Luffy's Defeat, Can Yue VS Clown Buggy

Dozens of black split bodies coated with Armament Haki shot toward Luffy at high speed.

In the nick of time, Luffy adjusted the angle of his fist aimed at Buggy, grabbed a distant house, and used the rubber elasticity to yank himself into the air, dodging the attack.

"Whew~, that was close, that was close."

Luffy adjusted his straw hat and stared more cautiously at Clown Buggy, who had already reassembled his body in the distance.

Buggy grinned widely and taunted Luffy, "What's the matter, now it's your turn to dodge? Try to see if you can avoid this move."

One of Buggy's arms gradually split apart, each split body only about 0.5 centimeters in diameter—imagine how massive the number was.

Even more terrifying, every split piece was coated in dark Armament Haki, exuding overwhelming suppression.

"Chop Chop Fruit upgraded version, Buggy's Gun!"

As the words fell, a dense swarm of black arm fragments shot toward Luffy like machine-gun bullets.

Fortunately, Luffy had studied Haki with Can Yue for a few days and knew clearly that attacks coated with Haki could not be taken head-on.

Luffy could only try to find cover among the ruined houses, attempting to evade the assault.

With Buggy's attack, dust and smoke billowed up from Luffy's location.

When the dust settled, not only the houses but even the ground was riddled with holes, and traces of blood could be seen.

The destructive power of this attack was terrifying.

Zoro, watching from the sidelines, frowned deeply, scanning the battlefield carefully but finding no trace of Luffy.

"Kahahahaha, Straw Hat Kid, did you get blown to pieces by that move?"

Clown Buggy laughed loudly as he pulled back the split bodies he had shot out, reassembling his arm.

But from the shattered ruins, there was still no response from Luffy—the scene was eerily silent.

Several minutes passed, and still Luffy did not appear. Even Zoro felt a deep worry rising in his heart.

Buggy sighed, lowered his hands, and dropped his smile, muttering to himself, "If you can't even get past that move, what are you talking about becoming the Pirate King? You bastard, you don't deserve that hat!"

"White-haired Swordsman, your turn!"

But just as Buggy turned his gaze to Can Yue, he suddenly saw something unbelievable. "How did that straw hat end up in your hands?"

Buggy's pupils contracted, because Luffy had been wearing that hat while fighting him just now.

And now, it meant Luffy had already placed the hat with Can Yue.

That brat isn't dead—so where is he? Why can't I sense his presence?

Buggy scrutinized the area around Can Yue, trying to find Luffy's trail, but no matter how he sensed, that direction only held Can Yue and a pile of his own unconscious subordinates.

Just as Buggy was lost in thought, a black fist suddenly shot out from an alley less than two meters to his left.

It struck Buggy square in the face, sending him flying.

Without giving Buggy any time to recover, Luffy followed up.

"Gomu Gomu, Black Gatling!"

Fists coated in Armament Haki rained down like a Gatling gun, bombarding the fallen Buggy.

Zoro's pupils trembled at the sight. Where did this guy pop out from? And how did he suddenly get so good at using Haki?

Can Yue, watching this, smiled slightly, gaining a bit of recognition for Luffy's combat talent.

Another cloud of smoke dispersed, and the ground where Luffy had attacked was now a large crater, with Clown Buggy lying inside.

"Did I get him?"

Luffy sat on the ground, panting heavily. He was covered in blood from Buggy's earlier attack, and combined with using Haki in battle for the first time, his stamina was severely drained.

Can Yue glanced at the battlefield, understood the situation, and immediately ordered Chuu to take the stunned Mayor and the Pig Butcher Couple away.

He turned and walked toward Luffy.

At that moment, the Pig Butcher suddenly shouted loudly to Can Yue, "Benefactor, Clown Buggy hasn't used the ability I've seen yet. Be very careful."

Can Yue nodded in response, because in his perception, although Buggy was injured, his life force was still tenacious.

Reaching Luffy's side, Can Yue placed the straw hat on Luffy's head.

"Turtle Breathing Technique, well practiced." Can Yue rarely praised Luffy.

"Hahaha, so that's it. Luffy, you learned the turtle trick faster than me." Zoro, who had also walked up to Luffy, finally caught on.

"Hey, if the gap in strength weren't so big, I really wouldn't want to use the skill Can Yue taught me. I like going head-on!"

Luffy complained helplessly.

Can Yue naturally knew that Luffy, a hot-blooded youth, found it hard to accept sneaky fighting, but under the circumstances, Luffy still chose to erase his presence.

When the power gap is too large, blindly charging in only gets you killed.

This was reality, not an anime—there weren't that many protagonist comeback opportunities handed to you.

Luffy's compromise in fighting style meant he now put his companions' and his own lives first, considering his own combat habits only after that.

After all, if he lost and Can Yue was no match for this guy either, could the gravely injured Zoro still survive? Would Nami end up well?

Thinking of this, Can Yue gained a new level of respect for Luffy.

Before Luffy could even catch his breath, a strange laugh suddenly echoed from the deep pit.

"Kah-hahahaha"

"Straw Hat Kid, giving your hat to Can Yue made me suspect you were near him, but instead you hid your presence and sneaked around to the opposite direction. Not bad, very not bad."

Buggy laughed as he climbed back onto the ground, bloodstains at the corners of his mouth but otherwise seemingly unharmed.

"But now, how will you bear the consequences of mocking me? I, the great Buggy-sama, am very angry!"

Buggy's aura suddenly shifted drastically. Both arms split into circular fragments, coated with Armament Haki.

Luffy tried to resist, straining to prop up his exhausted body.

Zoro immediately assumed his Three Sword Style stance, stepping in front of Luffy, sweat dripping from his brow, his heart uncertain how to block this terrifying move.

"Buggy's Gun, Double Version!"

A barrage as dense as rain and as fierce as bullets surged toward Can Yue and the other two.

This scene struck even the distant Mayor and the others with the fear of death's approach.

At that moment, Can Yue made his move.

"Sword Pressure!"

Can Yue instantly drew Demon God Slayer, pressing the blade's edge against Buggy's incoming attack.

"Boom!"

The collision was so violent that the ground cracked and debris from the ruins scattered everywhere.

With just this one exchange, both Can Yue and Buggy clearly sensed each other's strength.

Buggy retracted his body fragments, stared at Can Yue, and burst into laughter. "Kah-hahaha, White-haired Swordsman, Can Yue, at first I thought you killed Morgan to get a bounty higher than the captain's. But now it seems my instincts were right—you really are the strongest in the Straw Hat Pirates."

Can Yue's expression remained blank. He had Zoro take Luffy away from the battlefield while he stood with his sword raised before Buggy.

"Former Pirate King's crewmate, let me truly feel your strength!"

A faint smirk tugged at Can Yue's lips as Demonic Aura flooded his entire body.

The great battle was about to erupt.