Chapter 123: Lucci: If We Join Forces, Your Crew Will Be Wiped Out!

Chapter 123: Lucci: If We Join Forces, Your Crew Will Be Wiped Out!

Outside the Tower of Justice, the sky was a stretch of gray.

At the edge of Enies Lobby, ablaze with fire, Marine warships remained on the frozen sea.

On the massive warships, the cannons continued to roar. Even with only three ships left, they hadn't ceased their bombardment.

Gunsmoke mixed with the smell of gunpowder spread. A Rear Admiral with thick eyebrows and large eyes strode across the deck, quickly arriving before a figure in a "Justice" cape at the bow and stopping.

"Reporting, Vice Admiral!"

The Rear Admiral saluted stiffly and shouted, "Rescue operations are complete! We are currently assembling! The elite unit composed of Commanders and Captains currently has one hundred and sixty-six combat-ready personnel!

"At the bridge support pillar! Straw Hat Luffy is fighting CP9's Lucci. Should we proceed with an immediate attack?!"

"No need to rush."

Onigumo, biting his cigar, said in a low voice, "Lucci is the strongest CP9 in history. Leaving Straw Hat to him is enough."

"Understood."

The Rear Admiral then asked, "Then the other members of the Straw Hat crew—"

Onigumo slowly exhaled smoke, pondered for a moment, and said, "The elite unit will prepare to land. After the Tower of Justice collapses from the bombardment and forces them out, advance across the ice to the Bridge of Hesitation and arrest them."

"Yes, sir!"

The Rear Admiral shouted, saluted, and retreated.

Onigumo once again cast his gaze into the distance, towards Lucci and Luffy who were currently fighting.

The Bridge of Hesitation was like a long gray serpent, extending from Enies Lobby to the Gates of Justice, supported above the sea by massive pillars.

The first support pillar was already shattered, revealing the fierce battle within the empty room inside.

"Flying Finger Pistol: Barrage!"

Sharp, azure attacks, like bullets, shot out continuously from Lucci's palm.

Squelch! Squelch!

The Flying Finger Pistols rapidly struck Luffy, and several spurts of scarlet blood flew out.

Wincing in pain, Luffy's figure retreated sharply, his brow furrowed as he looked at the yellow, black-spotted figure before him.

At the beginning, he had used Gear Second to catch the opponent off guard, thinking he could end the fight quickly.

Unexpectedly, after the opponent transformed into a large cat, his strength suddenly surged, and he himself had fallen into a disadvantage.

"Whether it's speed or strength, the opponent is not inferior to me in Gear Second."

Luffy's expression was grave. "Gear Second won't last much longer. If I can't defeat him quickly—"

Thinking of this, Luffy couldn't help but look back worriedly. The Tower of Justice was being bombarded by heavy cannon fire.

"I wonder how they are doing."

"Fighting me! And you still have time to worry about others?!"

A loud shout pulled Luffy's attention back. Lucci's figure flickered and was already in front of him.

"Rubber Jet Pistol!"

"Soru!"

Luffy's clenched fist shot out rapidly but only hit the afterimage left by the opponent.

"Flying Finger Pistol: Ignition!"

Lucci's sharp leopard claws glowed red. A tiny orange-red projectile, like a bullet, shot out, hitting him in the back and immediately igniting scorching flames!

"Waaah! So hot, so hot!"

Luffy fell to the ground, rolling around continuously from the burning pain on his back.

"It's useless, Straw Hat!"

Lucci shouted and rushed forward. "Your state can't last much longer, can it? But my half-beast form can be maintained indefinitely."

Lucci grinned ferociously and kicked out, sending Luffy crashing into a wall, shattering it. "Even if you can barely resist now! The moment your state ends, I will kill you immediately!"

"Shut up, you pigeon-cat bastard!!" Luffy yelled, then leaped into the air, bending his legs and thrusting them sharply at the opponent!

"Rubber Jet Spear!"

"It's leopard!!" Lucci roared angrily, his figure flickering to dodge. He kicked out fiercely with a violent gust of air.

"Rankyaku: Tail Leopard!"

A spiral-shaped, azure wind scythe suddenly appeared, skimming close to the ground as it flew out, sharp as a slash, humming in the air.

