Chapter 161: Allies in Trouble - Adding Fuel to the Fire.

"Do you think you can defeat me?"

Among the two entangled figures, Rob Lucci began to feel anxious. Despite being a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, even he was starting to struggle with the intense battle.

"If I can't defeat you, I won't be able to protect my friends!!"

Facing Lucci's incoming kick, Luffy countered with a kick of his own—"Gomu Gomu no Stamp!"

Smack!

The two separated once again, standing their ground, while Rob Lucci looked at the panting Luffy and sneered.

"I thought I was facing a master, but it turns out you're just a monkey jumping around on stimulants..."

"You want to go head-to-head?"

Luffy raised his head and smiled proudly.

"Then take this move—Third Gear!"

His arm suddenly swelled up like a giant's hand, and Luffy swung it towards Lucci with a thunderous crash! With the narrow space inside the building leaving little room to dodge, and his pride now ignited, Lucci decided to face it head-on.

"Bluffing, let's see what you've got!"

"Tekkai!"

"Gomu Gomu no Gigant Pistol!!"

---There's an old saying:In fighting, speed is the key to victory!

This principle is especially true when facing multiple opponents.

Although Roman appeared to be wearing heavy armor, the 'paper' nature of the armor made it much lighter than it looked. Combined with Roman's newfound speed, which even he didn't fully understand, most of the officers couldn't keep up with him, rendering the Marines' numerical advantage useless.

In short, the key to group fights is to kite!

Among the officers was a burly man with iron-like muscles, standing tall and strong. Due to his large size, he moved slightly slower. In a flash, a white fist emerged from behind a fallen comrade, growing larger and larger until it covered everything.

The officer roared, gathering all his strength, and crossed his arms to meet the incoming fist!

However, with an explosion sound right next to him, the fist in front of him suddenly accelerated again in a split second! It fiercely smashed into his arm.

"Explosive Acceleration Punch!"

Boom!

Immediately followed by a thunderous sound of bodies colliding. Although the burly man didn't take a step back, the bones in his fists, arms, and shoulders cracked all at once. His arms were forced back to his chest, causing a series of rib fractures, and he immediately spat out blood and fell to the ground.

After injuring two people in a row, Roman turned to find his next target! Suddenly, a shadow loomed beside him, and amidst the howling wind, there seemed to be a series of explosive sounds in the air. A black snake-like shadow swiftly extended and retracted, fiercely lunging at him to bite.

"Snake Fist - Double Extreme Bite!"

"Oh, a Longarm Tribe member?"

This kind of attack mode, where the 'Snake Fist' could strike several meters away, could only be achieved by the unique 'Longarm Tribe' of this world. They were a race with two elbow joints, and with their generally tall and long-limbed bodies, their arm span was naturally twice that of ordinary people!

This gave them a very wide attack range.

"Not bad,"

Roman praised. The opponent not only had excellent timing, intercepting him perfectly, but also had arms like whips and snakes, showing a level of flexibility that allowed for extremely fast strikes.

Besides being agile, the opponent's moves carried a sinister and ruthless aura, like a swarm of wild pythons biting!

If it were someone else facing this attack, they would be torn to pieces in an instant! Even the other members of the Straw Hat crew would struggle to cope. This was a master—Facing this overwhelming attack, Roman stepped forward, letting the opponent's attacks land on the 'White Knight,' tearing off pieces of paper! He then suddenly punched out.

The countless snake shadows instantly dissipated, revealing a figure in a long gown. Roman's punch landed squarely in the opponent's right palm, and with another forceful push, he drove the opponent's right hand towards his chest, intending to break the move with brute force!

Seeing that he couldn't resist, the opponent's body suddenly bent and slid like a real python, dodging to the side to deflect the force! It could be said that both his response and strength were impressive, but:Swish,

If it was about body flexibility, even Luffy's rubber fruit couldn't compare to Roman!

