"Bang!"
A figure was suddenly sent flying backward, slamming into the buildings behind him, smashing through five in a row before finally skidding to a halt.
Immediately after, a fierce gust swept across the ravaged battlefield as two figures, momentarily obscured by dust clouds, shifted positions and reappeared in a different locale.
A sword flower bloomed, in the blink of an eye, over a dozen shimmering petals of sword light whirled through the air. The clear clang of blades followed one after another, forming a dense curtain of slashing arcs that surged toward Zephyr.
The sword shadows were tightly woven, leaving no gaps, their pressure immense. Yet within that blinding storm of steel, Zephyr evaded every strike with astonishing, almost casual ease.
"One minute, one hundred and seventy-nine strikes!"
"Not a single one hit!"
Rojen's eyes narrowed, a sudden, heavy realization settling in as he retreated swiftly.
At the same time, he finally grasped the strange feeling Trens had mentioned earlier.
"Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki)!"
This ability, to sense and predict an opponent's attacks before they even happen, was none other than the coveted Observation Haki.
"Are you done attacking? Then it's my turn!"
Seeing his opponent pause, Zephyr roared and charged forward, his fists clenched tight.
"You've forgotten about us!" A shout rang out.
"Weng, weng, weng!"
A torrent of sand gathered from all directions, surging forward in a howling rush. In midair, the grains twisted together into thick, rope-like serpents that hissed as they lunged directly toward Zephyr.
Crocodile had entered the fray.
"A Logia user?" Zephyr's eyes flashed with interest, then quickly narrowed with a hint of disdain.
"Busoshoku!"
Dark, swirling mist coiled rapidly around his arms as he drove his fists into the approaching sand serpents.
"Whoosh!"
His punches moved like the wind, and in an instant, the sand-formed attacks were blown apart, shattering into harmless dust.
"Crocodile, normal attacks won't work on him! His Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) training, is far too powerful!" Trens warned gravely, his voice tight.
"I can see that," Crocodile replied coldly, his expression darkening.
But then, a familiar, predatory smirk crept onto his face.
The sand that had been dispersed moments ago once again gathered under his control, spreading across the ground. Activating his Devil Fruit's unique power, the very materials of the terrain itself began to sandify, turning to dust and grit at high speed. With every passing second, the amount of sand under his command increased dramatically.
"Rojen, it's my turn now!"
Zephyr strode forward in massive steps toward Rojen and swung a heavy, unyielding punch.
"Bang!"
Rojen raised his sword to parry, his blade flashing rapidly as he blocked strike after strike.
But with every impact, he was forced to retreat another, painful step.
Zephyr's strength was simply terrifying, even Rojen, at his peak, couldn't withstand the sheer, brute force.
"Ha ha ha ha! Not bad! There are fewer and fewer who can endure this many of my punches! You've satisfied me!" Zephyr laughed heartily, his blows growing even heavier, less restrained.
Rojen's expression hardened; he could feel the man's power escalating again, and saw his sword, Rainbow Abyss, begin to tremble violently, letting out a strained metallic wail.
This blade, his loyal companion since the day he first set sail, seemed as though it could no longer bear the burden.
And sure enough, five heartbeats later, as Zephyr once again increased his strength and slammed another devastating punch—
Crack!
Rainbow Abyss emitted a clear, sorrowful cry before shattering under the blow, exploding into countless fragments of metal that scattered through the air.
Rojen's face went white, his eyes instantly turning blood-red. The three tomoe of his Sharingan began spinning rapidly, a whirlwind of desperation and concentration.
His opponent's aura surged to an overwhelming peak, after shattering his weapon with a single punch, Zephyr gathered all his might, intending to end the fight in one instant.
At that very moment, Rojen stood on the true brink of life and death!
"Whoosh!"
The fist wind sliced through the air like a blade, whipping Rojen's black hair wildly. His tomoe spun madly, then, with a subtle, near-imperceptible tilt of his head to the left—
By the slimmest of margins, he dodged the killing blow.
