"You spent all those years on Whitebeard's ship. Did you really think you were the only one who learned Haki?" Luffy raised his right hand, and a familiar, inky black Armament Haki flowed over his arm.
Teach's face darkened. "Interesting... Then let's have a proper brawl!"
They exploded into motion simultaneously!
"Gum-Gum Rocket!"
"Dark Vortex!"
Luffy abandoned his rubber techniques entirely, relying purely on raw martial skill and Haki. Teach, in turn, displayed the seasoned brawling prowess honed over decades on Whitebeard's crew, immediately putting immense pressure on Luffy!
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The sickening thuds of fists impacting flesh echoed across the battlefield. Luffy weaved under Teach's hook and countered with a sharp elbow to the ribs. Teach grunted in pain but twisted, unleashing a powerful uppercut aimed at Luffy's jaw.
BOOM!
The punch connected, sending Luffy flying backward. But he twisted in mid-air, using the momentum to launch a spinning kick that slammed squarely into Teach's chest!
"Cough, cough..." Teach spat a glob of blood, "You brat... you can fight..."
Luffy wiped the blood from his lip, his fighting spirit blazing hotter. "It's not over yet!"
"Again!"
"..."
On the other flank,
Usopp, Zoro, Sanji, Robin, Chopper, and Nami faced off against Van Auger, Burgess, Doc Q, and Lafitte!
Van Auger stood on a distant high point, the crosshairs of his sniper rifle locked squarely on Usopp's forehead.
"Farewell, 'Sniper King'." He sneered, his finger tightening on the trigger.
The shot never reached its target, intercepted in mid-air by another projectile with a sharp crack!
"What?!" Van Auger's eyes bulged. Usopp stood on a broken wall three hundred meters away, his Kabuto slingshot drawn taut.
"The great Captain Usopp possesses Future Sight!" Usopp boasted, his eyes gleaming with the light of precognition. "Your next shot was aimed for my left shoulder, but I won't give you the chance!"
"Fire Bird Star: Scatter Shot!"
The Haki-imbued pellet streaked across the sky. Van Auger dodged frantically, only for the projectile to split apart mid-flight, transforming into a dozen smaller, homing shots!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A chain of explosions completely enveloped the sniper.
When the smoke cleared, the Blackbeard Pirates' sharpshooter lay unconscious in the rubble.
"This... is the true power of the Sniper King!" Usopp struck a triumphant pose.
Simultaneously,
"WEHHAHAHA! I am the Champion of the world's martial arts!" Burgess roared, throwing a punch that could shatter stone at Sanji. "Die, Curly-Brow!"
BAM!
The champion's fist landed squarely on Sanji's back, but it produced a sharp clang of metal on metal. Burgess stared in shock at his own deformed, aching hand. "Th-this is impossible!"
Sanji turned slowly, the skin under his suit unmarked. "Forgot to eat? Is that all the strength you have?"
He erupted into motion, his right leg becoming a black blur. "Collier Strike: Iron Impact!"
CRACK! Burgess's sternum shattered audibly. His massive body was lifted off his feet and sent flying backward, crashing into a distant cloud bank.
"Such a weak 'champion'. A first for me." Sanji lit a cigarette and blew a contemptuous smoke ring.
Lafitte showed no concern for his fallen comrade. His sword-cane traced an elegant arc. "Let us see the worth of a Three-Sword Style swordsman."
Zoro didn't even bother drawing his blades, parrying every thrust and slash with his sheathed swords. "Your sword is too slow."
"Don't look down on me!" Lafitte suddenly unfurled snow-white wings from his back, his speed multiplying.
Zoro's single eye finally snapped open. "Now it's getting interesting." His three swords slid from their sheaths as one. "Santoryu... Oni Giri!"
The Haki-imbued slash flashed. Lafitte's sword-cane splintered into pieces. His white top hat drifted slowly to the ground.
"Ha... Haki...?" He dropped to his knees, face a mask of disbelief. "Do all the rookies in Paradise know Haki now...?"
He toppled forward, unconscious.
Nearby,
Doc Q quietly approached Nami and the others, pulling an apple-bomb from his basket. "Cough, cough... Have a... fruit..."
"Metal Eater: Full Metal Jacket!" Nami's body instantly gleamed like polished steel. She reached out and caught the bomb bare-handed.
BOOM! From the heart of the explosion, Nami emerged completely unscathed. "Is that all you've got?"
Doc Q was so startled he fell off his sick horse, Stronger. "Impossible! My special bombs..."
"Arm Point: Hoof Impact!" Chopper seized the opening, sending Doc Q flying with a powerful kick.
In mid-air,
Dozens of arms suddenly bloomed from his body, wrapping him up like a tightly bound zongzi. Robin elegantly closed her book. "And that's that."
....
Within the forest,
The two central figures clashed with savage intensity.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Dark Haki exploded in the air with each impact. Luffy and Teach traded blows, each strike carrying enough force to pulverize granite.
Luffy landed a heavy punch on Teach's jaw. Teach countered with a brutal elbow to Luffy's gut. Both staggered back, only to immediately charge at each other again!
"Gum-Gum... Buso... Elephant Gun!"
"Dark Vortex... Buso... Demolition Fist!"
BOOM—!
Their fists met, and a violent shockwave erupted, shattering the ground beneath their feet into a crater!
The earth gave way, yet they remained locked, fists pressed against each other, neither yielding an inch!
"ZEHAHAHA!" Teach spat a mouthful of blood, grinning viciously. "Kid, your Haki's not bad! But it's still not enough!"
"SHUT UP!" Luffy roared through gritted teeth, "I will defeat you!"
They became entangled once more, a whirlwind of violence without any fancy techniques—just the most primal, brutal exchange of power.
Ten punches! Twenty! Fifty!
Blood flew. Sweat poured. Their breathing grew ragged, their movements gradually slowing, becoming heavy.
Finally, after one last, thunderous exchange, they were thrown apart simultaneously, crashing to the ground in heaps.
"Hahh... Hahh..."
Luffy lay on his back, chest heaving, his whole body trembling. His arms were a mass of purple bruises, his Armament Haki nearly depleted. He could barely twitch a finger.
Across the crater, Teach was also gasping for air, his face a bloody mask. But, shakily, he propped himself up on one arm and staggered to his feet.
"Zehahaha..." He wiped blood from his mouth, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "You're strong, kid... but I didn't spend decades on Whitebeard's ship for nothing!"
His freakish endurance, combined with years of hardened experience, had given him the slightest edge over the current Luffy.
Teach stumbled toward the motionless Luffy, clenching his fist once more. "It's over!"
His triumphant gaze swept the battlefield, and his pupils abruptly constricted.
Van Auger. Burgess. Doc Q. Lafitte.
His proud commanders—all of them—were strewn across the ground, utterly defeated.
....
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