The moment Ryokugyu's words fell, rage exploded across Luffy's face.
"Don't screw with me! Do you really think everything I've been through can be destroyed just like that?!"
"Ryokugyu! That'll never happen!!!"
"GEAR FOURTH!!!"
His anger, along with the fear and worry for Zoro and the others, completely shattered Luffy's composure.
Reason vanished beneath a tidal wave of emotion.
Veins bulged across his face as the power of the Gum-Gum Fruit surged from his arms into his heart.
His body instantly turned crimson red.
White steam erupted from every inch of him.
But the transformation still wasn't over.
Luffy inhaled deeply as his body swelled larger, expanding another two sizes.
His massive fists were coated in jet-black Armament Haki, while dark patterns wrapped around his body.
Ryokugyu watched the scene with clear interest.
He had seen Luffy's so-called "Gear Fourth" from afar earlier, but witnessing it up close was a completely different experience.
With a provocative grin, Ryokugyu raised one hand.
"Come on, then. Show me your strength… and your will to survive."
The instant his words ended, Luffy vanished.
Soru!
He appeared directly in front of Ryokugyu.
"Gum-Gum Kong Gun!!!"
Luffy's fists blasted forward like compressed cannons, smashing straight into Ryokugyu's body.
BOOM!!!
A violent shockwave exploded from his punches.
But the scene Luffy expected never came.
Ryokugyu had taken the hit head-on…
Yet he remained completely unharmed.
Clap!
Ryokugyu casually grabbed the enormous Haki-coated fist in front of him.
With only a slight squeeze, unbearable pain shot through Luffy's arm.
"Tch… my arm's gonna break!!"
Hearing Luffy suck in a breath from the pain, Ryokugyu raised an eyebrow in disdain.
"This is your strength?"
The next second, the muscles in his arm flexed violently.
He swung Luffy by the arm and hurled him away like a cannonball.
BOOOOM!!!
Luffy's massive body slammed into the ground in the distance, sending rubble and dust flying everywhere.
Ryokugyu casually shook out his arm, staring indifferently at the cloud of smoke.
"Tch. Watching your fight with Doflamingo, I thought you'd be stronger than this."
"Looks like I overestimated you."
Crack… crack…
As Ryokugyu spoke, a hand suddenly emerged from the rubble.
A black Haki-covered arm.
Luffy burst out from the debris with force.
Ryokugyu's throw had looked casual…
But only Luffy knew how terrifying that strength really was.
That single toss, something Ryokugyu probably did without even trying, had already damaged his internal organs.
Luffy gritted his teeth as pain throbbed violently through his abdomen.
But he could not fall.
Not before seeing his crew again.
"Focus… focus…"
Luffy muttered under his breath, forcing himself to concentrate on Ryokugyu instead of the pain.
And somehow, it worked.
The agony slowly faded into the background.
Ryokugyu made no move to attack.
Instead, he quietly observed Luffy.
Watching him forcibly suppress his pain, Ryokugyu's lips curled slightly upward.
"So, Straw Hat… ready for round two?"
Luffy answered with action.
His fist shot forward instantly.
"Gum-Gum Python!!!"
WHOOSH!
Suddenly, the punch bent sharply in midair and curved toward Ryokugyu's blind spot.
Ryokugyu raised a brow.
"A punch that changes direction? Interesting."
He did not mind playing with Luffy a little longer.
After all, Doflamingo's fight still had around ten minutes left before it ended.
And ten minutes was more than enough time to toy with Straw Hat.
Ryokugyu lightly tapped the ground with one foot and disappeared.
No matter where he moved, Luffy's Python followed relentlessly behind him.
Luffy's attacks became faster and faster.
Sweat began dripping down his forehead.
"I'm reaching my limit…!"
Meanwhile, Ryokugyu calmly observed every expression on Luffy's face.
Seeing the strain and distortion creeping into it, he narrowed his eyes slightly.
"So that's your maximum range…"
Then Ryokugyu flashed away again.
The Python continued chasing him.
But this time, Ryokugyu simply stopped moving.
He stood there calmly, hands still tucked inside his pockets.
BANG!
Luffy's fist halted directly in front of Ryokugyu's face.
Only a single inch away.
Ryokugyu grinned lazily.
"Well now… looks like I won the bet."
Luffy clenched his teeth.
"Just a little closer!"
Reluctantly, he pulled his fist back.
What Luffy didn't realize was that the tiny distance between them…
…was currently an impossible gap for him to overcome.
But Luffy still refused to give up.
He slammed both feet into the ground, using the explosive force to launch himself directly at Ryokugyu.
"Gum-Gum Kong Gatling!!!"
With a furious roar, countless fist afterimages exploded outward like machine-gun fire.
They rained toward Ryokugyu from every direction.
At last, genuine interest appeared on Ryokugyu's face.
"Now this is more like it!"
He clenched both fists and unleashed a storm of punches of his own.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Invisible shockwaves detonated continuously between them.
Luffy's face filled with shock.
"He can block all of this too?!"
"But… I can't lose!!!"
Luffy roared again and again.
His fists accelerated further, becoming faster with every strike.
Finally, a trace of seriousness appeared in Ryokugyu's expression.
Just a trace.
Because his fists still kept up with Luffy's speed perfectly.
As time passed, Luffy's strength and speed clearly began slowing down.
Yet he continued throwing punches desperately, refusing to stop.
"Tch… I'm already bored of this move."
Ryokugyu sneered.
Then, in the instant Luffy's exhaustion created an opening, Ryokugyu's fist shot forward.
CRASH!
It slammed directly into Luffy's stomach.
"GHHH!!!"
Luffy spat out a mouthful of bitter fluid as the overwhelming force blasted him away once more.
He crashed violently into the ground.
But before Ryokugyu could even move forward, a figure burst out through the dust and smoke again.
It was Luffy.
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
And his body began changing once more.
"Gear Fourth… Snakeman!!!"
-----------------------------
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