"Wait!"
"Who said I... had no combat ability?"
Suddenly hearing Luffy say this from behind him.
Hawkeye immediately turned back in confusion, looking at Luffy questioningly.
"Your Haki is almost completely depleted, and your body has nearly reached its limit."
"How can you still fight in such a state?"
Luffy suddenly grinned and said,
"As for Haki, didn't you say I was a born King?"
"I haven't used it yet, have I?! The Haki of a Conqueror!"
Hawkeye's body trembled, and his pupils quivered.
Then he narrowed his eyes, and with a hint of disbelief, he said,
"Could it be... you've already mastered Haoshoku Haki Infusion?"
Mere Conqueror's Haki intimidation certainly wouldn't affect him in the slightest.
So, since Luffy said he hadn't used Conqueror's Haki yet, it undoubtedly meant Haoshoku Haki Infusion.
But this was precisely what shocked Hawkeye.
Haoshoku Haki Infusion is the world's most top-tier power, mastered by only a handful of people, each undoubtedly a world-renowned figure.
And now, in the small East Blue, his opponent was someone who had just set sail and hadn't even entered the Grand Line, yet he had already mastered this world's most top-tier power.
How could Hawkeye not be shocked by this?
Luffy suddenly grinned and said calmly,
"That ability, I learned it when I was 7 years old."
"!!!"
Boom!
Hawkeye's heart felt as if it had been struck by lightning.
7 years old!!!
To have mastered this world's most top-tier power at 7 years old, such talent... is terrifying!
At this moment, even the proud Hawkeye, the world's greatest swordsman, was shocked by Luffy.
If Luffy were given more time to grow, his future would be immeasurable.
However, Hawkeye still had a hint of confusion in his heart.
He looked at Luffy strangely and asked,
"Since you can use Haoshoku Haki Infusion, why didn't you use it just now?"
"Now your body can no longer support you to continue fighting."
"What do you mean by saying you still have combat ability?"
No sooner had Hawkeye finished speaking than his pupils suddenly constricted, and his heart felt like an earthquake as he looked at Luffy in disbelief.
He saw an extremely powerful energy suddenly erupt from within Luffy, who had previously appeared to have lost his strength.
It was as if some kind of restriction had been broken, causing his potential to erupt like a volcano, spewing out wildly in an instant.
Hawkeye watched this scene in shock, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"What kind of ability is this?!"
He had sailed the seas for many years and was well-traveled and knowledgeable, yet he had never seen, nor even heard of, such a strange ability that could break limitations and unleash potential.
Luffy had only opened the first gate of the Eight Gates, the Gate of Opening.
[Gate of Opening: Removes brain limitations, allowing 100% of physical ability to be utilized, over-consuming energy to boost attack and speed.]
Then, relying on all his remaining physical strength, he climbed up from the deck.
Immediately after.
The second Gate of Healing, open!
[Gate of Healing: Removes physical fatigue limitations, over-pressuring body energy to restore stamina, while simultaneously offsetting the fatigue caused by the energy consumption rate of the Gate of Opening.]
In short, Luffy could now use the released energy, which was Haki, to fully restore his stamina and remove his fatigued state.
In just an instant, Hawkeye was incredibly shocked to find that Luffy, who had almost lost his ability to move, was instantly fully recovered, as if he had returned to his peak state.
However, Hawkeye had not yet recovered from this shock when his pupils suddenly widened, and his heart felt like an earthquake.
The third Gate of Life, open!
[Gate of Life: Further enhances attack and speed, body begins to become engorged with blood and turn red, body begins to emit green energy (steam produced by evaporating sweat).]
Luffy's skin began to turn blood-red, and a green mist seemed to gush from his body.
The misty vapor billowed upwards like sharp needles, enveloping Monkey D. Luffy entirely.
However, what shocked Hawkeye the most, making his heart feel like an earthquake, was that after Monkey D. Luffy entered this state, the power he displayed had surpassed his previous peak.
"Does such an incredible ability actually exist?"
Although Hawkeye didn't understand how Monkey D. Luffy achieved it, he was greatly astonished.
Meanwhile, the people far away on Baratie were all dumbfounded by the sight.
Krieg had originally fallen into the sea after Hawkeye split the large ship, and he had somehow secretly climbed onto Baratie with Gin.
Looking at the power Monkey D. Luffy displayed at this moment, his jaw dropped as if dislocated, and his pupils, narrowed to a point, trembled continuously.
"Is… is that monster really human? He was clearly defeated, yet he can still stand up, and even looks stronger!!!"
Gin, who was originally shocked by Hawkeye, now became deeply shocked by Monkey D. Luffy.
"That Straw Hat I remember should be a pirate who just set sail, right? Has a rookie pirate already become as strong as a monster? Then what are we, a pirate crew known as the overlords of the East Blue, exactly… what are we?"
Gin once again buried his head, doubting his life.
Zeff, who had always appeared composed, was now deeply shocked by Monkey D. Luffy; this Straw Hat had given him too many surprises.
"Straw Hat, I will definitely drive Sanji away and make him follow you."
Sanji's eyebrows twitched up and down so fast that they seemed to create afterimages, and he uttered a trembling murmur of shock.
"Luffy… Luffy hasn't even used his full strength yet?! Was that exaggerated power just now not even his peak?"
Usopp's inner fear of Hawkeye was gradually washed away by the power Monkey D. Luffy displayed, and he was now completely immersed in his shock at Monkey D. Luffy.
"Luffy… has he already become this strong? Even like this… he can still invite me to be his sniper. That guy…"
Usopp quietly clenched his fists, secretly vowing to become stronger and live up to Monkey D. Luffy's expectations.
Zoro was already single-mindedly focused on becoming stronger, and after witnessing Monkey D. Luffy's power, his belief in becoming stronger became even firmer.
"Luffy, I will definitely grow strong enough to be a swordsman in your pirate crew!"
Among these people, only Uta had witnessed Monkey D. Luffy's Eight Gates, but only Uta knew how much damage Monkey D. Luffy would sustain after using the Eight Gates, so at this moment, she didn't show too much shock; instead, she was more worried, muttering Monkey D. Luffy's name.
"Luffy…"
On Monkey D. Luffy and Hawkeye's side.
Monkey D. Luffy opening three gates had already left Hawkeye incredibly shocked.
However, his shock continued to be elevated to an unprecedented level again and again.
The Fourth Gate of Pain, the Fifth Gate of Limit, and the Sixth Gate of View opened successively.
Immediately after, Monkey D. Luffy suddenly focused his aura and roared.
"Seventh Gate of Shock, open!!!"