Chapter 24: The Showdown Has Come! Luffy's Desperate Last Attack!
"I get it." Luffy said. "If it's a challenge you want, then you'll get one. I still got one more trick up my sleeve. Just remember, you asked for it. Third Gear…" Luffy bit down on thumb and blew on it. "…Bone Balloon!" His arm became incredibly large, out sizing him by a large margin.
"Balloon?" Ulquiorra questioned, looking Luffy's enlarged arm. Orihime and Uryu looked at Luffy's giant arm with widen eyes.
"That's right." Luffy said, cocking his giant arm back. "My arm is now the arm of a giant! Gum-Gum…" Ulquiorra made an X with his arms, ready to block the attack. "…Giant Pistol!" Luffy brought his fist and hit Ulquiorra, smashing him through what's left of one of the pillars. The impact of the attack sends shockwaves across the canopy, causing Orihime and Uryu to cover their faces. Ulquiorra was seen going through the destroyed pillar with blood coming from his mouth.
Luffy's giant fist hit Ulquiorra directly, smashing him through one of the destroyed pillars and sending him off the canopy. 'At this rate, I'm going to pass out.' Ulquiorra thought as he fell down to the sands of Hueco Mundo. Luffy's arm deflated as he transferred the air from his arm to his chest. Uryu and Orihime looked at Luffy with a shocked expression on their face on how strong Luffy really is.
Down in the sands of Hueco Mundo, Ulquiorra was breathing heavily, getting back to his feet. Blood was coming from his mouth and head. 'I'm still conscious.' He thought as he looked at the palace, waiting for Luffy to make the next move.
"Now Gum-Gum…" Luffy stretched both of him arms to two of the damaged pillars. "…Rocket!" He launched himself in the air as he transferred the added air in chest to his leg. "Gum-Gum…" Ulquiorra looked up. "…Giant Axe!" Luffy brought his foot down to where the espada is, causing the sand to rise and create a cloud of dust. Then a green light appeared in the smoke. Luffy widen his eyes as the light came closer to him. A glowing green lance popped out the smoke and slashed Luffy in the shoulder as it passed him. Luffy wrenched in pain, holding his shoulder.
Ulquiorra appeared behind Luffy and said, "It seems that with this power of yours, you lost your speed." Luffy looked behind him and saw the espada, only for Ulquiorra to kick him in the face and send falling to the sands below. Ulquiorra pointed his finger at the falling Luffy and fired a black cero, causing a huge explosion. The explosion causes a shockwave to go through the canopy, making Uyru and Orihime cover their faces.
"Luffy!" Orihime shouted in worry, fearing his demise.
"Damn it!" Uryu cursed. Then the two heard a crash coming from one of the towers that was destroyed earlier. "What was that?"
Inside one of the destroyed towers, Luffy was on the ground breathing heavily as he is now shrunken down to a child-like form. "That was too close." He said to himself as he sits up.
(Flashback)
Ulquiorra pointed his finger at the falling Luffy and a black cero ball starting to form on the finger tip. Luffy tried to find some way to dodge the attack before it's fired, but found his leg beginning to deflate and blowing air out of his mouth. The cero was fired, causing a huge explosion. Luffy popped out of the smoke and with smoke come out of his mouth and crashed inside one of the destroyed pillars.
(End of Flashback)
"I would've been a goner if I got hit by that thing." Luffy said as he took at his now shrunken form. "Oh great, I'm small again. Third Gear is pretty cool and pretty powerful but what about a lousy side-effect." Luffy got back up to his feet and started to run. "I gotta hide until this wears off or he'll stomp on me like a bug."
Ulquiorra stood in mid-air inside the smoke caused by his cero. "Was that a side effect or some sort of bad joke?" He said to himself, remembering what to Luffy before the cero was fired. "Well whatever it is, he's still alive." Ulquiorra sonidoed at where Luffy was.
Uryu and Orihime looked at the destroyed pillar in wonder and worry about to Luffy. Then they heard a crash inside the pillar and saw something coming towards them. Their eyes widen when they saw figure crash in front of them, the figure looked very recognizable to them.
"Luffy!" Orihime and Uryu shouted.
"He…tracked me down!" Luffy said, wrenching in pain.
"That ability of yours demands as much as it gives." Ulquiorra said, appearing in front of Luffy. "It seems like a fair trade. One must always pay the price for power." Luffy struggled to at least sit up. He then felt something hit him hard in the chest, sending him flying. Then Ulquiorra grabbed Luffy by the throat and slammed into the wall of one of the pillars, causing him to cough up blood. "It's time to give up. If you continue these ridiculous attacks, I'll…" Luffy punched Ulquiorra in the nose, cutting him off. Ulquiorra slammed Luffy into the wall again, wedging him inside it.
"Luffy!" Orihime shouted.
