"I refuse to believe it!!"
Aunt Linlin roared.
The scene before her was undeniably shocking.
If Ian was truly this strong, then she would be powerless to stop him, left to be slaughtered at his whim.
The fireball Prometheus clung to her greatsword, and Aunt Linlin swung the blazing blade, bringing it down directly toward Ian.
Ian's left wing lifted, golden as a greatsword itself, blocking the descending blade.
Then—
"Ugh!!"
The overwhelming force from the greatsword surged through her hands, tossing Aunt Linlin uncontrollably through the air.
This kind of strength??
Even someone like her, renowned for her power, could not withstand it!
It wasn't just Haki—this brat's raw strength had become terrifying in itself!
"Let's go together!"
Shanks shot forward without hesitation.
Ian hadn't lied even a bit; he truly was a foe the four of them had never faced before.
Fighting him one-on-one might not even give them a chance to land a hit.
But attacking together might offer at least a small chance.
Yes, at most, only a sliver of a chance.
Shanks hadn't forgotten that beyond Ian's ordinary beast form, he still had two other forms.
One was a heavy form that sacrificed mobility for absolute defensive power.
Right now, in this form, even Shanks couldn't land a hit on him. If he switched to his defensive form, no one combined could possibly inflict any damage.
And compared to the next form he had, his defensive form was nothing—it didn't even deserve a mention.
Almost no attack could touch his flame form.
In that form, Ian possessed an invincible body that simply could not be harmed, along with the ultimate fire capable of annihilating everything.
Shanks had no idea how Ian could ever be defeated in that state.
No wonder Mihawk said what he did. No wonder Ian acted with such recklessness. Ian truly wielded a power that looked down on everything.
But for me, this only made my blood boil!
Shanks shot forward like a streak of black-and-red lightning, arriving in front of Ian in an instant.
The legendary sword Griffin, wrapped in dual-colored Haki, tore through space in a flash.
"Divine Departure!!"
The blade carried a massive Haki shockwave. It could no longer be called a simple slash—it was more like a cannon blast!
Whitebeard, Aunt Linlin, and Redfield, all stunned by the power Ian had just displayed, were momentarily taken aback.
It had been a long time since they had seen that technique.
"Divine Departure, huh?"
Ian smirked, extending his right hand.
From the sidelines, Mihawk's lips twitched as he watched.
He suddenly remembered the last time he had fought Ian, a memory he would rather forget.
"Clang!!"
The enormous wave of Haki dissipated in an instant. A golden right hand snatched the incoming slash right out of the air.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Are you joking?!"
Shanks gripped the hilt with both hands, trying to pull his beloved sword back from Ian—but it was impossible.
What terrifying power… what horrifying Haki!
"Haah!!"
A shout erupted from behind Shanks. A massive blade, wrapped in Haki and shockwaves, came crashing down directly on Ian's head.
And it wasn't over—the ground and surrounding space violently trembled, shaking even Ian's body.
"Oh!"
Ian raised his head, seeing Whitebeard swinging the massive blade. He had already awakened his Devil Fruit.
"Heh."
Ian chuckled mockingly and rammed his forehead directly against Whitebeard's supreme blade.
The earth instantly shattered.
Beneath Ian's feet, the ground was pulverized into dust.
At the same time, a massive shockwave spread outward. Black lightning leapt along with it, sending Whitebeard flying backward like a cannonball.
"Ugh!!"
Whitebeard felt searing pain in his hands. The impact had split the flesh between his thumb and forefinger, blood flowing freely.
Meanwhile…
Behind Ian,
"Mama's surprise attack!"
Aunt Linlin spun in a circle, her massive blade slicing downward like a blazing wheel.
"Ha!"
Redfield's umbrella sword wrapped around his unique red Haki, flowing like blood, and stabbed toward Ian's back once more.
Ian grabbed the long red blade, spun his body, and used the momentum to slam Shanks backward.
Shanks collided directly with Redfield, and the two rolled together like entwined gourds, tumbling away.
Then Ian raised his right hand and grabbed Aunt Linlin's massive flaming sword.
"Using fire against me?"
With a casual pull, the immense force caused Aunt Linlin to lose her balance, her enormous body crashing toward Ian.
Ian pressed his left hand against Aunt Linlin's abdomen.
"Ha."
With a low shout, Ian's strength surged.
In the next instant, Aunt Linlin's eyes bulged, and her body arched like a shrimp.
Her clothes tore apart from her back, and a colossal pillar of light shot skyward.
"Ugh…"
Blood gushed from Aunt Linlin's mouth as her body soared like fireworks, reaching heights where she was barely visible before plummeting down.
She crashed directly into the center of the island, shaking it slightly.
Ian's current Haki had grown so powerful that even Aunt Linlin's nearly indestructible body could not withstand it.
"…No, this can't be happening,"
Marco's voice cracked, though he didn't fully realize just how dry it sounded.
"Charlotte Linlin… defeated just like that?"
Vista's words were filled with the same despair.
How was it even possible? Someone could be that strong?
Ian floated effortlessly in place.
Just like his fight with Mihawk, he hadn't moved an inch.
Whitebeard strode back toward the battlefield.
Shanks who had been thrown and Redfield, smashed aside, returned as if like phantoms.
"So boring,"
Ian muttered.
Fighting weaklings was fun at first, but after a few rounds, it only became tedious.
Truly exciting battles, he thought, were only ones where the opponents were evenly matched.
Ian turned his gaze to Redfield, whose face still showed disbelief.
"So, Redfield," Ian said, "do you believe now that even if I win, I won't harm you?"
Redfield's lips twitched slightly.
So that's what this guy meant…
He had originally meant to say that, with his strength, he didn't need to worry about these guys at all.
Even if he let them stay, they wouldn't be able to cause any real trouble.
Whether they lived or died didn't matter—as long as they didn't get in his way during the war.
That's what he was thinking, right?
"All right," Ian took a slow step forward. "Now, let me end this boring war."
Redfield and Shanks's eyes narrowed.
They both saw a grim future at the same time.
But there was no time to react.
Two hands suddenly appeared before them, each grabbing their face.
Then—
Thud.
Ian seized them both and slammed them together toward the center.
**********
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