"Seventh Gate of Shock, open!!!"
Monkey D. Luffy roared.
Instantly, his originally surging green vapor was immediately covered and swallowed by an even more surging blue.
The blue vapor, like a monstrous azure beast, surged violently, tearing apart the ship beneath Monkey D. Luffy's feet.
Countless splinters of wood were flung up by the steaming vapor surrounding Monkey D. Luffy, then, under the tearing of the azure beast, they turned into dust and vanished.
And Monkey D. Luffy, having lost his footing, did not fall into the sea.
Instead, the surging energy dispelled the seawater, seemingly forming an airtight energy shield that isolated him from the sea, as if he were standing on the surface of the ocean.
The seawater, dispelled and isolated, became turbulent under the sweep of the surging energy.
It was as if an invisible, terrifying giant beast in the sea was constantly stirring the ocean.
In an instant, the sea within several kilometers became like countless sea beasts roaring in chaos, churning the entire ocean upside down, a truly terrifying sight.
And Monkey D. Luffy, the instigator of this change, had his aura reaching an unparalleled peak.
The energy erupting from his body even made Hawkeye wary.
At this moment, Hawkeye finally became nervous.
"Truly astonishing!"
Hawkeye let out a heartfelt sigh of admiration, then asked Monkey D. Luffy.
"What kind of ability is this?"
Monkey D. Luffy did not hide it and replied.
"Eight Gates!"
Anyway, no one else could master the Eight Gates except him, so saying it wouldn't matter as no one would know what it truly was.
However, Hawkeye caught a crucial piece of information from Monkey D. Luffy's words.
"Eight Gates?!"
Hawkeye mumbled, then said.
"I remember you said the last one just now was the Seventh Gate!"
"Which means, you are not at your peak yet?!"
Hawkeye's heart once again felt like an earthquake.
Facing Monkey D. Luffy now, he already felt particularly troublesome.
If Monkey D. Luffy were to open the Eighth Gate, he believed it was highly likely he would be defeated.
"Well! I can't open the Eighth Gate right now, so I'm already at my peak."
Monkey D. Luffy did not hide anything from Hawkeye.
In fact, there was no need to hide; once the two fought later, Hawkeye would be able to judge for himself.
But even so, it still left Hawkeye deeply shocked.
Even if Monkey D. Luffy hadn't opened the Eighth Gate yet, it meant that his strength still had room for further improvement.
Furthermore, Monkey D. Luffy also possessed Devil Fruit abilities, and if his Devil Fruit awakened again in the future, and his Haki improved…
Hawkeye could not imagine what kind of monster would be born into this world then.
"Monkey D. Luffy, you possess the power to change this world!"
Hawkeye genuinely praised him.
Monkey D. Luffy did not deny this and instead said.
"Come on! Let's decide the winner in one move!"
Maintaining this state was extremely draining, so Monkey D. Luffy did not want to waste time.
Hawkeye heard this and said no more, drawing his Black Blade once again.
"Monkey D. Luffy, let me witness it! Your full power now."
As Hawkeye finished speaking, Monkey D. Luffy's arms were instantly covered in black.
The next second, terrifying purplish-black lightning, like lasers, suddenly burst forth from Monkey D. Luffy's arms, rapidly spreading outwards.
In the blink of an eye, it was as if the world changed color.
Centered around Monkey D. Luffy, an area of several kilometers became dim and dark.
And at this moment, upon Monkey D. Luffy's arms, a semi-transparent purplish-black light sphere seemed to form.
The light sphere emitted an unparalleled and astonishing energy, like a primeval beast, seemingly possessing the power to devour everything.
Then, Monkey D. Luffy gathered the light sphere, imbued with surging energy, to the front of his abdomen.
The dual energies touched, began to merge into one, becoming a perfectly round light sphere.
After the fusion, the light sphere seemed to truly transform into a primeval beast, actually beginning to frantically absorb, devour, and merge the black lightning from between heaven and earth.
Furthermore, all the converging energy was continuously being compressed, and the light sphere also became smaller and smaller, darker and darker, until it finally became an incredibly dark, small sphere, only slightly larger than a single fist, enveloping Monkey D. Luffy's right fist.
This was a new skill, Haki Infusion: Midday Tiger, innovated by Monkey D. Luffy using his heaven-defying comprehension, derived from the skill Midday Tiger which he could master after opening the Seventh Gate.
Midday Tiger is an air cannon that compresses air and then releases it all at once, shaped like a tiger, with astonishing power.
Because Haoshoku Haki Infusion could not be released like an air cannon, Monkey D. Luffy derived Haki Infusion: Midday Tiger.
The principle is to compress and merge the Conqueror's Haki released by Monkey D. Luffy, just like Midday Tiger compresses air.
It can unleash all the energy in an instant, greatly enhancing its power.
Moreover, this skill has a crucial point.
While compressing the Conqueror's Haki, it also compresses air.
After Monkey D. Luffy completely unleashes the compressed Conqueror's Haki, the air cannon, Midday Tiger, will then be released, forming a second stage of damage.
The moment Monkey D. Luffy completed charging Haki Infusion: Midday Tiger, the world once again returned to brightness, and the azure mist around Monkey D. Luffy also weakened considerably; everything seemed to return to tranquility.
Except for Monkey D. Luffy's right fist, which was covered in pure black, positioned at his abdomen.
Hawkeye's gaze was now locked onto Monkey D. Luffy's right fist.
He felt an immense sense of crisis from it.
At this moment, Hawkeye no longer held back.
He dared not hold back.
He stood sideways, holding his Black Blade horizontally, placed before his chest.
At the same time, a terrifying surge of energy suddenly erupted from his body.
Green mist, like rings of aura, formed around his Black Blade, drifting from his gripping hands towards the blade's tip.
And as the rings of aura spread out, the entire atmosphere seemed to twist and vibrate, emitting a continuous 'humming' sound.
The people on Baratie, witnessing this tense scene, unconsciously held their breath, completely focused.
"Come!"
Hawkeye roared, his body shifting into a slashing posture.
And Monkey D. Luffy also roared at this moment, raising his right fist, leaping up, and charging towards Hawkeye.
Boom!
A deafening roar, and the world grew dark!