Too fast!
Luna felt alarm bells ringing wildly in her heart.
Being in mid-air with nothing to push off against, although her Rubber Constitution allowed her to perform unconventional movements, the gap in absolute speed was simply too vast!
[ Form Control ]!
[ Elastic Potential Energy Control ]!
At this life-or-death moment, Luna burst out with all her potential.
She forcibly contracted her body in mid-air, pushing the elasticity and flexibility of rubber to their absolute limits.
She curled herself into a ball while protecting her arms in front of her, attempting to condense partial hardening—although it was just a faint, almost invisible black glimmer, this was the maximum defense she could manage right now!
Garp’s large hand grabbed onto her blocking arms.
At that instant, Luna felt as if she had been hit head-on by a flying mountain!
An indescribable immense force surged over.
Even with the buffering of her Rubber Constitution and the embryonic Armament Haki attempting defense, that power still utterly crushed all her defenses like dry weeds and smashing rotten wood!
Sharp pain came from her arms, as if her bones were about to shatter, and her internal organs were vibrating.
Her throat tasted sweet, and the smell of blood surged up.
Dragged along by this grab, she smashed toward the ground at an even faster speed!
Boom!!!
The beach was smashed into a shallow pit with dust flying everywhere.
Luna lay at the bottom of the pit, her vision darkening, her entire body aching as if her bones had fallen apart, and her arms so numb they lost all sensation.
The system interface flashed frantically; the experience bars for [ Basic Taijutsu ], [ Rubber Constitution ], [ Willpower Resistance ], and even [ Conquerors Haki Control ] were jumping wildly—the growth brought by life-and-death pressure was immense, but she had no time to look at it right now.
“Tch, still too green,” Garp landed lightly on the edge of the pit, patted the dust off his hands, and looked at Luna struggling to crawl up inside the pit.
A trace of imperceptible heartache flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by firmness, “Be a good girl and go back with Grandpa.
Stop thinking about those nonsense things.
Pirates?
Is that something you should touch?”
Luna coughed out a mouthful of bloody spit, propped herself up on the ground, and stood up swayingly.
Her straw hat had fallen off to the side at some point, covered in sand and soil.
She raised her head and looked at Garp.
There was no fear on her face, no submission, only a patch of icy stubbornness.
“I…
want to set sail.” She said word by word, her voice hoarse yet clear.
Garp’s expression sank: “Incorrigible!”
He no longer held back, taking a step forward and clenching his right hand into a fist.
This time, his fist was wrapped in Armament Haki that was as solid as black steel!
Although it was just a thin layer, that destructive aura made Luna’s breath hitch.
“It seems I have to make you suffer a bit before you’ll listen!” Garp let out a low shout and threw a punch!
It was still a direct punch, but the might of this punch was worlds apart from before.
The air emitted an unbearable sharp whistle, and wherever the fist wind passed, the beach was plowed out with a deep gully!
Will die!
If I can’t take this punch, I’ll really die!
Luna’s pupils shrank to pinpoints.
The shadow of death had never been so clear, but right in this desperate situation, that dark red flame within her body—the seed of Haoshoku, was completely ignited by the extreme oppression and her own resolute willpower!
“Get lost—!!!”
It was not an angry roar, but a howl erupting from the depths of her soul!
A dark red aura violently erupted with her as the center!
No longer the unconscious venting of last night, but driven by life-and-death pressure and her absolute willpower of “never being willing to be taken away,” it purposefully condensed into a conical mental shock, fiercely crashing toward Garp!
Garp’s fist stopped abruptly less than half a meter away from Luna’s face!
It wasn’t that he pulled back his hand, but that an extremely subtle stagnation appeared in his movements—Luna’s Conqueror’s Haki was far from strong enough to deter him, but that sudden mental shock condensed with the ultimate defiant will, coupled with the innate “King’s Majesty” of Haoshoku, actually produced a momentary interference with his mind!
Just like an ordinary person being blinded by a sudden strong light, although they could recover immediately, that momentary gap was already fatal enough to top powerhouses—if Luna had matching strength.
Unfortunately, she didn’t.
Amazing brilliance erupted in Garp’s eyes.
That was surprise that a junior could actually shake him, and even more confirmation of this Haoshoku talent along with…
deeper worry, but his fist momentum only paused slightly, and then pressed down with an even firmer posture!
However, this pause was precisely what Luna wanted.
The moment Haoshoku erupted, she had already moved!
Not retreating, but diving sideways!
Using all her strength, she rolled toward the complex terrain where bushes and reefs intersected not far away!
At the same time, her left hand threw out with difficulty, her rubber arm stretching to wrap around the fallen straw hat and pull it back into her embrace.
Garp’s fist ultimately smashed into empty air, slamming the ground where Luna had originally been into a deep pit several meters in diameter, with sand and stones soaring into the sky.
“Good lad!” Garp laughed instead of getting angry, his fighting spirit burning even brighter, “You actually hid this trick!
It seems that bastard Red Hair taught you a lot!”
He no longer held any contempt.
His figure moved again, chasing after Luna who had rolled into the bushes like a phantom.
Luna’s condition at this moment was extremely poor.
Her arms ached sharply, her internal organs were shaken, and her mental energy was near exhaustion due to forcibly stimulating Haoshoku.
Her vision darkened in waves, but her brain was exceptionally clear.
Her analytical ability from her past life combined with her combat instinct from this life, calculating rapidly.
Direct combat had absolutely no chance of winning, her escape speed was insufficient, and hiding would sooner or later get her dragged out…
The only chance of survival was to utilize Garp’s “cat-and-mouse” mentality and his absolute confidence in his own strength to create an unexpected breakthrough.
Her gaze swept past the edge of the bushes—that was a cliff, and below was surging seawater, waves beating against the steep rock wall.
On the side of the cliff, there was a recessed cave formed by year-round erosion, which would be mostly submerged during high tide, but right now…