"What are you doing?" Maynard demanded, noticing the steam rising from Luffy's body. His eyes narrowed in confusion and concern, unsure of what he was witnessing.
Luffy glanced up. "When I fought that big cat and the guy with the long nose, I lost," Luffy said. "I couldn't do anything... And then I heard that Ben and everyone else faced someone too, someone they couldn't even scratch," he added.
He clenched his fists tighter, steam billowing around him as his body. "We need to get stronger," he continued, his voice firm. "To protect everyone," he added.
Maynard scoffed, dismissing Luffy's resolve. "It doesn't matter," he replied coldly. "All pirates will lose to the Marines," he added.
"Gomu Gomu no Jet Pistol," Luffy said as he opened his palm and pointed to Maynard. He then shot his other fist towards Maynard at high speed. Maynard got hit in the chest. He spat blood from the attack and went flying back.
He landed on the ground and slid backwards on his back. He panted. He thought about what that was. Luffy`s fist hurt and he moved even faster. He looked up to see Luffy in the air. "Gomu Gomu no Jet Lance," Luffy said as he put his feet together and shot at Maynard on the floor. It was a fast attack. His feet hit him on the stomach. He spat blood. He felt his stomach get crushed.
He quickly got up and moved out of the way. He got to his feet and panted. He thought there was no way he had gotten this strong. "Justice Fist!" Maynard said as he launched a powerful punch imbued with his Haki.
"Gomu Gomu no Jet Stamp," Luffy said as he stretched his leg out and launched his foot towards his fist. They both clashed. The impact created a shockwave that sent derby flying everywhere.
Maynard looked at Luffy. He was not using haki but keeping up. No, he just got lucky, he thought. "Judgment Slam!" Maynard said as he closed the distance and tried to grab Luffy. He was going to lift him and slam it into the ground.
However, Luffy moved out of the way. "Shave," Luffy said as he disappeared in a flash. He moved behind blinding speed. Maynard's eyes widened. He thought was that a Six Power Technique.
"Gomu Gomu no Jet Bazooka." Luffy said as he stretched his arms back and launched them forward at Maynard. His arms went at a rapid speed towards Maynard. Maynard saw the attack coming, however it was too fast. Maynard got hit in the chest with the attack. He spat blood. He felt his rib cage crack as he went flying back and hit the wall. His neck bounced back as he fell to the ground.
Luffy saw he was on the ground. He needed to end this quickly. He could feel his stamina draining. "I need to go and help Ben," Luffy said.
Maynard got up. "I won't let a pirate escape from me," he replied. He spat blood and cleaned his mouth. He cracked his fist. "Pirates are evil, we have seen your kind," he added.
"Crimson Barrage!" Maynard said as ran towards Luffy. He spun his sword rapidly in front of him and sent a flurry of thrusts towards Luffy. The blade whistled through the air as it aimed for Luffy's midsection. Luffy darted to the left, his reflexes sharp, the steam going from his body. He avoided the deadly strike.
Maynard struck to the left. Luffy dodged to the right. Maynard went right. Luffy dodged to the left. Luffy's eyes were watching every movement. His body now was much faster and was able to react quickly.
"Stay still!" Maynard growled, bringing his sword down in a powerful overhead strike. Luffy anticipated the attack and leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding the deadly arc of the sword.
Maynard swung again, trying to catch Luffy mid-air, but Luffy twisted his body, dodging once more. "You are slow," Luffy said. "Gomu Gomu no Jet Bullet, " added as he stretched his hand and launched it at great speed at Maynard. He launched it at his face. It was an extremely fast, close-range punch which had great force. Maynard took the full hit on his face. He felt his nose break and it started to bleed. He stumbled backwards from the attack. His vision was blurry as he dropped his sword. He panted loudly.
His vision slowly came back. He felt his face, being covered in blood. "You," Maynard angrily said.
"You still are up," Luffy said.
"I am a member of the Marines, a member of justice," Maynard said.
"Mighty Justice Barrage," Maynard said as he rushed towards Luffy. He infused haki onto his fist. He was going to deliver a rapid series of punches at Luffy.
"Gomu Gomu no Jet Gatling," Luffy said as he bent his arms forward and unleashed a rapid barrage, leaving only faint jet streams behind. His fists became a whirlwind of fury, striking out in all directions with incredible speed. The sheer velocity of his punches caused the air to compress and explode in bursts around him, creating shockwaves that rippled outward.
The two attacks collided in a thunderous clash. Maynard's haki-infused fists met Luffy's flurry of blows head-on. Each of Maynard's powerful strikes was met by a volley of Luffy's own punches, the impact sending shockwaves rippling through the air. The ground beneath them cracked and shattered under the sheer force of their attacks, dust and debris swirling around them like a storm.
Maynard gritted his teeth, his eyes widening with surprise as he felt the force of Luffy's blows pushing him back. "How…?" he muttered, struggling to maintain his footing against the relentless onslaught. Luffy kept going. His punches got faster and faster. Soon Maynard was overwhelmed. Luffy then punched Maynard chest, stomach, head, leg and arms. Maynard spat blood. He felt his bones break. He started to bleed all over his body. Luffy sends him flying backwards. He crashed on the wall and dropped to the ground. He was unconscious. He lost, he failed as a Marine, he thought as he saw darkness.
Luffy stopped the rapid movement of blood. His body stopped emitting steam. Luffy saw he was down. He thought he needed to move and help Ben.