Chapter 2: Becoming the Pirate King
Gon stared at Luffy, who had already taken a fighting stance, and his own eyes lit up with an excited fire.
He, too, wanted to know just how strong he had become after his training at Heaven's Arena.
BOOM!
His Ren exploded outward, the powerful Aura kicking up the fine dust on the ground. This sudden transformation made Luffy's goofy expression vanish, replaced by the sharp focus he reserved for strong opponents.
Zoro's gaze grew even sharper, his hand tightening on his sword hilt. "Luffy, don't underestimate him. This kid is on another level."
"Yeah!" Luffy nodded hard, but then his face split into a wide grin as he made his classic invitation, "You're strong! Join my crew!"
"Join your... crew?" Gon's Aura flared, his anger making his Nen surge. "You want me to become a pirate?"
In his mind, pirates were no different from thieves—vicious thugs who plundered and destroyed.
Luffy, patting his straw hat, tried to explain, but Gon didn't give him the chance.
Gon's form blurred. He exploded with incredible speed, closing the distance to Luffy in an instant, his fist enveloped in pure Nen, aimed straight at Luffy's face.
Seeing a normal punch, Luffy didn't dodge, confident that his rubber body was immune to blunt-force attacks.
However, when that fist solidly connected with his cheek...
POW!
An immense force, far beyond anything he'd ever felt from a punch, slammed into him. Luffy felt a sharp, agonizing pain as his entire body was sent flying, crashing hard into a stack of cargo containers with a tremendous bang.
"Luffy!" Zoro was stunned. "How is that possible?! He's a rubber-man. Physical attacks shouldn't work on him!"
What shocked him even more was that Luffy was bleeding from the corner of his mouth as he flew through the air. That was completely illogical.
Kyle, watching from the side, understood perfectly.
Nen is life energy. As a direct attack, its fundamental priority is extremely high. Even though it isn't Armament Haki from this world, it can still inflict true damage on any ability user.
Luffy quickly jumped up from the wreckage, wiping the blood from his mouth, his face a mask of confusion. He wasn't scared; instead, he curiously grabbed the cheek that had been hit and stretched it out.
"Ow! But it's still rubber!" he mumbled, like a child stumped by a difficult problem. "Why did your punch hurt me? So weird!"
One of Luffy's defining traits was that if he couldn't figure something out, he stopped thinking about it.
He adjusted his straw hat, his grin returning even wider than before. "I don't get it, but you're definitely strong! Now I want you to be my nakama even more!"
The fight erupted again, this time with even more intensity.
Gon used his incredible perception, combined with the protection of his Nen, to battle Luffy's wildly unpredictable, stretching-and-recoiling rubber attacks.
And not far away, Kyle was feeling everything.
Every exchange, every bizarre angle of Luffy's attacks, every one of Gon's split-second blocks and counters—it all flowed into his body through the soul connection as direct combat experience and insight.
It was as if he were on the battlefield himself. Though his body was weak, his spirit was synchronously learning, adapting, and even optimizing the techniques.
This was the terrifying power of the [Book of Resonance]—it allowed the host to unconditionally share in the contractor's training results and combat instincts.
"Gum-Gum... PISTOL!"
"Gum-Gum... BAZOOKA!"
Luffy, having dropped all his carelessness, grew more ferocious. He used his elasticity to shoot himself forward like a meteor, both palms pulled back for a devastating strike.
But it was as if Gon had already predicted it. At the exact moment Luffy's attack reached its peak, Gon dodged with a swift sidestep. He then stomped the ground, leaping up, catching Luffy in that perfect gap where his old momentum was spent and his new one had yet to begin.
His fist, thick with Nen, smashed down like a hammer, once again connecting squarely with Luffy's face.
BOOM!
Luffy was blasted straight into the ground, creating a shallow crater, his body momentarily stuck.
Gon immediately moved in, his right fist held high, the Nen gathering around it pulsing with a dangerous light. He stared down at Luffy and said seriously, "Give up on being a pirate, and I'll spare you."
"No way," Luffy replied without a shred of hesitation. Even facing a death-blow, his eyes were clear and firm.
"Aren't you afraid to die?"
"Of course I am," Luffy said, as if it were obvious. "But even if I die, I'm still going to be King of the Pirates!"
Gon froze.
He couldn't see a trace of deception or malice in Luffy's eyes—only the pure, almost childish obsession of his dream. This was completely different from the image of the cruel pirates he held in his mind.
It made his raised fist hesitate.
In that single instant—
"Captain!"
A cold, murderous intent locked onto Gon from the side. Zoro charged, and as he closed the distance, he slashed at Gon without a moment's hesitation.
Relying on his Hunter's intuition, Gon instinctively ducked. An invisible sharpness grazed his hair.
He leaped back, putting distance between himself and Zoro, who now held all three of his swords drawn.
"You okay, Captain?"
"Hehe, that was close!" Luffy popped out of the crater, stretching his arms and legs.
Zoro kept his eyes locked on Gon, speaking to Luffy in a low voice without looking back. "This guy is strong. This isn't good. Get ready to run. I'll cover our escape!"
"No!" Luffy refused instantly. "If we run, we run together!"
Listening to their absolute, unguarded trust in each other, Gon's confusion only deepened.
These pirates... were nothing like he'd imagined.
Sensing Gon's gaze, Kyle slowly walked forward, some of his strength having returned. His voice was calm but held an unshakeable certainty.
"People have different ambitions. Someone who looks like a good person isn't necessarily good, and someone who looks like a bad person isn't necessarily bad."
"This world is mostly ocean and islands, a fact that has given birth to countless dreamers and ambitious explorers. The name 'Pirate' simply became the mainstream title. Among them, some chase treasure, power, and slaughter... but others... are just chasing ultimate freedom."
"It's no different from the Hunters in our world. It's just a different title and a different pursuit. There's no absolute right or wrong to it."
Hearing Kyle's explanation, the anger and confusion in Gon's eyes gradually faded, replaced by thoughtful consideration.
Only then did Kyle turn his full attention to Luffy, a smile on his face that was a mixture of admiration and rivalry.
"You're Monkey D. Luffy, right? A pleasure to meet you. My name is Kyle Link."
He paused, his voice carrying clearly across the harbor. "And so, I look forward to this—on the final road to the top, I hope we can fight again!"
His words hit like a boulder in a calm lake. There was no mistaking Kyle's meaning.
This wasn't just acknowledgment; it was a naked declaration of challenge! Kyle was also aiming to be King of the Pirates, and he saw Luffy as a rival he would have to overcome!
In an instant, all the goofiness vanished from Luffy's face.
He adjusted his straw hat, and from under the lowered brim, his mouth split into a massive, impossibly excited, battle-hungry grin. His eyes were as sharp as a hawk's.
"Alright! Bring it on!" his voice boomed, radiating absolute confidence.
"I'm the one who's going to be King of the Pirates!"