A Helping Hand!

"Seraphim..."

"It actually lost?!"

The berserk aura around S-Tsugikuni Yoriichi slowly dissipated. The Seraphim, which had moved with such ferocious speed moments ago, now stood motionless.

Seeing this from before the treasury door, Abel's expression changed drastically. He had never expected things to turn out this way.

Compared to Luffy, who had barely managed to hold on, S-Tsugikuni Yoriichi had undoubtedly held the advantage throughout the battle. Yet Luffy had lasted until the end. The Seraphim's physical limits simply could not compare to those of an exceptional human like Luffy.

Abel had not expected that young man to withstand the Seraphim's savage attacks for so long. And as the Seraphim ceased moving, Luffy's injuries rapidly healed. In just a few breaths, there was no longer any sign that he had been wounded.

If Abel had not clearly sensed that Luffy's aura had weakened considerably, he would not have believed that Luffy had just gone through such an intense battle.

By this point, they of the New Marines had effectively lost.

The two Seraphim had lost their combat ability, while Abel himself had suffered grave injuries and could not recover his fighting strength anytime soon.

Yet Luffy did not seem to have lost much combat power. With one side weakening while the other remained strong, stopping the enemy's advance had become exceedingly difficult.

"We... we won?!"

Seeing the Seraphim that had stopped moving, Luffy's companions immediately burst into cheers. Luffy himself seemed oblivious until he heard them. Only then did he stare blankly, surprise flickering in his eyes.

Even he, who had struggled so desperately to hold out, had not expected to win in this manner. Despite winning, Luffy did not feel much joy.

He had been suppressed for the entire battle. Victory under such circumstances was nothing more than luck.