"This is Warship No. 1, the main gate has been destroyed!"
"This is Warship No. 2, the left wing of the main island has been destroyed!"
"This is..."
"This is Warship No. 6, Marine personnel have been received!"
"This is..."
As the warships surrounded them,Even if the Marines wanted to go easy on them, if they didn't even have the chance or time to do so, they would lose face.
"Hahaha, are you trying to make me laugh to death with that stupid look?"
Two figures leaped onto the broken Bridge of Hesitation, with Lucci panting like a bull, but Luffy on the other side—Had turned into a 'child'!
That's right, when Luffy overuses Gear Third, this 'rebound' phenomenon occurs! So when Roman moved to abandon his current opponent and rush to join the battle over there:Swish,
Several figures flashed and surrounded him, immense pressure bearing down on Roman!
These guys... Roman looked at the 'colonels' in front of him. They all had one thing in common: they were young! And confident! Clearly, they were all experts about to be promoted to 'brigadier general.'
"You can't go over there,"
Berry Good, the Bean-Bean Fruit user, was eager to fight,"Let us be your opponents."
Colonel Shalinguru, the Wheel-Wheel Fruit user, spoke in a muffled voice through his mask.
"Hiss hiss, we're not done yet~~~"
The Longarm Tribe colonel with snake-like arms was clearly still dissatisfied.
Damn it, over there with Luffy..."Luffy!!!"
Facing the 'little Luffy' leaning against the wall, Usopp, having thrown away his mask, stepped onto the ship's side.
Roman, of course, knew the Marines were acting, but the rest of the Straw Hat crew didn't. To them, it seemed like a complete and utter crisis, with their numbers not even matching the number of Marine warships!
The officers alone were already almost too much to handle, and over there with Luffy..."Old cat of CP9! Come here, I'll fight you—"
Seeing Luffy in danger, Usopp stood up fearlessly!
"Idiot, how could you be his opponent?"
"You half-dead guy, stop talking nonsense—"
"I'll deal with this guy!"
"Then stand up for me!"
Usopp's voice echoed across the battlefield, making everyone subconsciously look at him.
"What are you lying there for! This isn't a place where we can rest easy, right? Defeat him, and we'll go back together!!!"
"Alright!"
Clap,"Usopp is right,"
Facing the wobbling Luffy who stood up, Lucci sneered.
"So what, you're all going to die here! In the name of justice"
Whoosh,Standing up, Luffy pulled out... a piece of emerald green paper from his pocket!
"Honestly, I really don't want to use this thing because it's too unfair. It feels like it taints the 'duel'."
Unlike Roman, Luffy still held a sacred attitude towards 'one-on-one' fights. But reality dictated that things couldn't be perfect. So:"Sorry, Lucci."
?
"You're a formidable opponent, but now is not the time for a duel."
"I'm a captain, and I have to be responsible for my crew's lives..."
"If it means protecting my friends, I'm willing to taint this sacred duel!"
Smack,
The emerald green paper was slapped onto Luffy's chest, and a cool, immense life force flowed into his body, revitalizing him! The energy drained by 'Gear Second' and 'Gear Third' quickly returned.
"What is that thing?!"
Facing the shocked and angry Lucci, Luffy seriously placed a fist on the ground.
"It's the support and trust of my friends—"
"Gear Second!"
"Gear Third!"
In that instant, Luffy used Gear Third while in Gear Second!
He inhaled a large amount of air into his chest, and then all of Luffy's spirit, will, and arrogance wrapped around the air, compressing it a thousandfold into a single point! He then transferred this point into his right arm.
The force was so immense that the power of the Daikawa River couldn't describe its ferocity, and the strength of dragons and elephants bowed before it. All of it gathered into Luffy's right hand, causing his entire right arm to swell dozens of times, then instantly return to normal! With a punch compressed to the extreme, he struck out!
