Recruit Luffy at the start and build the strongest navy.

Chapter 318 Each Displays Their Unique Abilities

"Um?!"

Sensing the approaching attack, Red Earl paused his offensive against Luffy and slowly turned his head.

Seeing the approaching dark green blade of light, he narrowed his eyes slightly, then gripped the umbrella-shaped blade and slashed downwards with a fierce motion.

Tear it apart!!

A blood-red blade of light shot out, tearing the air apart and hissing.

The distance between the two blades, one green and one red, was rapidly closed, and then they clashed violently.

Boom—

A tremendous sound resounded, and the void trembled continuously.

However, the result of this clash between the two blade beams was somewhat different from the previous clashes. The blood-red blade beam did not crush the cyan blade beam as it had before.

Instead, after continuous wear and tear, both of them dissipate into nothingness.

"Um?!"

Upon seeing this, Count Red couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation, raising his eyebrows slightly.

The power of his strike was almost identical to the previous one, but the result was different.

The Red Earl's gaze traveled a distance before finally settling on Zoro, who stood not far away with a faint smile. He stared intently at Zoro, and after a long pause, a smile returned to his own eyes. He spoke softly:

"Looks like we're going to have some real fun this time!"

Although he didn't use his full strength in that sword strike, he still used a lot of power. He could confidently say that there were very few swordsmen on this vast sea who could withstand his sword strike like that.

It seems he underestimated Zoro's strength before.

Indeed, to enjoy such a great reputation on this sea, it seems that it is not some simple-minded nobody that can be dealt with easily.

But instead of being dissatisfied, the Red Earl was rather excited by this situation.

Who is he?

The solitary red!

He has always been a proud and aloof person, and he doesn't take most people in the world seriously.

Therefore, his attitude towards the weak was always one of looking down on them.

But if you're facing an opponent you're interested in, the outcome will be different.

He will give his opponents the respect they deserve, and to earn his respect is something to be proud of, even if the other party ends up drowning in the sea!

And now, Zoro has clearly piqued his interest.

A sense of pleasure rose from the bottom of his heart. He hadn't encountered an opponent who interested him in a long time. As his emotions were revealed, the next second, an incomparably terrifying Conqueror's Haki suddenly burst out from his body and spread outwards in an extremely turbulent manner.

boom--

In an instant, the world seemed to fall into a blood-red world, everything turned blood-red, and black and red lightning flashed continuously.

The terrifying Conqueror's Haki continued to rage, causing the pirates of the Red Earl Pirates on the ship to fall one by one like dumplings being dropped into boiling water.

However, not long after, a powerful burst of Conqueror's Haki also erupted from a certain direction, forcibly carving out a space in this blood-red world.

Red Earl's eyes flickered slightly, and he looked to the other side again, where Luffy was using Moonwalk to step into the air not far away, staring at him with a confident smile on his face.

"Oh?"

The Red Earl let out another gasp of surprise.

"That domineering aura?!"

Feeling the faint pressure from Luffy's Conqueror's Haki, Red Earl couldn't help but show a hint of surprise on his face.

A person with Conqueror's Haki is not necessarily strong, and a strong person is not necessarily a person with Conqueror's Haki, but a person with strong Conqueror's Haki is almost never weak.

Although Conqueror's Haki is very rare, given the vast population of the world, there are still quite a few people who have awakened it.

Among these people, their abilities vary greatly.

It's not that awakening Conqueror's Haki guarantees strength; it's more about having the 'aptitude' for it.

For example, in the original work, Ace had already used Conqueror's Haki to save Luffy early on, but can we say that Ace was very strong at that time?

For example, Doflamingo also awakened Conqueror's Haki at a young age. Was he strong back then?

Therefore, even if someone possesses Conqueror's Haki, it is impossible to determine how strong that person truly is.

but--

If someone possesses powerful Conqueror's Haki, it's a strong indication that they are definitely not weak.

Because as long as one has the aptitude for Conqueror's Haki, one may awaken Conqueror's Haki when stimulated. However, that is only the initial awakening. To become stronger, the awakened person needs to continuously enhance their spirit.

A person's spirit is largely linked to their strength; after all, if one lacks strength, how can one possess a powerful spirit?

Therefore, a powerful user with strong Conqueror's Haki is generally not weak.

In Red Earl's eyes, Luffy's current display of Conqueror's Haki has already crossed the threshold of becoming a "strongman".

But the Red Earl was a little confused.

Based on the strength Luffy just displayed, he didn't think the other party was 'worthy' of this level of Conqueror's Haki.

Weird!

But before he could think too much, his eyes suddenly narrowed, as a powerful pressure suddenly poured down from the sky.

The Red Earl suddenly looked up, and what came into view was...

A sun?!

Do not! !

That was... a huge fireball!

In the Red Earl's perception, he could clearly sense the presence of a person in the center of the fireball.

At that moment, a tremendous roar also came from the fireball.

"Hot shot!!"

The enormous fireball continuously scorched the surrounding air, causing it to distort and emit faint popping sounds.

It also attacked the Red Earl at an extremely fast speed.

Count Red's expression immediately turned extremely solemn, his eyes fixed on the enormous fireball.

He felt a significant threat from the fireball, which meant that even with his strength, he would be in serious trouble if hit by it.

Without any hesitation, Red Earl gripped his umbrella sword tightly, simultaneously applying Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki to it, and then unleashed a fierce slash.

A crimson blade of light, thicker, larger, and more oppressive than any of the previous crimson sword beams, was unleashed.

Boom—

The moment the enormous crimson blade of light collided with the massive fireball, it was like a collision between Mars and Earth. The terrifying force rippled outwards, like a stone falling into water, causing visible ripples in the air.

This exchange of fire was more intense and powerful than any before.

After an unknown amount of time, another tremendous roar followed, the crimson blade light dissipated, and the giant fireball exploded, scattering countless tiny flames.

One of the figures was also sent flying backward, gliding through the air for nearly a hundred meters before regaining his balance.

After regaining his balance, Sanji suddenly looked up at the Red Earl in the distance, his expression grave.

His long-prepared attack was so easily blocked by the opponent.

……