After activating his hybrid form, Redfield's speed increased dramatically. Building on this enhanced foundation, his dodging and combat transitions became extraordinarily fluid and graceful.
This transformation brought Redfield much closer to the relaxed, confident state he typically enjoyed in battle. Having grown accustomed over decades to using his Observation Haki to read his enemies' inner thoughts, he had always been able to anticipate attacks and defensive maneuvers with supernatural precision.
But now that his mind-reading ability had proven completely ineffective, even though his Observation Haki remained incredibly strong and his perception and prediction capabilities were undiminished, he no longer possessed his usual overwhelming advantage.
This meant that in his confrontation with Jerry, Redfield had lost the most reliable and powerful auxiliary skill he had ever possessed.
The hybrid form he had assumed granted him bat-like enhanced hearing and the ability to utilize ultrasonic echolocation. These additional sensory abilities compensated for his disadvantage to a significant degree.
Although he could no longer anticipate his enemy's moves with his previous supernatural accuracy, his immediate reaction time and predictive capabilities had been substantially improved through other means.
The two combatants engaged in fierce aerial combat for several intense minutes, and Redfield was shocked to discover that even with his greatly increased combat effectiveness, he still couldn't gain any meaningful advantage over Jerry.
No matter what technique he attempted, Jerry always seemed to predict his moves before he could execute them, blocking attacks or swinging his fishing rod to strike at vital points with uncanny timing.
This entire scenario gave Redfield an eerie sense of déjà vu—this was exactly how he had typically dominated his own enemies throughout his legendary career.
"Perhaps it's finally time for those of us from the old era to step aside," Redfield said with a rueful shake of his head, though his hands never slowed their relentless assault as he continued engaging his formidable opponent.
At that moment, Jerry glanced discretely toward the distant shoreline where more ships were approaching, and the corner of his mouth curved upward slightly. "If this is really your limit, then I apologize, but I still need to go greet our other guests. Let's wrap this up!"
Before his words had fully faded, an incredibly violent surge of Conqueror's Haki suddenly erupted from Jerry's body, sweeping across the battlefield like an unstoppable hurricane.
This terrifying Haki pressure instantly contracted from its wide range to focus within a radius of several dozen meters, and as Jerry's figure blurred with incredible speed, the oppressive aura continuously enveloped Redfield no matter how he tried to escape.
Then, crackling black lightning that was several times more violent than anything previously displayed suddenly coiled around Jerry's fishing rod like a living serpent of pure destructive energy.
Sensing Jerry's figure flash forward and rapidly close the distance between them, Redfield's pupils contracted sharply. His vast combat experience told him that his opponent's next attack would be absolutely devastating.
Even though he couldn't penetrate Jerry's mental defenses, Redfield still trusted his finely honed battle instincts completely. Gripping his umbrella-sword with both hands, he resolutely chose to take the offensive initiative rather than wait passively.
He stretched out his left hand and suddenly pulled up his dark cloak, sweeping it forward in a dramatic gesture. Endless shadows surged from seemingly nowhere like an incoming tide, completely obscuring both fighters' forms and creating a mysterious realm of absolute darkness.
Redfield's voice was the first to pierce through the impenetrable blackness, accompanied by a brilliant sword light that flashed within the dark domain as if attempting to tear apart the endless obsidian curtain.
Almost simultaneously, Jerry's powerful shout echoed across the battlefield from within the shadow realm.
"Water Blade: Sky Piercer!"
The sharp ring of metal striking metal resonated through the air as two tremendous forces collided violently within the darkness.
In that instant, hurricane-force winds howled, chaotic energy ran rampant in all directions, and the dark domain itself trembled continuously under the overwhelming force of their clash.
A heartbeat later, Jerry's voice sounded again, his calm tone suggesting he remained completely unaffected by his opponent's technique.
As his words faded, a red figure shot out of the dissipating shadows like a cannonball, ultimately slamming heavily into a small hill in the distance. The impact completely flattened the hillside and created a shocking crater where solid rock had once stood.
"You can actually pinpoint my exact location even in complete darkness," Redfield said, covering his chest with his left hand as he struggled to stand upright. He involuntarily coughed up a mouthful of blood and sighed with genuine admiration. "I'm afraid your Observation Haki has surpassed even mine."
