Bang!
Luffy's black-purple heavy punch slammed into Renji, stirring up a large amount of white steam and dust, and spiderweb-like cracks furiously spread from the ground beneath their feet.
The powerful force made everyone's eardrums ache. Merely the aftershock of the vibration already had the potential to crack the earth.
Marine soldiers couldn't imagine what fate awaited Renji, who had taken that punch head-on.
"Admiral Seiryu!"
The faces of countless Marine soldiers were filled with tension. A drop of sweat slid down a Marine soldier's nose. Although he wasn't fighting, the immersive pressure made his adrenaline surge.
You must win, Admiral Seiryu!
This thought arose in the hearts of many Marine soldiers.
How could the person representing the strongest Marine of the new era fall in a place like this?
Sentomaru's brows were tightly furrowed. His fists unconsciously clenched, as he stared with wide eyes at the rising dust. While it was true that Renji was very strong, there was still that living legend on the battlefield.
The killing intent emanating from Rayleigh made even Sentomaru feel a tremor of fear.
If Renji were to be tied down, and Rayleigh were to take advantage of that time to go on a killing spree against the Marine soldiers, even if Sentomaru boasted the world's strongest defense, he feared it would be difficult to withstand that Conqueror's Haki coating.
Among the Marine, only Miguel seemed calm.
For two years, aside from the occasional display of strength by Renji when training Miguel, Renji always instantly killed enemies with a flash of red light.
Therefore, even as his close aide, Miguel found it difficult to judge Renji's current strength.
In his opinion, while Renji might not be guaranteed a win against a living legend like Rayleigh, he certainly wouldn't lose.
And if the opponent were Luffy, Miguel believed Renji could end the fight within ten rounds.
Soon, as the dust dispersed, it proved that Marines' worries were a bit excessive.
For two years, while Renji served as an Admiral, he also held the position of the current head of the Marine Bounty Department.
Facing Infinity, which had been upgraded to Lv. 8, Fourth Gear Luffy's Haki-infused heavy punch had no effect on Renji whatsoever.
"He's completely unharmed, even after facung such a terrifying punch."
"Is it Tekkai?"
"As expected of Admiral Seiryu. I'd call you the hardest man in the Marine."
Under the shocked gaze of the Marine soldiers, Renji's coat didn't even wrinkle, and his expression remained relaxed and at ease.
Rayleigh, who was adjusting his state not far away, was also shocked by this sight.
"Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Kong Gun... didn't even make this guy budge. Is he like Big Mom's Iron Balloon, a natural monster? But why does something feel off?"
Amidst his surprise and doubt, Rayleigh, as expected of a seasoned pirate who had fought for decades, fully unleashed his Observation Haki, and finally noticed the anomaly on Renji's body.
"It's not a monster's physique. It is more like there's an invisible barrier in front of him. Luffy's attack didn't even touch his true body."
—
"This is impossible. My Gomu Gomu no Kong Gun had absolutely no effect? Was it not charged enough?"
Luffy's eyes widened, white hot air spewing from his nose and mouth. He extended his feet forward, intending to use the elasticity to first create distance from Renji, and then charge up to unleash an even more powerful attack.
But Renji was not inclined to give him such an opportunity.
"A guy who couldn't take even one of my punches two years ago, why do you think you're qualified to face me two years later?"
Renji's figure flickered, moving so fast that the current Luffy couldn't even sense it.
"Wh—"
Before the "at" could even leave Luffy's mouth, Renji had already thrown a punch, just like two years ago, with blue and white light surging and black sparks bursting.
Blue at Lv. 7, combined with Armament Haki at Lv. 8, and the Tremor-Tremor Fruit Power at Lv. 8, empowered by Lv. 7 Transcendent and Lv. 8 Martial Arts, unleashed a Black Flash.
Crack!
Like the sound of space shattering, Renji's punch slammed into Luffy's chest. His muscles began to wildly cave inward. The rubber balloon, developed by Luffy to be extremely elastic and even immune to blades imbued with powerful Armament Haki, instantly became paper-thin, front chest pressed against back.
Terrifying black sparks, accompanied by blue and white light, swirled, compressing Luffy's chest at the point of Renji's strike to the thickness of a sheet of paper.
The horrifying power instantly spread through Luffy's internal organs. Blood surged chaotically within him, and as blood left his body, Luffy immediately rolled his eyes, completely losing consciousness.
Boom!
Under everyone's utterly shocked gaze, Renji's single punch scattered the black-purple Haki covering Luffy like a whirlwind, causing it to rapidly recede.
At the same time, an extremely powerful force pierced through Luffy's body. Then, under the compression of this violent force, the air formed a visible, colossal wind, like a high-speed train, dragging a blue and white trajectory, brushing black sparks, and crashing into Sabaody Archipelago's main tree trunk at supersonic speed.
Whoosh... Whoosh...
he fierce gale whipped up, blowing everyone's hair into the sky, followed by a deafening roar several seconds later.
Boom!
Another hundred-meter giant tree, part of Sabaody Archipelago, collapsed with a crash. Luffy was no longer in sight.
Everyone stared at Renji with wide mouths.
Renji lightly clapped his hands. Before him was a path on the ground, as if plowed by a giant drill, with all the soil turned over, leaving a long gully stretching into the distance until it disappeared.
The might of one punch!
"Luffy!" Sanji shouted in horror.
Such a terrifying punch, just one punch, and this power.
Zoro's face was extremely grim, and Robin's face was pale as she covered her mouth with both hands.
"You all go save Luffy first, then set sail for the New World immediately. Here... I'll cover the rear."
Crackle!
Red Conqueror's Haki crackled like electromagnetic sparks on Rayleigh's blade. His face was now resolute and serious.
"It's still too early for you to face him."
"Rayleigh!"
Zoro looked at Rayleigh's back, his determined expression like someone facing an insurmountable opponent, giving his final instructions.
"Old man. You..." Sanji gritted his teeth, holding back the rest of his words.
"Don't worry, I am called Pluton after all." Rayleigh said with a low voice, his back to the Straw Hats.
"I'm going to watch you all reach the top. Before that, I won't die."