Amid the swirling dust
Ares' body had smashed a massive crater into the ground, cracks spreading in every direction.
Yet lying at the bottom of the pit, he showed not the slightest hint of discouragement.
Rocks' punch had indeed been terrifying, but Ares' own fist had neutralized the vast majority of its power. What little force remained was nothing more than a tickle to a body as indestructible as his harder than steel, unbreakable.
Even now, Ares' focus remained locked onto the "battle replay" unfolding in his mind.
Not a single second was wasted.
"Conqueror's Haki coating… whether on weapons or bare-handed attacks, it can massively amplify offensive power…"
"Rocks' punch was compact, brutal, and perfectly controlled. I need to keep learning his strengths."
"But at the same time, I must find a way to raise my own Conqueror's Haki."
Ares knew full well that simply copying Rocks' coating techniques would never be enough to surpass him.
Rocks had cultivated Conqueror's coating for many years. Time and experience had refined both the quality and quantity of his Haki far beyond Ares'.
If Ares wanted to go further, he needed something more.
Something unconventional.
Inside his mind
Rocks' punch replayed again and again.
Not a single detail escaped Ares' scrutiny.
At the same time, he replayed his own punch, dissecting it mercilessly, searching for flaws.
At this moment, Ares was like a sponge absorbing everything he could from Rocks' Conqueror's coating, relentlessly, obsessively.
Until
He felt it was time to put theory into practice.
Ares snapped back to reality.
Stepping out of the dust cloud, the first thing he faced was Rocks' fist, wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, smashing straight toward him.
Howling winds.
Dense, crushing shockwaves.
Crackling black-red lightning running wild.
Everything screamed of one thing
This punch was earth-shattering.
"How many punches do you think you can take?!"
Rocks' eyes gleamed with icy menace.
In dragon-man form, Ares' eyes shone brilliantly as he roared with exhilaration,
"I'm not afraid of any number of punches!!!"
"The only thing I'm afraid of is "
"Your fists not being strong enough!!!"
He immediately applied the Conqueror's coating technique he had just grasped, wrapping it tightly around his fist.
Compared to before, the Conqueror's Haki on his拳 was noticeably denser, firmer, more complete.
"Conqueror Blood Armament Crimson Dragon Roar!!!"
His punch shot forward
Like a spear thrusting out as a dragon surged forth, unstoppable, as if it would pierce a hole straight through heaven and earth.
BOOM!!!
Fists collided.
A scene of near-apocalyptic destruction unfolded.
After holding out for only a few seconds, Ares was blasted backward once again, smashing through mountain after mountain in his path.
Rocks moved like a bolt of lightning, skimming across the ground as he laughed arrogantly.
"Ares! All that bravado, and you still got sent flying by my fist?!"
"Just like years ago
I, Rocks, can still knock you away effortlessly!!!"
He raised his fist, lightning writhing around it, radiating terror.
As he closed in on Ares, he punched again
The air itself rippled outward like waves on water.
Rocks' face was filled with wild confidence. As he moved at high speed, even his seaweed-like hair whipped and danced madly in the wind, utterly unrestrained.
He laughed loudly.
"Zehehehe… you've taken two punches, sure but once your Conqueror's Haki runs dry, what will you use to stop my fists?!"
"I can already see your future."
"Before me, you have no chance at all!!!"
"This battle
You are doomed to lose!!!"
Conqueror's Haki, like Armament Haki, was a consumable force.
Armament drained stamina.
Conqueror's Haki drained stamina and mental strength along with complex, indescribable aspects of one's will.
Rocks knew it well.
Ares' Conqueror's Haki had awakened only two or three years ago.
No matter how fast Ares grew, his reserves and refinement of Conqueror's Haki were nowhere near Rocks'.
Once it was exhausted
Ares would have nothing left to stop his fists.
"Those who believe they can never fail are often the ones who fail first!"
Ares' energy surged violently, his bones and muscles roaring like tigers and thunder.
Every muscle on his body bulged explosively, packed with overwhelming power that could not be ignored.
Blood thundered through his veins like a raging river.
He roared as he unleashed a storm of punches
Each one like a pile driver, smashing toward Rocks with savage, fearless ferocity.
This was a life-for-life, feral style of combat.
"You want to trade injuries using your physical toughness?"
Rocks sneered coldly.
"I won't give you that chance!"
His figure flickered left and right.
Under Ares' overwhelming barrage of fists, Rocks moved like a phantom dodging every strike with ease.
His voice, utterly confident, drifted into Ares' ears.
"My strength has no blind spots. It's complete. Absolute."
"In the Rocks Pirates, every one of them has a talent unmatched by others."
"And me, Rocks am I not a monster as well?!"
"Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Linlin, John, Wang Zhi… they're all monsters."
"But I, Rocks, am a monster even greater than them!"
"That's why I'm the captain!!!"
Such arrogant words, spoken by anyone else, would sound ridiculous.
But from Rocks
They radiated nothing but domination.
Because they were fact, not delusion unlike the self-proclaimed kings of the four seas or Paradise, dreaming foolish dreams.
Rocks held absolute control of the battle now, clearly savoring this sense of dominance as he mocked Ares.
"Getting anxious? You've thrown hundreds of punches and still can't even touch my shadow."
"What exactly are you using to beat me?"
"If I want to, I can punch you anytime I please."
That familiar scene made Ares' expression sharpen instantly.
A realization struck him.
"This is…"
"Future sight?!"
"So Rocks has mastered future sight as well that's why he can dodge my attacks so easily."
Ares had seen this ability before on Redfield, the Red Count.
And through his battle with Redfield, he had already learned how to counter future sight.
Without hesitation, Ares mobilized his Conqueror's Haki.
A terrifying pressure erupted from his body, heavy and oppressive like a violent storm.
In an instant
The surrounding space was flooded with Conqueror's Haki, transforming into a unique black-red domain.
In that moment
Rocks lost his ability to perceive the future.
His expression changed.
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
Punch after punch slammed into his body.
Each blow carried mountain-crushing, tyrannical force.
Rocks spat blood as his body was blasted backward like a cannonball.
Midair
Rocks stared at Ares with disbelief, blood staining the corner of his mouth. His eyes darkened as he growled through clenched teeth:
"This is…"
"Observation Kill?!"
"You actually mastered a technique that interferes with Observation Haki's future sight?!"
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