Despite the seemingly tall and heavy armor, the White Knight charged at a speed that even specialized agile officers couldn't match! While evading the pursuers behind him, he reached forward with both arms to capture this—

Boom!!

The bridge foundation below the Bridge of Hesitation, which was also a huge building, suddenly exploded! A giant fist smashed through the half-meter-thick rock structure, and in front of that giant fist was a 'petite' leopard man in a black suit.

Rob Lucci.

Thud!

Lucci, who was sent flying by a punch, landed on a warship. If not for that, the battle would have been over.

"Gomu Gomu no—"

Luffy, leaping out of the hole in the building, inflated his left foot with air in mid-air, causing it to swell suddenly, and then!

"Axe!"

Boom boom boom!!!

The giant foot crashed down, crushing the warship into a deep dent! But Lucci, who had regained his senses, had already leaped onto the mast, panting and transforming into his leopard form. As he pounced forward:"Ahhh~~"

He bit into Luffy's shoulder.

The beast form allowed for faster recovery, indicating that Rob Lucci was also reaching his limit.

"Get off!"

The inflated Luffy shook him off, then transferred the air to his right foot and swept it out—"Gomu Gomu no Giant Axe!"

Unfortunately, Lucci was still the ace of CP9. Although his long-term undercover mission had weakened his strength, his combat instincts remained sharp, and he immediately spotted the flaw in Luffy's move.

"Soru!"

He instantly dodged Luffy's giant whip leg and quickly used Soru to advance to Luffy's side. Then:"Shigan!"

Thud—

Luffy, who was stabbed in the throat, hadn't even reacted before Lucci swiftly moved behind him again and kicked him hard onto the deck!

"Your strength has increased, but your speed hasn't."

In an instant, the tide of the battle turned!!

---"Report, Vice Admiral, Straw Hat Luffy is in a fierce battle with CP's Rob Lucci!"

"The fourth warship has been wrecked by them—"

Vice Admiral Onigumo, who had already 'dealt with' the 'pirates' who had intruded on the front island, had returned and was right next to the ship where Luffy and Lucci were fighting.

Without even looking, Vice Admiral Onigumo knew that Luffy was at a disadvantage. It wasn't that he lacked strength, but using 'Gear Third', a powerful yet slow move, against a Rokushiki master like Lucci in an open area was...Foolish!

Onigumo picked up the nearby Den Den Mushi and announced to the entire ship.

"Rob Lucci won't die."

"All cannons, prepare to fire at the fourth ship in five seconds!"

???

"But, Vice Admiral, we still have our people on board..."

Bang!

A shot pierced the leg of the soldier who dared to talk back, and Vice Admiral Onigumo's cold gaze made the soldier freeze in place.

"Tell them to jump ship!"

"A bunch of useless fools who can't even intervene in a battle."

"If the pirates escape because of hesitation, who will take responsibility?"

Boom!!!

A few seconds later, a barrage of cannonballs rained down on the warship where Luffy and Lucci were fighting, engulfing everything in flames and explosions. At the same time:It stopped Lucci's pursuit! Giving Luffy a chance to regroup.

Wow, who would've thought that Vice Admiral Onigumo, with his cold, ruthless face, could act so naturally... On the other side, Roman, who had been monitoring the battlefield with paper birds, was stunned!

This move, isn't it just like the 'rescue kick' of a blind monk?

The Rubber Fruit isn't afraid of cannonballs, so wasn't this just buying time for Luffy? Lucci, you really lost unfairly—with an idiot superior, careless comrades, and Marines 'colleagues' who were intent on holding you back...

Otherwise, if Vice Admiral Onigumo had jumped over and used his Eight-Sword Style, would Luffy still be alive?

"Nami, go pick up Luffy!"

At Roman's command, Nami, who was closest to the helm, turned the ship towards the exploding fourth warship.

Neither Luffy nor Lucci would die from a mere explosion. The final battle was imminent, and once Lucci was dealt with, they could leave—

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