Kael watched Luffy assume a fighting stance, and a hint of approval flashed through his eyes.
He calmly extended his right hand and crooked a finger at him.
Even the normally cheerful Luffy frowned at the provocative gesture.
“Gum-Gum—Bazooka!”
Luffy stretched both arms far behind him.
Using the force of their recoil, his body shot toward Kael like an arrow released from a bowstring.
His extended arms tore through the air with a shrill whistle.
The attack contained astonishing power.
Kael stood firmly in place and clenched his right fist, the muscles in his arm instantly tightening.
Just as Luffy’s attack was about to hit him, Kael raised his arm in a clean, decisive motion and precisely blocked the heavy blow.
Boom!
The tremendous impact echoed throughout the Baratie, causing the entire ship to shake violently.
The diners on the deck grabbed anything fixed in place, terrified that they might be thrown overboard.
What shocked everyone, however, was that Kael did not move at all after receiving the attack head-on.
His feet seemed rooted to the deck.
He had not even been forced half a step backward.
“H-How is that possible?!” Usopp cried in disbelief as he clung to the railing.
Nami covered her mouth, her eyes filled with shock.
She knew exactly how powerful Luffy’s attack was.
It could shatter solid rock, yet it had failed to make this mysterious boy move even a single step.
Luffy’s eyes widened in disbelief.
That was currently his most powerful attack, yet it had not even managed to knock his opponent backward.
Kael felt the force transmitted through his arm, and the corner of his mouth rose slightly.
“So this is your strength?
Not bad.”
His voice remained perfectly calm, as though he had merely blocked an ordinary punch.
Luffy immediately jumped backward to create some distance, his rubber body flipping nimbly through the air.
He landed steadily at the opposite end of the deck, clenched both fists, and began gathering strength.
The characteristics of his rubber body caused it to swell slightly, revealing the tremendous force contained within his next attack.
“Gum-Gum—Gatling!”
With a roar, Luffy began swinging both fists wildly.
Countless fist-shaped afterimages poured toward Kael like a violent rainstorm, every punch producing a sharp crack as it tore through the air.
This was not merely brute strength.
By exploiting the properties of rubber, Luffy had created an ultra-high-speed barrage of continuous attacks.
Killua leaned leisurely against the railing with both hands behind his head.
“Not bad in terms of momentum, but the paths of his attacks are far too easy to predict.”
His sharp eyes followed every movement.
“During the Zoldyck family’s training, attacks at this level wouldn’t even count as a warm-up.”
Gon watched the battlefield intently.
“What would you do against it, Killua?”
“I’d just slip through the gaps between his attacks,” Killua replied casually.
“But it looks like Kael has something else in mind.”
Indeed, Kael neither dodged nor immediately counterattacked.
His eyes accurately followed the trajectory of every punch.
The unending thunder of colliding fists resounded across the restaurant, forming a fierce symphony of battle.
The reporter responsible for documenting the duel had completely forgotten his job.
He held his breath and stared fixedly at the breathtaking exchange.
His pen slipped from his trembling fingers, leaving a long streak of ink across his notebook.
Kael noticed that Luffy’s attack speed was gradually increasing, and a look of understanding flashed through his eyes.
Just like them, Luffy possessed an astonishing talent for growing during battle.
The stronger his opponent was, the more of his hidden potential he could draw out.
“Still not enough… I need to be faster!”
Luffy gritted his teeth as sweat ran down his forehead.
His fists poured down like raindrops, but they remained unable to break through Kael’s defenses.
That sense of helplessness reminded him of the training he had endured with his grandfather, Garp, as a child—the same frustration of being unable to touch his opponent no matter what he did.
Ten minutes later, Luffy’s stamina was nearly exhausted.
Yet at that moment, his attacks did not slow down.
Instead, they became faster and more powerful.
“Is this an explosion of strength at his limit?”
Excitement flashed through Kael’s eyes.
His movements remained composed, but he clearly began applying greater force to his blocks.
