Chapter 193 PEAK LUFFY
Suddenly hearing that voice, Luffy froze for a moment.
And because he wasn't as strong as the Purple Rat, that moment of distraction proved fatal.
The Purple Rat didn't waste the opportunity his unknown "good teammate" had given him. With his fist coated in Haki, he drove a devastating punch straight into Luffy's gut.
"Pfft!"
The impact sent Luffy flying, blood bursting from his mouth midair. His abdomen burned with unbearable pain, his body instinctively curling up.
Then—boom!
He crashed hard onto the frozen battlefield, skidding across the ice. The sheer force of the impact made him cough up another mouthful of blood.
Struggling to get back on his feet, Luffy swayed unsteadily. He looked toward the source of the voice, his expression dark.
"Koby… what do you think you're doing?"
On the other side, the one who had spoken—Koby, the so-called deserter—had a guilty look on his face. But it quickly vanished, replaced by what he thought was firm resolve.
He stared straight at Luffy and spoke seriously:
"Mr. Luffy, please… stop this war!"
"If this continues, more people will die! This won't end well for either side!"
"Why does there have to be war? Can't we just live in peace?"
Koby's words dripped with self-righteousness, and he looked almost holy under the so-called "light of justice."
At this moment, he even believed himself to be some kind of great hero.
But his fantasy didn't last long—Luffy's cold voice shattered it in an instant.
"Koby… I never noticed before how undeveloped your brain is. Are you actually listening to yourself?"
Spending time with Kai every day had definitely influenced Luffy's thinking. He still acted impulsively, sure—but now he was sharper, more decisive. So instead of wasting time on pointless debates, he immediately cut through Koby's nonsense with brutal honesty.
(⊙o⊙)…
Koby was completely stunned.
He looked at Luffy in disbelief, as if he couldn't comprehend what he had just heard.
Luffy had helped him join the Marines, had shared experiences with him—he had always seen Luffy as a kind-hearted, righteous pirate, different from those who thrived on war and bloodshed.
But now…
Luffy's words shattered that image.
Koby's lips trembled as he muttered:
"So in the end… a pirate is still a pirate. Their nature never changes."
That thought solidified in his mind, and his gaze hardened.
The last trace of guilt he felt for Luffy disappeared completely.
With disappointment in his eyes, Koby declared:
"Mr. Luffy… I thought you were different. But now I see… you're just like the rest."
He even let out a dramatic sigh, as if he had just uncovered some great truth.
Luffy couldn't take it anymore.
"Pft!"
He straight-up spat at Koby in disgust.
"If I had known you were like this, Kai and I should've just left you with Alvida!"
"You're telling me to stop fighting? Do you even know who they're about to execute?!"
"That's my brother!!!"
Luffy's last words turned into a furious roar, his voice echoing across the battlefield. At the same time, an unmistakable killing intent flashed in his eyes.
"I..."
Koby opened his mouth, but no words came out. His expression made it clear—he just wanted to defend himself, not reflect on whether he had actually done anything wrong.
But before he could gather his thoughts—
"Hahaha! Marine brat, well said!"
A voice rang out, interrupting him.
"What's your name? After this war, I'll make sure to tell Sengoku how 'well' you performed!"
The Purple Rat laughed as he walked over, giving Koby a smile. But deep inside, he felt nothing but disdain.
He had overheard the entire conversation between Luffy and Koby just now, and it was all too clear what had happened.
The Straw Hat kid had once saved this pink-haired Marine, yet here Koby was—acting all righteous, pretending to be a moral authority, and stabbing him in the back.
And the way Koby spoke—placing himself on the pedestal of "justice," pretending his betrayal was some kind of noble cause—made the Purple Rat almost want to laugh.
Even CP0 wasn't this shameless.
The World Government's elite assassins, at least, never threw around the word justice. They knew exactly what kind of dirty work they were doing.
But Koby?
Koby actually believed in his own self-righteous nonsense.
And that was what made him even more disgusting.
Of course, since this hypocrisy was happening on the enemy's side, the Purple Rat wasn't going to complain. In fact, he was quite pleased!
He should really talk to Sengoku about keeping more Marines like Koby around. A few more hypocrites like him, and the enemy would destroy itself from the inside.
"Ah! I didn't mean—"
Koby panicked and tried to explain, but the involuntary twitch of his lips betrayed him—he was enjoying the praise.
Luffy saw this and finally gave up on him completely.
This is the guy I saved?
A man who only spoke in empty, noble-sounding words?
If Koby was so against war, why wasn't he telling his own side to stop?
If he was so concerned about peace, why not take it up with the World Government?
Instead, he was here lecturing Luffy—a pirate—about morality?
Disgusting.
Luffy suddenly felt sorry for Alvida.
Damn it, maybe she had the right idea about Koby after all.
Taking a deep breath, Luffy closed his eyes for a moment.
When he opened them again—murderous intent burned in his gaze.
"Since that's how you feel, there's nothing more to say."
"Your Marine journey started because of me—so let me be the one to end it!"
Without hesitation, Luffy launched himself forward.
Even though he was seriously injured from the Purple Rat's attack, the strength gap between him and Koby was far too wide.
Even at his weakest—Luffy could still kill Koby with ease.
In the blink of an eye, he was in front of him.
Boom!
Luffy's fist rocketed toward Koby—there was no mercy behind it.
No hesitation.
He just wanted Koby dead.
Koby froze.
Feeling Luffy's killing intent, his entire body locked up. He couldn't move.
The fear of death wrapped around his heart like a vice.
And just as the punch was about to connect—
A figure appeared in front of him, blocking the attack.
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THIS LUFFY IS SO HYPE