The moment Shura sank into Luffy's body, Dylan felt something strange.
The tactile feedback from the blade was odd. It wasn't the usual feeling you get when you cut through flesh and blood. It felt more like poking a balloon with a stick.
Hmm...
Dylan pulled out Shura, thinking Luffy wasn't strong enough to withstand his Armament Haki. Taking advantage of the recoil, Luffy jumped up from the ground, smiling at Dylan:
"I've gotten stronger again. This time, I'll definitely defeat you."
"Your grandfather and brother just died."
Luffy's eyebrows twisted, but then he relaxed:
"I will avenge them!"
After hearing his words, Dylan stopped talking.
Uh-huh!
The moment Dylan disappeared, Luffy's body also vanished. After experiencing near death, his instincts had sharpened, and his sense of danger was more acute.
Clang!
Shura's blade struck Luffy's fist, and Luffy grinned: "It's useless, I'll..."
Red lightning spiraled up the blade, and before Luffy could finish speaking, blood appeared on his fist.
"You will what?"
"Woo... Wow!!!"
Luffy raised his foot and stepped on the air, his whole body shooting backward. The blood dripping from his right hand seemed to mock him.
"How could this be...Obviously..."
As his mood changed, the entire arena began to fluctuate, and the ground became soft. Even the remaining stands around them softened and collapsed.
"Gomu Gomu no Gatling!"
Hundreds of fists flew out from all sides towards Dylan. Dylan's body bowed slightly as he gripped Shura's handle with both hands.
"Judgment Guilty!"
Tornado-like slashes unfolded with Dylan at the center, shattering the entire arena into pieces. The speeding rubber fists were sliced into pieces within the tornado and then returned to their original form, falling to the ground.
Directly above the tornado, Luffy's fist was covered in Armament Haki as he stepped on the air and rushed down towards the center of the storm.
"Gomu Gomu no King Cobra!"
Click!
Dylan raised Shura towards the sky, thunder mixed with Armament Haki wrapping around the blade.
"Judgment Kunlun!"
The thread-like slash was triggered instantly, and Luffy in the air had no time to dodge, but the strong sense of crisis shocked him.
"Gomu Gomu no Hula Hoop!"
Gu~~
His body stretched into a circle in mid-air in an extremely weird way, barely avoiding the almost invisible slash.
"So close..."
Just as Luffy was about to rejoice, his eyebrows raised. Something was wrong! The sense of crisis hadn't disappeared!
Before he could locate the source, the original threads suddenly dispersed into a network in the air.
Tsk tsk tsk!
"Wow!!!"
Looking at the small cuts on his body, Luffy fell to the ground, screaming in pain. A slash that even his rubber body couldn't avoid...
And...
Feeling the energy attached to those slashes, Luffy's body trembled slightly. It wasn't just a slash; the power was also eroding his body.
"Hmm~~~~~"
Dylan sighed.
Is that all? Far less powerful than he had imagined. Of course, he knew what Shanks was trying to do, so his first stab didn't cut Luffy into pieces. If he had used the "Eighteen Levels of Hell" attack, Luffy would have no chance of using the "Drums of Liberation."
Can you still play drums when your heart has been chopped into pieces?
Those "ten thousand races" that I've already tracked down should not be all of them.
In particular, West Blue and North Blue are the weak points of its power.
So like Shanks, he deliberately gave Luffy a chance to "experience death" and then beat the Drum of Liberation. This way, those "all races" who have fallen asleep or are waiting can hear it and wake up all over the world.
On the other hand, he also wanted to see what level Luffy would reach after the so-called "Mythical Zoan awakening." This could roughly serve as a reference for future battles.
But...
Judging from Luffy's performance just now—
Commonplace.
It's still the same old routine: homogenizing the surrounding materials and making his "attributes" more random, then intensifying the breath of life. But that's all...
Kaido... I really don't know how you lost...
He had a brief fight with Kaido when he went to Wano Country to clean up the scene, although he had no intention of killing Kaido at the time. But in terms of on-the-spot reactions, fighting instincts, and physical fitness, Kaido shouldn't lose to the rubber idiot in front of him.
Although there was a devilish operation to force Onigashima to add a debuff to himself, it was still baffling to see him lose.
It seems that Kaido's heart has changed...
As the 20-year appointment approaches, Kaido feels more uneasy and expectant. He became worried about gains and losses, looking forward and backward. In battle, he could not maintain the decisiveness and ruthlessness of his youth. And all of this probably started when he read Oden's diary.
What a devilish father and daughter. What kind of diary is that??
Turn a cold-blooded killing machine into a complete watchdog.
From this point of view...
Oden was quite capable, at least he could write a diary.
Deep in the New World.
Zunesha's steps stopped again.
The time...is different from the agreed one...
Joy Boy...
Are you really going to fail again...
Thinking of the man who had threatened his life, Zunesha raised his giant legs again. If the "Drum of Liberation" really disappears...
At the time of the agreement...see...see if he can fulfill the agreement in place of Joy Boy.
West Blue, the top of the "Great Glacier."
The Ancient people looked at the shaking iceberg and showed joy. The "god" they have guarded for generations is awakening.
In the dense forest of South Blue, among the towering trees, strange flower buds slowly opened.
"Is the time up..."
Waves of whispers sounded from all over the world. In the desert, in the swamp, under the lava, in the lake. Countless races that have never appeared in the world are waiting devoutly. Waiting for their "god" to fully awaken.
Pere~Pere~Pere~Pere~
At the top of the glacier, the Den Den Mushi in the hand of the woman Dylan had seen rang.
"When they wake up, tell them to seize the time to regain their strength. The final battle is about to begin, and the Drum of Liberation...may be silent for a while."
The woman was just a member of the "guard," and she didn't know the specific meaning of some of the words in it. For example, she didn't understand "The Last Battle" and "Drums of Liberation." They have been passed down from generation to generation to obey a certain order and guard the "gods" who have been frozen for countless years.
"Yes..."
Although they don't understand the meaning, they are already used to doing this. Even if the "final battle" mentioned by the other party sounds like it means destruction and determination, they don't care.
Many people even became disappointed this time. The "gods" have awakened, so where should they go...
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