A Favorable Situation: Inner Demon Nightmare
"Gomu Gomu no Jet Bullet!"
"Cut!"
In mid-air, Luffy's fist, which was in Gear Second Gear mode, Roman's longsword, which was combined with White Knight, fell at the same time!
Neither Roman nor Luffy had any intention of being careless when facing Rob Lucci. With their full power, their fists unleashed rolling, scorching white shockwaves, and their longswords cleaved out crescent-shaped sword energy that hurtled towards the spot where their opponent had landed. The sharp edge and the piercing Sonic Boom instantly intertwined.
The combined attack of the Straw Hat crew's two main members was incredibly powerful! In an instant, the ruins where Lucci had been smashed were reduced to dust, revealing a tall figure among them.
The figure was three meters tall! His suit was stretched taut, revealing the outline of his muscles. The long sleeves had become short sleeves, and the trousers had become capri pants, exposing his skin with a metallic sheen and covered in spots. — He exuded wildness and power at first glance!
"Cat-Cat Fruit - Leopard Form!"
A pair of claws with dagger-like nails met Luffy's fist and Roman's sword energy respectively, and with the support of 'Tekkai', they managed to completely block the attacks of the two.
"Unlike you two flashy Paramecia, Zoan only have pure power!"
Shave,
In an instant, Lucci's speed was beyond description! In the blink of an eye, he circled around to Roman's side. After all, compared to Luffy Second Gear, Roman's speed was much slower.
Within Roman's Observation Haki, a fierce crimson aura swept over, along with a cold and resolute killing intent!
When Rob Lucci gets serious, ordinary steel is no stronger than paper! Even Roman's Devil Fruit ability can't claim absolute defense, and once the defense is broken, Lucci, who is proficient in the Six Powers, can tear apart a flesh and blood body in less than 0.1 seconds.
The opponent's fierce aura and intense deathly presence instantly drew Roman's strength, spirit, and momentum to the armored 'White Knight' he was wearing!
Armament Haki - Hardening.
The already heavy armor was instantly covered with a layer of invisible light, its metallic texture exuding an aura of indestructibility. At the same time, Roman gripped the Eight-sided Han Sword horizontally with both hands, swung his body violently, and slashed straight at Lucci, sword and all!
With the infusion of Armament Haki, the Eight-sided Han Sword, like a true famous sword and swift blade, drew a semi-circular golden torrent several meters long. The sword suddenly brought with it a sound as loud as ten thousand waves crashing against the shore, and fiercely met the opponent's fist!
Thud!
With a dull yet deafening roar, Roman's longsword and Lucci's right claw collided violently, sending shockwaves erupting from the point of impact and creating a massive semi-circular crater in the surrounding ground.
Although Roman discovered that his opponent's claws were as hard as metal, comparable to Great Grade Swords, and that his own paper sword was clearly running out of steam, he shouldn't forget that he wasn't fighting alone—
"Gomu Gomu no Jet Whip!"
The incredibly fast whip kick lashed out at Rob Lucci, sending him flying backward even after he instantly used 'Tekkai'. Although he wasn't seriously injured, he couldn't use his planned backup plan against Roman.
Tsk,
Since that's the case, let's deal with this Straw Hat Kid first!
Relying on the speed and shave ability granted by his Zoan Devil Fruit, Lucci instantly turned and charged at Luffy. His intention was to quickly take down this guy without 'armor' first, and then deal with Roman was covered in armor! But he immediately realized he was wrong.
Although Luffy appears defenseless in his straw Straw Hat, red vest, denim shorts, and flip-flops, his Rubber-Rubber Fruit grants him a resilient body, coupled with the resistance he developed from training with Garp since childhood. Unless it's a slashing attack, it's difficult to inflict significant damage on him.
Luffy's close-combat skills are also remarkable. His arms extend and retract as he throws punches, which are like cannonballs or steel whips. The countless punches may seem like random swings, but they are actually perfectly executed!
"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!!!"
If Luffy's previous stretching attacks were easily anticipated and countered by 'experts', with the inhuman speed brought by Second Gear, every move is as fast as the wind, as fierce as thunder, and as powerful as lightning, leaving no one who can stand in his way! Even Lucci's Zoan Devil Fruit combined with Tekkai didn't dare to withstand it too much.
As the battle continued, Roman gradually got used to Lucci's high-speed movement.
After all, he had sparred with Luffy quite often. Although this kind of high-speed movement, which seemed to disappear, was indeed beyond the reach of the naked eye for Roman, his Observation Haki was able to clearly detect the two of them.
Once you get into a close-quarters fight, the weakness in mobility becomes less noticeable.
Two against one, even two fists can't fight four hands! Besides, Roman and Luffy already had excellent teamwork, so even the so-called 'genius of the last eight hundred years' was being suppressed and beaten, and the injuries that kept accumulating on Rob Lucci's body were rapidly depleting his stamina.
No, we must break the deadlock—
"Storm Kick 'Leopard Tail'!"
Remaining in his leopard form, Lucci suddenly spun around, unleashing a spiraling slash with his foot that resembled a beast's tail! The sharp, spinning light wheel sliced through the earth, buildings, and rocks! Just as he was about to catch up with the pink-clad Luffy, a tall white figure suddenly blocked his path, slashing down with a longsword.
