Luffy, ripened to twenty-nine years old, clearly already possessed the physical qualities of an emperor-level fighter, as well as Three-Color Haki that was excellent across the board.
But for true admirals and emperors, those were only their foundation. The reason those people could stand at the peak of the world was that each of them had something unique, something beyond the normal system for judging strength.
For example, Whitebeard's attack power, Kizaru's mobility, Kaido's recovery, Big Mom's defense, and so on...
Once one's mastery of martial arts, Haki, Devil Fruit, and the like had all reached the standard, only by having one ability that broke past the limit could one become an admiral or a pirate emperor.
Very clearly, the ripened Luffy did not have that.
Otherwise, this would not have been a ripening ability, but a summoning of a future projection.
We all understood one very simple principle: something that had been ripened might look no different on the outside from something that had matured normally, but inside, it would definitely have all kinds of flaws and shortcomings.
That was the price of saving time.
So, never mind how peerless and heroic Luffy had looked just now, fighting three on one and still suppressing Ringo and the others, making it seem as if the three of them did not know how to fight.
But when he ran into Araki, his flaws were exposed.
Before this swordsmanship that faintly surpassed the world's limits, Luffy was like an ant straining with all its might to shake a great tree.
Armament Haki could not defend against it!
Conqueror's Haki? The other side was stronger!
Observation Haki could not help him dodge!
His Devil Fruit awakening was even less help!
That radiant, dazzling curtain of swords pushed across inch by inch. Wherever it