Bang bang bang...
"Ah..."
Luffy struggled to defeat the Marines blocking his way, but then a sword flashed behind him, aimed straight for Luffy's head.
Swoosh...
"Wow... that was close!!"
Luffy's face was almost grazed by the blade, leaving a thin line of blood on his cheek with a few drops of blood, before he backed away across the ice.
hiss...
"Phew... You're... the swordsman next to that Smoking Man, aren't you?!"
Luffy clearly remembers Tashigi, or rather, he remembers Smoker, who once defeated him.
He wiped the blood from his face, a serious look flashing in his eyes, and confirmed with her.
"Hmph, Straw Hat Luffy, I'm going to make sure you..."
Before Tashigi could reveal her purpose, Smoker's voice came from behind her.
"Get out of the way, Tashigi..."
Swoosh...
Upon hearing Smoker's warning, Tashigi immediately moved to the side. Smoker, his fist wielding a Jitte weapon, slammed into Luffy's face like a bullet, sending him Luffy and hurtling across the ice.
"Cough cough... Ouch, that hurts. Oh, it's you, Smoking Man. Oh, by the way, I think your weapon was equipped with Seastone..."
Luffy sat up, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and looked at Smoker, who had appeared there, with a very serious expression.
"Hmph, Straw Hat Luffy, I'm going to bring you to justice today..."
Smoker said coldly, a cigar dangling from his mouth.
"I'm not going to sit here and wait to die... Gum-Gum... Jet Gatling!!"
Bang bang bang...
After saying that, Luffy used Gear Second again, his body billowing with steam, and used both hands and feet to slam into Smoker in all directions.
"It's useless. I'm Logia; this kind of attack can't even scratch a hair on my body..."
Seeing that Smoker hadn't mastered Armament Haki, Luffy didn't dodge his attack and exposed his body completely to him.
Swish... swish... swish...
Just as he had predicted, all the attacks passed through Smoker, leaving only craters on his body. Then the smoke filled in again, and he stood unharmed in front of Luffy.
"You're much better than before..."
When Smoker tried to catch up with Luffy using smoke to strike him, he couldn't get close because of Luffy's extreme speed in Luffy Gear Second. He landed back on the ground and gave Luffy a slight compliment.
Same here!
Swoosh...
Just as Luffy was about to exchange pleasantries with him, Smoker's lower body instantly transformed into smoke, propelling him forward. Before Luffy could even retaliate, the tips of his Jitte swords were already pressed against Luffy's throat, knocking him to the ground, unable to move.
"Although your skills have improved, you still can't beat me, and you were too careless..."
Now I finally understand why the dragon saved your life in Loguetown, but I don't know if he can save your life again now...
Smoker pinned Luffy to the ground, sat on his body, and spoke calmly.
"Cough cough, damn it... Seastone, I can't muster any strength..."
Luffy tried to struggle, but the strange aura coming from his throat weakened his entire body, leaving him too weak to even move. He said helplessly.
"... Oh no, Straw Hat Boy!!"
Here, Ivankov, Luffy's father's subordinate, had his first task to ensure Luffy's life in this battle. When he saw Luffy in danger, he rushed over to try to rescue him, but then a bright light flashed beside him.
call out...
"Um..."
boom...
Ivankov sensed the danger in time and immediately rolled away to avoid the laser beam.
The beam of light, condensed into a beam as thick as a thumb, contained immense power. After Iva dodged it, it exploded directly behind him, shattering the ice behind him. Cracks spread rapidly outwards like a spider web.
"Hmm... Kizaru? No, that's not right. He should be tied up by Rayleigh and shouldn't have a chance to attack here. Who is it then?"
Ivankov got up again and looked at the figure obscured by thick smoke, guessing his identity.
"Who are you..."
call out...
boom...
Iva stood up, pointed at him, and was about to ask him his identity when another laser beam shot out, piercing a hole through his bushy hair.
Thump...
Thump...
"Identity confirmed: Revolutionary Army cadre Ivankov!!"
The man finally revealed his face. To Iva's surprise, he scanned her face, then displayed Iva's data on his glasses and spoke it aloud.
"Aren't you a bear? Why are you attacking me? Aren't we on the same side?"
Iva launched into a series of questions at her former comrades who stood before her.
"Hehehehe... Although I don't know what your relationship is, I still advise you to give up. It's pointless to talk to him now. Or rather, the person standing in front of you isn't the bear you know at all— Revolutionary Army cadre Emporio Ivankov!!"
However, just then, as Eva anxiously questioned the silent Kuma, the battle zone between the two was pulled close to another Shichibukai, Doflamingo. Seeing Eva's agitated tone, he couldn't help but remind him.
"What? You mean he's not Xiong? How is that possible? His appearance, build, and abilities are exactly the same as the bears I know. How could it not be him?"
When Iva heard Doffy say that the person in front of her wasn't the bear he knew, she immediately retorted.
Whoosh~
Boom boom boom boom...
"I spin, I spin again, I spin again, I spin and spin!!"
Just as Doffy was about to speak, Kuma launched another attack. He opened his mouth and fired beams of laser light at Iva, leaving him no time to save Luffy.
"Die, Straw Hat Luffy!!"
After Smoker finished speaking, he didn't hesitate to deliver the fatal blow, raising his Jitte and stabbing down with Extreme Speed.
Swoosh...
With a single strike, a formidable gust of wind was unleashed, aimed straight for the throat. If this blow were to land, even Luffy might have to spend the rest of his life in a hospital bed.
"Oh no... it's dangerous!!"
Luffy couldn't break free from Smoker's hand pressing firmly on his chest and couldn't roll off the ground. He could only watch helplessly as the Jitte stabbed down at Extreme Speed. Seeing that he was about to die, Luffy involuntarily closed his eyes.
Swoosh...
Clang!!
However, just as Jitte was about to take Luffy's life by leaving a blur in the air, a blood-red arrow struck, shattering Jitte in mid-air and deflecting it to pierce Luffy's neck.
Clang...
A small hole was blasted open in the ice, and a broken Jitte dagger was embedded in it.
"Huh? Why can't I feel anything?!"
Hearing what sounded like an explosion beside him, Luffy didn't feel the expected pain and opened his eyes to look.
He heard a soft "Huh?" and out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a small pit beside him, upon which stood the Jitte that had been about to take his life.
This unexpected turn of events left both of them at a loss.
"What?! Who dares to interfere with the navy's operations?!"
Smoker pulled the broken Jitte off Luffy, stood up, looked over there, and questioned him sternly.
"Hehehe, young navy man, could you do me the honor of letting this Luffy?"
A magnetic voice, carrying an air of unquestionable authority, spoke to Smoker.
The two looked over and saw a strikingly handsome middle-aged man in a black tuxedo with short Western-style hair smiling at them.
It was clear that the voice just now came from him; after seeing Luffy, who could be considered his savior, in danger, he had no choice but to personally rescue him.
He is none other than Bloody Prince Dracula, a great pirate from Roger's era, Devil Fruit User, and a man with a bounty of 800 million Beli.