The chaotic scene surrounding Luffy weighed heavily on the hearts of his companions. From the spectator stands, the Straw Hat crew and their allies watched the uneven struggle with bated breath.
"It is not fair at all!" Tashigi shouted, her voice tight with frustration. "Why are all those people ganging up on Luffy at once?"
Zoro sat nearby, his expression stoic and his arms crossed over his chest. He did not turn his head as he answered. "There is no such thing as unfairness here. The rules of this martial arts association allow for this. There are no restrictions against players teaming up to take down a common target."
"But if they keep this up, Luffy will be in a terrible position!" Tashigi argued, her eyes darting back to the arena.
Zoro let out a small, confident huff. "Hehe. Luffy's strength is not something these people can overcome just by grouping together. Take a closer look. Does he look like he is struggling? He hasn't even used Gear Third yet, let alone Gear Fourth."
Tashigi went quiet, considering Zoro's words. She looked back at the center of the ring and nodded slowly. "I suppose you are right."
Sanji, Brook, and Ace remained silent. They knew Zoro was correct; in a pirate's world, fairness was a luxury rarely afforded. Besides, even if Luffy took a few hits, it did not mean he was defeated. He had barely begun to show what he could really do.
In the center of the arena, Katakuri retracted his mochi mace, his brow furrowing in concentration. He watched as Luffy performed a mid-air flip and landed steadily on his feet. The dark sheen of Armament Haki that had protected Luffy's back faded away. It was clear that the young captain had successfully blocked Katakuri's sudden sneak attack.
Katakuri was not surprised by this. Having fought Luffy before, he knew the boy possessed incredible Observation Haki. Luffy could see seconds into the future just like he could. It would have been more shocking if the attack had actually landed.
"Peerless Mochi Bullet!" Katakuri shouted.
His arm transformed into a rapid-fire mechanism made of mochi. Countless hardened projectiles flew toward Luffy like a hail of bullets. Luffy stayed in Gear Second, his body steaming as he blurred across the stone floor to dodge the onslaught.
Luffy was cleverer than he looked. He deliberately moved toward the crowded areas of the arena, using the weaker participants as meat shields. Many of the "miscellaneous fish" pirates who had hoped to get a lucky hit on Luffy were instead wiped out by Katakuri's relentless barrage.
Katakuri did not care. To him, these weaklings were useless baggage. If they died or fell, it made no difference to the outcome of the battle. Before long, the arena was cleared of the low-level fighters. Only Luffy and the seven major contenders remained. While Kid, Hawkins, and Apoo seemed to be waiting for an opening, the primary pressure came from Katakuri and Jesus Burgess.
Don Chinjao stood nearby, rubbing his flattened head with a grin. He knew Luffy was powerful, so he didn't mind that he had almost been toppled by a single punch earlier. The seven powerful fighters surrounded Luffy, and the atmosphere grew heavy with tension. The audience did not feel pity for Luffy. Instead, they watched with excitement, wondering if seven masters were even enough to take down a man of his caliber.
"Peerless Donut!" Katakuri called out.
Two circles of mochi rose from the ground near Luffy. Huge, square fists made of hardened mochi lunged out of the donuts, aiming to crush him. Luffy did not try to catch them. He knew Katakuri's strength and felt the powerful Armament Haki coating the fists. If he got into a power struggle now, the others would jump on his back.
Luffy leaped backward to create space.
"Straw Man's Weapon!" Hawkins cried. His sword extended like a whip of sharp straw, thrusting straight for Luffy's chest.
"Magnet Vice!" Kid shouted, swinging a massive mechanical arm made of scrap metal.
"Taste this!" Urouge bellowed, swinging his giant iron pillar at Luffy's flank.
The three Supernovas attacked simultaneously from behind, but Luffy had already predicted their movements. He twisted his body in mid-air, narrowly avoiding the blades and the blunt force. In a one-vs-many fight, taking a direct hit was a recipe for disaster. While Luffy often seemed reckless, he became a genius of intuition the moment a battle started.
The attacks from Hawkins, Kid, and Urouge hit nothing but air. However, Jesus Burgess saw his chance. He lunged forward with a sudden, high-speed elbow strike. It was too fast for Luffy to dodge completely.
Luffy reacted by meeting the strike with his open palms, bracing himself.
A loud boom echoed as the palm and elbow collided. In the next instant, Burgess's expression changed from triumph to agony. It felt as though he had struck a solid mountain. Not only did Luffy refuse to budge, but a strange internal force rippled back through Burgess's arm. He felt his bones creak as if they were about to shatter.
The force of the impact sent Burgess flying backward. He coughed up blood as he tumbled through the air, looking utterly defeated. He wasn't faking the injury; the shockwave had torn through his internal defenses.
"Emitting Armament Haki? That is truly dangerous," Katakuri muttered. His expression was grave. He looked at Luffy with the kind of respect one usually reserved for a Yonko. "It is no wonder you were able to challenge Big Mom."
As a member of the Big Mom Pirates, Katakuri had no intention of becoming Luffy's friend. His only goal was to protect his family's honor by defeating him.
"Nine-Head Mochi!"
Katakuri conjured nine mochi donuts in the air. Fists wrapped in dark Armament Haki surged out of them all at once. This time, Luffy did not hide. He planted his feet firmly and threw his own fists forward in a blur of speed. His hands were coated in Armament Haki and tinged with the red sparks of Conqueror's Haki.
A Hawk Gatling met the Nine-Head Mochi head-on.
The sound of clashing fists was like a series of explosions. The sheer pressure of their Haki clashing sent invisible waves of energy through the stadium. The ground beneath them cracked, and the vibration was felt across the entirety of Dressrosa. In the stands, many ordinary citizens fainted from the overwhelming pressure of the Conqueror's Haki.
"Ahaha! A clash of kings? Don't leave this old man out!" Chinjao shouted.
The legendary pirate was not willing to lose to the younger generation. He coated his flat, scarred head in Armament Haki and launched himself into the sky.
"Hasshoken Secret Technique: Drill Dragon Drill Nail!"
Chinjao dived head-first toward Luffy at incredible speed. Luffy looked up and gave the old man no special treatment. He bit into his thumb and blew air into his arm, expanding it into a massive balloon of muscle.
"Gum-Gum Elephant Gun!"
Luffy's giant, blackened fist smashed into Chinjao's head. There was a deafening crack. Chinjao was sent flying without any resistance. By some miracle or coincidence, the force of Luffy's punch hitting the exact center of Chinjao's head caused the old man's skull to pop back into its original, pointed shape.
Chinjao gasped in shock as he tumbled, reaching up to feel the sharp point on his head. He was so surprised that he didn't even try to land. He crashed into the arena floor with such force that the stone split in two, and he slid straight into the seawater below.
"Chinjao, Leader of the Happo Navy, has been knocked out of bounds!" the announcer Gatz screamed into his microphone. "As expected of the man they call the Fifth Emperor! He defeated a pirate with a bounty of 500,000,000 Berries with a single blow! Such terrifying power!"
Luffy didn't care about Chinjao's head or his bounty. He just hoped the old man would stay out of the way.
Suddenly, a strange melody drifted into his ears. He looked over to see Scratchmen Apoo. The Longarm pirate was using his own chest and teeth as instruments, playing a upbeat but eerie tune. Luffy blinked in confusion, but his Observation Haki suddenly flared with a warning.
He jumped to the side instinctively, but the feeling of impending danger did not go away.