Chapter 454: The Fierce Clash at Enies Lobby

Luffy was the first to leap high into the air, transforming in an instant into his Gear Fourth: Bounce Man form. He roared straight into the storm of cannon fire ahead.

“Gum-Gum Gatling!”

Cannonballs filled the sky but Luffy punched a clear path through them, blasting open a way forward for everyone.

And Luffy didn’t stop there. With his power unleashed, he barreled ahead, smashing aside anything in his way. His massive fists pummeled straight toward the lead Navy warship.

That warship stood no chance. Luffy’s punch landed dead center, sending the stern and bow jutting upward as its keel shattered. The whole vessel slowly began to sink, with Navy soldiers diving overboard one after another just to survive.

“Would leaving quietly really be so hard, Straw Hat Luffy!” Vice Admiral Bastille bellowed, swinging his thick right arm forward.

Whoosh!!

A fierce blast of power erupted. Luffy’s expression shifted and he crossed his arms in front of him to brace for the impact.

Bang!!

With a thunderous crash, Luffy was sent flying back. That single punch hurled him hundreds of meters before he finally managed to stop himself midair.

Bastille knew exactly whose grandson Luffy was. If he’d just slipped away right under Bastille’s nose, maybe he could have let it slide.

But if Luffy insisted on being so reckless, then Bastille had no choice but to unleash the full power his uniform demanded, showing no mercy.

He’d avoid killing blows if he could, but honestly, Vice Admiral Garp was anything but the soft old man he seemed.

Even after being knocked back, Luffy wasn’t really hurt. By now his physique might even be tougher than Bastille’s.

“I’m gonna smash you out of here.”

Luffy shot back, eyes burning with determination.

His right fist shot forward in a blur—he unleashed his Gum-Gum Python!

Clang!!

At the same moment, with Bastille held at bay, Zoro slashed out with several strikes, cutting three Navy warships in two.

“Straw Hat Luffy, you’re seeking death!”

Bastille’s eyes narrowed, rage boiling inside as he saw his men falling by the dozens, most lost at sea. Gritting his teeth, he swung his fist with everything he had.

In that moment, all thoughts of holding back vanished. His fist, shrouded in swirling black smoke, proved he was putting every ounce of strength behind it, pushing his power to monstrous heights.

Luffy wasn’t slacking either. His fist flickered through the air with blistering speed.

Their attacks hadn’t even connected, yet the sheer force compressed the air, hurling out bursts of wind that howled around them.

A tenth of a second later, fists collided in a tremendous crash.

Boom!!

The explosion of power was deafening. Luffy and Bastille took the full brunt, both flung away in the shockwave.

“What the… What just happened?”

“Was that Luffy? No way… They can’t be that powerful!”

“Impossible—it’s absolutely impossible!”

“Stop the Buster Call!”

With Vergo in the lead, three other Vice Admirals immediately abandoned the Enies Lobby assault, turning their attention to intercept Luffy’s group.

They hadn’t thought much of the battle at first—but now, seeing it up close had left them stunned. Their laser focus on the Buster Call was broken in an instant.

One glance was all it took: Bastille’s fleet, once ten strong, was down to just two ships. Navy soldiers floated everywhere in the water. Nothing could have prepared them for this disaster.

In fact, none of them had ever seen the Navy lose so badly before.

As Ye Fan, Sanji, and Usopp braced themselves, Luffy twisted in midair above them, steadying his form.

He reached up, adjusted his hat, then suddenly raised his head. A glint of red flashed in his eyes.

Buzz!!!

A mighty, overwhelming aura erupted from him, sweeping towards the surrounding Navy like a hurricane—forceful and impossible to resist.

This aura carried an imperial weight and absolute authority, its intimidation striking deep into the soul. Many collapsed to their knees without even realizing, surrendering on the spot. The weaker-willed simply lost consciousness, dropping to the deck.

This was Luffy’s Conqueror’s Haki. With constant use, he’d learned to wield it at will, though he hadn’t yet mastered Conqueror’s Haki Infusion.

The sudden shockwave sent even more Navy men on the water plunging beneath the waves.

“Rescue them! Hurry, save whoever you can!”

Vice Admiral Strawberry immediately ordered the alert sailors into rescue squads, diving in to fish their comrades out from the sea.

Meanwhile, Vice Admirals Dalmatian and Vergo clenched their fists, charging straight for Sanji and Ye Fan.

On another front, Vice Admiral Dalmatian saw Zoro fighting him—yet Zoro still had the time to strike at distant Navy ships. Furious, Dalmatian shouted in rage.

“Damn pirates! You’re completely unforgivable!”

His blade slashed again and again, attacks coming so fast and relentless that Zoro felt smothered by the pressure.

“Santoryu—Three Thousand Worlds!”

But Zoro wasn’t about to back down. Locked in this deadly struggle, he didn’t have a chance to help Luffy’s group now.

…

“Sanji, pick your opponent.”

Standing on their little boat, Ye Fan arched an eyebrow at Sanji, glancing at the two Vice Admirals soaring toward them.

One was Doflamingo, a Navy spy within their own ranks. The other was a bona fide Vice Admiral—a user of a Zoan-type Devil Fruit with the power of a spotted dog.

Neither one would be easy to face.

“Heh, you take the left, I’ll take the right.”

Sanji was all in, but picked Vergo—the one who could coat his entire body in Haki, practically a monster.

“Usopp, you’re on distraction detail. Keep the rest of the Navy fleet from interfering with our fight.”

With that, Ye Fan charged toward Dalmatian.

…

“You think they’ll be okay? I mean, that’s a whole Buster Call after them.”

“Don’t worry, I know they can handle it.”

“Yeah, Luffy’s always reliable.”

Aboard the Thousand Sunny, Robin and Nami explained how terrifying a Buster Call was. Nami and Chopper tried to comfort her, too.

Only Franky stood off to the side, arms folded, gazing at the massive Buster Call fleet in the distance. A single tear slid down behind his sunglasses.

“Is this why you never fought back, teacher?”

Franky’s thoughts turned to his old master, Tom. Maybe Tom had foreseen this day, and that’s why he went with the Navy so willingly.

“Cough… World Government!!”

On the second floor, things were much more relaxed for Gin and his trio. They idly played cards, occasionally glancing out at the Buster Call forces.

Yosaku: “Three of a kind. Honestly, if it were me, I’d have just left. No point risking it.”

Gin: “Six of a kind. Haven’t you noticed? Lord Ye Fan wants Robin to overcome her fear of the Buster Call.”

“Full house! Only five cards left for me to win.” For Johnny, he’d never been this close to victory before.

He’d almost never won against the other two, and he’d long ago spent all his stash of savings. He even had to wash Yosaku and Gin’s clothes and socks for a month to pay off his debts.

Now, with victory in sight, Johnny felt his mood lift. “If you ask me, maybe Boss Ye Fan’s actually interested in Robin.”