On the coast of Grove 7, the battle between the Marines and the pirates raged on.
However, the over two hundred pirates of the Blood Pirates found themselves at a disadvantage. They had to contend with the aerial harassment from over a hundred animated creatures while simultaneously facing the steadily increasing numbers of the main Marine forces. They were quickly pushed back, retreating step by step.
Likewise, the fierce fighting had already transformed the once picturesque green coastline into a blood-soaked battlefield. Broken swords and shattered firearms lay discarded on the churned-up earth. Gruesomely mangled corpses were scattered everywhere, severed limbs littered the ground, and many wounded cried out in agony.
Clang, clang, clang, clang...
In the center of the battlefield, the fight between Cross and Dingman grew increasingly intense. Both employed a variety of tactics, their moves directly targeting each other's vital points. Their weapons clashed rapidly, producing a symphony of ringing metal, whipping up gusts of turbulent air.
Suddenly, a piercing clang erupted in the air. A powerful, visible shockwave, like a raging storm, spread outwards with a rumble, affecting all directions.
Dingman's face slightly changed. He was forcefully knocked back by Cross's immense power, retreating over ten meters before barely managing to stop. His hands trembled uncontrollably, almost losing his grip on his long scythe, Gyakurin.
"Ha~" Cross chuckled lightly, scoffing, "I thought your Haki was something amazing... turns out it's just a subpar level! You should just admit defeat early and save me some trouble!"
"Nonsense! I haven't lost!" Dingman's face flushed red. He glanced at his heavily wounded, retreating subordinates and roared, almost losing his mind, "As long as I'm alive, the Blood Pirates won't fall!"
"Ridiculous. Do you think you can beat me?" Cross's face showed impatience, and the killing intent in his eyes intensified.
"Enough talk! As long as I kill you, and then kill everyone here, the final victory will still be mine!" Dingman's face twisted into a savage grimace as he roared almost maniacally.
"Kill me? What makes you think you can?" Cross pointed disdainfully at the long scythe in the other's hand, mocking, "With that barely beginner-level Armament Haki of yours? Look at your weapon, how many more blows can it take?"
"..." Dingman's momentum faltered. He instinctively lowered his head to look at his long scythe, Gyakurin. The three-meter-long, long-handled scythe was covered in countless small nicks and chips, from the blade to the handle.
Originally, when Cross said Dingman's Haki level was subpar, he was referring to his Armament Haki. Because Dingman wasn't skilled in Armament Haki, its strength was far inferior to Cross's. If Gyakurin weren't a high-quality weapon comparable to a Meito, it would have been cut in half by Cross several blows ago; it wouldn't have lasted this long.
"Shut up, Blood Absorption!!!" Dingman's face turned ashen. He ruthlessly grabbed a fallen Marine soldier's corpse from the ground, then activated his Blood-Blood Fruit ability.
In almost an instant, he drained all the blood from the corpse, forming a large ball of blood in his palm, while the Marine's corpse transformed into a shriveled husk.
"That bastard..." Seeing this, Cross's face darkened, and he couldn't help but curse under his breath.
"Blood Spear!" The next second, Dingman let out a sharp, low roar. The blood ball above his palm rapidly elongated, transforming into a crimson spear that he gripped in his hand, then forcefully hurled it.
Whoosh—!
The blood spear flew through the air, streaking towards Cross like three crimson bolts of lightning.
"Get lost!" Cross bellowed, charging forward. His Kagehide transformed into a cold gleam, and with a soft shhh, it cleaved the whistling blood spear in two, as effortlessly as a hot knife through butter.
"You brat—!" Faced with Cross's fierce onslaught, Dingman was filled with both shock and rage. He gripped his scythe, Gyakurin, tightly and charged forward without fear.
"Blood Cut!!"
In an instant, Gyakurin swung out, transforming into a crimson fan shape, sweeping horizontally at Cross's waist.
But Cross didn't meet Dingman's attack head-on.
Instead, he leaped into the air, allowing the crimson fan to pass harmlessly beneath his feet. Almost simultaneously, Cross swung his Kagehide, aiming at Dingman below, unleashing a sharp, blue-white slash.
"One-Sword Style: Flying Edge!"
The sharp slash flew out, seemingly cutting the very air. Dingman's attack missed, and he looked up, only to feel the biting, invisible sharpness sting his skin. Terrified, he quickly rolled away, scrambling to avoid it.
Boom—!
The ground where Dingman had stood was instantly split by the sharp, "heaven-sent justice" sword wave, creating a deep crack over ten meters long.
"How pathetic!" Cross landed on the ground, mocking Dingman, who was just getting back up, with a scornful tone.
"Blood Lure!!!" Dingman's face darkened, his anger almost materializing. He instantly raised his hand, drawing the surrounding blood, which quickly transformed into numerous blood-red apples suspended in mid-air.
"Blood Fruit!!!" Immediately, more than ten blood-red apples floated towards Cross.
"Eh~ What's this...?" Cross's eyes widened. He stared blankly at the floating blood apples. And what do you know, the kid's got good technique; these blood apples really look like apples!
Boom, boom, boom, boom... Boom, boom, boom, boom...
The next second, the blood apples exploded, turning into a sky-full of blood rain that obscured Cross's figure. The intense explosions completely ravaged the ground, creating a landscape of craters and kicking up violent, gale-force shockwaves.
"You damned brat, you're finally tasting the bitterness, aren't you!" Dingman's expression was one of satisfaction, as if he'd finally vented his frustration, his tone triumphant.
A moment later, the sky-full of blood rain dyed the ground crimson for a hundred meters around. The thick dust raised by the violent explosions gradually dissipated, and a dark figure appeared before Dingman's eyes.
"This is..."
However, in an instant, Dingman's eyes widened, his expression horrified as he stared at Cross opposite him, barely able to believe what he was seeing.
"That move was pretty good; it really opened my eyes!" Cross lowered his head, his voice deep and hoarse as he spoke slowly, "But, have you thought about how you're going to face my wrath next?"
At this moment, Cross looked like a gleaming, pitch-black metal sculpture, his entire body radiating a metallic sheen. His Armament Haki, dense to an extreme, seemed to envelop his body like black armor, radiating an oppressive and terrifying aura that warped the very air around him.
Gulp.
Dingman was drenched in sweat, instinctively swallowing hard. He had the unsettling illusion that his opponent wasn't a person at all, but a colossal, ferocious beast.
"This level of Armament Haki... and such a terrifying aura..."
"Is this brat... a monster?"
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