Xia Le slowly raised his head, a smile on his face.
He seemed neither surprised by the attack nor concerned in the slightest.
In the blink of an eye, the distance between them rapidly closed.
At that moment, Dragon, Ace, Zoro, Kuma, and the others watched intently, their pupils contracting.
This would be the first clash with Xia Le since the battle began, and its significance could not be overstated.
"Gum-Gum White Star Gun!!"
Luffy roared.
The tremendous power he had gathered finally erupted, hurtling straight toward Xia Le.
Yet Xia Le still wore the same smile, seemingly having no intention of dodging.
At that very second, the fist came within an inch of Xia Le, the wind whipped up by its force already making his robes flutter.
"Light-Speed Kick!"
A sudden golden light flared. A kick struck Luffy square in the abdomen, sending his entire body flying sideways without a moment's pause.
He tumbled across the ground again and again, only coming to a stop several thousand meters away.
"Charging straight at our king like that is rather rude, don't you think?"
"Straw Hat Luffy!"
The golden light faded as Kizaru lowered his right leg.
Several thousand meters away, Luffy braced both hands against the ground, pulled his head free, and burst out laughing.
"I thought I could fight him right away!"
"Guess it's not that easy!"
"Hahahahaha!"
The cheerful laughter he received in response left Kizaru rather surprised.
"You certainly know how to take things in stride!"
Then his gaze returned to Dragon, Ace, and the others before him.
"What a bother. None of you are opponents I want to face."
Both Dragon and Ace, the Flame Emperor of the Whitebeard Pirates, were world-famous figures, and neither was weak.
And Straw Hat, whom he had just sent flying