Cut!
Roman wasn't bothered by the 'Storm Kick' slash, after all, Sanji had sparred with him quite a bit since Sanji it. As he swung his longsword, a golden trail was left in the air, like a skilled butcher carving up an ox, easily cleaving the vacuum slash through the gaps in the air.
However, what happened next was completely unexpected for Roman. The domineering slashing wave did not dissipate, but continued to strike Roman like an endless wheel!
In an instant, Roman's expression changed beneath his helmet!
The Eight-sided Han Sword in his hand tumbled up and down, transforming into countless fleeting cold lightning bolts that flashed and disappeared in the spinning slashes. No matter how intense the slashes were, they could not devour or suppress the tenacious strands of golden sword light.
In the blink of an eye, ten sword strikes had been completed, but the sound of blades clashing grew louder and louder, proving that Roman's longsword was finding it increasingly difficult to cut through the slashing waves! When the last sword strike came, it produced a loud clang that soared into the sky and stirred up the clouds.
Roman was instantly jolted, and a crack suddenly appeared on the longsword in his hand!
In that instant, Lucci used his back to withstand Luffy's punch, transformed his leg into a finger, and with a flick of his sharp nail, instantly created a burst of flame! He struck Roman's longsword, which was already cracked, with perfect accuracy.
"Shigan 'Crimson Lotus'!"
With such extreme temperature changes and impacts, Roman's longsword could no longer withstand the force and instantly shattered into countless fragments like a real metal weapon. The scattered flames adhered to the fragments and then surged forth, completely engulfing and swallowing Roman.
"Roman!"
In response to Luffy's anxious shouts, a calm voice came from within the flames.
"I'm fine,"
Call--
After being covered with 'Vivre Card' and imbued with Haki, Roman had long since overcome his weakness to 'fire'. Although Lucci destroyed his weapon in two moves, it was, after all, a creation of his ability. Therefore:
Splash splash~~
With a flick of his wrist, a brand-new Eight-sided Han Sword appeared in Roman's hand, and he once again swung the sword to attack.
Damn it!
The more Lucci fought, the more alarmed he became. He had initially thought it was just a scapegoat pirate crew, but who knew they actually had two genuine experts!
What's most troublesome is that both of them are Devil Fruit ability quite well: one has incredible defense after being hardened with Haki by his full-body heavy Haki, and the other is incredibly fast with his body radiating Haki. If they were separated, there might be a chance to find their weaknesses and defeat them one by one, but now—
If the fighting continues, he'll be the one who has to consider running away.
No!
We must not have such weak thoughts!
No matter how rampant evil may be, justice will never back down.
Crackle!
Just as the three of them were tumbling and rolling around like a demolition crew, creating piles of rubble, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck down from the sky above the Galley-La Company headquarters, Lucci! But what surprised him even more was what happened next:
One after another, Inazuma struck with pinpoint accuracy, all heading straight for the top floor of the Galley-La Company headquarters, Lucci's heart to sink instantly.
This unnatural lightning could only mean that someone is using Devil Fruit ability!
But CP9 doesn't have such 'flashy' skills; they're assassins, not assault troops, so—
"Storm Kick 'White Thunder'!"
The massive slicing wave sliced the entire building in two, and the colossal structure slowly slid to the side. Of course, such an attack was completely meaningless to skilled fighters in the heat of battle, but it was enough to disrupt their rhythm and restrain their opponent.
After all, unlike the CP9 who don't care about anything and just wipe out everything, the Straw Hat crew:
"Robin, watch out!"
"Chopper, get them out of here!"
Several small figures leaped out from the collapsing building, splitting into two groups. One group consisted of Kaku, with a long nose and a knife wound staining half his shoulder, Bruno, his face covered in blood, and Kalifa, charred black, being supported by Kaku. — This sexy former secretary had transformed into an 'African,' and would probably have been unable to stand without her companion's support.
On the other side are Zoro wielding dual swords, Sanji smoking a cigarette, Nami lifted up by a gust of wind with lightning flashing above her head, and Chopper carrying the Mayor Iceberg and the foreman Barry.
It's not hard to tell who's stronger just by looking at their appearances.
"Is this the strength of the World Government's assassination agency?"
Sanji sighed.
"I never imagined we were all this strong."
"Snort,"
Zoro only used two swords, snorted coldly.
"The opponent is too weak."
????
The CP9 members, who were so confident that they could manipulate the Straw Hat crew, were all taken aback. Had they really fallen so low as to be called 'weak'?
"Phew~~~"
Luffy and Roman, having deactivated Second Gear, retreated to the Straw Hat crew's side. While the outcome wasn't entirely decided, they held a significant advantage! As long as—
"What a disgrace!"
Rob Lucci, still in his Leopard Human form, glanced at his wounded colleague.
"They actually have to rely on the power of 'evil'."
?
Before the Straw Hat crew could react, Lucci, wiping blood from his mouth, gave an order to the figure who didn't belong to either group.
"Take care of them, Nicole Robin!"
??
What's wrong with you?
"How could Robin possibly attack us—"
Ignoring the Straw Hat crew's incredulous words, Lucci looked at the intellectual beauty whose face was contorted with struggle and coldly uttered three words.
"The Buster Call!"
Oops--