Recruit Luffy at the start and build the strongest navy.

Shortly after, a shockwave exploded, and the two figures were sent flying backward once again.

The immense power they carried caused them to plow two long tracks into the ground as they retreated.

When the two stopped, they were more than a hundred meters apart.

The next moment, the two set off again, heading forward, but this time they did not rush forward as suddenly as before, but instead moved forward step by step.

The two were in a situation that resembled that of two old friends meeting again.

When the distance between the two reached twenty meters, they both stopped and stared intently at each other.

An invisible aura gathered between the two.

Suddenly, a smile appeared on Luffy's lips.

"You glutinous rice ball guy, I'm going to beat you to a pulp today!!"

"This time, I won't lose again!"

"I'm more than a hundred times stronger now than I was a year and a half ago!!"

Luffy's tone was full of confidence, and his eyes were almost overflowing with self-assurance.

Hearing this, Katakuri's expression remained unchanged; his gaze was still calmly fixed on Luffy as he spoke in a low voice:

"Rubber kid, a fight isn't decided by words!"

"If you want to defeat me, show me the skills, instead of just talking the talk!"

Although his tone was still as calm as it had been a year and a half ago, the words he spoke were completely different.

If it were a year and a half ago, upon hearing Luffy say this, he would have said:

"Can't you recognize the gap in our strength? Why are you spouting such nonsense?!"

What he just said actually confirms that Luffy now does indeed have the potential to defeat him.

Thinking of this, a look of seriousness appeared in Katakuri's eyes.

After a year and a half, Luffy's strength is completely different from what it used to be.

A year and a half ago, Luffy's Armament Haki and Observation Haki were far inferior to his, and his Conqueror's Haki was nowhere near as good.

In terms of other aspects such as strength, speed, and the development of Devil Fruit abilities, his opponent is also inferior.

It can be said that a year and a half ago, he completely overwhelmed Luffy in almost every aspect.

Therefore, even when facing the combined forces of Luffy and Sabo, he could easily defeat them.

But that was a year and a half ago.

During his fight with Luffy, Katakuri discovered something that surprised, even horrified, him.

In terms of strength, speed, and Armament Haki, Luffy is in no way inferior to him, and his Conqueror's Haki is even stronger.

The only two things that are slightly weaker than him are Observation Haki and the degree of fruit development.

But even if they are different, the difference is not significant; the gap can be described as very small.

For example, Luffy's Observation Haki, although not yet at the level of foreseeing the future, is only on the threshold, just one step away, and could be mastered at any time.

Although his fruit development level is not as high as his, his performance in battle is not much weaker.

So overall, the two were evenly matched in the battle just now, or perhaps he had a slight advantage.

However, this advantage is not actually a significant one, and Luffy is fully capable of defeating him now.

Katakuri finds Luffy's growth rate somewhat incomprehensible.

Doesn't this seem a bit unusual?

Why could his strength improve so much in just a year and a half?

But clearly, there's no time for him to think about this now.

Because Luffy on the other side was roaring and attacking him again.

Upon seeing this, Katakuri's eyes narrowed.

If you can't figure it out, then stop thinking about it. He just said that Luffy has a chance to defeat him.

But that doesn't mean he will definitely be defeated by Luffy.

As for him, he also has the potential to defeat Luffy, and the probability of him defeating Luffy is greater than the probability of Luffy defeating him.

He's the top Sweet Commander of the Big Mom Pirates, and Luffy was once defeated by him. From any perspective, his chances of winning are much greater!

"Rubber, rubber..."

Luffy threw a punch, his arm immediately extending, and his fist, carrying immense power, slammed directly into Katakuri.

But when the punch, imbued with Armament Haki, landed on Katakuri, it passed right through his body, and countless tiny mochi-like balls exploded, scattering like raindrops in all directions.

The punch did not hit Katakuri's physical body, but Luffy had anticipated this situation. He immediately pulled his arm back, then wrapped his fists in Armament Haki and slammed them at Katakuri again.

He had fought Katakuri for quite some time and was well aware of Katakuri's powerful Observation Haki.

Ordinary attacks are unlikely to be effective against an opponent with strong Observation Haki.

Just like a year and a half ago, no matter how he and Sabo attacked each other, their moves could basically be avoided by the other using Observation Haki that could foresee the future.

But now, with the improvement of his Observation Haki, it is not so easy for his opponent to dodge his attacks, because when his opponent uses Observation Haki to foresee the future, he also uses Observation Haki to sense his opponent's movements.

In this way, it becomes much more difficult for the opponent to dodge his attacks.

One punch is easy for the opponent to dodge, but what about countless punches?

This makes it even more difficult for the opponent to dodge, and continuously using Observation Haki to foresee the future consumes a lot of Haki.

Katakuri can still dodge his attacks now, but if time drags on and Katakuri's Observation Haki is depleted and weakened, he'll see if Katakuri can still dodge his attacks as easily as he does now.

In terms of attrition, Luffy is confident that he is stronger than most of his peers!

Thinking of this, Luffy couldn't help but roar.

Why call it that?

That's because it's more imposing that way!

-

Meanwhile, somewhere in the New World, deep underwater.

The ancient site of the once silent Wano Country lies quietly in the deep blue water. The entire stone city is well preserved, with the eaves, city walls, stone steps and palace outlines clearly visible in the water.

Moss covers the ancient stone walls, moon and halos patterns and historical inscriptions are hidden on the palace walls, and tiny floating objects drift gently in the water. There is no surging sea, only tranquility and vicissitudes. This capital city, sealed by the rain, seems to hold the glory and secrets of a bygone era.

At that moment, a purple orb of light suddenly shot in from the seabed at an extremely fast speed, arriving in front of the ancient site of Wano Country in an instant.

Zooming in, it became clear that the purple orb was actually composed of surging purple lightning.

A short while later, a faint voice came from within.

"I finally found it!!"

……