The dark realm that Redfield had created possessed the ability to severely interfere with enemy perception and spatial awareness, while he himself remained completely unaffected and could even gain significant combat bonuses within its confines.
He no longer maintained his previous elegant and commanding presence. His body was covered with numerous wounds, the most serious being what appeared to be kick damage across his chest and a deep cut along his waist.
In the next moment, he lowered the hand that had been pressed against his chest and straightened his posture with visible effort, though his face looked noticeably aged. It was obvious that this intense battle had taken a considerable toll on his ancient body.
"Well... your recovery ability is pretty impressive," Jerry couldn't help but express surprise upon witnessing Redfield's condition.
Although the legendary pirate still appeared disheveled and battered, his various injuries seemed to be healing at a remarkable rate, having already improved significantly from their initial severity.
Jerry chose not to elaborate on Redfield's mistaken assumption that he had relied purely on Observation Haki to locate his target within the shadow realm.
There was no point in explaining that he could utilize his water-based elemental perception to lock onto enemy positions regardless of visual impairment. Some advantages were better kept secret.
"The feeling is mutual," Redfield replied, glancing at the completely healed wound on Jerry's abdomen with a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
That injury had been the price Jerry paid for pursuing him aggressively through the darkness—except now it had vanished entirely as if it had never existed.
"In that case, what happens next—" Jerry began.
Before he could finish his thought, Redfield interrupted with a raised hand. "There's no need to continue fighting. I came here only to confirm whether you, whom Newgate speaks so highly of, are truly qualified to seek Roger's treasure."
"After all, the person they've been waiting for doesn't seem to be..." His voice gradually grew quieter and more contemplative.
Listening to these increasingly cryptic words, Jerry scratched his head in obvious confusion and interrupted, "So you're actually familiar with that old guy Whitebeard?"
"Eh?! We're still broadcasting live? Kotatsu, why didn't you tell me sooner?" Jerry suddenly realized, turning toward his flying cat companion. "Can you edit out that last part? What do you mean you can't? Okay, never mind then..."
Ignoring Jerry's apparently self-directed mumblings, Redfield smiled with genuine warmth and replied, "It's nothing so grand as being familiar. In that era, we... Well, never mind the details. Let's conclude our business here today. I suspect you still have other matters requiring your attention. Until we meet again."
With those parting words, he shifted his stance and his figure vanished into the sky in the blink of an eye, moving with the fluid grace of his Zoan abilities.
"Alright then, see you around!" Jerry called out cheerfully, waving at the disappearing form.
Jerry remained genuinely puzzled about the true purpose behind Redfield's unexpected visit to Treasure Island.
However, there was one thing Jerry felt absolutely certain about: throughout their fierce confrontation, Redfield had never once displayed any genuine killing intent whatsoever.
This strongly suggested that the legendary pirate's motivations were exactly as he had claimed, which honestly surprised Jerry considerably. While there were certainly pirates in this world who possessed noble and righteous hearts, most of them had very specific conditions or prerequisites for such behavior.
Moreover, Jerry and Redfield were complete strangers to each other, so such an unusual situation shouldn't have occurred under normal circumstances.
"Forget it," Jerry decided with a characteristic shrug. "If I can't figure it out, there's no point overthinking it. Maybe he's just become one of my fans after hearing about my adventures. I probably should have given him my autograph or something."
Shaking his head, Jerry chose to set aside his confusion for the time being. There were more pressing matters requiring his immediate attention.
His eyes then involuntarily drifted toward his system interface, and he muttered quietly to himself, "Too bad I don't have any more Wall-breaking Beads available. That fight might have been the perfect opportunity to trigger another breakthrough."
The mention of these mysterious system items reminded Jerry of his ongoing quest to unlock the full potential of his abilities. Each Wall-breaking Bead he had used so far had resulted in significant power increases and new capabilities, but they seemed to be incredibly rare and difficult to obtain.
As he contemplated these thoughts, the sounds of approaching ships and shouting voices from the shoreline reminded him that his role as the defender of Treasure Island was far from over. More challengers were arriving by the hour, each one hoping to claim the legendary treasure that supposedly awaited at the end of the Grand Line.
"Well," Jerry said to himself with renewed energy, "time to get back to work. Let's see what the next batch of treasure hunters has to offer."
With that declaration, he began making his way toward the coast where Cavendish was undoubtedly dealing with the latest wave of ambitious pirates, ready to face whatever challenges the day might bring.