An even denser series of impacts exploded across the deck.
This time, even the wooden planks beneath Kael’s feet began creaking faintly.
Killua straightened, his expression becoming serious.
“This is a burst of power after exhausting his stamina.
In his current condition, he can maintain it for ten seconds at most.”
“Why can he release even more power after running out of stamina?” Gon asked in confusion.
“It’s something almost everyone is theoretically capable of doing, but very few people can actually achieve it.”
Gon still looked somewhat puzzled.
Seeing this, Killua smiled and explained, “When someone is driven into a desperate situation, the body removes its self-protective restrictions and releases strength far beyond its usual limits.”
“In the Zoldyck family’s assassination training, it’s called a Death’s-Door Burst.”
Gon seemed to understand.
“Is it like the time I encountered a wild bear on Whale Island and suddenly jumped much higher than usual?”
“Exactly.” Killua nodded.
“But an outburst like that always comes at a price.”
“A price?”
“Yeah.
As for what kind of price, that depends on how the power was—”
While Killua and Gon were speaking, the battle unfolded exactly as Killua had predicted.
Ten seconds later, Luffy’s body visibly deflated.
Like a ball that had lost all its air, he collapsed onto the deck.
In a faint voice, he cried out, “Meat… I need meat…”
Nami and Usopp hurried forward.
Seeing Luffy in such a weakened state, tears spilled from Nami’s eyes.
“You idiot!
Why did you have to push yourself so hard?!”
“Prepare enough meat for him.
He’ll be fine once he’s eaten.”
He turned toward Killua and Gon.
“It’s time for us to leave.”
Just as the three of them turned to depart, Kael suddenly stopped.
He looked back at Luffy, who was barely managing to raise his head.
“Your Gum-Gum Fruit has tremendous potential, but you still don’t understand your own power well enough.”
“When you truly understand the meaning of ‘elasticity,’ we’ll fight again.”
As Kael and his companions boarded their ship and gradually disappeared into the distance, the Baratie erupted into chaos.
The diners excitedly discussed everything they had just witnessed.
None of them could believe that Straw Hat Luffy, the most notorious pirate in the East Blue, had been defeated by a completely unknown boy.
“Quickly, send this story to the newspaper!” a reporter shouted to his companion.
“This is huge news!”
In less than a day, word that Monkey D.
Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, had been defeated by Kael, captain of the Hunter Pirates, spread throughout the East Blue.
Portraits of Kael, Killua, and Gon were printed on flyers and circulated between the islands.
Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters in Marineford, an urgent report was delivered to Fleet Admiral Sengoku’s office.
“Garp, you’d better take a look at this.”
Sengoku adjusted his glasses and handed the report to his old friend, who was loudly munching on rice crackers.
Garp casually accepted the document.
However, when he saw the report stating that his grandson had been defeated, the rice cracker in his hand dropped to the floor.
A clear portrait of Kael had been printed on the report.
He appeared to be no more than thirteen or fourteen years old.
“How is this possible…?”
For once, a serious expression appeared on Garp’s face.
“Luffy may still be inexperienced, but he shouldn’t have been defeated so easily by another kid.”
Sengoku folded his hands upon the desk and spoke gravely.
“According to eyewitness accounts, the boy named Kael did not even use his full strength.”
“Even more troubling is the fact that he is accompanied by two others around the same age, both of whom also appear to possess considerable strength.”
Garp rose and walked over to the window, staring toward the distant sea.
“When did people like this appear in the East Blue…?”
“What do you think?” Sengoku asked.
“Should we send someone to investigate?”
Garp remained silent for a moment.
Then he suddenly burst into his trademark booming laughter.
“Bwahahaha!
It’s good for that brat to suffer a setback!
Otherwise, he might start thinking the sea is easy to conquer!”
Yet behind his hearty laughter, a faint trace of concern remained hidden in his eyes.
It seemed that an unexpected storm was beginning to gather over the sea.
(End of Chapter)