In a flash, both Luffy and Lucci's figures disappeared! Only a straight line like lightning cut through the Bridge of Hesitation, followed by:
Boom!
The massive structure, capable of holding two warships side by side, suddenly split straight down the middle! As if an invisible giant had cleaved it with a sword!! At the end of the hundreds of meters long scar, stood a shocked Lucci and Luffy, who had punched him there.
"This is..."
"Gomu Gomu no Jet Gatling!"
Retracting his fist, Luffy turned and walked away. He still had to lead his crew out of the encirclement. As for Lucci?
Thud,The strongest assassin of CP9, kneeling on the ground, had lost consciousness, collapsing powerlessly on the shattered Bridge of Hesitation.
---"Rob Lucci has been defeated."
Since all of CP9 had failed, the Marines couldn't just keep watching. So:
"All main cannons, target the transport ship."
"In five seconds, send the Straw Hat crew to the depths of the sea!"
"Hmph, next time I'll fight you, armored kid!"
The broadcast carried the resolute orders of the Marine Vice Admirals! Several elite captains immediately turned and leaped away; they had no interest in staying to eat cannonballs.
On the Bridge of Hesitation, Luffy immediately ran towards the ship where Roman and the others were!
"Damn it, are we really going to..."
Surrounded by countless cannon muzzles, while the pirates were still using wooden sailing ships and muzzle-loading cannons, the Marines already had massive ironclad ships and rotating turret breech-loading cannons!
The cannons of nine warships were all aimed at the transport ship where the Straw Hat crew was, ready to fire a barrage in five seconds!
"Four!"
"What do we do, jump ship?"
"Three!"
Luffy had already leaped forward—"With so many of us with abilities, falling into the water would be the end."
"Two!"
"Come to my side, I'll make a submarine out of paper—"
Roman planned to use life paper to create a 'submarine' to take everyone into the sea to hide, but this wasn't an unsolvable method for the Vice Admirals present, after all, they weren't ability users! Going into the sea to kill Sea Kings was a daily routine...'Roman,'?
"One!"
'Captain Luffy, Usopp... everyone, I'm here to pick you up!!'
"Fire!"
Boom boom boom boom—Countless cannonballs flew towards the Straw Hat crew from all directions, and in the next second, they would be engulfed in iron and fire! But a figure leaped down and suddenly spread his arms!
Swish—Luffy spread his arms, grabbing everyone with one hand and leaping into the sea!
Boom boom boom!!!
Behind them was a devastating explosion, and in front of the Straw Hat crew:"Merry!"
It was a small sailboat covered in iron plates, and compared to the mighty Marine warships around it, this sailboat seemed so small and insignificant, but to the Straw Hat crew, it was their 'home'!
And their companion.
Thud,Landing on the deck, Roman immediately placed his hands on the Merry, and sheets of white paper quickly spread from Roman, who was in the 'White Knight' state, covering the entire ship! Then:"Nami, wind!"
Nami, flipping through her book, activated the power derived from the Sand-Sand Fruit, and a tornado immediately propelled the Going Merry forward! But that wasn't enough—"Franky, Coup de Burst!"
?
"How did you..."
Although it was strange that Roman, whom he had only met a few times, knew his special move, Franky immediately rushed to the stern and unleashed his trump card towards the rear! But this time, it wasn't for destruction, but for protection.
Boom—A massive shockwave blasted out, propelling the entire Going Merry forward!
"Fire, don't let them escape!"
Facing the Marines who had turned their cannons, Zoro and Sanji stood on either side to intercept the cannonballs! And Usopp pulled out his giant slingshot 'Kabuto.'
"Super Large Smoke Bomb!"
A specially made ammunition was fired, instantly spreading into a large cloud of smoke.
"Hehehe, fly, Merry!!"
With Luffy standing at the bow with his arms spread wide, the Golden Merry sailed across the sea! Carrying their companions away from all danger, pain, persecution, and nightmares—"We won!!!"
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