"Assimilation, is it?"
When hitting him, it was evident that Haki resisted, but the mastery of that ability wasn't low. Even with resistance, he suffered some exaggerated effects.
He's not rubber; how could a fist push his hand aside, accompanied by his palm hitting his back? Normally, the hand would just pass through, or his chest would be punched through.
Only assimilation could exert such power.
Luffy, who crashed to the ground, bounced around like a trampoline, laughing at Sage: "That was fun too!"
This remark caused a blue vein to pop on Sage's forehead. He clenched his fist heavily, raised it to the sky, and said coldly, "You better keep laughing like that, or else... I'll show you the meaning of pain!"
Then he shouted, "Lily! Get everyone far away!!"
"Let's go."
From afar, Lily wasted no time. Upon hearing the voice, she turned and retreated.
Such exaggerated expression was never performed by Sage before. Even when he was sometimes careless, it was always under the umbrella of power. People would only think of Sage as a wild guy, not a ridiculous one.
It's like how a rich person's stinginess and a poor person's stinginess seem identical but differ in perception.
The rich are seen as frugal, while the poor are... genuinely broke.
One is confident and carefree, the other is timid, even if the latter has a clear conscience, outsiders might still find them timid.
Simply put, that hit made Sage look 'disgraceful'.
Honestly, Lily never imagined in her life that Sage would make an expression with popped-out eyeballs, even protruding beyond his eye sockets.
Such anger...
Not sure about Wano Country, but Flower Capital might be doomed.
"Notify the subordinates to evacuate Flower Capital immediately. If unable to evacuate in time, at least stay far from the battlefield, the farther the better."
"Leave it to me."
Moriah nodded and transformed into a shadow, merging into the night.
Renedia also pulled out the walkie-talkie, opened the signal, and shouted, "If you don't want to die, retreat now!"
"Eh? Can you fly?"
Luffy didn't notice anything strange, just watching Sage, suspended in mid-air, blinking, "So weird, are you a dragon too?"
He could see black clouds coiling around Sage, contrasting with the white flame clouds on his shoulders.
Those black clouds seemed to emanate from his cloak.
Sage smirked coldly, without answering.
The power within the cloak wasn't purely storm clouds, fighting-wise, it wasn't suitable for stepping on storm clouds to soar into the sky. This wind-powered storm cloud coiling up allowed him to maneuver briefly in the air.
Though not as fast as Moon Step, it was decent for sudden stops.
And now...
Bang!
He raised his hand to the sky and gave it a fierce shake.
The Black Jade Bead Chain on his neck ignited into raging flames. It dispersed into single burning beads, rotated for a while, linked into a circle, forming a fire ring behind Sage's head.
The swirling cloak further stirred up winds and thunder, sparking a blaze on his fist, in this center of storm and thunder.
"Elemental forces have never been inferior to Haki and powers!"
Sage's eyes widened, his fist crashing down through the air.
Boom!
The air shattered like glass under the fist, forming cracks that transformed into lightning, silver serpents danced, amid the swirling flames and winds, forming an immense area enveloping Luffy below.
Previously, he feared damaging Wano Country. After all, defeating Kaido already cost Ghost Island. If Wano Country were to be damaged too, what would he rule?
His visit's main purpose wasn't a brawl.
But now, he no longer cared!
As long as the people remain, Wano Country could be rebuilt if lost, but this annoying Tom must be subdued first!
"Vajra Continent Splitting Slash!!"
Boom!!
The shockwave, like a dome, enveloped with wind, fire, and thunder, blew the elastic ground into powder, forming an abyss beside the main keep, filled with flames and lightning, a domain of terror.
"So scary, so scary!"
At the edge of the abyss, Luffy crossed his arms, curling into a semi-circle, shooting like a meteor into the air.
Sage clicked his tongue, "Withstood it?"
He watched clearly, Luffy first resisted directly, deviating under his impact, reaching the edge, and then being knocked away.
Such peculiar traits allowed him to withstand and evade.
"Lightning, hm... there we go!"
High above, Luffy extended his body, suddenly chuckling, leaping again through the air, his legs moving like a whirlwind, directly reaching the clouds, grabbing them.
The intangible clouds, under his grasp, seemed like cotton candy being pulled, lightning surged within, pulled upward into a ball of flashing lightning.
"Rubber Rubber!"
Luffy snaked out of the clouds with a grin, aiming at Sage diagonally below, his mouth twisted into a throwing posture, the lightning clump in his hand molded into a long lightning spear.
"Thunder Fall!!"
"You wanna play lightning with me?!"
Sage raised his head fiercely, "Then let's compete!"
Zzz!
He spread his hand, lightning and fire crackled from arm to palm, using his arm as a baseline, Haki as the mold, the flames intensified, gathering lightning in his palm.
Boom!
A beam of electric laser burst from his palm, colliding with the descending lightning, instantly scattering it, heading straight for Luffy in the sky.
Blade-less Lightning Cannon!
Sage's arm served as the firing standard, with Haki present, the power of this move possibly exceeded the original!
"Wow! Laser!"
Luffy widened his eyes, giggling in the light, limbs extended, letting the laser penetrate his face, beaming through his eyes, ears, nose, mouth... any hole emitted light.
Seeing this, Sage formed his hand into a blade, lightning flickered, a black-red edge extended from his hand, surrounded by a gale from his Haki, slicing through.
"Celestial Tyrant Wave Shattering Strike!!"
A hand slice, slashing at Luffy's waist, extending to the clouds, tearing asunder alongside a ripping sky, yet with this slash, Luffy merely bent sideways, getting slammed by the long Haki blade.
Hiss!!
The blade swung in a half-circle in the sky, until reaching the ground, slicing an abyssal fissure, burying Luffy into the earth.
But the split ground suddenly softened, turning elastic, like a gaping mouth retracting and then explosively ejecting, spewing Luffy's white figure out.
"There's still wind!"
Luffy's hands scattered, the wind clumped around the Haki blade earlier, shaped into a ball, tossed around like a sphere.
"Haha, really entertaining!" He laughed aloud.
But as he finished laughing, his expression froze, reaching for his waist, blood leaking between his fingers.
"Ah... I'm hurt."
Luffy's playful smile slightly stiffened, then frowned, shaking with a deflated demeanor, sullenly saying, "Fun is fun, but..."
"It hurts, doesn't it!"
Sage gazed down coldly, "No matter how comedic, it's just ability, not reality. No matter how exaggerated, you still feel pain. My Haki... isn't so easily blocked!"
Just as abilities can penetrate Haki, Haki can inflict harm too, it's not ineffective.
Even if exaggeratedly bypass the damage, some will remain internally.
Just a matter of time duration, multiple strikes, and the impact on the Secret Hole will be felt.