A spiraling punch met a colossal fist of jagged metal in a cataclysmic clash.
The silence stretched timeless, a collective gasp swallowing the air.
The thunderous boom lingered in their ears, the shockwave rippling through the tavern regardless of distance—a tremor that rattled bones and stilled hearts. That single blow commanded every eye, its raw power more than enough to eclipse the chaos below.
Luffy and Kid locked glares across their colliding fists, locked in a heartbeat of deadlock.
Then, like a snapped taut line, Luffy rebounded backward, carving space between them.
"Hah! All talk, eh? Not bad—tanking my hit like that."
Kid tracked Luffy's skidding landing, swinging his metal-sheathed right arm with a predatory smirk. His glee twisted demonic, a savage joy that chilled the blood.
Seconds after the floor-shaking impact, Luffy surged forward again, reigniting the fray.
The brawl, sparked from nothing, showed no sign of fizzling—deeper, fiercer than either had bargained for.
That first exchange had laid it bare: equals in might. Victory wouldn't come easy; both knew it now, their resolve hardening, faces taut where once they'd burned loose with thrill.
Neither would yield an inch.
Luffy charged, arms blurring in rapid wind-up—a telltale prelude to a barrage.
Kid read it instant: stretched limbs, combo incoming. He planted wide, daring the assault, coiling his hips for the counterpunch.
"Gum-Gum—!"
"Take this!"
Crush before he strikes.
The massive fist rocketed out, a verdict sealed.
Luffy's face shifted at the sight.
Too vast—his own frame dwarfed by the scrap-hewn limb, the fist alone dwarfing his torso. The sheer menace of it loomed like judgment.
He unleashed a flurry of swift jabs, but they barely blunted the advance.
Kid's blow connected dead-on.
Luffy's body lifted, hurled back against his momentum, erased in a blink.
The force didn't relent—propelling him wall-ward in a brutal arc.
"Urgh—that hurts...!"
"Don't look away!"
The crash cratered stone, half-entombing Luffy in rubble. Kid pounced without mercy, metal arm cocked high.
Luffy twisted free, bolting the floor in evasion.
Boom. Kid's fist pulverized where he'd stood a breath before.
But Luffy had slipped the strike by a hair.
He rolled to his feet, momentum unbroken, barreling toward Kid.
Bruises? His rubber form shrugged them off. But Kid's arsenal—blades embedded in the mass—had gouged skin, drawing thin rivulets of blood.
The attacks bit true. And still, Luffy pressed on, undaunted.
The arm loomed enormous, wedged fast in the wall.
A beat to free it? Luffy leaped, exploiting the bind.
"You little—Gum-Gum—!"
"Not some pushover, huh? But!"
Kid wrenched free, shedding the embedded chunk—trading delay for speed. The metal arm whipped out faster than expected.
Too late to pivot mid-air; Luffy committed, leg arcing in a piston kick.
"Stamp!"
"Think that'll faze me?!"
The kick landed true, but mistimed—the arm caught it, slamming like a backhand. Luffy sailed across the atrium, cratering into the far recess amid a tumble of tables and chairs.
Screams erupted; pirates scattered, upending furniture in frantic flight.
Spectating was one thing—collateral another. Their duel raged with a ferocity that awed even salted sea-dogs, years in the life no shield against the dread.
And it wasn't over.
Luffy vaulted a flipped table, rising with his hat slung back, eyes blazing fury at the one-sided launch.
Kid met the glare with laughter—delight, not disdain, at the resilient foe.
A rare thrill, this scrap. Worlds from the sniveling worm he'd pulped moments ago. Worth going all-in, he mused, hoisting his metal arm anew.
"Thought 30 mil was hype—turns out you're full of surprises. Don't crumble easy, yeah? I was bored stiff."
"Alright then—you ready for this?"
"Heh, born ready. Don't break yet..."
Metal shards quivered—from the wall, the floor, everywhere—then lifted, drawn inexorably to Kid's raised arm.
"Haaah...!"
"What kinda Devil Fruit is that? Freaky..."
Luffy gripped the railing with stretched arms, primed to launch, eyes on the growing anomaly.
