Chapter 33 Luffy punches through the Seastone wallThis was a specially designed training room, the walls infused with seastone powder, making it harder than steel.
And Luffy, with just a basic attack, could leave such a deep mark on it!
"Still lacking a bit of skill!"
Luffy frowned, examining his fist.
Even with the terrifying resilience granted by his Blitzkrieg template, his mastery of Armament Haki seemed to lack that final touch.
"However..."
Luffy pressed his hand to his chest, his already pounding heart racing even faster.
His blood surged like a raging river through his veins, his muscle fibers instantly tensing, becoming as hard as iron!
Naval Six Powers: Iron Body!
By controlling the accelerated flow of blood, a qualitative change in muscle hardness is achieved, causing even bullets to bounce off.
This thing is essentially the prototype of Armament Haki.
Normally, once Iron Body is activated, the body becomes stiff, and speed is greatly reduced.
But if one could hone the Iron Body technique to its fullest potential, achieving complete control without hindering movement, that would be the first stage of Armament Haki!
Armament Haki Hardening!
"Iron Body Jet Pistol!"
A deafening roar!
The thickened wall of the training room, infused with Seastone powder, was blasted straight through by Luffy's punch!
Seeing this, Luffy's lips curled into a slight smile. Just as expected!
The Gum-Gum Fruit's unique properties allowed him to simulate destructive power similar to Armament Haki in Gear Second.
The only drawback might be that this state couldn't hit physical Logia-type users.
Luffy shook his slightly sore arm, deactivating Gear Second. With this power combined with his top-tier Observation Haki, dealing with that so-called award ceremony would be more than enough.
"Lord Luffy, we've arrived at Marine Headquarters!"
The Marine soldier standing guard outside, looking at the blasted-through training room, swallowed hard and reported tremblingly.
Luffy casually grabbed his Justice Cloak and draped it over his shoulders, striding towards the door.
"Hey, have the Navy's high command lost their minds?"
As the news bird scattered newspapers into the sea, the entire pirate world was stunned by this sudden news.
"Monkey D. Luffy? Who's that? A mere Navy Commodore, and they're giving him a globally televised medal ceremony?"
"Even Hawkeye admitted he's inferior to the world's greatest swordsman?"
"He single-handedly defeated Arlong, the fish-man from the Sun Pirates?"
"What a joke! A nobody kid, is he worth the Navy's shameless hype?"
While Luffy was on his way, news of his public medal ceremony had spread like wildfire throughout the seas and the Grand Line.
The most sensational headline was undoubtedly the one claiming "Hawkeye admits he's inferior."
Everyone stared at the newspapers like they were seeing a lunatic, wondering if the Navy's propaganda department had gone mad.
No one believed a mere commodore could go toe-to-toe with Hawkeye Mihawk, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—a man standing at the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
At the Red-Haired Pirates' base, Lucky Roux, clutching a meaty bone, laughed so hard his fat jiggled, relentlessly mocking his captain.
"Boss, look! Luffy's really made it big! He actually joined the Marines!"
"What happened to inheriting Captain Roger's will?"
"Hahaha, is this the man destined to become the King of the Marines?"
The officers teased Shanks with sarcastic remarks.
"Go away! A bunch of idiots!"
Shanks rolled his eyes at them, annoyed. "Whether he's a soldier or a thief, don't forget he ate that Devil Fruit!"
The officers chuckled knowingly and kept quiet.
Ben Beckman exhaled a smoke ring, his brow furrowed as he reminded them, "Whitebeard still won't budge. That new recruit who went to deliver the message got beaten up and thrown back. What do you say? Are you going to go there yourself?"
Shanks' smile faded, his eyes deepening. "The timing isn't right yet. The World Government's willingness to push Luffy to the forefront is a warning to those lurking in the shadows."
"Did you bet on the wrong horse?" Ben Beckman flicked his cigarette ash and asked casually.
"It's too early to draw conclusions. The Gum-Gum Fruit's will is sometimes beyond the user's control."
Red-Haired Shanks chuckled meaningfully. "Otherwise, the World Government wouldn't have been unable to capture it for eight hundred years."
Meanwhile, aboard the Whitebeard Pirates' Moby Dick.
Whitebeard, covered in IV drips, clutched a newspaper, his voice booming: "Monkey D. Luffy? Another member of the D. clan? This is that old bastard Garp's grandson? Ace's brother?"
Marco, sporting a pineapple-shaped hairstyle, chuckled maliciously: "That kid Ace always raves about his brother, but he ended up in the Marines. I wonder if those two will fight next time they meet."
"He can't just arrest his own brother, can he? Hahaha!"
Laughter erupted on the deck; no one believed this newly promoted commodore could be a match for Ace.
Whitebeard's lips curled into a smile. He was grooming Ace to be the future Pirate King.
