Luffy, how can you become the Pirate King if you don't work hard!

Chapter 541 You're the one who says you want to become the Pirate King?

Tashigi stood next to Smoker, holding binoculars and looking towards the floating island.

"Report! It has been confirmed that there are a large number of pirates on the floating island, including the Straw Hat Pirates, the Kid Pirates, the Hawkins Pirates, the Apoo Pirates, and other Supernova forces, as well as Hawkeye and Crocodile from the Cross Guild. In addition, there are two legendary prisoners, Barrett and Redfield, who are suspected of escaping from Impel Down!"

Tashigi put down her binoculars and adjusted her glasses.

Almost all the well-known and powerful figures from the New World were present; such a scale is quite rare.

On the decks of dozens of massive naval warships, dozens of elite lieutenant generals stood in a row.

Flying Squirrel, Doberman, Storoberry, Onigumo, and the reserve general Chaton Kake.

The World Conference has almost come to an end, so the navy's forces are now quite sufficient.

However, they were clearly not facing an ordinary crushing defeat.

"The Straw Hat Pirates are reportedly currently equipped with former Admiral Aokiji Kuzan and several Shichibukai-level fighters. With our current lineup, it wouldn't be good to approach rashly."

"Lieutenant General Flying Squirrel said with a frown."

Smoker exhaled a puff of white smoke. "Don't get close yet. Just aim the cannons at the floating island and launch a long-range deterrent attack."

His gaze pierced through the smoke, looking towards the floating island.

If we bring out the warships and their powerful cannons, a bombardment can solve many problems.

He's no longer a hot-blooded naiveté. After dealing with that straw hat guy for so many years, he knows what he can and cannot do.

Sending troops into close combat when the Four Emperors and two legendary prisoners are on the same stage is not justice; it's suicide.

There are many powerful figures here that we need to be careful of. If the Navy doesn't have an admiral to keep things in check, they wouldn't dare to get close.

Setting off a few shots here is enough.

Killing even a few is a win.

Don't underestimate the navy's fleet; the Buster Call's firepower would be annihilating for most pirates.

This is, after all, at sea.

"It seems the navy won't dare to come up here easily."

Luffy, who was on the mountaintop, turned his gaze back to the two men in front of him.

"So, do you two want this box, or do you want to fight me?"

"Don't even think about escaping!"

Douglas Barrett laughed wildly.

"I heard about it when I was in Impel Down. You single-handedly split Impel Down in two and even pierced through Magellan's poison dragon! I was thinking back then, when can I fight you!"

His smile grew even more unrestrained, his whole body trembling slightly with excitement. "I hate weaklings! But I have to admit, in this dog-eat-dog world, only the strong survive in the end! Garp, Roger, Whitebeard, they were so strong that everyone else couldn't even compare. As long as you're strong enough, all the conspiracies and tricks are nothing but a joke!"

"You are not a weak person, but you are not very strong either."

Luffy looked at the man in front of him and said casually.

"Looks like you're even more arrogant than I thought, Straw Hat."

Barrett's smile faded slightly, replaced by a more dangerous seriousness.

"I'm just stating the facts."

Luffy grinned.

Barrett's aura suddenly surged, and deep purple Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body, sweeping outwards like a silent tsunami.

The air creaked under the impact of the domineering aura, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the ground beneath Barrett's feet. Small pieces of gravel were thrown off the ground by the aura and shattered into dust in mid-air.

The supernovae around the mountaintop changed their expressions almost simultaneously.

Kidd took a step back, the metal structure on his arm trembling continuously from the impact of this domineering aura, and the cracks at the joints were slowly widening.

"This bastard also has Conqueror's Haki?!"

Ap had already hidden behind a rock in the distance, only showing half of his face to observe the situation.

However, Luffy soon showed them what true Conqueror's Haki is.

A surge of Conqueror's Haki, as substantial as an abyss, erupted from behind Luffy, transforming him into a demon.

The demon has been personified.

The entire island was covered by terrifying Conqueror's Haki. The sky did not crack because the two sides were not colliding. Barrett's Conqueror's Haki was crushed.

His feet left two shallow marks on the ground, and he took half a step back, then another step.

"How is that possible?"

Barrett clenched his teeth, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

His Conqueror's Haki was his proudest power, which he had honed during his time with the Roger Pirates. He believed it was his trump card, enough to crush any weakling. However, in front of the Straw Hat Luffy, his Conqueror's Haki was actually suppressed head-on.

You have to understand that he was able to fight Rayleigh to a draw back then.

Just then, another wave of Conqueror's Haki cut into the battlefield from the side.

Redfield, the solitary red, made his move. His Conqueror's Haki wasn't as ferocious and outward as Barrett's. He stepped in as a third party, helping to relieve some of the pressure on Barrett.