A mere raise, and the limb had swollen near double— a grotesque monument of steel.
Undeterred, Luffy rocketed forth, rubber-propelled like grapeshot, hurtling straight. He reeled in, fist cocked.
"Gum-Gum Rocket!"
"Fool's charge—I'll swat ya down!"
"Not today!"
Kid's descending arm traced a killing path—Luffy dead in it. But mid-flight, he somersaulted, facing up.
Irrelevant. Kid swung unaltered.
Luffy extended his leg in a whipping arc.
"Gum-Gum Whip!"
The kick grazed the arm's flank, deflecting it just enough—a sliver of escape. But the jagged edge bit deep into his thigh, blood welling sharp. Teeth gritted, he ignored it.
Arm lanced to the nearby railing; he yanked close, dodging the arm's path.
Now inches from Kid—blitz-speed closing.
Most would flinch; he didn't.
Kid shed the metal mid-swing, meeting flesh with flesh.
"Pistol!"
"Hmph!"
Clattering scrap plunged into the void as Luffy's fist stretched true—blocked by Kid's upraised left, shoving him back a hair. No real dent.
They dropped to the floor, arms retracting, eyes locking—then charging anew, no reset needed.
"Ooooh!"
"Raaah!"
Closing, punches flew in sync—cross-counters cratering cheeks.
Spines arched, but fists held; feet rooted, they unleashed the next volley.
What followed: raw fisticuffs, stripped to instinct.
Jaw-cracking blows staggered them, but they braced, refusing retreat. Pride alone fueled it now—skill, poise secondary; just pure, seething emotion unleashed.
Blood heated with each hit; Kid's grin faded, crimson spraying from his lips.
But Luffy—Gum-Gum Man—tanked it unscathed.
Realizing mid-melee, Kid tsked and leaped back.
First retreat—a golden opening.
Luffy's arms blurred again, unleashing the pursuit.
"Gum-Gum... Gatling!"
"Tch—!"
A storm of fists pelted him airborne.
More damage than expected; the prior exchange had worn him. No brush-off. But Kid twisted mid-fall, landing crouched.
He looked up—eyes widening.
Luffy loomed, arm coiled for the finisher.
"Rifle!"
The gut-punch landed nuclear, hurling him back.
Kid tumbled across tables, pirates scattering in outrage—some drawing steel in reflexive ire.
He exploded up, batting them aside like gnats.
Their weapons lifted unbidden, orbiting him in a lethal halo.
Devil Fruit, no doubt—metal mastery, details murky.
But clear: ordinary iron answered his call.
A rubber boy's nightmare? Hardly—blades would carve where bludgeons failed.
"Some freakshow body you got. Ability user, eh?"
"Yup. Gum-Gum Fruit—Gum-Gum Man."
"Gum? Figures the weird give. Skin like rubber, too?"
"Blunt force? Won't touch me!"
Luffy closed; Kid seized dual sabers from the swirl.
"Won't, huh? But those gashes say blades ain't your friend."
"Yeah. They ain't."
Luffy nodded blunt, arm cocking back as he advanced.
Kid lunged too—not a swordsman by trade, fists his forte. But here? Steel tipped the scales.
Sword versus fist: both lethal, but comfort diverged.
Luffy's retracted arm snapped forward, fist whistling toward Kid's face—ferocious, wind-slicing.
Kid tracked it cold, weaving aside flawless.
"Bullet!"
"Hn—"
Body forward, head tilt—the graze split skin, blood trickling.
Direct hit? Disaster. Grazed? Manageable.
Seizing it, Kid's arms rose—sabers unleashing a barrage.
No swordsman's grace—just a brawler gripping blades. No finesse, but brute speed, power, conviction? Unmatched. The onslaught reeked of kill-intent, merciless.
Luffy retracted, backpedaling in a frantic dodge.
Sabers slashed wild yet precise—paper-thin evasions. A lesser man? Dead on the first.
Not Kid's clumsiness—Luffy's split-second reads outshone.
Wind from the blades kissed his cheek; his face stayed ice-calm.
