Chapter 771 The Death Knell! (2 in 1)

"Beckman!!!"

Beckman's body fell on Sanji. Luffy, who realized it belatedly, looked in Sanji's direction and let out a heart-wrenching roar.

Luffy doesn't have many elders he respects in this world. Among the members of the Red Hair Pirates, except for Shanks, with whom he has the closest relationship, Luffy's favorite is Beckman, the calm vice-captain.

The feelings these two people gave Luffy during his childhood were completely different. Shanks' optimism and free and easy attitude influenced Luffy's growth, while Beckman's rationality and seriousness actually left some background in the shaping of Luffy's character.

Before the awakening of the Nika Fruit, Luffy was not that silly person. On the contrary, when he and his crew encountered danger at sea, Luffy would always show his calm and composed side.

However, since the awakening of the Nika Fruit and Luffy gained powerful strength, his personality has also changed unconsciously.

His willful and unrestrained side was infinitely magnified, but the basic character of Luffy was not completely changed by the devil fruit. When he saw Beckman's heart pierced by Yoshiichi Tsugakuin, anger rushed straight to his brain, and his eyes searched around for Yoshiichi Tsugakuin's figure.

"The anger has suppressed the influence of the devil fruit ability, and the personal will has taken the lead again?!"

Just as Luffy was looking around for the figure of Yoshiichi Tsugakuni, Yoshiichi Tsugakuni's voice suddenly sounded in Luffy's ears. Luffy was so frightened that he rolled sideways and hurried away from the spot, but his reaction was still half a beat slow. The blade in Yoshiichi Tsugakuni's hand had already passed across Luffy's back, leaving a shallow wound.

The white flame-shaped vest was cut by Tsugikoku Yoshiichi's long sword, exposing the wound and oozing blood.

But in just a blink of an eye, the white flames surrounding Luffy's body directly covered the wound, instantly healing the knife wound on his back.

After the awakening of the power of the mythical beast-type Nika Fruit, Luffy also gained terrifying self-healing abilities, and even the scars left by Tsugakuin Yoshiichi's attack could be repaired.

"It's so fast!"

"I can't see his movements at all!"

"Even Observation Haki can't lock onto his figure."

"What the hell is going on!"

Luffy's brain was working rapidly, and now he was not relying entirely on his instincts to fight. He was also learning to fight with his brain, trying to analyze the enemy's characteristics and seek ways to break the deadlock.

"Fortunately, in this state, I won't be hurt by ordinary attacks."

"Even if I'm injured, I can still do it"

Luffy was feeling thankful when he suddenly felt a slight tingling sensation on his back. This inexplicable pain made Luffy's pupils shrink and doubts arose in his heart.

This was not the first time he had used the power of the Nika Fruit, but this was the first time that Luffy had felt the pain so clearly.

The injury on my back should have healed in the blink of an eye, so why was it causing pain? !
What Luffy didn't know was that although the knife wound on his back caused by Yoshiichi Tsugakuin had healed successfully due to his ability, it had also left a shallow scar.

The pain he felt was not caused by the wound itself, but by the memory of that piece of muscle.

The pain from being slashed did not disappear as the wound healed, but instead was deeply engraved in Luffy's muscle memory, becoming a nightmare that haunted Luffy.

The slash of Yoshiichi Tsugikuni is so special that even the ability of the mythical beast devil fruit cannot completely restore this non-pathological pain.

What Kaido, the King of Beasts, couldn't do back then, Straw Hat Luffy can't do now either!

However, Tsugikuni Yoshiichirō did not give Luffy too much time to think. He had already dealt with Beckman, who was able to protect Luffy and others. What he had to do now was to make a quick decision, and his target was naturally the ultimate goal of this trip, Luffy.

Rayleigh and Kozuki Oden have been weakened to the greatest extent, and the threat they can pose to Tsugakuni Yoriichi is extremely limited. In order to prevent Luffy from escaping, it is necessary to attack Luffy!

With a flash of his figure, Yoshiichi Tsugakuni suddenly appeared in front of Luffy, and the long sword in his hand slashed directly towards Luffy.

Yoshiichi Tsugakuni is much taller than Luffy, and the slash with the knife made Luffy feel an indescribable feeling of suffocation.

Until the figure of Tsugakuni Yoshiichi appeared in Luffy's sight, his Observation Haki, which could clearly give a brief glimpse of the future, still did not give any warning signs.

