Luffy's Conqueror's Haki, Kuma's Approval!
"Boom--!"
The Battlefield erupted once again with a devastating Shockwave!
Flames and Dragon Breath intertwined, and intense heat filled the air. The ground was scorched, cracked, and churning, as if even the sea breeze was distorted by the high temperature.
Luffy and Ace stood side by side, their bodies radiating Haki, their fighting spirit burning like flames!
"Dragon Bone - Scale Sky!!"
Luffy transforms into a half-dragon, half -Human-Beast Form, his Dragon Claws covered in Armament Haki, and his pink scales stand up like Razor, Sky Splitter as he heads straight for Kuma's throat!
"Bang!!"
The Kuma remained expressionless, its paws sweeping aside the attack with a nonchalant motion.
But Luffy was prepared. His Dragon Tail suddenly lashed out, sweeping out diagonally with a whooshing sound!
"Dragon Bone Iron Tail!!"
"Whoosh!!"
The Dragon Tail swept across with the force to tear the earth apart, and the Kuma glanced at it coldly, raising one hand.
"Ursus Shock - Micro!"
"Boom!!"
The air exploded like thunder, the Shockwave carrying boulders and Luffy dozens of meters back, but a wild smile appeared on his lips and his eyes burned with fighting spirit.
"Flame Updraft!!"
Ace let out a low roar, flames erupting from his arms, and a blazing wall of fire suddenly rose from the ground, tongues of fire coiling like Arlong, blocking the Kuma's retreat!
"Snort."
Kuma a stomp of its foot, the ground Quake-Split, and the Shockwave spread like a tidal wave, shattering the wall of fire.
But in that instant, Ace pounced, the flames on his right fist compressed to their limit, burning like a blazing white star!
"Mirror Flame!!"
"Bang!!"
The Fire Fist slammed into the Kuma's palm, the elasticity of the flesh ball repelling the flames, but the Impact of the rebound still sent Ace sprawling backward.
Ace changed his move accordingly, transforming the flames in his hand into a burning spear!
"Flame Spear · Shiranui!!"
"Whoosh!!"
The spear shot through the air, its flames blinding! The Kuma Flash, but its shoulder was grazed by the flames, its sleeve turned to ash, revealing steel-like muscles and skin scorched red.
Kuma's pupils contracted slightly, and for the first time, his expression turned serious. "Such a quick change of tactics... the fighting awareness of these two brothers..."
--At this moment, Bartholomew Kuma has not been modified by the World Government.
With Roy's guidance, he understood that "to protect those who are important, one must possess overwhelming power."
Since then, he has traveled the seas as Shichibukai, honing his Haki and developing the abilities of the Paw-Paw Fruit, and now he can use it to its fullest potential.
Kuma suddenly assumed a sumo wrestling stance, unleashing the full power of his Paw-Paw Fruit ability!
"Pressure Cannon!!"
He slapped the air with both palms at the same time, and dozens of compressed air cannonballs roared out, pouring down like a meteor shower!
"Bang bang--!"
The ground was riddled with craters from the shells, and the Shockwaves seemed to tear the earth apart!
Luffy, in his half-dragon form, soared and flipped through the air, becoming a blur as he dodged the barrage of cannonballs!
Ace, meanwhile, glided across the ground amidst bursts of flame, dodging the chain of explosions!
The two, one above and one below, launched a counterattack!
"Bolo Breath!!"
Luffy roared in the air, and blazing pink flames erupted down, instantly melting the ground into magma!
"Great Flame Commandment - Flame Emperor!!"
Ace compressed the flames within his body to their limit, and a gigantic fireball, like a falling star, hurtled towards Kuma with destructive force!
"Boom!!"
The Dragon Breath and the fireball converged, transforming into a devastating torrent of flames that engulfed the Kuma's massive form. The Shockwave from the explosion swept around, threatening to set the entire island ablaze!
Amidst the raging flames, Kuma crossed his arms, unleashing the full power of his Paw-Paw Fruit ability to form a semi-transparent elastic barrier, keeping the destructive flames at bay!
The high temperature caused the air to vibrate, and even the surface of the Kuma's muscles turned red from the heat, but he remained as steady as a mountain, not taking a single step back!
"No wonder Roy told me not to underestimate these two brothers..."
Kuma muttered to himself, a fighting spirit flashing in his eyes for the first time:
"Even after just experiencing that earth-shattering battle... it can still ignite such a fierce flame."