Then, with a burst of Shunpo (Flash Step), he swiftly widened the distance between them.
But at that very instant, he felt a cool, sharp sensation on his cheek. Reaching up to touch it, his expression darkened even further.
The mere wind pressure from Zephyr's punch... had actually drawn a fine cut across his face.
Just then, behind Zephyr, Jason roared and charged forward once more.
"Arhat Fist!"
In that moment, Jason's power was no weaker than Zephyr's own.
In the blink of an eye, the two clashed again, their figures flickering in and out of sight as they exchanged blows at blinding speed.
Jason, his focus sharpened to the absolute limit, unleashed his full strength, using Soru (Shave), Kami-e (Paper Drawing), Tekkai (Iron Body), and other Rokushiki techniques in rapid succession. Yet to his mounting fury, not a single punch landed.
Just like before, Zephyr seemed to anticipate every move before it even began, evading each strike with effortless precision.
Against him, Jason's fierce techniques were worthless, utterly, maddeningly ineffective.
"Damn it!" Jason roared in frustration, his chest burning with anger and humiliation.
'What the hell was happening? He couldn't land a single hit!'
In just a brief exchange, all four of them had come to a deep, sobering realization, the gap between themselves and this veteran Admiral was simply colossal.
It wasn't just the overwhelming difference in raw strength, it was the gulf in battle insight, instincts, and experience.
They fought with everything they had, yet it felt like swinging fists in a nightmare, as if all their power was sealed away.
Trens' gunfire, under Zephyr's Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), couldn't even lock onto a target; his perfect marksmanship was completely nullified.
Crocodile's Logia, Suna Suna no Mi (Sand-Sand Fruit) abilities were countered by Zephyr's Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki), forcing the Warlord to stay out of close combat, one mistake, and he'd be instantly killed.
Rojen, with his speed, refined swordsmanship, and immense power, had the highest overall combat ability among the four, yet even he was crushed under Zephyr's sheer physical dominance, barely managing to defend himself.
And Jason, he was the most miserable of all. In truth, his strength wasn't far below Zephyr's, and his techniques were equally fierce and aggressive, but they were useless if they never connected.
Kenbunshoku, Busoshoku, monstrous physical power, supreme constitution, and battle-hardened experience, all combined to form what it truly meant to be a veteran Admiral, standing at the peak of the world.
Only now did they truly understand what the word "gap" meant, and what it meant to still be immature.
"Tathagata Divine Palm!"
Rojen hadn't given up yet. He thrust his palm forward, his True Energy surging to its absolute limit.
"Buzz—"
In an instant, glowing Sanskrit characters appeared in the void as golden Buddhist light illuminated the battlefield. A massive Golden Buddha Palm, fifty meters across, materialized and pressed forward in a blinding rush.
"Hm?"
Zephyr squinted, then swung his right fist.
"Busoshoku!"
A pitch-black Armament Haki coiled around his arm, covering it completely. As he punched forward, a terrifying force erupted.
In the next second—
The Golden Buddha Palm shattered completely, disintegrating under that single, unimpressed blow.
Rojen staggered backward, and beside him, Crocodile shouted sharply—
"Everyone, get back!"
The three instantly retreated, using Geppo (Moonwalk) to leap high into the air in perfect coordination.
It seemed they had been preparing for this exact moment for a long time.
"Sandstorm Burial!"
Crocodile's eyes gleamed with malice as he swung both arms downward and slammed his palms toward the ground.
"Boom!!"
Golden-yellow sand surged out, blanketing the entire battlefield in an instant. The ground quaked violently; even Zephyr lost his footing, his body tilting as he raised his head sharply—
What he saw was a massive sandstorm, sealing off every direction around him in a swirling, inescapable prison of dust and grit.
"So there's still a guy like this, huh…"
Zephyr's gaze darkened as he muttered under his breath.
He had let his guard down, just enough for that crafty bastard to set up his move.
The next instant—
Tens of thousands of tons of sand came crashing down, engulfing Zephyr completely.
(End Of This Chapter)
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