If King firmly believed Kaido was Joy Boy, then in Whitebeard's eyes, Joy Boy was Ace.
Shanshan originally thought so too, which is why he went to steal the Gum-Gum Fruit to find Ace, only to end up in Luffy's stomach by a twist of fate.
Later, Luffy said the same thing as Roger, and Shanks decided to take a gamble and give Luffy his straw hat.
Whitebeard casually tossed aside his newspaper: "Kurarara! For Ace's brother, let's have a party!"
"Dad! The doctor said you can't drink!"
"Stop nagging! One drink now and then won't kill you! Kurarara!"
In the basement of Alabasta.
Crocodile exhaled a puff of cigar smoke, looking at Luffy's photo with disdain.
The world's greatest swordsman?
He's really not afraid of biting off more than he can chew!
How could a rookie who hasn't even touched the threshold of the Grand Line possibly compare to Hawkeye's strength?
He tossed the newspaper into the trash can with disdain, then turned to Robin, who was wearing a white denim jacket, and asked, "Have you found out anything about Miss Wednesday?"
Robin's eye twitched slightly. "Not yet. We've sent Mr. 5 to investigate; we should have results soon."
Crocodile nodded, his eyes sinister. "Hurry up. We must take Alabasta under our control as soon as possible and find Pluton's whereabouts."
"Understood." Robin quietly withdrew, secretly clutching the newspaper with Luffy's picture in her hand, lost in thought.
Across the Grand Line and the four seas, Kid, Apoo, Hawkins, and other Supernovas were looking at the newspapers, their expressions a mix of emotions.
Kid stared at Luffy's picture, his face etched with displeasure. "What kind of damn Navy Supernova is this? Has the Navy fallen so low that it has to rely on creating stars to maintain its image?"
Killer, beside him, sharpened his scythe. "If we kill this guy, the bounty should go up a lot, right?"
Kid laughed wildly. "Let's go! First, flatten this town, then march into the Grand Line!"
With that, countless iron weapons coalesced into a giant arm, crashing down on the innocent town, causing screams of agony to erupt.
Meanwhile, in the North Blue, the blond-haired Hawkins was fiddling with tarot cards, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper, as if he had encountered some incomprehensible problem.
"How is this possible... Why can't I predict this person's fate at all?"
Ever since eating the Straw-Straw Fruit, Hawkins, who needed to consult the oracle for everything, suddenly felt disoriented.
He was like a puppet led by fate; once the divination failed, he didn't know how to move forward.
After a long silence, Hawkins tore the newspaper to shreds and ordered his crew, "Set sail! To the Grand Line!"
The crew, like cult members, bowed reverently: "Captain, where are we going?"
Hawkins gazed towards the Red Line, his eyes cold: "To eliminate that variable that disrespects fate!"
Urouge, Capone Bege, Jewelry Bonney, Apoo, and others saw the news; some mocked, some ignored it, but regardless, Luffy's name had become a sensation in the pirate world.
Meanwhile, Luffy's warship finally passed through the Gate of Justice and arrived at Marineford, the location of the Marine Headquarters.
The crew gazed up at the towering fortress, their faces filled with nothing but awe.
On the harbor of Crescent Bay, a dense mass of elite Marines clad in their Justice Cloaks stood, a sea of white, exuding an oppressive aura.
The chilling presence emanating from these veterans who had fought their way through the Grand Line caused the Straw Hat crew to instinctively take a step back.
Only Zoro and Sanji, though slightly swaying, had an unprecedentedly serious expression.
Their intuition told them that every single Marine standing below could go toe-to-toe with Arlong!
Luffy, now draped in his wide Justice Cloak, strode to the very front of the ship, looking down at the mocking and defiant eyes that filled the ship.
Luffy's lips curled into a slightly arrogant smile. The next second, he vanished into thin air and instantly reappeared in the center of the port!
The Blitzkrieg's King of Ace Attack!
Blitzkrieg!
That supersonic speed was displayed nakedly before these elite Marines for the first time!
"Holy crap! Where did he go?!"
"What the hell is that speed?! Is this some kind of ghost?!"
The Marines, who had been expecting a laugh, stared in utter disbelief as Luffy suddenly appeared before them, their pupils contracting sharply.
"Oh, quite the commotion, everyone's pretty enthusiastic."
Luffy waved at them with a grin. "Seeing your commander, shouldn't you all give him a salute?"
The marines were momentarily stunned, then speechless. Was this kid's skin bulletproof?
Suddenly, a lieutenant commander rushed out from the crowd, bowing and scraping as he approached Luffy, his face beaming like a chrysanthemum: "Lord Luffy, you are indeed mighty and imposing! I still can't forget your heroic figure at the Baratie restaurant."
