Rock's Training

The sound of the wind through the forest was gradually drowned out by the blur of fists and the crash of impacts. The fight between the two had fully heated up.

Bang!

Smack!

Thud!

Fists and a staff clashed again and again, the rhythm growing faster and faster.

Luffy's body was constantly stretched, compressed, and rebounded.

His movements began to show a conscious use of rubber elasticity to counterattack.

But the gap between them was still glaringly obvious.

Rock sat atop a boulder, his expression calm. He saw everything clearly.

Luffy merely knew how to use his ability; he still did not know how to fight.

Ace, on the other hand, carried an almost instinctive precision in every angle of his steps and every moment he chose to strike.

That was an instinct honed bit by bit at the edge of life and death, the result of Roger's bloodline combined with Garp's training.

Whoosh—!

Luffy threw another punch.

Gum-Gum Pistol!

His fist stretched out, blasting straight ahead with elasticity and momentum.

It was fast.

But—

Ace merely shifted one step to the side. The fist brushed past his shoulder without even touching the corner of his clothes.

He did not even look at the punch as he spoke calmly.

"Luffy."

His tone was composed.

"You've only—become rubber, that's all."

Luffy froze. In that instant—

His arm was still in its stretched state and had not retracted.

Whoosh!

Ace stomped forward and closed in, directly grabbing that stretched arm!

"Huh?!"

Luffy's pupils shrank before he could react—

Bang!

A tremendous force suddenly pulled him over, and his balance instantly collapsed!

Thud—!

His back slammed viciously into the ground, sending dirt flying!

"Aaaahhh—!!!"

His scream burst out at once.

Bang!

A fist came down.

Bang!

Then another.

Bang!

A third punch.

The