Luffy, how can you become the Pirate King if you don't work hard!

However, her Devil Fruit ability is not weak either!

It's a rather troublesome situation in some ways.

She thought about it for a moment, and what she really wanted to know was why the Straw Hat Boy was willing to help her.

We're all pirates, aren't we?

I'd only ever seen them in newspapers and wanted posters before.

If someone exudes goodwill upon first meeting you, it either means they have ulterior motives, or... they have ulterior motives.

She pondered this repeatedly but still couldn't figure out what value she possessed.

Straw Hat Boy is not a pirate in the ordinary sense.

My curiosity was piqued.

Luffy was also very curious.

Compared to sparring and learning, Luffy is more concerned about another issue at this moment.

He remembered his deal with Kuma, the young pirate girl named Jewelry Bonney.

A Shichibukai (one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea) was willing to make a deal with him just to get him to take care of the other party, and at this moment, this person was being chased by a former Marine Admiral. This was anything but ordinary.

So he asked directly:

"Hey, sir, why are you chasing Bonnie? What did she do?"

Zephyr seemed a little surprised by Luffy's sudden change of topic, but then replied matter-of-factly, "What's wrong with the Navy hunting down pirates? Do we need a reason?"

Luffy is not so easily fooled. He has read so many nautical logs and is not completely ignorant of the world's situation.

He questioned, "You're a former Marine Admiral! Shouldn't someone of your caliber be stationed in a place like the New World, teeming with powerful figures, or hunting down those great pirates with bounties of billions? Why would you come to the first half of the Grand Line to capture a small pirate with a bounty of just over one hundred million?"

Zephyr stretched his massive mechanical arm, producing a slight hydraulic creak, and said nonchalantly, "Now I lead a naval guerrilla force, and I can capture pirates anywhere, not just along the Grand Line."

He was simply patrolling the nearby waters when he happened to encounter that group of arrogant pirates, so he took action. As for the female pirate…

He paused, then turned to look at Bonnie:

"Her Devil Fruit ability is a bit strange; it seems to affect a person's age? This kind of uncertain factor makes it even more necessary to capture her and study her carefully."

Is it just a coincidence?

Luffy understood.

It turns out that Bonnie was just unlucky; she didn't check the almanac before going out and unfortunately bumped into this seemingly powerful former admiral.

Since there's no particular conspiracy or trap set for Big Bear, we can rest assured.

Luffy was satisfied after receiving the answer.

"so,"

Luffy's aura surged once more, brimming with fighting spirit. "Uncle, would you like to spar with me?"

He looked at Zefa with burning eyes.

The aura emanating from the man before them was as steady as a rock, yet as powerful as a volcano about to erupt. He was clearly a tough nut to crack and a former admiral!

For Luffy, this was practically a gift of experience delivered right to his doorstep.

A formidable opponent is hard to find.

Zefa grinned, a smile that carried the confidence and authority of a seasoned powerhouse:

"Do you think I would let you lawless pirates swagger away in front of me?"

Before he finished speaking, a heavy aura mixed with powerful domineering energy emanated from Zephyr as if it were a tangible thing, firmly locking onto Luffy and the Thousand Sunny behind him.

Sensing the dangerous aura emanating from this navy, which far surpassed that of ordinary marines, Luffy shouted to Nami and the others behind him without turning his head, "Nami, move the ship further away!"

“I understand!” Nami replied immediately.

They might not care about Bonney's words, but they absolutely trust Luffy's orders, especially his judgment in battle.

If it's truly a battle at the admiral level, their presence here would not only be of no help, but would also become a burden to Luffy, or even result in them being severely injured by the aftershocks of the battle.

However, just as the Thousand Sunny started up, attempting to distance itself from Bonney's pirate ship, which was already leaking, Zephyr raised his massive mechanical arm, the muzzle of which was faintly aimed at the Thousand Sunny.

Clearly, this former general did not have the concept of one-on-one duels or capturing only the leader in his dictionary.

He believed in the complete eradication of evil, and since he had encountered it, he naturally wanted to arrest them all!

I have to be all!

"Hey!"

Luffy's eyes sharpened, and he suddenly exerted force with his feet.

boom!

His rubbery feet slammed down like a giant hammer on Zephyr's raised mechanical arm, forcibly pressing it back onto the deck with a loud metallic clang.

Luffy grinned at Zephyr, whose body slumped slightly from the sudden force, and said, "Uncle, your opponent is me, so don't just attack my crewmates without warning."