Everyone turned to look and saw it was that unlucky fellow, Hopperdy, the one who got beaten to a pulp by Sanji at Baratie.
After the Krieg Pirates were wiped out, this guy managed to scrape by and even climb to the rank of lieutenant commander.
"Hey, isn't this Hopdy? Not bad for you! I knew following me would bring you good fortune. I'll talk to my grandpa Garp about it sometime and see if I can get you into the elite training camp for some experience."
Luffy glanced around at the surrounding Marines and deliberately spoke loudly to Hopdy.
This guy, while a snobbish opportunist, at least wasn't as rotten to the core as Colonel Rat.
In the original story, this guy didn't give up after being demoted; he even became Tina's devoted follower.
For such a readily available ally, Luffy naturally didn't mind making a few empty promises. Sometimes, this kind of opportunistic little guy is much more useful than a stubborn, crybaby like Koby.
Upon hearing Luffy introduce himself and mention "Garp," the surrounding Marines' initial hostility instantly diminished by more than half.
This guy is actually Vice Admiral Garp's grandson?!
If that's true, giving him a brigadier general title would be a piece of cake; after all, he was born into a good family.
"Hey you over there with the rooster-like haircut, what are you looking at? It's you! What kind of look is that? You got a problem with that? Come on, let's have a go!"
Luffy arrogantly raised an eyebrow at the future Marine Supernova, Gran.
"What!?"
Gran, with his red hair and a massive mechanical arm on his left hand, instantly bristled, his face turning a deep purplish-red.
"You brat! Others might be afraid of your background, but I'm not!"
Gran roared at Luffy like an enraged lion: "By seniority, I'm your senior! You'd better show me some respect!"
"Eh? Senior? You think you're worthy?"
Luffy looked at Gran with astonishment. "Who are you with?"
Gran: "..."
I'm totally losing it! We're Marines, you bastards! What kind of gangster nonsense is this?!
"Of course I'm a soldier trained by Vice Admiral Garp!"
Luffy's eyes lit up, immediately recalling the stubborn fool from the future who volunteered to go to the front lines to fight Big Mom.
"Oh, it's you," Luffy immediately flashed a kind, fatherly smile. "How about it? Interested in switching sides and joining me?"
This guy is the same age as Luffy; if they met again two years later, he'd be instantly annihilated.
But this guy is already a colonel at headquarters, proficient in the Six Powers, and his left arm, with its massive size, could destroy a warship with a single punch.
If the original Luffy were to face him now, the outcome would truly be a 50/50 chance.
Unfortunately, the current Luffy beats him like it's nothing.
Grant looked at him with disdain: "I'm working for Admiral Aokiji now, what are you, a mere Commodore, to be so arrogant?"
"Oh, I see you've only reached the rank of Colonel, how come you haven't become a 'mere Commodore'?"
Luffy stabbed Grant in the heart with a grin.
Grant was instantly speechless, so angry he almost spat out blood.
At this moment, Zoro and the others also disembarked from the warship.
"As expected of Marine Headquarters, the air here is thick with the scent of strong individuals, I feel like everyone here deserves a swipe!"
Zoro's hands were itching with excitement, his eyes scanning the surroundings like a hungry wolf.
Sanji, however, had little interest in fighting, still savoring the beautiful female Marine he had just seen.
"You lot, come with me. Vice Admiral Garp asked me to take you to the Fleet Admiral's office."
Just then, a beautiful colonel with long pink hair and a cigarette dangling from her lips stepped out from the crowd, exuding an aura of absolute power.
Sanji, who had been all aloof, instantly broke down, his eyes turning into hearts. He slid down to his knees before Tina: "Oh my God! Such a stunning goddess exists in this world! Beautiful lady, would you do me the honor of having dinner with me tonight?"
As one of the few goddess-like figures in the Marine Headquarters, she instantly attracted countless murderous gazes.
Tina's lips curled into a playful smile, and she actually opened her arms to welcome Sanji.
"Ah! Has my spring finally arrived!?"
Sanji pouted, looking blissfully ready to kiss her.
However, the next second, Tina's arms instantly transformed into black steel bars, snapping the infatuated cook into a tight knot.
The surrounding Marines burst into laughter: "That's Black Cage Tina! Want to take advantage of her? Dream on!"
Tina glanced smugly at Luffy, then casually tossed Sanji, who looked like trash, over. "Keep an eye on your subordinates, Tina's angry."
Zoro grabbed Sanji by the collar and lifted him up, his face full of disdain: "You idiotic, perverted cook, you're a disgrace!"
"Huh? Moss Head, you want to fight?"
"You're tied up like this and still being stubborn?"
"Let me go, I want to fight her one-on-one!"
Thump! Thump!
Two muffled thuds, and instantly, smoking bumps appeared on both of their heads.