"Looks like we're getting serious."
The aftershocks of the flames had not yet dissipated, and the Battlefield resembled Purgatory.
Luffy and Ace stood side by side, their shoulders heaving, sweat trickling down their faces.
"Huff... Huff..." Ace panted softly, flames flickering slightly at his fingertips.
"This guy... he's like a mobile war fortress..."
Luffy's eyes narrowed, sweat and blood mingling as he gritted his teeth and roared, "I refuse to believe I can't beat him!!"
Amidst the raging flames, the Kuma slowly raised its head, its body unscathed.
His expression remained calm, but the air around him seemed to be compressed by some kind of force.
"Your fighting strength..."
"Enough to shock the navy and Pirates of any sea area."
He murmured softly, then pressed his left hand to his chest.
The next second, the entire Battlefield suddenly distorted--
"Meatball - Repelling World!!"
"Boom--!"
An invisible, elastic Impact erupted, tearing and distorting the space within a hundred meters of the Kuma, and a semi-transparent hemispherical barrier spread out!
Ace's flames and Luffy's Dragon Breath that scorched the air were both deflected the moment they touched the barrier!
Flames surged back, Shockwaves swept across the Battlefield, sending rocks flying and even Cut and collapsing the steel-like trunks of Mangrove.
"W-What?!" Ace recoiled in shock.
"All attacks... were deflected?!"
The Kuma didn't stop; it simply patted itself lightly with its paws, and then vanished instantly.
The next second, Kuma silently appeared behind Luffy, and with a single palm strike, launched Luffy directly into the air!
"Bang!!"
Luffy's towering, half-dragon body shot out like a missile, only stopping when it crashed into an entire Mangrove building.
"This speed... even Observation Haki can't catch it," Luffy struggled to his feet, his heart pounding, a hint of horror flashing in his eyes.
"It's like Teleportation the speed of light!!"
Ace had just raised his hand when the flames transformed into a blazing white Fire Pistol, but Kuma's figure flashed before him in the blink of an eye, his hand lightly patting his side—
"Bang!!"
Ace was sent flying like a cannonball, leaving a long trail of blazing flames in the air before crashing heavily into the dust, with rubble raining down on him.
The two brothers were breathing heavily, their strength almost completely depleted.
Defeating Vista and Jozu had taken a toll on their bodies, pushing them to their limits. Now, facing Kuma at the full power of his own, they couldn't even get close.
Kuma looked down at his palm, Roy's voice echoing in his mind. "Give them some real 'hardening'."
With a slight flicker in his eyes, Kuma slowly raised his head, his gaze locking onto Nami at the edge of the Battlefield.
"Whoosh!!"
The enormous figure suddenly vanished, only to reappear a second later in front of Nami and Usopp, its massive shadow completely enveloping the two.
"Ah--!"
Nami paled, her Clima-Tact trembling slightly as she instinctively assumed a defensive stance.
Usopp held his breath and pulled the trigger, but the bullet bounced off the moment it was fired.
The Kuma slowly raised its fleshy paw, which was larger than their heads, but did not immediately bring it down. Instead, it waved it slightly, as if it were about to strike at any moment.
"Nami--!"
Seeing Luffy from a distance, Luffy's breath caught in his throat.
At that moment, my heartbeat seemed to turn into Thunderclap, exploding in my ears!
"Don't touch her!"
Luffy stomped the ground violently, his blood roaring through his body, his pink Dragon Tail whipping up a fierce wind, and his eyes transforming into crimson dragon pupils.
"Boom--!"
An invisible force erupted from his body, and his blood-red Haki, like a volcanic eruption, swept across the entire Battlefield!
An invisible Shockwave swept around, causing buildings to collapse, the ground to crack, and even the air to rumble as it was crushed!
Ace also held his breath for a moment, his pupils shrinking to the size of pinpoints.
"Luffy, that aura... Conqueror's Haki?!"
Nami and Usopp were thrown to the ground by the Shockwave. Nami stared blankly at Luffy, her hands gripping the Clima-Tact tightly.
"W-This is... Luffy?!"
The Kuma's raised hand remained suspended in mid-air, silently enduring the Impact of this Conqueror's Haki, while a low growl of all beasts bowing their heads seemed to echo in the air.
The next moment, a flicker of emotion flashed in the eyes of this "Tyrant"—a look of satisfaction and approval.
"As expected of... the son of the dragon."