Luffy's body seemed to dodge on its own, effortlessly shifting left.
Whoosh!
His speed was at its limit—the fastest he could go. Luckily, he avoided the attack. Otherwise, he would've been flattened like a pancake, a fate he didn't even want to imagine.
Huff! Huff! Huff!
Luffy panted heavily. That seemingly simple dodge had drained all his energy.
"No way," he muttered, shaking his head, wanting to call for a timeout. He looked over at Rayleigh with a hint of helplessness in his eyes. Unfortunately, Rayleigh ignored him, his expression seeming to say, "Luffy, this is just the beginning. Push past your limits."
Luffy shook his head, frustrated. Rayleigh just didn't get how bad things were.
"Roar!" The Gorilla let out an indignant roar, frustrated from Luffy's repeated dodges. The Gorilla, with intelligence similar to a human's, wasn't pleased by his failed attacks. Now, The Gorilla was furious, his roar almost bursting Luffy's eardrums.
"Terrifying…" Luffy thought, bracing himself for the fierce onslaught he knew was coming. And sure enough, The Gorilla leaped, his massive body casting a shadow like a dark cloud.
"Huh?" Realizing the danger, Luffy dashed away just in time.
A second later—Bang! Boom! The Gorilla's massive form crashed into the ground, creating a huge pit. The shockwaves nearly knocked Luffy off his feet, though he managed to hide behind a large tree.
"Huh? A good chance!" Suddenly, Luffy noticed that The Gorilla was off-balance after landing. Grinning, he seized the moment, sprinting forward.
"Gomu Gomu!" he shouted, preparing to launch a long-distance rubber ability attack to teach The Gorilla a lesson. From a distance, Rayleigh nodded, approving of Luffy's timing.
But then, Luffy froze. The attack he had planned… didn't work.
"Oh no!" Luffy realized in a panic. He'd forgotten that he no longer had his Devil Fruit powers.
"Damn!" Not only did his attack fail, but he had also seriously provoked The Gorilla. Thinking quickly, he unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, flooding the air with intimidating force. The Gorilla looked momentarily stunned, as if hit by some mental shock.
Luffy thought he'd succeeded, but then… The Gorilla recovered.
"It's over!" Luffy understood. The Gorilla wasn't a simple opponent, and relying on Conqueror's Haki alone wouldn't cut it. The Gorilla was far scarier than he'd expected.
"Roar!" The Gorilla, back on his feet, roared again. And in the split second Luffy was frozen, The Gorilla saw his chance.
Bang!
The Gorilla struck—not using his full strength this time, as Luffy's dodges had made him hold back. Instead, he opted for precision over power, moving faster than before. Luffy couldn't avoid it and took the full impact.
"Ahhhh!" Luffy cried out as his body shot through the air like a cannonball, finally crashing against a tree. The intense pain twisted his expression.
"Damn it!" Luffy cursed, feeling like he was on the verge of death. He had never taken such a brutal hit in his life. It felt like he was truly dying. "Damn gorilla!" he yelled, though it was useless. The Gorilla beat his chest, seeming to mock him.
From afar, Rayleigh stood dumbfounded, his jaw dropped. Earlier, Luffy had tried to use his Devil Fruit powers but hadn't activated them. Rayleigh knew Luffy wasn't joking around, as his expression had been dead serious. But why hadn't the powers worked?
Moreover, Rayleigh noticed that Luffy's body hadn't absorbed any damage as it would if he were still a Rubber Man. Otherwise, Luffy wouldn't have ended up so battered. Since The Gorilla's attacks lacked Haki, the damage to a rubber body would be much less severe. That was why Rayleigh hadn't intervened, but now he saw that Luffy's injuries were serious—his chest was deeply caved in.
"What's going on?" Rayleigh didn't understand. Luffy seemed weaker than expected.
Splat! Luffy coughed up a mouthful of blood. He felt like he was on the brink of death. That hit was earth-shattering, and he couldn't handle it. If he still had his rubber body, he wouldn't be this badly hurt.
"Ugh!" Luffy's consciousness began to blur; his eyes were closing.
"Damn it!" he thought, staggering to his feet. "How many times have I nearly died already? Am I cursed?" But he didn't last long. Thud! He collapsed heavily.
Rayleigh walked over, examining him with a grim expression. Things weren't looking good.
"What on earth is going on?" Rayleigh muttered. "His body should be more resilient. He's supposed to be a Rubber Man…" Frowning, Rayleigh felt that Luffy's condition was extremely dire, maybe even life-threatening.
"Roar!" The Gorilla was celebrating his victory, beating his chest in triumph. Suddenly, Rayleigh shouted, "Enough! You idiot!" His powerful voice instantly silenced The Gorilla, who hesitated for a moment before running off, intimidated by Rayleigh's Haki. Luffy's Haki was still no match for Rayleigh's.
"Luffy!" Rayleigh yelled, shaking him forcefully, but there was no response.
"Is this real?" Rayleigh was stunned. Monkey D. Luffy, Rubber Man, a young man with limitless potential. He had made a name for himself by defeating foes from the Seven Warlords, taking down the CP9 in the Marines, and shining brightly in the Paramount War. Luffy had faced death numerous times, yet minor injuries like these shouldn't have had such a severe effect.
But now… he was lying there, unconscious.
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T/N:
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