Chapter 221: The Straw Hat Pirates were completely defeated and suffered a crushing defeat!
This is an absolute disparity in strength!
Even with the power of Haki, it still seems so powerless in front of a strong opponent!
Luffy and Zoro's full-power attacks were easily neutralized, and the Straw Hat Crew was plunged into an unprecedented desperate struggle!
"You bastard, I don't believe I can't knock you flying! What the hell are you doing?!"
Luffy's rage had reached its peak.
He struggled to his feet once more, ignoring his wounds, his rubber arms stretched back to their limit, and with a roar like a dying beast, he charged at Kuma again!
"Give... my crewmate... back! Gum-Gum—Giant Axe!"
A massive rubber leg, like a battle-axe, cleaved down towards Kuma's head, imbued with all of Luffy's anger and power!
However, Kuma merely looked up slightly, and his palm, covered in dark Armament Haki, casually moved upwards again—to block!
Boom!
A dull thud sounded as Luffy's powerful blow was once again firmly parried, unable to move an inch.
Kuma's enormous palm even took advantage of the momentum to grab Luffy's ankle, swinging him violently like a bola and smashing him heavily onto the ground!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The continuous heavy thuds were bone-chilling; Luffy was slammed into the ground again and again, and the castle's hard floor constantly cracked and caved in!
While carrying out this one-sided brutality, Kuma calmly looked down at Luffy struggling in the crater, his low voice like a heavy hammer striking everyone's heart:
"Monkey D. Luffy, your anger is meaningless."
"On this vast sea, there are countless strong individuals, far beyond your imagination. Someone like you, who relies only on hot blood and blindly charges forward, will not only fall into an abyss of no return..."
Kuma's words paused, his gaze sweeping over Sanji, who was lying motionless, Zoro, who was gritting his teeth and holding on, and the terrified Chopper and Brook in the distance.
"...but because of your foolish impulsiveness and weak strength, you will also drag your cherished crewmates into the abyss of death, to be buried in a sea of fire."
These words, like the sharpest dagger, fiercely pierced Luffy's deepest fear!
Luffy suddenly raised his head, blood flowing from his forehead, blurring his vision, but the flames in his eyes burned even more wildly!
"Shut up!!!!!"
Luffy let out a heart-wrenching roar, once again squeezing out his last ounce of strength to break free, "Don't you... don't you dare talk about my crewmates!!! I won't! I will definitely become the Pirate King! And protect everyone!!!"
"Gum-Gum—Jet Gatling!!"
A flurry of fists once again enveloped Kuma, each punch carrying Luffy's unyielding will and extreme rage!
But the disparity in strength cannot be made up by anger alone.
Kuma's figure moved like a ghost through the flurry of fists, easily dodging all attacks, then with a seemingly unremarkable "Ursus Shock" finger flick—
Bang!
A highly compressed shockwave instantly hit Luffy's abdomen!
"Pfft—!" Luffy violently spat out a large mouthful of blood, his eyes instantly bloodshot, and the intense pain made his body curl into a fetal position.
But this was just the beginning.
Kuma's attacks were like a precise scalpel; each strike hit Luffy in the most agonizing spots, never immediately fatal, but bringing extreme pain and exhaustion.
He seemed to be carrying out his earlier "lesson" in the most cruel way.
"Ugh!"
"Wah!"
Luffy was beaten without any power to retaliate, falling down again and again, and again and again getting up with astonishing willpower, but his steps were already faltering, and his vision began to blur.
"Luffy! Don't get up again!" Usopp cried out.
"Bastard! Come at me if you dare!" Zoro's eyes were bloodshot, but he was also restrained by Kuma's casually deflected attacks.
Finally, Kuma seemed to lose patience; he instantly appeared in front of the stumbling Luffy, and his massive palm, covered in Top-tier Armament Haki, like a final judgment, heavily pressed onto Luffy's chest!
"Ursus Shock."
Whoosh—!
A giant bear-paw-shaped bubble instantly entered Luffy's body, and then—
Boom!!!!!!!!
A violent internal shock erupted from within Luffy's body!
Luffy's body stiffened abruptly, the light in his eyes completely extinguished, blood gushed from his nose and mouth, and finally, his unyielding figure slowly tilted forward, crashing heavily onto the ground, completely losing consciousness.
The entire battlefield seemed to have been muted.
Robin, Usopp, Chopper... everyone's eyes widened, their pupils contracting in extreme shock and fear, their minds blank, unable to accept the reality before them.
Luffy... was actually defeated?! And beaten until he vomited blood and fainted?!
However, what made their hearts pound even more was that Kuma, who had defeated Luffy, actually raised his Haki-covered palm again, and walked expressionlessly towards the unconscious Luffy, seemingly intending to carry out the final "disposal"!
"Stop!!!"
A hoarse but resolute roar exploded like a clap of thunder!
Zoro, covered in wounds and barely able to stand, used wado ichimonji to forcibly support his body, moving step by step to stand in front of Luffy, shielding his unconscious Captain with his own body.
His three swords had long since fallen somewhere unknown, but his bloodshot eyes burned with an unquestionable resolve to die, staring fixedly at Kuma!
"If you want to touch our Little Captain..." Zoro's voice trembled due to his injuries, but it carried an iron-like firmness, "You'll have to step over my dead body first!"
This sudden declaration of protection caused the usually impassive Kuma's movements to pause slightly, his gaze freezing for a moment, revealing a hint of genuine shock.
He had seen too many so-called "crewmate bonds" of pirate crews, which often crumbled in the face of true death threats.
Yet this swordsman, covered in wounds and clearly at his limit, was willing to make a declaration of dying without hesitation to protect his unconscious Captain?
'Luffy... you actually managed to make... true crewmates who would sacrifice their lives for you?' For the first time, Kuma felt an assessment of Dragon's son that went beyond his mission.
Kuma was silent for a moment, then slowly lowered his raised palm, and his low voice sounded, proposing a seemingly impossible condition:
"Straw Hat Crew's swordsman, Roronoa Zoro, if you are willing to take on all the pain your Little Captain was supposed to endure, I might consider letting you all go."
This was almost a death sentence!
However, Zoro didn't hesitate for even a second!
"Good!"
He answered crisply, as if the other party had merely asked for a glass of water, that simple,
"Come on! All the pain, I will bear it! As long as you let them go!"