"I can't move!" Luffy shouted, trying to break free. "Not good!"
"I apologize but I have to kill you in that ridiculous form." Ulquiorra said as a black ball form on his finger tip. "Goodbye."
Luffy continued to struggle to break free but couldn't. "Come on body, change back or we're going to die!" Ulquiorra's cero continued to charge but then he felt sharp pain in his legs. Blood came out of Ulquiorra's mouth as the cero disappeared.
"What happened?" Uryu asked surprised. Orihime was surprised about what happened as well.
(Flashback)
"…Giant Pistol!" Luffy brought his fist forward and hit Ulquiorra, smashing him through what's left of one of the pillars. The impact of the attack sends shockwaves across the canopy, causing Orihime and Uryu to cover their faces. Ulquiorra was seen going through the destroyed pillar with blood coming from his mouth.
(End of Flashback)
'That attack from earlier damaged my legs.' Ulquiorra thought as stumbled back a few steps, trying to regain his bearings.
"I'm changing back!" Luffy shouted as he returned back to his original form, breaking out of the wall that Ulquiorra trapped him in. He landed on his feet, breathing heavily as he stares down the espada. "I've missed up your legs."
"So your fighting style isn't just fun and games, I'm aware of that." Ulquiorra said. "But don't think you've won because of that one little trick."
"I know." Luffy said as he pumped his legs and smoke started to come out of his body. "This will the last time, I won't stop until you're down for good. You hear me?!"
"Your body won't able take it. You'll end up killing yourself."
"Maybe, I guess there's only one way to find out. Second Gear!" Orihime looked on with a scared look on her eyes, not knowing what's about to happen next. Luffy took a step forward and charged towards the espada at a high speed. "Gum-Gum…" Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes at the pirate. "…Jet Pistol!" Ulquiorra jumped back as he hit with Luffy's attack. "He jumped so the punch won't hit as hard!"
Ulquiorra flew towards him, trying to grab him by the head. Luffy blocked the espada's hand with his fist but was pushed back. "…Jet Bullet!" Luffy hit the espada with his sound punch with his free hand, pushing him back a few feet and caused him to drop to a knee. Luffy stretched both of his arms back, charged towards Ulquiorra. "…Twin Jet Pistol!" Luffy hit the espada with his sound punches again, causing him to crash into the one of the pillars. Ulquiorra reeled in pain as he saw Luffy charge towards him.
"It's about time that we end this." Ulquiorra said as he sonidoed towards Luffy and charged up a cero. "Cero Oscras!" Luffy was engulfed in a black cero as an explosion erupted. The smoke started to clear and show Luffy with bruises, cuts, and burns throughout his body. Luffy fell to his knees and fell to the ground.
"No…Luffy…" Orihime said as tears began to swell in her eyes. Ulquiorra was breathing heavily as he started to walk towards Orihime. Uryu appeared in front of Orihime, ready to protect her with one good arm.
"Where are do you think you're going?" Luffy asked, getting the espada's attention. "We're not done yet! This is between you and me, dammit!"
"So you're still alive." Ulquiorra said, looking at Luffy. "But it's already over, you already lost. If you plan to continued, you'll die."
"We'll see about that!"
"Stop!" Orihime shouted, surprising Luffy and Uryu. She gripped Luffy's hat tightly as tears flow down her face. "Please…stop." She looked over at the fallen Ichigo. "I don't want to see anymore of my friends get hurt. So please, you don't have to keep fighting."
"Such emotional words of reason, however it wouldn't help you in this…" Ulquiorra stopped when he sensed something off.
"No way…" Uryu said with widen eyes.
"Luffy…" Orihime said, covering her mouth. Ulquiorra turned around and saw Luffy standing up on his feet.
"Don't worry, I won't let that happen." Luffy said. "I'll always fight to protect my friends, no matter what!" Luffy started to throw punches at Ulquiorra at a high speed. "Gum-Gum…" Ulquiorra pointed his finger at Luffy and fired a cero. The cero came into contact with Luffy's attack and dispersed.
"What?!" Ulquiorra said with widen eyes as the cero disappeared.
"…Jet…" The fists all hit Ulquiorra at once; it looked like about twenty fists hit the espada at the time. "…Gatling!" Ulquiorra was now getting beat down by Luffy's fist with no mercy, skidding back towards a wall of one of the pillars until he was against the wall. Luffy continued to pound on him, finally breaking the wall and sending Ulquiorra crashing through it. Ulquiorra fell to the floor with blood flying out of his mouth. Luffy stopped and fell to the ground, his second gear wore off. Orihime and Uryu's eyes widen from what they just saw. Orihime ran towards the straw hat captain.
"He did it." Uryu said in disbelief. "He won."
To be continued…
Next Chapter: Uncontrollable! Ichigo's Forbidden Hollow!