing.
This time, even Zoro and Sanji couldn't see clearly.
"Well done!"
Seeing this self-transcending punch, Naruto also slowly raised his hand. The muscles on his back rapidly bulged, and an invisible aura made his robes and surrounding debris float.
The two fists drew closer and closer to each other.
Unlike Naruto, from Luffy's perspective, Naruto's fist, which grew larger and larger in his vision until it seemed to cover his entire field of view, conveyed only one message to him.
Death.
Being hit by this strike would definitely mean death.
But he still resolutely continued attacking Naruto.
Some things were non-negotiable for Luffy.
Bang!
When Luffy appeared again, he was already in front of Naruto. His steaming fist hit Naruto's head squarely, making him lean back slightly.
"...I hit him."
Not feeling any pain in his body, a smile appeared on Luffy's face.
But soon, he noticed the silence around him.
Turning his head, he saw everyone else looking behind him with expressions of extreme shock.
Timid ones like Usopp had even fainted directly.
Even Zoro and Sanji, and even Chef Zeff, could no longer control their expressions, showing looks as if they'd seen a ghost.
"Eh?"
At that moment, a drop of seawater gently fell on Luffy's head. He looked up blankly, still not quite understanding.
But the increasing sound of more water drops hitting the ground made him stop thinking about continuing the fight.
Luffy slowly withdrew his fist from Naruto's chin and turned his head.
Then, he saw one of the most incredible sights of his life.
The seawater seemed to have been penetrated by some indescribably massive attack, forcibly carving out a "channel" large enough to accommodate an island.
Even more terrifying was that at the end of his vision, on a small island, the originally pointed mountain peak had been forcibly "scooped out" by an external force.
At this moment, having witnessed a true top-tier powerhouse of the sea, Luffy felt for the first time the smallness of a mayfly seeing the blue sky.
(End of Chapter)
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