"Gum-Gum..." Luffy seized the opening while Enel was talking and lashed out with a kick.
"Stamp!!" His left leg stretched in an instant, shooting straight toward Enel's chest!
Unfortunately, his attack missed again, merely sending a ripple across Enel's chest.
Looking at the hole punched through his chest, Enel showed no anger whatsoever. Instead, he looked as though he had finally confirmed something unbelievable.
He glanced down at the lightning knitting his chest back together, then looked at the defiant Luffy and murmured, "So that's it...
"The reason my Mantra works so poorly on you, the reason my predictions keep going astray..."
A glint of understanding and disbelief flashed through his eyes.
"It's because you... are nothing but a single-celled organism with no inner thoughts at all!!"
There were no elaborate calculations, no hidden intentions. Every action sprang from the most immediate instincts and emotions!
That utterly pure "blankness" instead made it difficult for Mantra, which relied on reading emotions and tendencies of thought, to predict his movements with perfect accuracy!
Just then, Luffy abruptly turned toward his companions, who were struggling to come over and help, and shouted with every ounce of strength he had.
"Everyone!! Split up now!! Run for your lives! We'll meet up again later!!"
Luffy stared at Enel. There was no hesitation or humiliation on his face, only the purest resolve.
"This guy... against this guy...
"I can't beat him right now!!!"
"So run!!"
At that cry of "run," every member of the Straw Hat Pirates was shaken.
They knew their captain all too well. He was the reckless fool who would charge forward shouting, "I'm going to beat you!" even in the most hopeless situation!
Yet now, Luffy had admitted with his own mouth that he couldn't win and ordered them to flee.
That