Luffy never let free experience slip through his fingers.
He darted out of the inn and hit the street in a flash.
The one-eyed gangster, second-in-command of one of Apocide's two major mafias, wasn't particularly strong, but damn, he could run. In just seconds, he was nearly a kilometer away.
Luffy blinked, genuinely surprised.
This was the fastest opponent he'd ever seen.
Perfect. Time to test his new move.
Activating his full Observation Haki, Luffy instantly locked onto every movement of the one-eyed man.
He bent his knees and leapt high into the air, body stretching mid-flight.
His hands darkened completely with Armament Haki, forming a triangle at his chest.
"Armament: Hardening!!"
A beam of black light burst from the triangle. In midair, it morphed into a ferocious black dragon, its claws extended, maw open wide, eyes burning with fury.
Black flames swirled across its serpentine body, giving off an awe-inspiring, almost divine presence.
The dragon didn't just fly, it circled once through the sky, then dove straight toward the fleeing gangster.
The man heard a thunderous roar. He turned, just in time to see the monstrous black dragon hurtling toward him.
The blazing heat cracked his skin. Fear and despair froze his body as his mind screamed, but his legs refused to move.
And then,
BOOM!!
The dragon slammed into the ground where the gangster stood.
In that instant, sound vanished. Light vanished. The world lost its smell, its shape, its very being, swallowed by a singularity of blackness.
Dark flames cloaked the sky, blotting out the sun.
Only after a long silence did the dust finally settle.
Ash rained down. The street had become a scorched hellscape, the heat so intense it made the air shimmer.
The one-eyed man lay blackened and broken, smoke curling from his mouth. He stumbled two steps forward, and collapsed, lifeless.
"ONE-EYE!!"
A shout echoed down the ruined streets. Brother Hu, who'd just arrived after hearing the news, stared in horror as the dragon disappeared, leaving only ashes where his brother had stood.
"M-my brother… my brother…!! AAAGHH!!"
The iron-blooded Hu, usually calm and ruthless, dropped to his knees.
For the first time, in front of his subordinates… he cried.
He clawed into the scorched earth, tears falling onto his trembling fingers and soaking into the dry soil.
He and One-Eye had grown up together, both orphans from the slums.
There was a girl too, around their age. The three of them had survived side-by-side, scavenging trash for food, protecting each other.
As she grew, the girl became more beautiful, so beautiful it hurt to look at her.
Both boys had fallen for her. Both swore to work hard and give her a better life.
But fate had other plans.
One night, a group of drunk thugs wandered into the slums.
They saw her. They wanted her.
And they took her, violently.
When Hu and One-Eye returned from their labor that evening, they found only her body, hanging, and a tear-stained letter.
"I love you both. I'm sorry."
From that day forward, the two were no longer boys. They were demons.
They dug for any trace of the culprits, doing whatever it took.
To gather intel, they joined a small-time gang.
Five years passed. Their talents propelled them to leadership.
At a top-level meeting, One-Eye shared their past, growing up in the slums, the girl they loved, the tragedy.
Their boss laughed.
"Slums really do breed talent, huh? I remember years ago, back when I was just a punk myself, I met this girl in the slums, absolute beauty. We were drunk, you know how it is… hahahaha! Youth, eh? Didn't know any better!"
That very night, the gang's headquarters was "attacked by rivals."
Only two survived.
Those two rose quickly, brutally, becoming the leaders of one of Apocide's two great mafias.
They trusted each other with their lives. One-Eye had lost his eye, saving Hu.
Hu, to save One-Eye's life once, gave up half their turf. Their empire nearly collapsed, forcing them to rely on Doflamingo for help.
Now, under a dim gray sky that seemed to forbid happiness itself…
"I've lost everything," Hu whispered. "Everything…"
His fingers clenched tighter into the dirt. His expression hardened.
"If nothing matters anymore… then I don't care what happens."
He stared at Luffy in the distance.
He knew he couldn't win. But he no longer cared.
Just as Luffy touched down from the sky, Hu launched at him, a blur of rage and despair.
It was the speed of heartbreak. Of no return.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Luffy was struck head-on, sent crashing through four buildings in a row before finally stopping.
But Hu didn't let up. He was already charging, his eyes burning, his fist now a claw, feral and full of killing intent.
"Tiger Fist, Starving Tiger Pounce!!"
His claw smashed across Luffy's face, slashing even the air itself.
CRACK!!
Luffy, barely upright, was flung again, scraping down the street for a hundred meters.
"Luffy!!" Robin ran forward, but halfway there, she stopped.
Hu stood in place, wobbling, gasping for air.
Those two attacks had taken everything he had.
Even standing now took all his strength.
"Puff… puff…"
Luffy stood again, brushing off the dust. His gaze… was terrifying.
No one had ever hit him like that before.
He raised his head slowly, eyes narrowing. The man in front of him had landed a clean hit, overwhelming him completely.
Luffy's eyes sharpened.
In an instant, he vanished.
He reappeared right in front of Hu.
A single punch.
Nothing fancy. No technique.
Just power.
CRACK.
Hu's jaw shattered.
The mafia boss flew skyward, vanishing into the gray clouds above.
Luffy raised his hand toward the heavens.
"Killer Move, Blazing Solar Scorch!"
His gauntlet flared, glowing in sync with the sun above.
WHOOSH.
A beam of flame surged from his arm, piercing the sky, and Hu's tiny figure in it.
"It's over… brother… and her…"
In the red blaze, Hu closed his eyes peacefully.
His body turned to ash, scattered to the corners of the world.
The sky burned red, then dimmed again.
Peace returned… but the city's air was now hot and dry.
The wind swept through, carrying away the last of the dust.
Hu's remaining men stood frozen.
They had just watched their boss die… and none of them dared move.
"Quick! Grab the woman and the kids!!"
One of them snapped out of it.
They drew pistols, aiming at Robin and the children.
Robin calmly crossed her arms.
"Thirty-Six…"
"No need, Robin."
Luffy had returned. His voice was calm. His gaze, sharp.
With a flare of his will, he unleashed Conqueror's Haki.
The air trembled violently.
The mafia thugs collapsed like dominoes, one by one, unconscious before they hit the ground.
Luffy looked around.
The city's busiest district… was now rubble.
That was the cost of power.
He sighed. "Robin… call someone to clean this up."
"Right." Robin pulled a nearly-suffocated Den Den Mushi from her chest and dialed.
Boru Boru… Boru Boru…
From a fallen thug's pocket, another Den Den Mushi began to ring.
==========
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