"Uta, you take Zoro for treatment first."
Luffy instructed Uta, then replied to Hawkeye,
"If Shanks has only met one born King, then it should be me."
Hawkeye's eyes flickered, looking somewhat excited, and he said,
"Red Hair told me about you. You were able to skillfully control Haoshoku at just seven years old."
"You are indeed a rare genius."
"His high praise for you has made me interested in you too."
"Boy, your name is…"
Luffy replied,
"Monkey D. Luffy!"
"D, huh?"
Hawkeye muttered.
Suddenly, he once again drew the black blade from his back.
Looking at Luffy with a serious expression, he said,
"Monkey D. Luffy! Come on!"
"Let me see what kind of existence a genius so admired by that man Red Hair truly is?"
Seeing Hawkeye suddenly draw his sword at Luffy, Uta immediately panicked.
"Hawkeye, what are you doing?!"
"Luffy is my… my Captain! If you dare to hurt him, I won't let you off."
Hawkeye's gaze remained fixed on Luffy, and he said unhurriedly,
"I'm just testing the level of the man Red Hair thinks highly of. I won't kill him."
Uta wanted to say more, but Luffy interrupted her.
"It's alright, Uta, I'm fine."
"You go quickly and take Zoro for treatment!"
In fact, Luffy also really wanted to fight Hawkeye.
Hawkeye was one of the top combat powers in this world.
Being able to fight such a person with full power would definitely lead to a huge improvement.
Moreover, ever since Luffy's strength grew stronger and stronger, and his physique became more robust, he hadn't been able to utilize his [Extreme Enhancement] ability for a long time.
[Extreme Enhancement: When your body functions reach their limit, after sufficient rest, your physical attributes will break through and significantly improve.]
Because he hadn't encountered a suitable opponent, and his current strength could no longer reach an Extreme state through mere training, Luffy hadn't used this skill for many years.
If he could use this ability once now, the improvement gained might allow Luffy to break through in one go, crossing an entire power tier.
Seeing that Luffy had said so, Uta could no longer stop him, but she did caution him,
"Then be careful, this guy is very strong."
In fact, even Uta wasn't sure how strong Luffy was when fighting at full power, but Hawkeye's impression on her during his sparring with Shanks was too profound, so she was still worried about Luffy.
After Uta brought Zoro back to Baratie, she searched for medicine and bandages on the ship to give him simple treatment.
Meanwhile, with Luffy and Hawkeye.
Hawkeye held up his black blade, pointing it directly at Luffy, and said,
"Make your move, Straw Hat!"
Luffy didn't waste words upon hearing this.
He was approaching this fight with the mindset of using Hawkeye as a sparring partner.
Therefore, not only did he want to train and improve his Armament Haki and Observation Haki, but he also wanted to fully develop his limits, completely draining all his stamina and Haki.
This way, once he recovered again, his strength would undergo a qualitative leap.
Luffy raised his right hand, and a black sheen already appeared on it.
Then, he brought his Armament Haki-reinforced arm to his mouth.
"Gear Fourth!"
Luffy's deep voice rang out.
Immediately after, Luffy's Armament Haki-reinforced arm rapidly expanded like a balloon in a distorted shape.
Like air flowing through his body, the distorted expansion spread throughout his entire body, and his whole body followed suit, inflating.
The next second, a Gear Fourth Luffy, with an upper body as massive as a Giant Race, legs as slender as springs, and a face full of malevolence, appeared before Hawkeye.
His arms were black and red like heated iron, and his sweat evaporated like white auspicious clouds, swirling around his body like ribbons.
Gear Fourth was a state produced by the extreme development and application of Armament Haki.
In this state, it allowed Luffy to most rapidly improve and strengthen his Armament Haki through his heaven-defying comprehension.
Looking at Luffy, whose aura exploded in an instant, Hawkeye's eyes visibly brightened a few shades.
"Good Haki. Your Armament Haki can already be ranked among the strong."
As he finished speaking, a powerful aura immediately burst forth from Hawkeye's body as well.
His sword seemed to be enveloped by wisps of green energy, and his entire aura suddenly soared to an unparalleled height.
"Gum-Gum…"
Luffy chanted in a low voice.
He retracted his massive fist into his body like a spring, using the powerful elasticity to double the attack power of his punch.
Then, he compressed and ejected air with his slender legs.
His entire body suddenly surged forward with the aid of the propulsion, instantly closing the distance between him and Hawkeye.
"…King Kong Gun!"
Following a furious roar from Luffy, the massive fist, accelerated by elasticity, shot out violently, smashing towards Hawkeye.
It was like a cannonball firing, rumbling loudly.
Hawkeye's gaze sharpened, gripping his sword with both hands, his body shifting rapidly at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye.
Despite being an ambush launched from only a few meters away, Hawkeye easily blocked it.
Boom!
With a roar, Luffy was repelled by Hawkeye's powerful sword energy.
"Is this all you've got?"
Hawkeye frowned slightly, seemingly unsatisfied.
Luffy, however, grinned, his expression joyful.
Because in his mind...
"Your comprehension is prodigious! Through combat experience, your Armament Haki has been strengthened!"
When fighting such a strong opponent, the greater the attack power, the more improvement is gained.
And he was fighting with the mindset of using Hawkeye as a free sparring partner, so he naturally wanted to thoroughly exploit Hawkeye.
If he used his strongest moves all at once, Hawkeye might lose interest in fighting him, and that would be a wasted opportunity.
"It's not over yet!"
Luffy responded.
Then, he simultaneously retracted both fists towards his body.
Air jetted from his legs, launching him into the air.
Then he aimed at Hawkeye.
"Gum-Gum: Ape King Gatling!"