Chapter 386: A Challenger Appears on the Island

Luffy, face bright with excitement, was heading toward the island’s center when the sound of clashing metal rang out on his right. An instant later, a thunderous boom echoed from the left. He glanced innocently at Usopp beside him.

“Huh? What’s going on? Why’s there so much noise from both sides all of a sudden?”

Usopp was stumped too, but hey, he was still Usopp. “Relax, Luffy. Leave it to me, I’ll check it out.”

He scampered up the nearest big tree like it was nothing.

From the branches, he could see blue flashes of sword energy in the distance and firelight blazing to the right. Focusing in, wasn’t that Zoro and Sanji? Looked like they were fighting someone.

“Hey, Luffy, they—”

Usopp didn’t even finish before he noticed a blond, golden-eyed man step out in front of Luffy.

The man left a powerful impression on him, his whole being radiating a strange aura—like bumping into a born enemy.

“You’re Luffy, right?”

“Eh? And who are you supposed to be?”

If Luffy remembered right, there shouldn’t be anyone else on this island.

Unless they’re with another pirate crew? After all, this island had no natives and merchant ships never made stops here.

“I’m Ye Fan. I’m your opponent.”

“What? Ye Fan? I’ve got a Ye Fan on my ship, too! Don’t tell me you’re brothers or something?”

Luffy tilted his head at him, confused.

Sharing the same name and surname on these seas was basically unheard of. Just don’t have two Dragon Kings meeting at the same temple.

“Hmph, I’m the real Ye Fan.”

There was only one Ye Fan across the entire sea. Anyone else bold enough to take the name? He’d already dealt with them.

“I came here specifically for you.”

Luffy knew the Ye Fan on his ship—that was actually his dad’s clone, for whatever odd reason borrowing his name. Not that it mattered. He hadn’t forgotten why he came here.

“So what do you want from me?”

“Luffy, looks like this guy isn’t friendly,” Usopp called from above.

Crouched on the tree, Usopp slowly raised the sniper rifle strapped to his back, aiming it right at the supposed Ye Fan.

Boom!

“What the—?”

Just as Usopp leveled his rifle at Ye Fan, a sudden, unseen force shattered the giant tree he was perched on, sending him tumbling to the ground.

“Usopp, are you okay?”

Seeing what happened, Luffy rushed over quickly and dragged Usopp out from under the fallen trunk.

Usopp, gaping in shock, pointed at Ye Fan’s raised fist. “It’s him!”

“Save your breath.”

Luffy followed Usopp’s gaze. Sure enough, Ye Fan was calmly drawing his fist back.

“I don’t care who you are. If you dare hurt my friend, I won’t ever forgive you.”

“Gum-Gum Rocket!”

Not about to let this weirdo attack Usopp again, Luffy lunged, drawing Ye Fan’s attention away.

Swish!

Luffy’s fist shot past Ye Fan, leaving a shrill whistle in its wake.

Smack!

“You’re way too slow!”

To Ye Fan, Luffy’s attacks looked like they were moving in slow motion.

He just lifted his right hand and grabbed Luffy’s arm, then swung him like a giant hammer, slamming him into a massive tree.

“Even a lion uses full force hunting a rabbit.”

The real fight was about to begin. In that instant, Ye Fan’s vital energy surged through his body, golden light flooding around him.

“Boom!”

He moved so fast it was a blur. One punch, right to Luffy’s head, sent him flying hundreds of meters, crashing straight into the distant mountain wall.

Luffy’s body shot through the air, smashing through tree after tree on the way.

Blood poured from his mouth uncontrollably before his back crashed hard into the mountainside, forming a massive crater as cracks spread out in all directions.

“Whoa! Cough, cough!”

Luffy had never been hit this badly before, the attack so sudden he was left reeling.

Bang!!

“What the—?”

“No way! No way that’s possible!”

Seeing Luffy get effortlessly blasted into the mountain wall, Usopp scrambled to attack Ye Fan from behind. But to his shock, Ye Fan caught a 12.6mm bullet right between his fingers.

“Such childish tricks.”

With a squeeze of two fingers, Ye Fan flattened the bullet. He appeared in a flash beside Usopp, grabbing his head in one hand.

Whoosh!

Clang!

While Luffy stared in disbelief, Ye Fan flung Usopp by the head, slamming him into the same mountain wall. In the blink of an eye, Usopp was embedded deep in the rock right next to Luffy.

Crack! Stones rained down, burying half of Usopp under the rubble.

“Usopp, you okay? Hey!”

Seeing how battered Usopp was, Luffy shoved himself out of his own crater and hurried over to his side.

Usopp’s face was battered and bloodied, his nose twisted as he trembled, turning to Luffy. “Lu…Luffy…you…gotta…win!”

As soon as he finished, Usopp’s outstretched hand slowly dropped, and Luffy caught it in his own.

Ye Fan’s words from their encounter kept echoing through Luffy’s mind.

“Heading for the Grand Line, you’d better be prepared. Strength isn’t just one way to solve things—it’s the only way!”

Usopp wasn’t dead, of course, but he’d taken a serious beating.

“Damn it. What did you do to my friend?”

Luffy puffed up, instantly shifting into his Fourth Gear: Boundman form.

Muttering under his breath,

His leg coiled tight like a giant spring, launching him forward at high speed, fists swinging at Ye Fan. “Kong Gun!”

Seeing Usopp knocked out, Luffy’s pent-up fury exploded. He rained down blows, each punch carrying immense power.

“That’s more like it. If you’d fought like this from the start, maybe your friend wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

Ye Fan had provoked him for a reason—to push Luffy into his true fighting form. Otherwise, knowing Luffy’s personality, this might’ve taken all day.

Ye Fan dropped into a crouch, right fist clenched, launching it forward. The force of it sent a huge rush of air tumbling across the ground.

Both fighters’ fists were wrapped in thick Armament Haki, their punches letting out a sizzling crackle the moment they collided.

In that instant, a shockwave rippled out from the clash. Trees for several hundred meters around were uprooted and sent flying.

Ye Fan bared his teeth in a grin, sensing Luffy’s strength. Finding an opponent who was both a match for him and fought with all they had—those were rare indeed.

His big brothers always took it easy on him since he was the youngest, and his younger siblings were still just kids. He wasn’t about to bully the weak.

After a moment of deadlock, Ye Fan moved. He seized Luffy’s right arm and, with a decisive twist, a crisp crack rang out.

Crack!

“Aaaah!!!”

Luffy’s thick right arm instantly snapped in Ye Fan’s grasp.