27. What The Hell Is This Bud?

"What a chilling presence. The last time I felt something like this was in the presence of one of the Four Emperors," Kizaru remarked, his voice grave. "To possess such a fearsome spirit at such a young age, Straw Hat Kid."

"Is this Luffy?" Rayleigh couldn't help but be taken aback. While he had witnessed Luffy's awakened Conqueror's Haki before, seeing him unleash it with such intensity was beyond expectation.

Luffy's expression was deadly serious, his features contorted by the strain of his Fourth Gear transformation, making him appear even more formidable. His piercing gaze bore into the Kuma before him as if attempting to pierce through him with sheer willpower.

In his foresight, he knew that if he hadn't intervened, Nami wouldn't have been the only one in danger. Franky, Usopp, Chopper, Robin, and Brook—all of them would have fallen victim to the Kuma's palm.

At that moment, he no longer concerns himself with Kuma's motives or emotions. If he posed a threat to his crewmate, he was an enemy.

"Give her back," Luffy demanded, his massive, muscular fist adorned with four swollen segments encased in a visible armoured coating of black patterns. With fierce determination, he raised his fist backwards.

"Step away from my comrade."

With one punch, it seemed capable of shattering everything.

No one felt it more keenly than the Kuma facing the blow. To him, it wasn't just a punch from the Straw Hat Kid; it was like being confronted by a colossal beast, many times his size, bearing down on him like a mountain.

A red light glinted in the Kuma's eyes, most of his emotions overridden by mechanical control. Yet, in that moment, a long-forgotten fear gripped him.

Adjusting his stance swiftly, he met Luffy's fist head-on with the palm of his hand, hoping to deflect the attack.

A dull thud echoed, unsettling to hear.

In the space between Luffy's fist and the Kuma's hand, unseen forces condensed and compressed, generating black-red lightning and materialized Haki. Compressed and ruptured airwaves formed a turbulent vortex at the collision point.

"It's that move again, striking from the air," Zoro remarked, his gaze unwavering as he approached the intense clash.

He had witnessed Luffy's mid-air punch clash with a Kuma back at Thriller Bark, but back then, Luffy's punch lacked the power it held now, and the Kuma hadn't unleashed its full strength.

"It seems I can incorporate it into my swordsmanship," Zoro mused, his mastery of Haki reaching new heights.

Sanji nodded in agreement beside him. "Indeed. How did he grow so strong?" 

The Kuma's heart was enveloped in shock as he observed Luffy's fist descending upon his palm with incredible speed.

Despite his efforts to deflect it, Luffy's enhanced Haki and strength overwhelmed him.

Their last encounter had been a mere ten days ago, yet Luffy's prowess had surged exponentially since then.

"Get lost!" Luffy bellowed, his momentum surging endlessly as his arm, coated in black-red Haki, swelled suddenly.

Boom.

Countless white air explosions erupted from Luffy's fist, spreading outwards in all directions. A massive hemispherical crater formed on the ground, sending grass and dirt flying into the sky with the shockwave.

It was like a lightning bolt, a streak of light streaking past Rayleigh and Kizaru.

The Kuma's colossal form crashed into the grass hundreds of meters away in an instant, triggering a massive explosion. The shockwave swept through like a tempest, accompanied by billows of smoke and dust.

However, neither Kizaru nor Rayleigh spared a glance towards the Kuma's direction.

Their focus remained fixed on Luffy in the distance, still poised in a punching stance, his expression seething with anger.

The difference lay in the expressions on Kizaru and Rayleigh's faces. Kizaru wore a sombre expression, while Rayleigh appeared genuinely surprised, his pupils narrowing slightly and his jaw almost dropping in shock.

"Conqueror's Winding... There's no mistaking it. It's definitely Conqueror's Winding."

The awakening of Conqueror's Haki wasn't surprising in itself. While there's a notion that Conqueror's Haki signifies a potential king, in reality, its awakening is like a rite of passage in the sea. However, mastering it to the point of utilizing Conqueror's Winding is a different matter altogether. 

Rayleigh couldn't help but be astonished by this revelation. It wasn't something a rookie, barely a year into their journey, could achieve. Most novices wouldn't even grasp the concept of Conqueror's Haki by then.

Furthermore, considering the Kuma's reputation as one of the formidable Shichibukai, renowned for their strength even among the elite chosen by the World Government, Luffy's ability to confront such adversaries head-on spoke volumes of his strength.

"Is this the seed you mentioned?" Rayleigh murmured to himself, his tone tinged with awe.

Kizaru gazed at Luffy in the distance, a sense of speechlessness washing over him. "It's been many years since I've seen such a formidable young man."

"Even Shanks, the Red-Haired, pales in comparison to him."

"Some saplings grow faster. It happens occasionally, Kizaru," Rayleigh chuckled.

The reasons behind Luffy's exceptional strength remained a mystery, but it hardly mattered. In this sea, strength was paramount. Luffy had inherited the will and legacy of Gol D. Roger, and Rayleigh couldn't be happier to witness his growth.

Monsters were nothing new to Rayleigh, having encountered many during his time with the Roger Pirates. The more formidable Luffy became, the better.

Without another word, Kizaru seized the opportunity presented by Rayleigh's response and vanished in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, he reappeared before Luffy, Tiancongyun's sword poised to strike. His earlier frivolous demeanour was replaced by a grave expression, recognizing the immense threat that the Straw Hat wielded. It was imperative to eliminate him here and now.

"I'm getting used to this speed, Admiral," Luffy declared, a red glint flickering in his eyes as he foresaw the future unfolding before him.

With a slight pivot, he launched his thick arm directly into the path of the slashing lightsaber.

"Fourth Gear: Bounceman!"

"Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!"

His enormous fist surged with boundless power, colliding with the streaming lightsaber and the void of Conqueror's Haki in an instant, causing the entire island to tremble slightly.

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