Vegeta shot toward the Sunny like a missile, his aura blazing yellow. Luffy met him mid-air, his body already shifting into Gear Second. Steam rose, but this time, it shimmered with gold.
"DAWN STAR: JET PISTOL!"
The punch connected with Vegeta's guard, but this time, the Saiyan Prince was ready. He twisted, using Luffy's momentum against him, and slammed a knee into his gut. The impact created a shockwave that rippled across the ocean surface.
"You've improved," Vegeta admitted, a grudging respect in his voice. "But so have I."
He unleashed a barrage of punches, each one faster and harder than the last. Luffy matched him blow for blow, their fists colliding in mid-air, creating explosions of force with every impact.
Meanwhile, on the ship, Nappa was having a very different experience.
He had grabbed Usopp by the face, only for the sniper to explode into a puff of smoke. "A decoy?!"
"HELP! HELP! HE'S GOT ME!" The real Usopp was running in circles around the deck, Nappa lumbering after him with increasing frustration.
"Stand still, you coward!"
"Black Cat Rhythm: Mane Mane Kick!" A flurry of kicks from an unexpected angle. Nappa turned to see Sanji, his leg blazing with blue flames, having just delivered the attack.
"Annoying insect!" Nappa swatted at Sanji, but the chef was already gone, replaced by Robin, who sprouted a dozen arms across Nappa's body, holding him in place.
"Clutch!"
Nappa grunted, but the arms just snapped against his hardened muscles. "Cute trick."
Before he could move, Chopper, in his Monster Point, came crashing down from above. "SCOOP BOWLING BALL!"
The massive reindeer slammed into Nappa, driving him through the deck and into the lower levels of the Sunny.
Franky's eyes went wide. "MY SHIP! YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT, YOU BIG BALD JERK! FRANKY RADICAL BEAM!"
A laser shot from Franky's nose, following Chopper and Nappa into the hold.
Brook appeared beside Robin, his violin in hand. "May I play you a song? It's called 'Requiem for a Saiyan'—Yohohoho!"
On the ocean surface, Luffy and Vegeta continued their clash. Luffy had shifted into Dawn Star: Gear Third, his fist swelling to enormous size and wreathed in golden energy.
"GIGANT THOR AXE!"
The fist came down like a meteor. Vegeta's eyes widened—he couldn't dodge in time. He crossed his arms and took the hit, the force driving him deep into the ocean. Water exploded upward in a massive plume.
Luffy panted, the Gear Third shrinking him down to his child form. "Shishishi! Did I get him?"
The ocean erupted. Vegeta shot out, his armor cracked, his face a mask of fury. "YOU DESTROYED MY ARMOR! DO YOU KNOW HOW EXPENSIVE THAT WAS?!"
He raised a hand, two fingers to his forehead. "I was going to take you alive, but now... GALLICK GUN!"
A massive purple energy sphere formed above his hand, crackling with destructive power. It was bigger than the one he'd used before. Much bigger.
"Nami, get the ship out of here!" Jinbe commanded, taking the helm.
"I'm trying! But Chopper and Franky are still down there with the other one!"
Luffy, still in his small form, looked at the massive attack forming. He didn't look scared. He looked excited.
"Oi, pointy-hair! That thing looks like it'll make a huge explosion!"
"It'll destroy your ship and everything within a hundred miles!" Vegeta snarled. "Any last words, freak?"
Luffy grinned. "Yeah. Thanks for the snack earlier!"
He bit his thumb. Not for Gear Second. Something else. During his training with Kami, he'd learned to push his body further. To combine his techniques in ways he'd never imagined.
"Gear... Fourth."
His body expanded, not with air, but with Ki. Golden energy swirled around him as he grew into a massive, muscular form, his skin covered in the same golden aura, his hair standing on end. But unlike his normal Gear Fourth, this form was sleeker, more refined. The golden Ki created a crackling shell around him.
"Dawn Star: TANK MAN—GOLDEN SHELL!"
The Gallick Gun fired. The massive purple beam shot toward the Sunny. Luffy jumped in front of it, inflating his body to an enormous sphere, the golden Ki forming an impenetrable barrier.
The beam struck. The resulting explosion was visible from space. When the light faded, Luffy stood there, slightly deflated, but grinning. He'd absorbed the entire attack.
Vegeta's eye twitched violently. "THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! NOTHING CAN ABSORB A GALLICK GUN!"
"Shishishi! It tickled!" Luffy bounced forward, his massive form moving with surprising speed. "GOLDEN CULVERIN!"
His fist shot forward, stretching with the force of Gear Fourth and the power of Ki behind it. The punch connected with Vegeta's face, sending the Saiyan Prince flying across the ocean, skipping across the surface like a stone.