Chapter 72 Luffy activates Gear Fourth and brutally beats up AceLuffy unleashed a flurry of lightning strikes, unleashing a torrential downpour of energy.
The henchmen on Buggy's ship were already cowering in a corner, trembling with fear. It was like gods fighting, and mortals were suffering.
Luffy knew perfectly well that this lightning wasn't a Logia-type Devil Fruit power, but rather a supernatural ability derived from the conversion of spiritual energy. To the people of the pirate world, it was like a magical attack with a powerful Haki-infused strike.
Although the power wasn't at its maximum, a barrage of these strikes would definitely make anyone question their existence.
Even Ace, being a Logia-type user, was immune to physical lightning, but he was still overwhelmed by the relentless onslaught, dodging and weaving.
Luffy smiled as he watched Ace jump around: "How about it? Considering surrendering and losing half? Don't worry, as long as you don't go looking for Blackbeard's head, I'll let you go."
Ace frowned, his temper flaring: "Luffy! What the hell are you doing? If you push me any further, I won't be polite! Flame Ring - Fire Pillar!"
Flames suddenly surged from Ace's body, a massive pillar of fire shooting into the sky, scorching a large chunk of the thunderclouds above.
Luffy's eyes narrowed slightly, his expression turning serious.
Is he serious now?
How strong was Ace at his peak?
Before entering Wano Country, he could go toe-to-toe with Kaido's beloved daughter, Yamato, and even managed to charm her into becoming Oden's devoted fan with his talkative skills.
Keep in mind, Yamato is a ruthless woman who inherited Kaido's Thunder Bagua. How long had Ace been at sea back then? His talent was simply terrifying.
Even Sabo, after eating the Flame-Flame Fruit, could hold his own against Admiral Fujitora. Ace, groomed by Whitebeard as his successor, would only be stronger.
The Marineford War was a result of being imprisoned for too long and lacking in form, coupled with elemental disadvantage and plot-driven death. Now, standing before Luffy is a fully-powered, fully-charged Fire Fist Ace!
"Fire Fist!"
Ace's right fist transformed into a gigantic fiery fist, wreathed in black Armament Haki, and slammed down with the force to scorch the heavens and boil the seas.
Buggy was so terrified that he split open on the spot—literally, physically—his head and limbs scattering in all directions.
"Hey, Armament Haki can be used like that?"
Luffy clicked his tongue in amazement, casually tossing a coin into the air.
Cracks flashed at his fingertips, black Haki coiling like a dragon.
"Go!"
BOOM—!
The deck beneath Luffy's feet shattered instantly, and a beam of orange-red light, crackling with lightning, met the fiery fist head-on.
Accelerated by electromagnetic force, the coin transformed into a beam of destructive light.
To everyone's horrified gaze, the coin collided violently with the fiery fist.
Silence fell over the world for a moment, followed by a deafening explosion.
A blinding white light engulfed everything; Buggy and the others instantly felt blinded and deafened.
The massive shockwave unleashed a colossal wave, blowing Buggy's pirate ship away like a toy.
Ace's lower body became elemental, spewing flames to stay airborne.
Luffy gathered chakra beneath his feet, walking on the sea surface as if it were flat ground, leaving a trail of afterimages as he charged towards Ace.
Flying with the Rinnegan consumes too much chakra; walking on water is much more efficient.
Ace shook his numb arm, his eyes burning with fervor as he looked at the charging Luffy.
"You've gotten stronger, Luffy! But you're still 20,000 years too early to beat me!"
"Let me show you the vastness of the sea! Divine Fire - Shiranui!"
Ace's hands transformed into two flaming spears, and he charged towards Luffy like a fiery missile, accelerating once more.
Luffy's three tomoe spun wildly in his eyes, but he found his body couldn't keep up with his eyes' reaction speed.
"So fast!"
Although his Observation Haki had predicted it, it was useless if his physical abilities couldn't keep up.
Seeing he couldn't dodge, the tomoe in Luffy's eyes instantly merged into one, activating his Mangekyou Sharingan!
A blue chakra framework instantly formed, protecting Luffy within it.
Susanoo!
Boom—!
Ace's attack slammed into Susanoo's ribs, instantly cracking the blue framework.
A strange force was frantically destroying the chakra structure, and the flaming spears pierced through relentlessly.
"Holy crap, that's insane!"
Bugsy's jaw nearly dislocated. He'd only ever seen this level of combat on Roger's ship back in the day.
Luffy's face darkened, his eyes instantly switching to the Rinnegan.
"Shinra Tensei!"
A terrifying repulsive force erupted, forcefully repelling Shiranui's flames.
"Damn it, this chakra consumption is unbearable!"
Luffy felt completely drained and quickly deactivated his Rinnegan, retaining only the chakra needed for water manipulation.
Ace, watching the slightly panting Luffy, smiled smugly: "What? That skeleton seems to have gotten brittle."
Luffy rolled his eyes. Last time, he used the Gaara template, which came with a built-in tailed beast power bank. Now, with his hastily refined chakra, he was lucky to even be able to activate it.
"The difference in taijutsu is quite significant."
Luffy didn't waste any words, directly pulling a small yellow pill from his pocket and crunching it in his mouth.
Tony Tony Chopper's secret medicine—the Rumble Ball!
This is a cheat code that allows Zoan-type Devil Fruit users to undergo seven transformations.
Since his Devil Fruit's true name is Zoan-type, Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Nikka Mode, this is definitely a perfect, targeted drug.
After swallowing the pill, a surge of violent energy exploded within him.
Luffy felt every cell in his body rejoice; it was a throbbing sensation originating from the depths of his blood.
This was the potential development of a Zoan-type Devil Fruit!
Luffy's muscles instantly swelled, steam rose, and his skin turned crimson.
This wasn't ordinary Gear Second; this was a super-enhanced version powered by the Rumble Ball!
"Speed Boost! Gear Fourth: Snake Man!"
The technique, originally requiring two years to develop, manifested prematurely under the catalysis of the Rumble Ball.
"What's this? Why are you suddenly swollen?"
Ace looked completely bewildered.
"That's called being strong. Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand!"
Luffy stomped his foot, a huge splash erupted on the sea, and he instantly vanished from his spot.
"What?!"
Ace only saw a blur before Luffy was already right in front of his face.
"Too fast!"
Ace hurriedly raised his arms, his Armament Haki instantly hardening.
"Power Enhancement! Bounce Man!"
Luffy's arms expanded again, his fists strangely retracting into his arms, like a spring compressed to its limit.
"Gum-Gum King Kong Gun!!"
Boom—!
The terrifying force slammed directly into Ace's arms.
"Impossible! How can it deform after Haki hardening?!"
Ace's worldview shattered completely; this didn't conform to the basic laws of Devil Fruits!
The immense impact caused Ace to feel a tightness in his chest, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he was sent flying backward like a cannonball.
Luffy, seizing the opportunity, grinned.
"Arm Strength Enhancement!"
He blew a powerful breath onto his arm, which instantly expanded into a gigantic black giant fist tens of meters long.
His fist compressed again, making it seem as if only this one massive, sky-covering fist existed in the world.