BOOM!!
Luffy crashed into the ground like a fallen rocket.
For a moment, the earth trembled. The once-level ground was instantly carved into a massive crater by the force of his impact.
However, as a Rubber-Human, so long as his body didn't come into contact with sharp blades or Armament Haki, even musket fire couldn't truly harm him. Thus, despite the spectacular commotion, Luffy was physically fine—he just looked a bit more bedraggled than usual.
Shoosh.
Luffy performed a quick kip-up, leaping out of the pit. His gaze immediately locked onto a tree branch above, his eyes burning with an intense will to fight.
Seeing this, Rowan couldn't help but marvel inwardly. The youth of today... that recovery speed is something else. And his rate of growth is terrifying.
In just a single night, even without using Second Gear, Rowan could sense that Luffy's strength had taken a significant leap forward. The boy could even track his movements almost instantly upon standing up. That combat instinct was borderline criminal.
But, even if the brat could track him... so what?
"Brat, take this!"
Rowan kicked off, utilizing Soru once again.
Between the explosive surge in his stamina and the increased proficiency in the Rokushiki, Rowan now wielded the Six Powers with a fluidity that surpassed mere mastery. It felt more natural than breathing.
Whoosh!
The sound of breaking wind echoed. Luffy, standing on the ground, found that his naked eye could no longer capture even a shadow of his Great-Grandpa. Yet, a powerful sixth sense screamed at him: the old man was charging straight for him!
Sensing the impending strike, Luffy gritted his teeth and whipped his arms back, stretching them to their limit.
"Gomu Gomu no... Bazooka!"
Offense was the best defense. Once his arms were fully extended, Luffy snapped them forward with a roar, aiming squarely at the trajectory of Rowan's approach.
The Rubber Bazooka—the strongest move Luffy had developed in his base form.
At Luffy's current physical level, using Second Gear would still cause irreversible strain on his body. Therefore, Rowan had strictly forbidden him from using it until his stamina reached a certain threshold. Without Second Gear, the Bazooka was the most powerful counter Luffy could muster.
However, faced with Luffy's ultimate move, Rowan had no intention of dodging. He was going to meet it head-on!
"Let the old man see just how much you've actually grown."
Watching the twin palms hurtling toward him, Rowan's face showed no fear—only pride. With his current strength, he could easily tell that the power behind this strike had increased.
But I'm not the same old man I was yesterday!
Rowan tapped the air with Geppo, accelerating his descent. He tightened his right hand into a fist and growled inwardly.
"Tekkai: Thrust!"
In an instant, Rowan constricted every muscle in his right arm, hardening it into a living weapon. If anyone were to test the density of his limb at that moment, they would be shocked to find it over ten times harder than refined steel.
This level of hardness... even experts who could coat themselves in Armament Haki might struggle to contend with it. His proficiency in the Rokushiki "Iron Body" now far surpassed anyone else on the high seas.
BOOM!!
Fist met palms. For a fraction of a second, time seemed to freeze. Then, a deafening sonic boom erupted, followed by a visible ripple of air that swept outward in all directions.
Where the shockwave passed, the ground cracked and boulders shattered. Birds and beasts that hadn't fled in time were knocked unconscious, tumbling from the sky. Blood leaked from their mouths; they had been dealt internal injuries by the mere aftershock of the collision.
At the epicenter, Rowan's fist and Luffy's palms remained locked.
The stalemate didn't last long. Rowan remained rooted to the spot, immovable, while the small, lanky Luffy was launched backward by the massive kinetic recoil.
Luffy flew through the air like a discarded ball, snapping several massive trees in half. He skipped across the ground a few times before finally slamming into a small hillside, which finally halted his momentum.
Looking closer at Luffy... he was a mess. Sprawled out on the ground, he gasped for air, his chest heaving with exhaustion. The fierce battle intent from moments ago had vanished. At this moment, he didn't even want to stand up.
"Little brat, is that all? Your stamina training still isn't quite there yet."
Luffy watched as Rowan sat down beside him, uncorked his gourd, and took a deep swig of liquor. The boy panted, his tongue half-lolling out, "Great-Grandpa... we've been training for so long. How come you don't even look tired?"
"Hahaha! That's because the old man has already 'arrived' at the peak, while you've still got a long way to go." Rowan certainly wasn't going to tell Luffy that his physical condition had reached a level beyond the boy's comprehension.
"Great-Grandpa... I'm done," Luffy said despondently.
"Giving up already?" Rowan looked at him and smiled. "Hmm... let me think. Who was it that kept shouting about becoming the Pirate King and being the freest man in the world? Because it looks to me like he's lost his nerve."
"I haven't! I'm gonna do it! Of course I am!"
At the mention of the Pirate King, Luffy's eyes snapped wide. His exhausted body seemed to flush with renewed energy. He performed a kip-up, leaping to his feet with fists clenched high, took a deep breath, and roared:
"I'm gonna be the Pirate King!"
Looking at Luffy's determined profile, Rowan let out a helpless sigh. He had mentored Luffy for years, turning the boy into his biggest fan, but no matter what he did, he couldn't change that core ambition. Is this just destiny?
After his sigh, Rowan took another swig of spirits and asked:
"Little brat, do you want to go out to sea with your Great-Grandpa and see what this magnificent world is all about?"
"Out to sea?" Luffy sat back down beside Rowan, scratching his head. "Great-Grandpa, you're going out again? Where to this time?"
Rowan hadn't spent every year in Foosha Village; he often traveled the world. In the past, Luffy had begged to go along, but Rowan had always rejected him, saying he was too small. Eventually, Luffy had stopped asking. He hadn't expected the old man to offer it himself.
"This time... your Great-Grandpa is going to visit Garp."
"To Marine Headquarters, at the end of the first half of the Grand Line."
Since the system had activated, in addition to the starter pack and the shop, it had issued a Main Quest.
The objective: Rank Promotion.
From Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral to Marine Headquarters Admiral.
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