Swish!

Wind gathered at Luffy's feet. Leaving behind a puff of white smoke, he abruptly vanished from the spot.

Clang—!

The azure wind scythe struck the wall, cutting a deep gash. Luffy had already flashed in front of Lucci, his long leg whipping out violently.

Bang!!

Even though Lucci raised his arms, wrists up and together to block, he couldn't help but be knocked back by the tremendous force, his feet犁出 a trench over ten meters long as they scraped the ground.

"It's not over yet!" Luffy's eyes were wide with anger, his arms a blur of afterimages.

"Rubber Jet Gatling!"

"Shigan: Madara!"

Lucci showed no weakness, his ten claws glinting coldly as he responded with a Shigan barrage like a torrential downpour!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bang! The air between the two erupted with dense explosions. The storm-like attacks constantly collided.

The powerful air pressure stirred up dust and smoke everywhere, and countless pieces of rubble were sent flying!

Both sides continued their barrage of attacks. Streaks of scarlet blood continuously flew from the accumulating gashes on Luffy's hands.

Lucci wasn't faring well either. From time to time, a fist would slam heavily into his abdomen, chest, or face, a burning sensation spreading through his internal organs as if they were on fire!

"What a stubborn rubber bastard!"

Lucci's gaze was grave. "To be able to fight a Rokushiki master to this extent in close combat, you're quite something."

"But this alone is far from enough! With the enhancement of a Zoan fruit, I am not someone you can defeat!"

As he spoke, a crimson glint flashed in his eyes. He retracted his hands and tensed his entire body, allowing Luffy's fists to land.

"Tekkai: Utsugi!"

This was an enhanced Tekkai technique, its effect capable of reflecting all physical attacks. The greater the force hitting him, the greater the power of the rebound!

Thud! Thud!

Luffy's fists slammed into him with a crisp sound, and then his fists were uncontrollably sent flying backward.

Although his rubber body wouldn't be harmed by the rebound, the opponent seized the opportunity to get close.

Luffy was instantly alarmed and reacted quickly, his rear arm twisting and coiling to its limit.

Lucci, in front of him, clasped his hands together. A powerful aura suddenly emanated from him. He was actually choosing to take Luffy's hit in exchange for landing a blow!

"Rokushiki Ogi: Rokuogan!!"

"Rubber Jet Spiral Bullet!!"

The arm, steaming with white smoke, rotated at high speed. The fist, carrying the force of a thunderbolt, slammed down from above onto Lucci's face!

At the same time, a powerful shockwave erupted from Lucci's fists, viciously piercing through Luffy's body!

Bang!!

Bang!!

Two powerful, heavy attacks landed on each other simultaneously.

Lucci's eyes looked like they would pop, blood rapidly filling their whites. He spat out a mouthful of blood.

Taking a direct hit from Gear Second Luffy's Spiral Bullet was definitely not pleasant; it felt as if his entire soul had been blasted out of his body.

His massive body flew backward, smashing a huge pit in the ground.

Luffy, on the other hand, spat out even more blood. His eyes rolled back, his vision gradually blurring, and he nearly lost consciousness!

The white smoke around his body gradually dissipated, and his burning red skin began to return to normal.

The continuous fighting in Gear Second had rapidly drained his stamina. Even Gear Second was knocked out of him by that one blow.

Such intense, continuous fighting had been going on for quite some time since it began, finally falling into a brief silence at this moment.

Just then.

Rumble!!!

A deafening sound, like thunder, echoed continuously.

The Tower of Justice finally began to collapse under the successive bombardment of cannonballs.

Countless giant stones, mixed with rubble, rained down from the sky, kicking up thick dust as they hit the ground.

Several figures, trailing dust and smoke, leaped out from it. Below them, two massive dark silhouettes rapidly grew larger, frantically rushing towards the sea as if escaping.

"Luffy!"

"We're here!"

Luffy, lying on the ground, struggled to prop himself up. Familiar figures gradually appeared in his blurred vision.

On the falcon stood Reiner with his golden hair dancing wildly, carrying Sanji, Robin and others behind him.

