Next Bonus, 100!!
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"What?"
"In the secondary arena—Kid is fighting some rookie."
"Kid? That arrogant bastard?"
The Colosseum was teeming with powerful fighters. The news spread like wildfire, drawing a crowd.
Drake, Hawkins, and a host of other big names from the arena all made their way over to watch the fight.
They were all of the same generation, locked in a fierce rivalry with Kid.
The papers had already predicted they would all be this year's "Supernovas."
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On the stage.
Kid lunged, his attack instantly forcing Luffy onto the defensive.
To save a childhood friend, Kid had given up his Magnet-Magnet Fruit. He hadn't succeeded in the rescue, but he had walked away with a billion Berries.
He and Killer had adventured through Paradise.
And they had found other Devil Fruits.
The Cat-Cat Fruit, Ancient Zoan, Model: Cave Lion.
And the Paramecia Speed-Speed Fruit.
Kid had eaten the Cave Lion fruit. It was a species with incredible adaptability, on par with a saber-toothed tiger. Through his battles in the Colosseum, he had forged his own path, creating his own techniques. He was immensely powerful—otherwise, he never would have maintained his three-month winning streak.
Against Luffy, Kid didn't even bother using his fruit powers at first.
He easily evaded Luffy's attacks.
"Too slow! Too slow!"
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
Luffy threw a flurry of punches.
Kid dodged every single one.
Thanks to the Colosseum, the concept of "Haki" had spread from the New World to Paradise, quickly becoming common knowledge. The Colosseum had even spawned its own service industry—like the martial arts dojo that taught the basics of Haki and even offered courses on how to awaken it.
It was during his adventures in Paradise that Kid had realized his own shortcomings and had come to Hannabal to hone his skills.
Hawkins and Drake had done the same.
Luffy's barrage of punches, one after another, was rendered useless by Kid's Observation Haki.
Kid then threw a single punch of his own, and it landed squarely on Luffy's stomach.
BOOM!
Luffy was sent flying, crashing against the edge of the ring.
"Hey," Kid sneered. "With that level of strength, you want to be the Pirate King? Don't make me laugh. I'm the one who's going to be the Pirate King!"
Luffy flipped to his feet, panting, and stared at Kid. "Was that... Observation Haki?"
Violet had told him about Haki, and he had felt it from Ochoku and the others. His attacks just couldn't connect.
And if you can't hit your opponent, all the strength in the world is useless.
"You can still get up?" Kid said. "That was just the appetizer."
His body began to change. His fingers grew into sharp claws, and a golden fur sprouted from his skin. A terrifying killing aura radiated from him.
But Luffy was unafraid. He clenched his fists and charged again.
"Lion King Fist!" Kid roared.
He threw a punch, his fist hardened with Armament Haki, a dark purple light emanating from it. The air around him seemed to roar like a lion, and a fierce wind swept across the stage.
The power behind the blow was immense.
But Luffy was just as fast. He pulled his arm back, twisting it like a coiled spring.
"Gum-Gum Rifle!"
His own fist was hardened with Armament Haki. After the battle on Flower Island, his mastery of it had grown.
With a whoosh, his fist shot toward Kid.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The two fists collided.
The force of the impact was incredible.
And this time, it was a draw.
The crowd was stunned.
Kid had already made a name for himself. But Luffy was a nobody. How could he possibly stand up to him?
They each took a step back.
Kid immediately lunged forward, his claws slashing through the air, leaving a trail of cold light.
Luffy dodged, but one of the slashes grazed his cheek, drawing blood.
His expression turned serious.
He vanished, reappearing a moment later to evade Kid's follow-up attack. He leaped into the air and threw a punch down at Kid.
Kid sidestepped, grabbed Luffy's outstretched arm, and yanked him from the air, smashing his own fist into Luffy's face.
The sound was a dull thud, but the force was immense.
Luffy was sent flying, crashing to the ground.
Kid stood his ground, unmoved.
"A move like that won't get you very far in the Colosseum."
