Onigumo's eight swords were raised simultaneously, their tips glinting coldly in the sunlight: "Game over, you rookie pirates."
Just as Onigumo's hair-arms were about to deal a fatal blow to Zoro—
"Gum-Gum—!!"
A crimson figure shot out from the deck of the Merry like a cannonball, his pitch-black fist wreathed in unstable Armament Haki, carving flickering black streaks through the air.
"Bang!!!"
Luffy's fist slammed heavily against the hair-arms Onigumo had hastily raised, the resulting shockwave sending a three-meter-high wall of seawater surging up around them.
But despairingly, that fist covered in immature Armament Haki only made Onigumo take a half-step back before it could advance no further.
"Heh..." Onigumo's hair-arms hummed like operating hydraulic devices, easily pushing Luffy's fist away. "Is this the Armament Haki you just learned?" His eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "You can't even maintain hardening, yet you dare to come save people?"
Luffy retracted his arm, gasping for breath. The Armament Haki on it flickered like a faulty lightbulb, his muscles trembling as the forcibly summoned Haki waxed and waned.
"Luffy!" Nami's joyful cry was choked with emotion. "You've finally recovered!"
"Luffy!" Usopp was so excited that his face was a mess of snot and tears.
Zoro stood up shakily, leaning on his sword, a smile tugging at his blood-stained lips. "You're too slow... you idiot Captain..."
Sanji spat out a mouthful of blood and relit his cigarette. "Looks like the special training wasn't in vain."
Onigumo looked at the suddenly spirited Straw Hat Crew and shook his head as if seeing something ridiculous. "Where do you get your confidence from?"
He suddenly roared, his entire body instantly hardening with Armament Haki to the extreme. His eight swords simultaneously glowed with a chilling black light. "Do you think having one more half-baked Haki user can turn the tide of battle?"
Strowberry slowly drew his dual swords, his long beard stirring without wind under the agitation of his Haki. "Don't forget, we are... Marineford Vice Admirals!"
Yamakaji flexed his fists, which were covered in Armament Haki, leaving clear footprints on the steel deck with every step. "Brats, true despair... is only just beginning!"
Luffy stared intently at his flickering Armament Haki fist and suddenly grinned. "Daring to bully my friends, no matter who you are, I'm going to send you flying..."
"Gum-Gum—Bazooka!"
Luffy's arms, wrapped in intermittent Armament Haki, boomed toward Onigumo like two black giant pythons. But just as they were about to hit, Onigumo's figure suddenly blurred—
"Too slow."
A cold voice rang in his ear. Before Luffy could react, eight sword slashes wrapped in solid Armament Haki had already struck his back simultaneously.
"Pfft—!"
Blood bloomed in the air like a tragic, beautiful flower. Luffy slammed heavily onto the deck, cracking the hard teak into a spiderweb pattern.
"Luffy!" Nami's heart-wrenching scream was drowned out by the sound of explosions.
Strowberry's dual swords pursued like a shadow. "Marine Sword Style: Reverse Scale Slash!" Two intersecting sword energies accurately hit the arms Luffy had hastily raised. The disparity in Armament Haki made his defense like paper—Luffy's arms were instantly shredded.
"Cough!" Luffy spat out a mouthful of blood, stumbling as he tried to stand. But Yamakaji's iron fist was already smashing down with a whistling wind. "Six Styles Secret Technique: Iron Bone!"
The fist, covered in perfect Armament Haki, slammed solidly into Luffy's abdomen, lifting him right off his feet. In Luffy's wide eyes, he saw Yamakaji's cold gaze. "Your Haki can't even maintain hardening."
"Bang!"
Luffy crashed through the railing of the Merry like a broken ragdoll, half his body dangling outside the ship. He struggled to climb back up, only to find his Armament Haki rapidly fading—overuse had completely exhausted his already unfamiliar Haki.
"It's over." Onigumo's eight swords pointed simultaneously at Luffy's throat. "Your dream of becoming the Pirate King ends here."
Zoro was held down in a pool of blood by three Marine Rear Admirals, and Sanji's right leg was bent at an unnatural angle. Robin's abilities were completely ineffective under the suppression of Haki, and Usopp and Nami were surrounded by Marine soldiers.
The live broadcast room was silent, everyone holding their breath.
Luffy's trembling fingers dug into the cracks in the deck, his blood-stained Straw Hat lying to the side. He stared intently at the three Vice Admirals and suddenly revealed a ferocious smile. "It's... not over yet..."
He used his last bit of strength to bite his thumb. "Third Gear..."
"Stop!" Strowberry's expression changed drastically. "Your body is already at its limit!"
He was actually afraid of Luffy dying in their hands; if that happened, the three of them would be finished.
Everyone now knew how strong Luffy's connections were: his grandfather, the Marine Hero Garp, and his father, the leader of the Revolutionary Army.
They were just following orders; was it worth risking this much?
But it was too late—Luffy's skin began to inflate abnormally, only to suddenly deflate like a leaking balloon. The backlash from over-consuming his Haki caused him to spit out a large mouthful of blood, and he collapsed completely onto the deck.
"...Take him away." Onigumo sheathed his swords, his cape whipping up in a cold arc as he turned. "Notify Marineford, the Straw Hat... has been captured."
Just as Luffy was about to be captured,
"Slow-Slow~ Beam~!"
A familiar pink beam cut across the battlefield, accurately hitting the three Vice Admirals. Onigumo's movements instantly became like a slow-motion shot, his angry expression twisting at a visible speed, yet he couldn't even utter a complete curse.
"Gah-gah-gah-gah!" Foxy, with his afro, walked out swaggeringly from behind the reef with Hamburg and Porche. He deliberately sauntered in front of the Vice Admirals in exaggerated slow motion, even reaching out to pat Onigumo's stiff cheek.
"Didn't expect that, did you~ Marine Vice~ Ad~ mirals~" Foxy deliberately drew out his tone to match the effect of the Slow-Slow Beam. "Now it's my turn to teach you~ what true~ des~ pair~ is~"
Porche skated quickly to Luffy's side on her roller skates and took him away. "Don't space out! We only have 30 seconds!"
"You guys..." Zoro leaned on his sword and struggled to stand, staring warily at these uninvited guests.
"Let's get out of here first!" Hamburg shouldered his rocket launcher, keeping watch on the surroundings. "Marine reinforcements will be here soon!"
Usopp and Nami hurriedly helped the exhausted Luffy up. Luffy opened one eye with difficulty. "Split-head, why..."
"Shut up!" Foxy suddenly flushed red. "I'm not saving you guys! It's just... it's just..."
Porche rolled her eyes, explaining as she pushed Luffy toward the Merry. "We were ambushed by the Marines, and we're the only three left in our entire pirate crew."
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