Gear Second

Boom! For the first time, a band of outsiders broke through Enies Lobby's defenses.

"Robin! Ming!" Luffy stood on the front island. "We've come to save you!"

"They're doing pretty well." Sitting atop a tall building, Li Ziming watched the battle at the island's entrance and shook his head helplessly. "They're really making a mess. But that's exactly how this should feel." His blood was starting to stir, too. "I can't get over there yet, so I'll set off a few fireworks and fan the flames." He snapped his fingers, and the great gate in front of Luffy and the others collapsed.

"What happened?" Luffy froze for a moment.

"It was probably Li Ziming. Don't just stand there!" Nami shouted urgently. "We need to get to Robin!"

"Trouble! Giants!" shouted the three super-strong brothers of the Franky Family who had come with Luffy and the others.

"Don't worry!" Usopp-or rather, the masked Sogeking-stepped up before the giants. "I know how to deal with these two!"

"You?" The giant Oimo looked at Usopp disdainfully. "I could squash a little runt like you with one punch!"

"Wait! We're friends of the giants Dorry and Brogy! Don't you want to hear about your captains?" Sogeking's voice immediately reached both giants' ears.

"Impossible!" Kashii said in disbelief. "The people at Enies Lobby told us our captains were locked in prison! They promised to release our bosses if we guarded the gate for a hundred years!"

"Then should I describe Dorry and Brogy's faces and weapons to you? They're dueling in a garden in the East Blue right now! They're perfectly fine!" The conversation between Sogeking and the giants gave the Marines present an uneasy feeling.

"Kill those pirates!" One Marine officer finally lost patience and gave the order, hoping to cut their conversation short.

But before any Marines could obey, a massive fist smashed down.

"You dared to lie to us!" Oimo and Kashii had still been a little doubtful, but they weren't stupid. The Marines' nervous reactions told them immediately that they had been deceived. "We'll never forgive you!" The giants' destructive power was laid bare. Even their most casual movements sent scores of Marines flying.

"Sogeking!" Oimo picked Usopp up in one hand and set him on his shoulder. "If you know Boss Dorry and Boss Brogy, you must be someone impressive, too! Climb aboard, and we'll take you inside!"

"Stay close!" Kashii roared, charging toward the center of Enies Lobby with his massive body.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Luffy shouted indignantly. "I want a ride, too!"

"Enough! Saving them comes first!" Nami snapped. "I never expected these giants to know Dorry and Brogy, let alone switch sides because of them." She had been worried about whether this rescue could succeed, but seeing such powerful Marine allies turn against them so easily put her somewhat at ease. "Cool Ball, Heat Ball, Thunderbolt Tempo!" An enormous thundercloud instantly appeared overhead, and countless bolts of lightning rained down, inflicting massive damage.

"That attack doesn't care whose side we're on!" Zoro had only escaped by dodging quickly. A bolt had nearly struck him.

"Moss-head! How dare you speak to Nami like that!" Sanji kicked at Zoro.

"You want to die, curly-brows?" Zoro shot back without backing down.

"Too slow." Perhaps Luffy felt that nothing here would let him cut loose. "I'm going ahead!" He stretched out his arms, grabbed a rooftop, and launched himself over.

"Here he comes." Watching from his hiding place atop a tall building, Li Ziming saw Luffy leap over. "Then I'll go find some food. Luffy and Franky will both need plenty to eat later." He turned and headed toward the kitchen. "Right, am I forgetting something?" He snapped his fingers again.

"Damn it, where did those huge iron balls come from?" The two giants and two Sea Kings had been leading the main group forward, but the sudden attack with enormous iron balls caught everyone off guard. A second later, however, there was a boom, and every iron ball shattered into fragments.

"Was that Ming, too?" Nami said delightedly. "All right, there's nothing blocking us now! Charge!" Everyone's morale soared, and despite their superior numbers, the Marines were driven back again and again.

"Where's Robin?" Luffy landed on a rooftop and looked around for any sign of someone.

"Kid, you shouldn't have come here." Blueno's voice rang out. A door opened in the air, and he stepped through it.

"Do you know where Robin is?" Luffy had no interest in listening to him.

"Foolish brat." Blueno didn't care to say anything more either. He moved at incredible speed, appearing before Luffy in an instant. But before he could attack, Luffy punched him and sent him flying.

"How is that possible?" Blueno climbed out of the shattered wall in disbelief. He can follow Soru's speed? No, it must have been a fluke. Refusing to believe anyone could see through Soru, he used it again to appear behind Luffy. "Revolving Door!" He thrust his palm at Luffy's head.

