That kick landed like a falling mountain.
Black and red lightning and heat roared across Rayleigh's chest. He ploughed through ridges, shattered peak after peak.
The young Dark King's eyes rolled white. He spat what felt like three liters of blood and finally cratered, slipping into a brief blackout.
"Hey"
"Rayleigh"
Roger and the others shouted, cold sweat beading.
Luckily, top fighters in a main cast have a knack for sit ups. After a few seconds the whites of Rayleigh's eyes cleared, he hacked up two more mouthfuls, clutched his ribs, and pushed himself upright.
"Hurts like hell"
"You little punk"
Seeing their first mate grimacing and the mountains spiderwebbed with cracks where that one kick had landed, the crew's faces turned grim.
So young, and this tough.
"Everyone, all out"
"Yeah. If word gets around that the Roger Pirates got wiped by a kid, we will never live it down"
Ozz was strong, but not enough to scare them off. Roger charged first with his blade. Ozz met him with Ace, black lightning colliding in waves.
"You sure are full of yourself"
Grinning, Gaban swung both axes, Conqueror's crackling along the edges, and brought them down on Ozz.
Danger prickled. Ozz's mouth curved.
Clang.
His free forearm went pitch black, wrapped in Conqueror's, and he crossed it to parry both axes head on.
Roger and Gaban pressed together.
"You pick a fight with the Roger Pirates all by yourself, so do not you dare die on us yet"
For reasons even they could not name, although Ozz had already put them on the back foot and felt maddening to deal with, neither Roger nor Gaban nor even the recently lullabied Rayleigh held any real malice toward him.
Maybe he was just easy on the eyes.
Maybe they sensed it. Ozz bore them no true killing intent.
The aftershocks ripped outward, earth buckling as the three clashed. Ozz braced and shouldered both attacks. The pressure was savage, his insides compressing.
Blocking two peak kingly coated strikes back to back would make anyone cough blood. He swallowed it.
You can lose ground, not face.
He dug in. Muscles roped and swelled. He poured his monster strength to the hilt.
Step.
He drove forward. Roger and Gaban both felt it, an irresistible shove.
Not a mythic blast of Conqueror's like Joy Boy. Just raw, monstrous body power.
Ozz took their best and then bulldozed them, feet gouging a trench, shoving both men back. It did not break their guard. It did not wound them.
It did create a very loud picture. One man driving Roger and Gaban in reverse.
Roger, who had been basking in the thrill of the fight, bristled at once.
"Fight like a man. What is with the pushing"
Ozz only smiled.
"Come on. Does not 'Roger and Gaban got driven back' sound cool"
"Damn you"
Immature as Luffy would someday be, the younger Roger went red at once.
Gaban stayed cooler. He saw Roger redden and tried to warn him.
"Hey, do not let him get in your head"
Roger was in no mood to listen. He poured more kingly voltage into his blade and dug his heels to halt the slow slide. Gaban, too, leaned harder into it.
And then despair ticked in.
"What kind of freak strength is this"
"Even Whitebeard or Linlin might not match it"
Ozz laughed from the gut.
"On Haki, I might not have the edge. On raw power, I do not lose to anyone"
Still clashing in Haki, he kept plowing forward like a human dozer, straight toward the rest of the crew.
Those who could not coat with Conqueror's had stayed back, supporting, guarding the Oro Jackson and the apprentices. Seeing Ozz barreling straight at them, they threw that plan out and drew steel.
"Do not underestimate us. We are the Roger Pirates"
He dove into their midst. Familiar faces everywhere, so many teachers from his youth. Ozz's smile softened for a breath.
Been a long time, everyone.
He blinked out, ending his grapple with Roger and Gaban. The momentary relief hit them both, then their heads snapped toward the aura that had flashed among their crewmates.
Roger's face hardened.
"Watch it"
Ozz appeared on the Oro Jackson's prow, ringed in steel points, and his smile sharpened.
"Once we finish this scrap, I can call myself properly graduated"
Even after leaving the crew, his Observation had kept every lesson sharp in his mind. By the time he truly mastered them, the Roger Pirates had long since scattered.
Seeing the people who had looked after him, Ozz chose to answer with techniques that were not the strongest in his current arsenal but meant something.
The first man before him was a mountain shouldered fish man. He stepped in without fear, fists wreathed in flowing Armament.
"Uncle Sunbell, Fish Man Karate is not as handy as the Fistbone, but I am no slouch"
Ozz mirrored him, Armament flowing down both forearms, settling into the same stance.
"This is"
"Fish Man Karate. Arabesque Tile True Punch"
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