Friendly Forces in Trouble, Adding Fuel to the Fire

Do you think you can beat me?

Between the two intertwined figures, Rob Lucci began to feel anxious. Even as Zoan Devil Fruit user, he was finding it hard to keep up with such an intense battle.

"If I can't beat you, I can't protect my comrades!!"

As Lucci, Luffy retaliated with his own kick—

"Rubber-stamp!"

Snap!

The two, now separated, stood still, and Rob Lucci looked at Luffy, and sneered repeatedly.

"I thought I'd met a master, but it turns out he's just a monkey jumping around like a monkey relying on stimulants..."

"You want to confront them head-on?"

Luffy raised his head and smiled proudly.

"Then try this move of mine— Third Gear!"

The suddenly swollen arm, like the hand of a giant, was swung by Luffy and smashed towards Lucci! On one hand, the narrow interior of the building offered little room to dodge, and on the other hand, the fight had ignited Lucci's arrogance.

"So what if I put on airs and then try to take it on?"

"Tekkai!"

"Rubber Giant Gun!!"

There's an old saying that goes:

In the world of martial arts, speed is the only way to break through!

This principle is especially applicable when one person is being attacked by multiple people.

Although Roman appeared to be wearing heavy armor, the 'paper' properties made the armor seem lightweight. In addition, Roman himself didn't know why he was much faster than before, making it impossible for most of the officers to keep up with him, thus preventing the navy from utilizing its numerical advantage.

In short, the most important thing in a group fight is flying a kite!

Among the officers was a burly man, shirtless, revealing a muscular physique. Due to his large size, he moved a little slower, and in a blur, a white fist swung out from in front of a colleague who had suddenly fallen to the side. It grew larger and larger until it completely obscured everything.

The officer immediately roared, desperately gathering his strength, and crossed his arms to meet the incoming fist!

However, amidst a deafening explosion that seemed to come right up to him, the fist in front of him suddenly accelerated again, slamming fiercely into his arm.

"Explosion Acceleration Fist!"

Bang!

Immediately following was a dull, thunderous thud. Although the burly man did not retreat an inch, the bones in his fists, arms, and shoulders cracked instantly. His arms were pressed against his chest by the fists, causing his ribs to break in a series of sounds. He immediately coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground.

Having injured two people, Roman turned to find his next target! Suddenly, darkness fell beside him, and amidst the howling wind, a series of explosions seemed to echo in the air. A black snake-like shadow, stretching and contracting rapidly, fiercely lunged at him, tearing at his flesh.

"Snake Fist - Double Devour!"

"Oh, the Longarm Tribe?"

This attack pattern, capable of sending 'Snake Fist' strikes several meters away, can only be achieved by the unique 'Longarm Tribe' of this world. They are a race with two elbow joints, and combined with their generally tall stature and long arms, their arm span is naturally twice that of an average person!

This makes their attack range very wide.

"Good,"

Roman praised his opponent, noting that not only was the timing of his attack perfect, intercepting him, but his arms moved like whips and snakes, displaying an extreme speed of strikes that could only be achieved through extreme flexibility.

Besides being agile and nimble, the opponent's moves also carried a sinister and vicious aura, like a swarm of pythons biting wildly!

Anyone else facing this attack would be torn to shreds in an instant by its claws! Even the rest of the Straw Hat crew would struggle to cope. It's a master—

Faced with the barrage of attacks, Roman stepped forward, letting the blows land on the 'White Knight,' tearing off wads of paper! Then, he unleashed a sudden punch.

Most of the snake shadows vanished instantly, revealing a figure wearing a traditional Chinese jacket. Roman's fist struck the opponent's right palm squarely. With another burst of force, Roman pushed the opponent's right hand towards his chest, intending to use brute force to overcome skill!

Seeing that it couldn't withstand the attack, the opponent suddenly bent and slid, dodging to the side like a real python to absorb the force! It could be said that both its response and strength were quite impressive, but:

Brush,

If it comes to agility, even Luffy's Rubber-Rubber Fruit wouldn't dare compare to Roman!

