As for Lancelot, he thought to himself, "Let's see who the real protagonist is—me or Luffy!"
He was fully confident in the current gap in strength between himself and Luffy.
He mused, "Could it be like in those theatrical versions where the so-called strong ones end up being defeated by the weak?"
Absolutely not!
With his current physique, even if he stood still without any defensive moves, how could Luffy, with his current strength, possibly break through his defenses?
Not a chance!
After all, at this moment, Luffy was nothing more than a mediocre character who hadn't even mastered Armament Haki.
Thinking this, the corners of Lancelot's lips curled into a disdainful, icy smile.
"Soru!" he shouted, his voice exploding in the air like a thunderclap.
Lancelot's figure instantly transformed into a blur of lightning, darting forward at a speed beyond ordinary imagination. In the time it took others to blink, Lancelot vanished into thin air.
Tracking him with the naked eye was impossible; it felt as miraculous as teleportation.
Yet, in the very next moment, Lancelot reappeared, having already caught up with Luffy and Sanji, who were desperately fleeing.
Luffy and Sanji were giving their all to escape Lancelot's pursuit, but they never imagined his speed could be so overwhelming.
"Not good!"
Luffy was the first to sense the unusual presence behind him.
When he turned and saw Lancelot's ghost-like figure, his expression turned grim.
Beside him, Sanji's face was equally pale, a flash of terror crossing his eyes.
Not long ago, Lancelot had effortlessly defeated Eustass Kid—who was ranked above Luffy—with a single move.
That brutal, bloody scene was still deeply etched in Sanji's mind, giving him a direct understanding of Lancelot's terrifying power.
Faced with such a formidable enemy, Sanji knew full well he had neither the ability nor the confidence to stand against him.
At this moment, his only thought was to escape this fearsome individual as quickly as possible.
Yet, Lancelot merely cast a casual glance at Sanji.
This seemingly ordinary, non-Ability User was, in fact, of crucial importance to Lancelot. It wasn't a matter of preference—interests came first.
For that reason, Lancelot had no intention of taking his life.
Immediately after, Lancelot's icy gaze locked firmly onto Luffy.
In that instant, Luffy's eyes narrowed.
A chill shot up his spine, making his scalp tingle as if he had become helpless prey pinned under the stare of a ferocious beast.
"Gum-Gum Rifle!"
At this life-or-death moment, Luffy showed no intention of backing down. He had always been a passionate character who charged forward without hesitation.
Realizing there was no escape, he chose to fight back.
His movements were swift as thunder—in the blink of an eye, he stretched his fist back to its limit, then rapidly twisted his arm until it coiled like a rope.
Instead of continuing to flee, Luffy charged toward Lancelot with overwhelming force. With a furious roar, his fist, brimming with immense power, shot toward Lancelot with a whistling sound…
Heh.
A faint, contemptuous smirk curled at the corner of Lancelot's lips.
While the strength Luffy displayed wasn't to be underestimated, and the power of that move was impressive, it all depended on the opponent.
Among the Supernovas, Luffy's performance could indeed be considered top-tier.
But in front of Lancelot, such displays were nothing more than childish games.
Lancelot slowly raised his right hand, his movements appearing unhurried yet precisely timed as he met Luffy's incoming punch.
At the moment of their impending collision, time seemed to freeze. Everyone held their breath, watching the duel with tense anticipation.
What happened next left the onlookers stunned—Lancelot effortlessly caught Luffy's full-force punch, firmly grasping his fist and leaving him no chance to break free.
"Impossible!"
Luffy's eyes widened involuntarily, his face filled with disbelief.
He was shocked that Lancelot could so casually block his all-out attack, but what truly astounded him was the overwhelming power Lancelot displayed.
The moment his fist was firmly caught, Luffy's first instinct was to pull his arm back. Yet, no matter how hard he struggled, Lancelot remained as immovable as an unshakable mountain.
Not only could Luffy not retract his arm, but he couldn't even budge Lancelot an inch.
"Gulp..."
It was only then that Luffy truly grasped the vast gap in their strength.
But Luffy was not one to surrender easily. The stronger his opponent, the more excited he became.
"Second Gear!"
"Second Gear" was a unique technique of the Rubber Man. Upon activation, Luffy's skin would turn bright red and emit steam.
By using his legs as pumps to accelerate his blood flow, he vastly enhanced his physical strength.
Due to the unique nature of his Devil Fruit, Luffy could withstand the extreme blood pressure.
His body, strengthened by this state, could execute incredibly fast movements, allowing him to strike his enemies before they even realized it.
The combination of extreme speed and enhanced power made "Second Gear" attacks far more potent.
However, overusing this technique would leave him exhausted. For the current Luffy, it was still a highly draining move.
Clearly, he was going all out.
...
"Is this a joke?"
Faced with Luffy's Second Gear state, Lancelot instantly sensed the sudden surge in his opponent's power.
But even so, what did it matter?
There was no denying that Luffy had grown significantly stronger, even doubling his power.
Yet, with this level of strength alone, he was still far from being a match for Lancelot!
A faint, disdainful smile curled at the corner of Lancelot's lips.
Immediately after, he abruptly raised his right foot and delivered a thunderous kick straight toward Luffy.
Boom!
A deafening roar echoed as the kick generated a sonic boom, a clear indication that Lancelot had held nothing back.
Under the impact of this mountain-crushing force, Luffy had no time to react. His body was sent flying backward like a kite with its string cut.