But Luffy was fast, too. Without even turning around, he punched Blueno away again. His face, however, began spinning like a revolving door.

"Aaah! What is this?!" Luffy shouted in panic.

"My power lets me open doors in anything. Naturally, your face is no exception." Blueno was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Luffy to truly see through his speed.

"Tekkai: Sai!" Blueno moved above Luffy, ready to finish him off.

"Waaaah!" Luffy screamed theatrically as he dodged the attack. "Phew, it closed." He held his face in both hands, looking relieved.

"Doors can open, so naturally they can close." Blueno felt a little disappointed. He had nearly finished Luffy off.

Is this guy getting a kick out of these close calls? Li Ziming had actually moved into hiding. A moment earlier, he had nearly been unable to stop himself from intervening.

"What are you doing this for?" Blueno asked. "Do you know what the flag behind me means? Do you know how many nations across the Grand Line and the Four Seas stand united under it? Does your little pirate crew really intend to oppose the World Government?"

"Huh?" Luffy picked his nose. "What's that got to do with me? All I know is that you took my friends, and they want us to save them."

"Truly ignorant." Blueno seemed to have lost interest in talking. "You can die here."

"You know..." Luffy suddenly grew utterly serious. "Someone said that to me once. He was strong enough to kill me in an instant, so I was scared. Some of my friends aren't even as strong as me, so I decided I had to get stronger! I won't let my friends get hurt again. That's why I upgraded my moves to make myself stronger!" Like a sumo wrestler, he planted his legs at right angles and rested his hands on his knees.

"Upgraded your moves?" Blueno frowned.

"Shift gears! Gear Second!" Luffy's whole body turned red, and thick steam poured off him.

"Steam? What are you, a locomotive?" Blueno didn't think it would do much good.

"So this is Gear Second?" Li Ziming watched Luffy's transformation. "Seeing it live really is the best."

"Gum-Gum!" Luffy held his left arm straight out in front of him and drew his right fist back beside his head.

"You're aiming at me? Go ahead and try, if you think you can." Blueno's figure suddenly began to blur.

"Jet Pistol!" Before Blueno could escape using Soru, he was already flying backward.

"What the hell just happened?" Li Ziming said in surprise. A second later, he activated his Observation Haki, ready to get a proper look at just how fast Luffy's movements had become.

Before the airborne Blueno could react, Luffy appeared behind him. "Stamp!"

The tremendous force made Blueno feel as if a Sea King had rammed him. The attack was so fast that he couldn't even use Tekkai.

No! He's using Soru! Blueno was stunned. The Six Powers could only be mastered through intense training, yet the man before him had learned to use Soru so quickly. "Air Door!" Blueno swiftly used his ability to hide.

"That speed..." Envy flickered in Li Ziming's eyes. "Is that the protagonist's halo at work? Even with my Observation Haki, I can only catch a few afterimages."

"He disappeared?" Luffy stood quietly in place. He didn't believe his opponent would simply leave.

"Door!" Blueno suddenly appeared behind Luffy, both hands poised to activate his ability. But a second later, Luffy vanished and reappeared behind him.

"Gum-Gum!" Luffy stretched both arms backward.

"Damn it!" Blueno braced himself. "Tekkai: Steel!"

"Jet Rocket!" The immense force of the impact sent ripples through the air itself.

"That's some serious power." Li Ziming watched the scene in astonishment.

"You're pretty tough." Looking at Blueno, who was still standing, Luffy brought his hand to his mouth. "Then let me show you something even more interesting."

"No need. He's already unconscious." Li Ziming emerged, walked up to Blueno, and gave him a gentle push. Blueno toppled over.

"What? I thought I'd get to try my new move." Luffy looked a little dissatisfied.

"Ha, you'll get your chance. This guy is nowhere near as strong as the one who keeps a pigeon. You can fight to your heart's content when you face that pigeon keeper, Luffy. Besides, these moves of yours have side effects, don't they?" Li Ziming took out a large bundle. "Here's what you need."

"Meat!" Luffy exclaimed delightedly at the bundle Li Ziming handed him. "Thanks! My body was starting to hurt!" The redness and steam faded from his body, and he grabbed the meat and began devouring it.

"Luffy, Robin's right over there." Li Ziming pointed to the building's top floor.

"Really?" Luffy stuffed the meat into his mouth in one bite. "Robin! We've come to get you!"