A head-swipe dipped low; he rolled, palms slapping stone, countering from near-handstand with a razor kick.
"Hah!"
"Tch—nimble rat...!"
Kid blocked with arms, spotting the gap—Luffy danced back, monkey-light, gravity a suggestion. Raw athleticism edged his.
"Annoying pest. Skittering like a damn ape."
"Shut it! Disrespect apes, and you'll regret it, flame-brain!"
"Picking at scraps? Bad odds. Try this on for size."
Luffy halted; Kid released the sabers—yet they hung, defying gravity, tips locked on target.
Baffled tilt from Luffy; Kid flicked his arm like a conductor.
"Impale the bastard!"
The blades rocketed—bullet-fast, thrice a thrown toss.
Luffy's eyes bulged; instinct saved him, dodging by a whisper. But edges nicked ribs, arm—fresh blood misting.
"Whoa?!"
"Slippery. But how long?"
Kid raised his arm higher; metal mobilized en masse—sabers, knives, pistols, cutlery. Looted from pirates, scavenged from shelves—all bent to his will, arrayed skyward like a murder of steel, zeroed on Luffy.
Devil's work, sure—but the sight defied sanity.
Luffy wiped sweat, scowling up.
"Damn, weird power. They just... flew at me."
"Pot, kettle—watch you don't get skewered, rubber boy!"
Arm dropped; the arsenal streaked.
Awe-inspiring swarm—oppressive, visceral from below.
But Luffy didn't flee. He lunged into the gale.
Bound-like leaps: one step, two, three—steady advance. Objects scored flesh, rent cloth, drawing blood in their wake. One slip? Catastrophic. He knew; no hesitation.
Eyes wide, not calculating—raw intuition plotting trajectories, picking safe footfalls.
A miraculous charge through the maelstrom.
Most pirates gaped, slack-jawed.
Guts to dive, skill to survive—age irrelevant; it commanded respect, raw proof of mettle.
Even Kid, puppeteering the storm, blinked in startlement—but composure held.
Eyes wide, he dissected the assault. Hunting the fatal instant.
There—Luffy threading the barrage, arms priming, feet faltering a fraction. Kid's lips curled.
"Gum-Gum—!"
"Gotcha!"
Overhead sabers launched.
The rain slackened; blades pierced true—left shoulder, right flank, left thigh, even the cocking right fist. Pain twisted his face fleeting.
But he strode on, ignoring the agony.
Intercepted, still striking.
"Hah—nailed ya! With this—!"
"Castle Siege Cannon!!"
Recoil-fueled palm-heels slammed home—unforeseen devastation.
Kid's gut absorbed the apocalypse, vision blurring to blackout's edge.
No brace; he soared dozens of meters, cratering wall in a deafening quake.
The air transmuted—smug spectators who'd bet on Kid now ate crow.
Luffy stood ragged-breath, yanking embedded steel free, discarding it with a clatter. Blood pooled thick at his feet. Toll heavy.
Face unyielding, he exhaled deep, stance resolute.
Kid peeled from the wall in a slump, hand to floor, head bowed—seconds only. Then, slow rise.
Fury etched his features—till locking on Luffy, twisting to a grin.
Madness bloomed in his eyes. No room for poise now; something feral surged, destructive impulse unbound—leagues beyond before.
Rising deliberate, Kid grinned through a cough of blood.
"Guh—keh... You..."
"Pirate King's mine. Can't lose to you."
"Fine by me. Won't regret those words."
Arms spread languid; the air warped unnatural.
Metal stirred island-wide—but vaster, hungrier. The tavern's hoard mobilized, as if every scrap yearned to serve.
Unleashed, it would've stripped the room bare. Intensity off the charts.
Countless shards converged below, coiling up his arms into twin behemoths—mightier than before.
Baring his all, Kid glared at the braced Luffy.
"I'll crush you—here, now!"
"Then I'll blast you flying. One King's plenty."
"Keep dreaming!"
Kid charged, a juggernaut; Luffy met him, fist high.
The crowd held breath as they closed—then, a shadow wedged between.
"Enough!"