Gush…
Luffy spat out a large mouthful of crimson blood, which sprayed through the air like a scarlet fountain, rapidly dispersing into a chilling mist.
Rumble…
Amidst a series of earth-shattering crashes, Luffy shot through the air like a cannonball, leaving a trail of devastation in his wake.
Finally, he slammed heavily into a four-story building.
In an instant, the entire structure emitted a series of spine-chilling cracking sounds before collapsing into a heap of rubble, sending clouds of dust billowing into the air.
Luffy was buried beneath the debris.
"Luffy!"
Witnessing this, Sanji's eyes widened in horror, and he let out a grief-stricken cry.
In his view, if this Marine could defeat Eustass Kid in a single move, it was highly likely that Luffy wouldn't survive such an attack either.
Yet, a sliver of hope still lingered in his heart. He dashed frantically toward Luffy's location.
Meanwhile, Lancelot's lips curled into a slight smile.
Though he had held nothing back in that kick, he had also shown restraint. In such a public setting, he couldn't possibly attempt to seize a Devil Fruit power.
After all, who knew how many spies from the World Government and the Marines were lurking around?
Thus, while Lancelot had kicked Luffy with full force, he had deliberately avoided vital areas. He had only broken a few of Luffy's bones.
Given Luffy's cockroach-like resilience, death was out of the question.
But he wouldn't get off lightly either—he wouldn't be leaving his bed for quite some time.
With that, Lancelot shifted his focus to the fleeing trio: Trafalgar Law, Urouge, and Jewelry Bonney.
Among them, Law and Jewelry Bonney were absolutely beyond redemption.
Both harbored deep-seated blood feuds with the World Government and the Marines.
"What a pity…"
Lancelot sighed softly, then pushed off with his legs, propelling himself skyward.
But the moment he reached the air, he sensed an overwhelming aura rapidly approaching.
"Luffy…"
A figure rushed over at incredible speed, so fast that Lancelot was taken aback. The commotion was immense.
It instantly captured Lancelot's attention. He couldn't help but glance over, and with just one look, his brow furrowed deeply.
Though the newcomer was an old man, he was tall, broad-chested, and densely muscular.
His aura was terrifying—even more formidable than Rayleigh, whom he had faced earlier.
The man had a scar over his left eye. His eyes were blue, and he sported a head of short, gray-white hair.
"Garp…"
Lancelot recognized him at a glance.
There was no helping it—anyone who knew the sea could identify him instantly.
Though merely a Vice Admiral of the Marine Headquarters, he was a legendary figure among the Marines.
Legends say he repeatedly cornered the Pirate King Roger, and thirty-eight years ago, he single-handedly halted the advance of the Rocks Pirates at God Valley.
By joining forces with Roger to annihilate the entire pirate crew, he became a Marine hero.
He was known as "Hero Garp" and "Garp the Fist."
From the Roger era onward, Sengoku and Garp had been leading the Marine frontlines.
Garp possessed a fiery temperament, a humorous and straightforward nature, and deep care for his subordinates, making him an exceptional superior.
Often seen leisurely drinking tea and snacking, appearing "idle," the celebrated hero was actually a man of both wisdom and courage.
Garp was a character beloved by many and universally regarded as the pinnacle of combat prowess.
And rightly so.
In the original storyline, Garp arrived at Marine G-14 Branch to lead Helmeppo and others in rescuing Koby from the Blackbeard Pirates' stronghold on Hachinosu.
After landing on Hachinosu with the SWORD unit members, Garp leaped into action with a "Galaxy Impact," igniting the entire pirate crew's fervor.
He then clashed with Kuzan, overpowering the Blackbeard Pirates' remaining forces—Sanjuan Wolf, Vasco Shot, Shiryu, Avalo Pizarro, and Kuzan—demonstrating overwhelming dominance.
Using "Blue Hole," he slammed Kuzan into the ground.
He sent Sanjuan Wolf flying into the sea.
When Shiryu attempted to ambush Koby, Garp took the sword strike himself, sustaining severe injuries, then knocked Shiryu to the ground.
With a "Galaxy Divide," he heavily damaged Pizarro's island-sized head.
His sheer power terrified all the remaining Blackbeard members present. Had he not been critically injured saving Koby, he might have taken down two or three of them.
At the very least, if he had focused on escaping, no one could have stopped him.
Unfortunately, when Shiryu tried to sneak-attack Koby again, Garp intercepted the blade, worsening his injuries.
After ordering a full retreat, he stayed behind alone to confront the enemies. Despite his severe wounds, he was outnumbered and ultimately defeated and captured.
It was truly lamentable.
For a deserter like Koby, it really wasn't worth it.
Mentioning Koby pissed everyone off—they came to rescue him, and he didn't run immediately?
He had to stick around and be a burden?
Didn't he have any sense of his own capabilities, or how powerful the Blackbeard Pirates were?
It was infuriating to watch.
But appreciation aside, Lancelot's stance wouldn't change.
Given the chance, he would undoubtedly capture Garp and turn him into a trump card.
But why had he come now?
Lancelot still felt somewhat puzzled. He then glanced toward Luffy in the distance and mused.
"Could it be because of Luffy?"
After all, his usual approach was clear: either submit or die.
Given Luffy's personality, he would absolutely never surrender. So if Lancelot encountered him, wasn't the outcome already predetermined?
At this thought, Lancelot's eyes narrowed.
As expected, blood runs thicker than water!