"Huff... huff... huff..."
"Straw Hat... you certainly live up to your reputation!"
Carlo was half-kneeling on the stone floor, heavy beads of sweat dripping from his forehead and soaking the ground beneath him. His right hand, still gripping his sword, trembled uncontrollably.
That last blow from the giant fist had carried such a devastating, torrential force that he had nearly failed to hold his ground.
"This guy's swordsmanship... it's incredibly strong!" Luffy exhaled the compressed air from his body, descending from mid-air to land firmly on the ring, his gaze solemn as he locked eyes with Calotte.
Previously, after Luffy had taken down the hypnotist who had put many contestants under a spell, the short, stout warrior, still trapped in a trance, had relentlessly attacked Carlo. That stout warrior's strength was formidable, barely a step behind Carlo's own.
Crucially, while Luffy was clearing out the other contestants, Carlo had been forced into a bitter struggle just to knock that man out of bounds. Only then were the two of them left as the final survivors on the stage.
Luffy hadn't expected that a man who had already endured such a fierce battle would still possess this much power. It was truly impressive.
"But... I won't give up that easily, Straw Hat!" Carlo's voice was low, his eyes burning with unwavering determination.
He forced himself upright, raising his sword once more, intent on settling the score with Lucy.
"Come on then! I'm not letting anyone else have the Flame-Flame Fruit!"
Lucy let out a high-pitched shout and charged forward like a predatory tiger. His fists, blackened and hardened by Armament Haki, struck out at Calotte with ferocious intensity.
In an instant, a barrage of punches erupted like a violent storm. The sheer pressure of the wind expanded outward, making the very air shiver.
Gomu Gomu no Gatling!!!
Facing the overwhelming rain of fists, Carlo's eyes widened. He suddenly leaped into the air, soaring over ten meters high to evade Lucy's assault.
"Moon Sword: Empty Moon!!!"
A second later, Carlo let out a low cry, slashing his sword downward.
Shua—!
Silver moonlight seemed to spill from the blade as a shimmering, translucent full moon materialized in mid-air and began its rapid descent toward the ring.
"Oh no!"
Lucy gasped, cutting his attack short to dodge out of the way.
BOOM—!
The translucent moon slammed into the ring, smashing straight through the stone surface and kicking up a pillar of dust that reached toward the sky.
When Lucy looked back, he saw that the moon-shaped strike had acted like a colossal blade, carving a ten-meter-long fissure into the center of the ring. Through the gap, he could see the turbulent seawater churning below.
"Gear 2!!!"
Lucy let out a low grunt. His blood began to pump at accelerated speeds, his skin flushing a bright red as wisps of white steam hissed from his body. With a sharp kick against the ground, he vanished from the spot with a distinct shua sound.
Almost simultaneously, as if he had teleported, Lucy reappeared directly in front of Carlo. He dropped into a combat stance: left palm leading, right fist coiled back.
Gomu Gomu no Jet Pistol!!!
Lucy's right fist struck out with a speed invisible to the naked eye. It was like an air cannon firing. BANG! The blow connected squarely with Carlo's face.
A dull thud echoed, accompanied by a ripple of pressurized air. Carlo felt a surge of agonizing pain; it felt as if a sledgehammer had been driven into his skull, leaving his mind momentarily blank.
The audience watched in awe as Carlo was sent spiraling downward. With a thunderous BOOM, he smashed into the ring. The ground buckled and shattered, sending fragments of stone flying as dust filled the air. A crater several meters wide was carved into the stage, surrounded by a spiderweb of jagged cracks.
In the chaos, the mask covering Carlo's face shattered completely, revealing a strikingly handsome countenance.
"Th-this is..."
Upon seeing Carlo's true face, Gatz stood speechless for a moment.
The audience was equally stunned. They, too, recognized the man's true identity.
"I don't believe it! Contestant Carlo's true identity is actually the world-renowned battlefield mercenary, the S-Rank Bounty Hunter known as 'Moonlight's Smile'—Calotte!" Gatz's voice boomed over the speakers, revealing the secret to the entire stadium.
Carlo, or rather Calotte, had no time to worry about his exposed identity.
"Gomu Gomu no… Jet Bazooka!!!"
Lucy shouted from above, his arms stretching far behind his back. Utilizing the massive recoil of his rubbery limbs, he launched both palms downward with lethal velocity.
"Not good!"
Calotte scrambled out of the crater, rolling desperately to the side.
BOOM—!
The entire arena shook violently. A massive cloud of dust erupted as Lucy's sheer power smashed a new crater, over a meter deep, into the ring.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
"This is it... we have to end this now!"
Blood leaked from the corner of Calotte's mouth. Sweat soaked his hair, dripping onto the stone. He panted heavily, knowing his stamina was nearly spent. If the fight dragged on any longer, he would collapse from exhaustion before he could land another hit.
Pa-da.
Lucy landed on the ring, wisps of white steam still rising from his shoulders. He watched Calotte in silence, his expression uncharacteristically grave.
Calotte struggled to calm his heaving chest and steady his ragged breathing. He looked at Lucy and shouted, "Let's settle this with one final strike, Straw Hat!"
Immediately, Calotte's aura retracted entirely. Behind him, an illusion of a bright moon seemed to hang in the sky, and a white light began to shimmer along the length of his blade.
Hearing Calotte's challenge, Lucy's eyes lit up. He roared back, "Fine by me! One hit to decide it all!"
With that, he deactivated Gear 2. His flushed skin returned to normal, and the steam dissipated.
"Phew…"
Luffy leaped high into the air once more. He bit down on both of his thumbs, blowing a massive volume of air into the bone structure of his arms.
Under the immense pressure, his arms inflated like giant balloons, transforming in an instant into two gargantuan, titan-sized limbs. At the same time, his Armament Haki flowed over them, turning the massive arms into a polished, metallic obsidian.
"Secret Moon Sword Technique: Heavenly Moon!"
Calotte whispered to himself as he lunged forward. He thrust his sword straight ahead. The brilliant blade erupted with a white energy slash saturated with a piercing sword aura, lighting up the arena with a blinding glare.
"Gomu Gomu no… Grizzly Magnum!!!"
In mid-air, Lucy let out a deafening roar. Dragging his two blackened, titan-sized fists like massive iron wrecking balls, he slammed them downward.
The very air groaned under the pressure of the descending fists, letting out a low, rolling rumble like thunder.
BOOM—!
An ear-splitting explosion tore through the stadium. A blinding white light flared, followed by a violent tremor that rippled through the atmosphere. A terrifying, howling hurricane swept across the arena in an instant, leaving the spectators struggling to stay in their seats as the entire Corrida Colosseum rocked on its foundations.
The ring itself seemed to groan under the invisible pressure. Cracks spread wildly across the surface, forming a massive, jagged spiderweb.
After a long silence, the white light faded and the gale subsided.
On the ruins of the ring, only one man remained standing.
"The winner of Block E… LUCY!!!"
Gatz's voice soared as he announced the victor to the cheering masses.