Bronze gauntlets gleamed; from the right, a scythe leaped, batting Kid's arm aside. The deflected colossus gouged floor in thunderous ruin. Simultaneously, the left gauntlet parried Luffy's punch.
One man halted the maelstrom.
Glares snapped; the tavern's pulse stuttered anew.
Landing graceful between: a masked figure.
Wild golden mane spilled from the rear; arm-weapons bizarre, visage outright sinister. The mask stripped any hint of humanity.
Kid's right arm: Killer.
He'd intervened to leash his captain's rampage. Mask swiveling to Kid.
"Killer! Why the hell interfere?!"
"Easy, Kid. We here for scraps? Eyes on the prize."
Cool remonstrance for the seething beast. Kid bared teeth, rage unquenched—fists clenched, veins bulging.
Luffy, though? Oddity incarnate.
Eyes sparkling, he beamed at Killer—tension evaporating, boyish wonder resurfacing.
"Whoaaa?! Y-You—mask! So cool! Where'd ya get it? I want one!"
"Hm?"
"Hah?"
"Super rad~!"
Baffling camaraderie.
Killer blinked at the pivot; Kid's fury fizzled in confusion.
The bloodlust? Vanished.
Intentional or not, the duel died aborning.
Killer eyed his halted captain, issuing the coda—a echo of Luffy and Kiri's own dynamic.
"Straw Hat's backing off. You too—call it. Want closure? Race for it."
"Tch... Killed the vibe."
Metal sloughed off in a clanging mound; loose bits tumbled into the depths.
Unburdened, Kid rolled his shoulders, gaze lingering on Luffy.
Calmer, but venom simmered. The abrupt halt chafed—unsated, frustration coiling tight.
Luffy mirrored the itch but held his tongue.
Kid's parting shot landed instead.
"Oi, Straw Hat—this ain't over. We'll settle proper. You're here for the race, right?"
"Race?"
"Finish line's mine. We'll end it there."
With that, Kid turned sharp, striding off.
Killer spared Luffy a glance, then followed.
Their crew—shadowy figures—waited ahead.
"Come for sure. Told ya—I'd be the one to break you."
Toward the exit, they melted into the throng.
A race? Curiosity burned, but they were gone before the ask. Another clash loomed, though—Luffy sensed it, content.
Blood-slick hands reclaimed his hat.
The impromptu war, at last, sputtered out.
From above, Usopp and Nami exhaled relief—then fretted Luffy's wounds with veteran sighs. Vivi reeled still, lost in the haze.
Whiskey Peak, Zoro's clash—mere days ago, a benchmark of might. Even thoughts of toppling Crocodile had flickered.
But this?
A frenzy eclipsing Zoro's hundred-man rout—unnatural strength, ironclad will. Zoro's full throttle? Debatable. But the captain he hailed? Real as steel. Kid's ferocity compounded it: awe and thrill choking words.
She'd been naive, sheltered.
The realization hit hard now—heart pounding, she stood silent, adrift.
"Th-That it? Over?"
"Idiots... Matching Luffy blow-for-blow? Insane."
"Let's hit Luffy—guy's banged up. Sooner we bail, better."
"Yeah. Vivi, move."
"Eh? Oh—r-right!"
Grumbling but routine, the pair hauled her along to regroup.
They beelined stairs, skirting the entrance nook.
Once clear, Law rose from his perch, katana in hand.
Gaze downward, appraising the upright Luffy.
Amusing diversion. Less shock than the crowd—no surprise for a headline act; he'd expected fireworks.
Sufficient spectacle.
Cool calculus: time to ghost.
He stirred; his crew rose sans gripe, trailing loyal.
"Show's done. Out."
"Aye aye. Captain—what's the read on 'em?"
"Entertaining bunch. Cross paths again, sure."
Acknowledgment laced the words.
Thin smile cryptic, Law murmured and led them from the tavern.
--+--
T/N: Although I'm an inexperienced Editor, I do have a Patreon account! Although it seems like I don't have many supporters right now, my webnovel will be released in full every day, and the advanced chapters will be uploaded to Patreon.
It may not be worth it now, but who knows, it might be different in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/Greyhounds
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