"Ow!" Luffy groaned, rubbing his cheek. He'd been outmaneuvered again.
But that wasn't enough to break him.
In the original story, it was his unbreakable, cockroach-like will, his ability to get beaten down again and again and always get back up, that had allowed him to defeat one powerful enemy after another.
Getting his ass kicked, then getting back up and kicking his opponent's ass... that was Luffy's secret to constant evolution.
Seeing Luffy stand up again, Kid was surprised.
A Paramecia fruit gives him that much durability and stamina? Or is it the rubber? Does it just let him bounce back?
Kid's expression hardened.
Luffy took a deep breath and crouched down, his fists on the ground.
His skin turned bright red, and steam began to rise from his body, as if he had taken a powerful stimulant.
"Gear Second!"
Using his legs as pumps, he accelerated his blood flow, dramatically increasing his body's strength and speed.
Kid charged, but Luffy dodged in an instant and launched a counter-attack.
"Gum-Gum Jet Pistol!"
The punch was a blur, and it sent Kid flying.
He landed, flipped to his feet, and stared at Luffy.
Just a moment ago, Luffy's speed and strength had been no match for his. He had been completely outclassed. His only advantage was his rubber body.
But now... it was like he was a completely different person.
"Overloading your body?" Kid said, his eyes narrowing. "A state like that can't last long, can it?"
"It'll be long enough to beat you!" Luffy declared.
He knew he was on the right path. After leaving Flower Island, Ace's words had haunted him. That's not a fight you can be a part of...
He wouldn't accept that.
He would fight alongside Ace.
He would become the Pirate King.
And to do that, he had to get stronger.
Aside from his Haki training, that meant developing his Devil Fruit abilities.
Under pressure, Luffy had found his own path, drawing inspiration from the elasticity, compression, and stretching of rubber.
In his Gear Second state, Luffy's physical abilities had evolved in an instant. The pressure he had felt from Kid was now greatly diminished.
"ROAR!" Kid transformed into a full cave lion, his eyes wide with rage. He was a blur of motion, appearing in front of Luffy in an instant. He crossed his arms and unleashed a flurry of slashing claws.
But in his Gear Second state, Luffy's speed had also increased dramatically. He closed his eyes, emptied his mind, and entered a state of pure instinct.
He had shown this same instinct in his fight with Enel, against his "Mantra."
By not letting his opponent "hear" his intentions, he could react to anything.
Kid's attacks were relentless, but Luffy was calm and composed, weaving and dodging, relying on pure instinct to evade every blow.
It was an incredible sight, and it brought a look of gravity to the faces of Hawkins, Drake, and the others.
"This kid..." someone who frequented the Colosseum commented, "his combat instincts are terrifying."
To fight on pure instinct... it sounded simple, but it required an incredible natural talent.
Even Kid was surprised.
He could feel Luffy growing stronger with every second.
BOOM! BOOM!
After a fierce exchange, Kid's expression turned cold. He stopped holding back and unleashed his true power.
"DIE!" he roared, his face a mask of rage. He vanished.
His speed had increased, and so had his strength.
Luffy was hit solidly and sent staggering back.
Kid also took a punch.
After being knocked back again, a gash on his forehead from Kid's claws, blood streaming down his face, Luffy struggled to his feet, his gaze still firm.
But as he was about to attack again, his Gear Second state dissipated. He collapsed backward, his body limp.
"Luffy!" Usopp cried out, worried.
"I'll finish you right here!" Kid's eyes were cold. He was about to strike the final blow.
"That's enough, Kid!" a voice boomed from the side of the stage. "You're not to strike again! Are you going to defy the rules of the Colosseum?"
A figure suddenly appeared beside him.
Kid froze, then relaxed, shrugging. "Alright, Hajrudin."
Luffy was carried from the stage by the Colosseum staff and taken to the infirmary.
Fortunately, it was just exhaustion. Gear Second gave him a massive power boost, but it also consumed a huge amount of stamina.
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