Despite his imposing stature and heavy armor, the White Knight charged with a speed that even the most agile officers could not match! Having shaken off his pursuers, he lunged forward to seize the man—

Boom!!

The bridge foundation beneath the Bridge of Hesitation, which was also a massive building, suddenly exploded! A gigantic fist forcefully pierced through the half-meter-thick rock structure, and in front of that gigantic fist was a 'petite' Leopard Human in a black suit.

Rob Lucci.

Thump!

Lucci was sent flying by a punch, landed on a warship. Otherwise, the battle would have been over.

"Rubber, rubber—"

Luffy leaps out of the hole in the building, pumps air into his left foot in Vice Admiral, causing it to swell violently, and then!

"Battle Axe!"

Rumble!!!

The massive foot slammed down, stomping so hard that the warship was forced to cave in! But Lucci, having already regained his senses, had already leaped up and landed on the mast. Panting, he transformed into his leopard form and pounced forward:

"Aaaaaah~~"

It bit Luffy's shoulder.

The beast form grants a greater recovery speed, which suggests that Rob Lucci is also nearing his limit.

"Roll!"

Luffy, now inflated, blasted his opponent away, then channeled the energy into his right leg and unleashed a powerful horizontal sweep—

"Rubber Giant Axe!"

Unfortunately, Lucci was CP9's ace after all. Although his long period of infiltration had weakened his strength, his combat instincts had not diminished. He immediately discovered the flaw in Luffy's move.

"Shave!"

He instantly dodged Luffy's massive whip kick and swiftly charged to Luffy's side using Razor. Then:

Shigan!

Puff,

Before Luffy could react to the Luffy that pierced his throat, his opponent swiftly circled behind him again and delivered a powerful kick that slammed him onto the deck!

"Strength has increased, but unfortunately speed has not."

In an instant, the tide of battle turned dramatically!

·······

"Vice Admiral, Straw Hat Luffy is currently engaged in a fierce battle with Rob Lucci of CP!"

"The fourth warship was completely destroyed by them—"

Vice Admiral, who had already dealt with the Onigumo who had broken into the island, has returned and is right next to the ship where Luffy and his crew were fighting.

Without even looking, Vice Admiral Onigumo knew Luffy was at a disadvantage. It wasn't that he lacked strength, but rather that using Third Gear, a powerful yet slow technique, against a Six Powers master like Lucci in an open area...

Madness!

Onigumo immediately picked up the Den Den Mushi next to him and announced it to the entire ship.

"Rob Lucci will not die."

"Attention all artillery! Fire a salvo at ship number four in five seconds!"

???

"Lieutenant Vice Admiral... there are still our men above us..."

Bang!

With a single shot piercing the thigh of the soldier who dared to talk back, Onigumo Vice Admiral turned his eyes to look at the other man, and his cold gaze immediately made the soldier stiffen and unable to move.

"Make them jump ship!"

"A bunch of useless trash who can't even get involved in the fight."

"If the pirates escape because of your hesitation, who will be responsible?"

Rumble!!!

Seconds later, a barrage of shells rained down on the warship where Luffy and Lucci were fighting, instantly engulfing everything in flames and explosions. At the same time:

They stopped Lucci's pursuit! Luffy a chance to regroup.

Oh my, I never expected that Vice Onigumo Vice Admiral, with your cold and indifferent face that seems to kill gods and Buddhas alike, could act so naturally... On the other side, Roman, who had been sending out paper birds to monitor the battlefield, was stunned!

This move, isn't this just Lee Sin's "Healing the Wounded" kick?

The Rubber-Rubber Fruit makes him immune to cannonballs, so isn't this just buying Luffy time? Lucci, you truly deserve your defeat—you had an idiotic superior, a group of careless companions, and a Marine 'colleague' who was deliberately sabotaging you...

Otherwise, if Vice Admiral Onigumo had simply jumped over and Eight-Sword Style attack, would Luffy still be alive?

"Nami, go get Luffy!"

Following Roman's voice, Nami, who was closest to the rudder, turned the rudder and headed towards the exploding No. 4 warship.

Neither Luffy nor Lucci are the type to die from a mere explosion. The final battle is imminent; once they defeat Lucci, they can escape.