Two years ago, Luke was already strong enough to crush the admiral from the Marine Headquarters.
But now, no one knows how strong Luke is.
Even cadres like Yamato, Wyper, Shiryu, and Boa Hancock, none had ever been able to make him fight seriously.
You know, the other party has never slacked off in his own training and was still training hard day and night.
His relentless drive to grow stronger was downright terrifying, even to the Netherworld Pirates' own cadres.
Ace's reaction is familiar to them; similar things happen more than once.
Every time, they thought that their strength had made a big breakthrough and they were one step closer to Luke.
But every time they faced Luke, they were still like ants, looking up at the sky.
They seem to be in a different dimension. Especially those unruly and ambitious guys who were once imprisoned in the Eternal Hell.
Now, those guys in front of Luke were like mice seeing a cat.
"Consider yourself lucky. Being able to follow someone like him isn't something to be ashamed of."
Gin shrugged and then directly issued an order.
"Alright, release all the Spade Pirates' prisoners!"
"Yes, sir!"
… … …
"Luke, are you looking for me?"
On Hachinosu Island, in a luxurious living room, Yamato stood with her hands on her hips, like a proud mother hen, looking at Luke, who had just returned and did not disturb Robin, Reiju, and other girls who were working and sat alone on the sofa drinking red wine.
However, the lace suspenders and crystal high heels set off her tall figure and perfect curves.
Moreover, she was carrying the mace, which made her look extremely tough and wild. She was full of temptation.
"It's like this, I found you an interesting opponent... though, for now, he's not quite your match. In the meantime, I want you to train him well."
Luke, sitting with one leg crossed over the other, smiled as he looked at Yamato.
Even though Ace had been allowed to choose his opponents freely, Luke had already carefully selected the most suitable match for him, one that would ensure growth through struggle.
One was Roger's son, who inherited the blood of the devil, and the other was the Oni princess, who inherited the blood of Kaido.
Both of them had Mythical Zoan fruit and the Conqueror Haki... Could there be a more exciting opponent?
Anyway, Yamato had already been trained by him into his own shape. Luke is not afraid that this girl will be influenced by Ace.
That was impossible.
On the contrary, if Ace couldn't even defeat a woman, his pride would take a serious hit.
This would be the perfect way to wear down his arrogance.
Especially since, with Yamato's talent and current strength, even if Ace worked himself to the bone, he wouldn't surpass her in just two years.
In the end, he would have no choice but to submit.
"We'll talk about this later..."
Yamato held her head high.
Yamato puffed out her chest, her bright, fiery eyes staring directly at Luke, brimming with fighting spirit.
She gripped her mace tightly, licked her lips, and said bluntly: "Luke, it's been a while since we last fought... Let's have a match!"
She speaks with no hesitation or beating around the bush.
She was the type to act on her impulses and was straightforward.
Whenever she felt the urge to challenge someone, she would go straight to them and never take a roundabout approach.
"Tsk tsk, you've grown bolder, Yamato."
Seeing her in this state, Luke instantly knew this girl was getting restless and needed a good beating.
She was eager to challenge him again.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone out of her way to dress like this.
He didn't refuse. Instead, he smiled and accepted the challenge.
In an instant, an invisible tension filled the air, and a silent clash of wills began.
"Yamato, let me make it clear first..."
He hooked Yamato's chin, gazing down at the fierce, untamed Oni princess before him. His eyes narrowed, and he smiled as he warned her: "Until you admit defeat, I won't hold back."
"Enough talk, Luke... I don't need you to go easy on me!"
Yamato's confidence soared.
She grinned, her eyes burning with determination.
Without hesitation, she swung her mace and launched her first attack.
"Heh, come at me then!"
Luke chuckled softly.
Confident in his overwhelming strength, he neither dodged nor backed down.
He countered each of her attacks with ease.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After a simple warm-up fight, Luke became aggressive and started to get serious.
He did not go easy on Yamato because she was a woman.
In the past two years, they had already sparred countless times.
They knew each other's strengths and weaknesses inside and out. So when they attacked, they did so with full force, with each strike being deadly.
"Hell Thrust!!!"
His shadow, imbued with Armament Haki, became razor-sharp and menacing, like an unstoppable spear of destruction.
It cut through the air with a terrifying force, seemingly capable of piercing through anything.
"Thunder Bagua!!!"
Yamato refused to back down.
With lightning speed, she charged forward, her attack electrifying the air.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The clash of their weapons sent shockwaves through the battlefield.
A brutal, head-on collision of raw strength
Yet, Luke's dominance was undeniable.
His Hell Thrust, infused with advanced Armament Haki, was unstoppable.
Several times, Yamato narrowly avoided being impaled.
At this moment, cold sweat ran down her back; she knew that a single mistake could mean total defeat.
"Luke... I won't lose... Mirror Mountain!"
Their battle raged on, the ocean waves crashing violently around them.
In the end, Yamato was forced into her Human Beast form and went all out.
Her whole body was emitting wisps of cold air, making Luke feel as if he was in a world of ice and fire.
"Hell Thrust!"
Ice shards flew.
A force too great to resist shattered Yamato's seemingly unbreakable defenses.
Against Luke, Yamato was outmatched.
Although she had gained incredible battle experience under Luke's guidance, her Armament Haki still lacked refinement, and her Conqueror's Haki wasn't condensed enough.
Ultimately, her strength fell short.
Even the smallest weaknesses could spell disaster.
In less than two hours, under Luke's ultra-high frequency attack.
Yamato was completely defeated even after unleashing her full Beast Form.