Barrett felt the pressure lessen and regained his footing.

"As expected, you're not that strong. You're already one of those people from the old era."

The Conqueror's Haki surrounding Luffy dissipated before his eyes, turning into energy and disappearing into the air.

"You bastard, don't think that being domineering is strong enough!"

Barrett assumes a fighting stance.

When did he become part of the old era?

He's at the peak of his life right now!

The next second, his Observation Haki triggered a frantic warning. As he looked up, his chin was kicked hard, sending him flying.

"You're quite skilled with Conqueror's Haki."

Luffy turned to Redfield and asked, "Are you one of his accomplices?"

"It's just cooperation, not accomplices. That guy's a straightforward person,"

Redfield spoke calmly, his voice carrying the composure and elegance of someone accustomed to a high position, “Buena Festa and Douglas Barrett did me a favor by helping me find the Devil Fruit I’ve always wanted. In return, I agreed to lend them a hand in this battle, which will also serve as an opportunity to test my new ability.”

He stretched out one hand, his fingers long and fair, his nails neatly trimmed.

A dark, bat-shaped shadow appeared in his palm, hovering silently, its wings flapping without making a sound.

Bat Fruit, Mythical Zoan type, Vampire form.

He had been searching for this fruit for many years; it was the only one that could perfectly complement his powerful Observation Haki.

Redfield's Observation Haki was so powerful that he could easily read other people's minds and memories; it was a mind-reading ability that could even see into other people's thoughts.

But now, facing Straw Hat Luffy, he tentatively extended his Observation Haki, only to touch a blank space.

"Is it no use?" Redfield muttered to himself.

Observation Haki was suppressed.

Luffy seemed to sense something, raised an eyebrow, and grinned with a meaningful smile.

The Conqueror's Haki intensified suddenly in that instant.

Redfield quickly withdrew his Observation Haki, but a helpless smile appeared on his face.

This man is indeed very pure. He has lived for so many years and met countless people, including Pirate King Roger and Marine hero Garp.

Every strong person has their own inherent personality traits, but it is rare to find someone as simple as the Straw Hat Puppet, to the point that even mind-reading techniques cannot uncover anything extra.

He doesn't dislike this kind of guy.

"As a token of my gratitude, let me see what you've got."

Redfield bowed slightly, making a gentlemanly gesture of invitation, and then his body burst forth with terrifying speed in that instant.

He transformed into several bats and scattered, reappearing in front of Luffy.

His enhanced physical strength and speed in vampire form, combined with his Observation Haki that allows him to predict his opponent's movements, make Redfield's attacks precise and deadly.

"Interesting," Luffy said with a smile as he accepted the challenge.

The two exchanged several moves in an instant, their black aura and dark red bat shadows weaving together into a dazzling network in the center of the mountaintop.

Just then, Barrett, who had been kicked away like trash, let out a roar.

He crouched down, his leg muscles bulging, and the rocks beneath his feet cracked under the force of the accumulated power.

Then he charged straight at Luffy from the side like a cannonball, shouting, "It's not over yet! Straw Hat, I'm not down yet!"

This guy activated his Paramecia-type Fusion Fruit, and his body began to assimilate and merge with the rocks beneath his feet. In the blink of an eye, a large amount of rocks and soil climbed up his legs and torso, forming a thick layer of rock armor on his body.

His body swelled to nearly twenty meters in just a few seconds, and the enormous rock fist slammed down on Luffy, blotting out the sky.

This punch was significantly more powerful than the one before.

Luffy was fighting Redfield when he caught a glimpse of the huge shadow out of the corner of his eye. He dodged the rock fist with a nimble spin in mid-air.

Barrett's punch missed its mark, creating a huge crater several meters in diameter in the ground.

Amidst the flying debris, his mechanical arm had already relocked Luffy's position, and the power of the Fusion-Fusion Fruit activated, splitting off dozens of rock cannons from his arm.

"You've surpassed many people I know! Straw Hat!"

Barrett's voice emanated from the rock giant's chest, his eyes burning with an almost obsessive fanaticism, "Roger, Garp, Whitebeard, Shiki, they were indeed strong, but they are either dead or old. A new era needs a new strongest! I will become the strongest!"

"I will surpass them! Surpass everyone! I will make myself strong enough to crush all schemes and tricks, and become the strongest Pirate King!"

Upon hearing this, Barrett clearly felt a qualitative change in the oppressive atmosphere.

It wasn't because his Conqueror's Haki had increased, but because the aura released by the man opposite him seemed to have suddenly become several times more solid.

Luffy and Redfield were just exchanging blows when Redfield heard the key words and felt his arm being jolted away by an unexpected force.

Luffy turned to look at Bullet, whose face beneath the brim of his hat wore a chilling smile.