Chapter 445 Escape.

Watching Luffy kill Hodi with one punch so easily, Ling Tian stood aside with a relaxed look, not surprised at all.

The corners of his graceful mouth were slightly raised, outlining a beautiful arc with a faint smile. This smile was like the slight ripples on the calm lake, gentle and charming.

There was a gleam in his eyes, which showed an unwavering trust in Luffy's strength, as if Luffy's strength was within his expectations and was the most natural thing.

After all, Luffy's current strength is much stronger than two years later in the original work.

Looking back at Luffy’s journey, it is a legend written with blood, sweat and tenacity.

He once fought against strong winds and huge waves on the rough sea. The ruthless waves were like ferocious beasts, trying to swallow him again and again, but Luffy never backed down. He held the railing of the ship tightly and shouted in the wind and rain, with an unyielding fire burning in his eyes.

He encountered all kinds of strange enemies on the mysterious island, some of whom had strange abilities and some had powerful strength.

Every battle is a life-and-death struggle. Luffy shuttles through the hail of bullets, getting wounded countless times, but still bravely moves forward.

His domineering aura became more and more sophisticated, like a skilled master who had mastered the art to perfection.

Especially the domineering aura, which is a kind of kingly aura. When it emanates from his body, it is like a materialized storm, with a terrifying deterrent effect.

When he released his domineering aura, an invisible sense of oppression filled the air, as if the whole world was trembling. The souls of the people around him would be impacted by this power, and the mildest ones would feel dizzy, while the worst would faint directly.

And under his use of Armament Haki, it reached a nearly perfect state.

His body can become as hard as steel in an instant, and every attack and defense is like the collision of the sharpest blade and the solidest shield.

Whether facing the slashing of swords or the bombardment of guns and cannons, he can deal with it easily.

Wherever his fists and feet reached, the armed color domineering was like black lightning, containing enough power to destroy everything.

For him, Observation Haki is like another instinct of the body.

He can clearly sense the actions of the enemies around him and can even predict their attack intentions.

In battle, he seems to be able to see through the fog of time, and the enemy's every move is under his control. This ability makes him like a fish in water in battle, and he can always cleverly avoid danger while giving the enemy a fatal blow.

His use of these three kinds of domineering has reached a level that is almost perfect. The three kinds of domineering complement each other and form the solid foundation of his powerful strength.

His body also became tougher, the result of countless battles and hard training.

His muscles were woven together like the strongest ropes, and contained immense power.

Each muscle is like a small energy depot. When he exerts force, the power is like a surging sea, with one wave higher than the other, endless.

His skin also became extremely tough, like armor that had been tempered a thousand times, able to withstand all kinds of damage.

His bones were like fine steel and would not break easily even under tremendous pressure.

Hodi's men were originally surrounding Hodi in a menacing manner. They were holding weapons, baring their teeth and claws, with fierce light flashing in their eyes, and threatening roars from time to time. They looked as if they wanted to tear the enemy in front of them into pieces.

But when they watched their boss being knocked out instantly by a single punch from the silly-looking human on the opposite side, they were immediately terrified.

Their expressions froze instantly, and their originally ferocious faces were replaced by fear.

They were like a group of frightened deer, their eyes full of fear and their bodies trembling involuntarily.

They looked at each other, you looked at me, I looked at you, and all they saw in each other's eyes was deep fear.

Their eyes were filled with confusion and anxiety, as if they couldn't believe what was happening before their eyes.

Then, they immediately scattered like birds and beasts, throwing down their weapons in panic and running away in a very awkward manner.

Some people fell to the ground because they were too panicked, but they ignored the pain and continued to crawl to escape.

Their shouts and footsteps intertwined and echoed in the air, creating a chaotic scene.

They ran in panic like a disturbed colony of ants, their steps were messy and hurried, as if demons from hell were chasing them.

Everyone's face was filled with fear, their eyes were wide open, and the panic in them was almost overflowing.

Some people suddenly stumble while running, lose their balance, or even fall to the ground because they are too scared.

Their bodies rubbed against the ground, scratching their skin, but they completely ignored the piercing pain and continued to flee, rolling and crawling, raising a cloud of dust.

"Run, this guy is a monster!" One of the fishmen shouted in horror. His voice was like a torn strip of cloth, which became sharp and piercing due to extreme fear. It cut through the air and went straight into everyone's ears, making the already panicked crowd even more terrified.

There was deep despair in that voice, as if Luffy was no longer an ordinary human being in his eyes, but a terrifying existence that could bring catastrophe.

Looking at Hodi's men running away, Luffy had no intention of chasing them.

His tall and straight figure stood there like a towering mountain, motionless.

He just stood there, his hands leisurely on his hips, with an indifferent expression on his face, as if the escape of the group of people in front of him was just a farce and had little to do with him.

He looked relaxed, as if he had just done something insignificant, instead of knocking Hodi away with one punch and scaring away a group of enemies.

There was no desire to chase prey in his eyes, only a sense of calmness and indifference. He quietly watched those people disappear from his sight.

After all, Luffy is different from other pirates. He has a pure yearning for freedom in his heart, just like a bird chasing the stars, never contaminated by the filth of the world.

He had no interest in those insignificant minions. In his eyes, these people were just poor creatures driven by ambitious people.

His goal was like the bright Big Dipper hanging high in the sky, and it was never for low-level desires such as killing and plundering.

What he longed for was the supreme freedom, to sail unrestrainedly on the vast ocean, to explore the mysteries at the end of the world, and to experience those unknown legends.

Becoming the Pirate King is not just a title, but also his ultimate interpretation of freedom and the endless flame burning deep in his soul.