Shanks suddenly stepped forward, gripping his sword with both hands. Conqueror's Haki poured into Griffon like a tide, and the dark red light on its blade grew brighter and brighter. Its Conqueror's Haki coating erupted outward like a tsunami, even forming a faint black surge around the blade.
"Divine Departure: Wild Dance!!!"
Countless dark red slashes swept out like a gale, packed so densely that they covered all the surrounding space. Each slash carried the combined might of Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki, viciously sharp, leaving Luffy no way to survive.
Seeing this, Luffy did not dodge. Instead, he opened his mouth in a broad laugh, laughing even harder as he slammed both hands onto the ground.
"Gum-Gum-Ground Bounce!!!"
The ground beneath his feet instantly turned into rubber under Nika's power, soft and elastic. When Shanks's slashes struck it, it was like cutting into cotton. Their force was completely absorbed, cushioned, then bounced back even faster-and that was not all. Luffy reached out and caught one of the rebounding slashes, turned it into rubber too, and flung it hard at Shanks like a rubber band.
"What?!" Shanks's pupils contracted, and he hurriedly twisted aside. The rebounding slash grazed past his shoulder, leaving a shallow cut on his arm that immediately seeped blood. "You can even turn sword aura into rubber? That ability really does live up to its reputation."
"Hahaha! Got you!" Luffy laughed excitedly, his body launching upward like a spring. He thrust both hands forward, and his arms instantly stretched and thickened. Without any need to blow air into them, they became two enormous fists that blotted out the sky. The Conqueror's Haki coiling around them grew denser and denser. Tiny rubber patterns could even be seen writhing across their surfaces, making them frightening to behold.
"Gum-Gum-Giant's Fist!!!"