As Luffy prepared himself, I could sense the shift in his energy. His usual Devil Fruit abilities were now intertwined with a dark, pulsating force — cursed energy. His body glowed slightly as he activated Gear 1 using his Cursed Energy Manipulation Technique: Gear Shift.
His original Gear 1 involved making his blood vessels more elastic so that when he pumped air through them, it flowed faster, increasing his power. But now, with cursed energy in the mix, his strength has not only increased, but each of his blows will hurt even more, as cursed energy directly attacks and breaks the body from the inside.
Luffy grinned. "Gear 1!" His body became more muscular, and I could feel the immense boost in power as he unleashed the first form. His cursed energy swirled around him, making his punches and movements far more potent than usual.
"Let's go!" Luffy shouted as he dashed toward me with incredible speed, enhanced by his Devil Fruit power and cursed energy combined.
I stood calmly on the platform, raising my hand to manipulate gravity. The rocks beneath us trembled slightly as I increased the gravitational pull around me. "Let's see how you handle this, Luffy." With a small motion, I increased the gravity in his direction, attempting to slow him down.
Luffy's speed was remarkable, but as he approached the invisible wall of increased gravity, his movements noticeably slowed. His face twisted with effort as he tried to push through. "Gomu Gomu no… Pistol!" he shouted, launching a powerful punch that seemed to ripple with cursed energy.
I barely moved, simply raising my hand. The gravity around his punch increased, slowing the strike just before it reached me. With a casual flick of my fingers, I redirected the punch to the side, and Luffy's fist slammed into the ground, cracking the platform.
"Not bad, but you'll need more than that," I said with a smirk, while I inwardly thought 'Cursed energy canceled my Gravity magic by 90%' If not for it, much less attack me he won't have strength to stood up against me.
Luffy wasn't deterred. He grinned wider and shouted, "Gear 1, Shift!" His body pulsed with cursed energy again, boosting his strength even further. The cursed energy wrapped around his arm as he swung again, this time breaking through the increased gravity, the sheer force of the punch cutting through the air.
I quickly adjusted the gravity around me, lifting into the air to avoid his strike. The impact of Luffy's punch created a massive crater in the platform. Rocks flew up, suspended momentarily in the air by my magic before dropping down heavily.
"Impressive, Luffy," I said, floating above him. "But gravity is not so easy to overcome." I raised both hands, and the gravity around Luffy multiplied. The weight pushed him down, slowing his movements even more as the ground beneath him began to crack from the force.
Luffy gritted his teeth, his cursed energy flaring brighter. "I won't give up that easily!" With a burst of strength, he shouted, "Gear Shift: Full Power!" His cursed energy surged, and with a powerful leap, he broke free from the crushing gravity, launching himself toward me in mid-air.
He stretched his arm back, preparing another attack. "Gomu Gomu no... Jet Bazooka!" Luffy's hands glowed with cursed energy as they rocketed toward me.
I quickly responded by increasing the gravitational pull in front of me, creating a barrier. But this time, Luffy's strength was far greater. His cursed-powered attack smashed through the barrier, and I had to act fast. With a swift motion, I shifted gravity beneath me, pulling myself out of the way just in time as his fists crashed into the space where I had been.
The impact sent shockwaves through the air, and the platform beneath us began to crumble from the immense force.
"You're really pushing it now, Luffy," I said, landing back on the ground, still manipulating gravity around me to keep control of the battlefield. "But you're not the only one who can control the battlefield." With a flick of my wrist, I shifted the gravity under Luffy, flipping the platform, and sending him hurtling toward the sky.
Luffy spun through the air, but he quickly recovered, twisting his body and using his Cursed Energy Gear Shift to redirect himself back toward me.
"Let's finish this!" Luffy yelled as he charged toward me for the final strike.
I smiled, raising my hand one last time. "Gravity Pulse!" I slammed the air with my hand, sending a massive gravitational wave toward him, intending to knock him out of the air and end the fight.
But Luffy wasn't done yet. He grinned, his body glowing with cursed energy. "Gear Shift 1... Final Boost!"
His speed skyrocketed, and before I could react, he was right in front of me. His fist was already pulled back, and with a final burst of power, he unleashed his attack. "Gomu Gomu no... Cursed Gear Pistol!"
The punch connected, but I managed to soften the impact with a quick gravity shield. Even so, the sheer force knocked me back a few feet. I skidded to a stop, feeling the weight of the blow.
Both of us stood still, breathing heavily, the platform around us in ruins.
Luffy grinned, panting. "That was awesome!"
I chuckled, nodding in agreement. "You're getting stronger, Luffy. Keep it up."
He really pushed me there, especially with how he fused his Devil Fruit powers with Cursed Energy. It's impressive how quickly he adapts during a fight. As expected of someone who learns faster by getting beaten down.
"You've almost perfected this new power of yours. Just keep fighting, and you might be able to visit another world within a few days," I said, watching his eyes light up—before he suddenly slumped to the ground.
'Did he exhaust his Cursed Energy too?' I thought.
Luffy raised his hand and groaned, "Hun...gry!"
Twitch.
My lips twitched at his obnoxiously typical response.
***
Check out my other books while waiting for this one, My new Original : Absolute Cheater & Final Life Online.
These two Novels are in same universe, and much later the ML of my both will face each other.
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