Zephyr twisted the mechanical arm that was being stepped on, and the immense force slightly shook Luffy's foot away. He smirked, "Your protective nature is exactly the same as that old man Garp's!"

Chapter 285 Zephyr vs. Luffy

Zephyr shouted, "On this cruel sea, having the heart to protect your companions isn't enough; you must have sufficient strength! Can you truly protect everything you want to protect in the face of the strong?"

"Then let's give it a try!"

Luffy didn't back down at all, and even retorted with words, "Uncle, judging from your age, you're about the same age as my grandpa. It's time for you to retire and stay home to drink tea and bask in the sun. With your old bones, don't overdo it and twist your back!"

He has faced off against active-duty Admiral Aokiji head-on, so why would he be afraid of a former Admiral who is about to retire?

That's impossible!

If we can't even win this, what's the point of talking about rescuing Ace, or becoming the Pirate King!

A mere retired former general.

"Retire? Hmph! I'm still active on the front lines of eliminating pirates! I'm the commander-in-chief of the Navy's guerrilla forces!"

Zephyr was enraged by Luffy's words. He clenched his other good left hand into a fist, and jet-black Armament Haki instantly enveloped it like a tidal wave. With a terrifying aura that could crush everything, he slammed it down hard towards Luffy's face. "Show me some respect, you arrogant brat!"

boom!

It was also a fist covered in jet-black Armament Haki, which collided fiercely with Zephyr's weathered but still invincible iron fist!

The two fists, vastly different in size, collided with a deafening roar like that of a steel behemoth. A violent shockwave emanated from the fists, causing spiderweb-like cracks to appear on the deck beneath their feet once more.

"Huh? Such a powerful aura?!"

Zefa was clearly stunned for a moment.

The Armament Haki on Luffy's fist was so hard and condensed that it completely exceeded his understanding of pirates of his age.

It's as if it has been forged through decades of trials and tribulations.

How did Garp train him?

Taking advantage of his momentary surprise, Luffy let out a low growl:

"Second Gear Plus!"

hum!

His entire body changed instantly. Unlike ordinary Gear 2, his red skin quickly developed domineering bluish-black patterns like circuit boards. His aura soared again, and his speed was so fast that he left afterimages in place. His kick was like a red lightning bolt, directly aimed at Zefa's temple!

"You're pretty fast, kid!"

Zefa remained calm despite his surprise, displaying exceptional combat experience.

He suddenly exerted force with his arm, relying on his superior strength to slam Luffy's fist, which collided with his, into the air. This created a fierce impact, causing Luffy to stagger backward and fall off the mechanical arm he was standing on.

"Crush the Gatling gun!"

The instant Luffy stepped back, Zephyr raised his mechanical arm, and multiple gun barrels hidden on his arm instantly unfolded, aiming at Luffy and unleashing a dense storm of bullets.

Da da da da!

A barrage of rapid bullets covered Luffy's entire body; with such a wide range of attacks, ordinary people would have nowhere to hide.

However, Luffy simply grinned at the metal storm, neither dodging nor avoiding it.

"Uncle, your intelligence gathering is too superficial. I'm a rubber man!"

puff puff!

Bullets rained down on his rubbery body, but they couldn't penetrate it. Instead, they bounced off as if hitting highly elastic rubber, even reflecting back in all directions!

"Humph!"

Zefa snorted coldly, wielding his massive mechanical arm like a shield, deflecting all the reflected stray bullets with a clanging sound.

He did momentarily overlook the fact that the kid's Devil Fruit ability was rubber.

However, to have developed the Gum-Gum Fruit to this extent, even being able to deflect the kinetic energy of bullets so easily, this kid's use of the fruit's power is truly monstrous.

Is this so-called Gear Second state really just Paramecia-type?

It looks like a transformation resembling an awakening of a Zoan-type Devil Fruit.

Just as Zephyr deflected the stray bullet, Luffy found an opening. He pushed off the deck with his feet, and his body leaped up again like a cannonball, his arms instantly turning into countless afterimages:

"Rubber Plus Machine Gun!"

Countless fists covered in Armament Haki rained down on Zephyr like a storm or a barrage of cannon fire.

Each punch contained terrifying power enough to shatter giant rocks!

"Iron block, steel!"

Faced with the unavoidable barrage of punches, Zephyr did not retreat but advanced instead, crossing his arms in front of him to protect himself, his feet firmly planted on the deck as if rooted to the ground, his entire body tense, using the ultimate defensive technique Iron Body from the Six Styles of the Navy.

Boom boom boom!

Heavy fists pounded down on Zefa's crossed arms and chest with a series of muffled thuds, like pile drivers.