A streak of blue light, swift as lightning, Nami transformed into thunder and flew in from the sky.

"...That's great, everyone's okay."

Luffy's spirits lifted. He narrowed his eyes, staring at Lucci, who was climbing up from the ground. He spread his legs, half-squatted, fist to the ground, actually preparing to activate Gear Second again!

"I won't give you the chance!"

Lucci, having just gotten up, saw this and roared, his feet rapidly tapping the ground as he rushed forward.

As long as he didn't give the opponent a chance to use that self-enhancing move again, the opponent's strength would be completely unable to resist his attacks.

Lucci's figure arrived in an instant, kicking Luffy, who was about to shift gears, away.

"You didn't even beat me when you were in that state!"

Lucci's eyes glinted fiercely as he pressed forward. "Let alone now! You don't even have the chance to use that body-enhancing move!"

"Shigan: Oren!"

"Rubber Gatling Scramble!"

Luffy gritted his teeth, his arms a blur of afterimages, meeting the opponent's dense barrage of glinting, sharp claws.

However, Lucci truly lived up to his reputation as a Rokushiki genius. His already powerful Doriki was even more terrifying with the Zoan enhancement.

Luffy, having lost the Gear Second boost, found it incredibly difficult to fend off Lucci in his half-beast form and was soon broken through, Lucci getting in close.

Lucci's tail, like an iron whip, coiled around Luffy's neck. He brought his fists together, stopping an inch from Luffy's abdomen.

"Damn it! This move again!" Luffy was instantly alarmed.

"Rokushiki Ogi..."

Crackle—!

Blue electric light exploded, and violent thunder arrived in an instant.

Lucci was forced back by this sudden attack. He and Luffy both looked towards the source.

A figure with orange hair rapidly descended. It was Nami, who had rushed over from the Tower of Justice, relying on her speed.

"Are you okay, Luffy!" Nami landed in front of Luffy, asking with concern, her Clima-Tact pointed directly at the leopard-form Lucci.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Luffy, on the ground, clutched his neck and coughed twice, saying with a look of relief, "Thanks, Nami. That was really dangerous just now."

A light rain drizzled from the gray sky. The sea, frozen into ice, was a vast expanse of white.

The moment Nami and the others emerged from the Tower of Justice, countless Marines in uniform leaped from the warships, running across the ice and rapidly charging towards the Bridge of Hesitation.

"The other members of the Straw Hat crew are out!"

"Charge!"

"The CP9 Rokushiki masters have been defeated!"

"Don't let your guard down! Their strength is formidable!"

A ferocious aura erupted from them.

Unlike the Marine soldiers Reiner and the others had encountered before, these charging soldiers all had sharp gazes and imposing momentum.

Each one carried a murderous air, clearly all elite soldiers tempered through numerous battles and slaughters!

"Hahaha! See that, Straw Hat!"

Lucci's face contorted in a savage laugh. "The Marine elite have swarmed in! And there are the five Vice Admirals leading the Buster Call! With them and me joining forces, all of you will die here today!!"

"Leave this guy to me."

Luffy glanced at the charging Marines, then turned back to Lucci, stepping forward and raising his arm.

Nami looked at Luffy blocking her path and couldn't help but say worriedly, "But..."

"Trust me, Nami!"

Luffy interrupted her, his gaze incredibly resolute. "I'll leave those Marines to you guys. Once I beat this guy, we'll all go back together."

"You're impossible."

Like a beast's instinct, Luffy always knew at a glance who his opponent was.

Nami knew her attempts to dissuade him would be useless; Luffy had already made up his mind to duel him to the end. "Be careful, Luffy. We believe in you. Defeat him! Then we'll all go back together!"

"—Yeah! Of course!"

Luffy glared at the enemy, raised his hand, brought his thumb to his mouth, and bit down hard. "I'm counting on you guys over there!"

"Mm! We're counting on you here too, Luffy!"

Nami lowered her Clima-Tact. Since Luffy said to leave it to him, she chose to trust her captain.

She turned to face the Marines charging across the ice, a glint of determination in her eyes. Then, electric arcs flickered around her body, and in an instant, she transformed into condensed, liquid-like lightning and flew outwards.

(End of chapter)