Seeing Tsugakuni Yoshiichi's long sword slashing towards him, Luffy suddenly bent down, grabbed the ground with both hands and lifted it up suddenly, and he also used this force to quickly flash backwards.

The ground instantly became rubbery, and Jigokuen felt the ground beneath his feet bulge. The direction of the long sword in his hand also changed slightly, allowing Luffy to escape successfully and his attack missed.

That kid has a quick reaction speed and is excellent at adapting to the battlefield. With the bonus of the Nika state to Luffy's various abilities, he is also able to react when facing the attack of Tsugakuni Yoriichi.

However, this level of power can only allow Luffy to survive a little longer under the command of Tsugikuni Yoriichi, and there is no way to completely change the situation of the battle.

Indeed, Luffy's growth rate is already very fast. At such a young age, and having only been at sea for two or three years, he has already grown into a Four Emperors-level force, and his combat power has reached the top level. He can support for a long time under Tsugakure Kuniyoshi.

But
Compared to Yoriichi Tsugakuni, Luffy is still too young after all. His fighting skills and thinking cannot keep up with Yoriichi Tsugakuni. It will take more experience and years of accumulation before Luffy and Yoriichi Tsugakuni can stand on the same stage.

Yoshiichi Tsugakuni dodged and chased Luffy. Being forced into a corner, Luffy quickly punched back. However, his White Star Spear, which was invincible, was full of flaws in front of Yoshiichi Tsugakuni. Yoshiichi Tsugakuni ignored the attacking fist and instead accelerated to quickly close the distance between himself and Luffy.

There was no way to retract the fist that had been swung out immediately. Tsugakuni Yoshiichi also seized this opportunity and drew his sword to cut towards Luffy's arm.

Yoshiichi Tsugakuni did not think that he could defeat a strong man of Luffy's level immediately. He would only seize every opportunity and turn the advantage into victory.

"Damn it. It's too late."

Luffy's middle door was wide open, and he said something in his heart, and quickly retreated in the hope of escaping the attack range of Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

Luffy had suffered the same loss once before, but Rayleigh and Kozuki Oden helped him out that time. However, he seemed to have not learned his lesson and used the White Star Spear again.

If this move is used against other people, it may have unexpected effects. After all, it is a terrifying attack under the Nika state. Ordinary strong people simply do not have the speed to catch this fleeting flaw.

But Tsugakuin Yoshiichi is obviously not an ordinary strong man. Not only can he accurately judge the direction of Luffy's attack, but he also has the absolute speed to catch the small flaw revealed by Luffy's attack "afterswing". It is this strength of Tsugakuin Yoshiichi that allows him to always sit on the throne of the world's strongest!

Because no matter what kind of opponent, there is no way to completely hide his intentions in front of Tsugumi Yoriichi.

"laugh--"

The long sword fell, and although Luffy tried his best to retreat in the hope of successfully avoiding Tsugakuni Yoshiichi's attack, when the black sword fell, Luffy could still see a line of blood spurting out from his arm.

Dawn swept past Luffy's arm and cut off his right arm. The sharp and fierce blow made Luffy unable to feel the pain in his arm even at the moment when his arm was broken.

Blood spurted, and Rayleigh and Kozuki Oden, who were rushing to Luffy's rescue, growled in worry. Seeing this, they sped up and rushed behind Tsugakuni Yoshiichirō and attacked him.

The two of them did not have the delusion that they could hurt Yoshiichi Tsugakuni with just such an attack. They only hoped that their attack could force Yoshiichi Tsugakuni back from Luffy, and that would be considered achieving their goal.

However, how could Tsugikoku Yoshiichi, who had succeeded in one strike, let such an opportunity slip away? !
His body suddenly disintegrated into golden flames, and he turned into an element before Rayleigh and Oden could attack. However, his lower body, which had not turned into an element, was still kicking the ground and chasing Luffy. His right arm was still tightly holding the long sword, slashing towards Luffy's neck.

There was no intention of showing mercy at all. Jigokuen attacked again and again, still aiming for Luffy's life.

"Do not!!!"

"Luffy, get out of the way!!!"

As Kozuki Oden watched the elements of Tsugakuni Yoshiichi's body disintegrate, he realized that his attack might not be able to cause any substantial damage to the opponent, and he let out an unwilling roar.

Rayleigh also watched as Yoshiichi Tsugakure chased after Luffy, and while swinging his sword to slash at Yoshiichi Tsugakure's body that had turned into golden flames, he reminded Luffy in horror, hoping that Luffy could dodge.

Luffy, who was retreating rapidly, looked at Yoriichi Tsugakuni who was chasing him and slashing him with a sword, and realized that he could not dodge in time. He could only bite the bullet and infuse his domineering aura into his left arm, and then block it in front of him.

The blade flashed, and Luffy's body was directly chopped away by Tsugakuin's sword, and a forearm, along with Luffy's retreating figure, rotated in the air and fell towards the ground.

The arm that could grasp the lightning was still unable to resist even for a moment under the attack of Tsugakuni Yoshiichi and was directly cut off by Tsugakuni Yoshiichi.

Fortunately, Luffy, with his broken arms, survived.

Because Rayleigh and Kozuki Oden had successfully circled in front of Tsugakuni Yoriichi and stopped Tsugakuni Yoriichi who was planning to continue chasing Luffy.

"Puff-"

"what--"

"It hurts!!!"

Luffy's body fell to the ground with a bang, and he slid and rolled backwards for several meters before he stopped. The severe pain from his arms made Luffy cry out in pain. He looked like a child who had never suffered any hardship and didn't feel any pain at all.

But what was surprising was that there was no blood flowing out of Luffy's broken arm at this moment. In just a blink of an eye, the power of the Nika Fruit helped Luffy stop the bleeding.

Yoshiichi Tsugakuni glanced at Luffy who had successfully escaped from the battle, and when he looked at Rayleigh and Oden, his face darkened. While he drew his sword to attack the two of them, Yoshiichi Tsugakuni's body also ignited with golden flames that shot up into the sky. The flames condensed into substance and quickly enveloped Rayleigh and Oden.

"Since you want to die, I'll get rid of you two first!"

Yoshiichi Tsugakuni had no intention of letting Rayleigh and Oden leave. These two were old men on Roger's ship and knew the secret of Raftel. Even if Luffy could be eliminated today and the two of them escaped, the secrets on them would eventually cause turmoil in the world.

Tsugumi Yuichiro hopes that the great secret treasure will sleep forever in the sea. If no one has any thoughts about this great secret treasure, there should be fewer pirates who blindly go out to sea for wealth.

Yunyi believed that in the absence of such extreme temptations, he only needed to lead the navy to calm down and govern the world well, and true peace would come.

In order to realize the utopia in his mind, Tsugumi Yuichiro will never allow himself to be lenient!
"boom--"

The golden flames in the sky directly enveloped Rayleigh and Oden. They did not sit there and wait for death. Rayleigh launched his strongest attack in this state towards the attacking golden flames, while Kozuki Oden integrated the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit into the slash and slashed towards the attacking golden flames.

A loud roar sounded above the harbor, and the flames released by Jiguo Yuanyi suddenly collapsed under the combined attack of the two people, turning into a golden rain of fire, pouring down towards the coast.

Before Rayleigh and Oden could catch their breath, the falling golden rain of fire not only did not extinguish, but instead rapidly grew larger during the descent. In just a blink of an eye, the rain of fire turned into rockets and fell towards the harbor.

At this time, the figure of Tsugakuni Yoshiichirō turned into a golden phoenix. As he flapped his wings, he turned into a stream of light that passed by the sides of Rayleigh and Oden, and attacked Luffy who had just stood up in the distance.

Turning back hastily, the two saw the Golden Phoenix suddenly appear in front of Luffy, and its wings slashed like a slash, fiercely hitting Luffy's chest.

Blood spurted out from Luffy's chest, and the terrifying force directly knocked Luffy, who had just stood up, into the ground.

"!!!"

Rayleigh and Oden who saw this scene only felt a strong despair. They could clearly sense that when the attack of the Golden Phoenix hit Luffy, Luffy's opportunity suddenly disappeared without a trace.

Not only Luffy, but also Oden and Rayleigh had to face the golden rain of arrows falling from the sky.

The figure of Jiguo Yuan appeared, looked down at the Straw Hat Luffy who was cut into two pieces and had no breath in front of him, and remained silent for a long time.

On the battlefield behind him, rockets shot down and bombarded the battlefield, drowning the figures of Oden and Rayleigh, and the golden flames shot into the sky, illuminating the sky.

"Boom boom boom boom——"

The firelight reflected the shadow of Yoriichi Tsugakuni on Luffy's body, and the incessant roar behind him was like a death knell specifically for Joy Boy.

(End of this chapter)