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Clang!!!
BOOM!!!
The moment the blade and fist collided, a deafening clang rang out, followed by a powerful shockwave that shook the surroundings and churned the already raging sea even further.
"Good strength..." Zechs remarked lightly, appreciating World's strength a little.
But honestly, given how relaxed he appeared, his praise sounded like sarcasm to World, who was not nearly as relaxed.
He had expected to overpower Asmodeus Zechs and send him flying backward. Instead, the exact opposite had happened.
"This...?!" World's eyes widened in shock as he felt himself being pushed back in the clash.
The result was not only unbelievable, but it was also unacceptable. How could he allow himself to be overpowered?
Even though the situation was clearly different from what he had expected, World did not hesitate. He immediately amplified his own strength.
'More-More Thirtyfold: Strength!'
In an instant, his muscles swelled as he poured far more power into his arm and tried to force Zechs back.
But the result was still unsatisfactory. At most, World only managed to force Zechs back by half a step in the air, making Zechs
Then Zechs raised an eyebrow, grinned, "Fufu, it's still not enough," and casually exerted even more strength, driving him back once again.
What shocked World even more was that Zechs still looked completely calm, as though he had not even begun to use his full strength.
Then came an even greater shock as World felt Zechs' blade pushing forward again, forcing him to take half a step back.
'What the hell?!' World thought. And as if that wasn't enough, he then felt the blade of Zechs' sword slowly and steadily cut into his flesh.
Indeed, even though his fist was coated in Armament Haki, Zechs' blade was still slowly slicing into his flesh as though it would slice away his fingers.
Armament Haki is supposed to act like armour, strengthening the body's defence and allowing it to block blades and attacks even with flesh. Yet now, that very armour was being sliced apart by Zechs' sword.
The feeling was truly shocking, and he had never really experienced anything like this before.
Pain shot through World's nerves, warning him that if this continued, he might lose all of his fingers at once.
He knew he had to do something.
Immediately, he used his Devil Fruit again. 'More-More Fiftyfold: Rigidity!'
In an instant, the muscles throughout his body hardened fiftyfold. The effect spread to his skin as well, drastically increasing his physical durability.
The blade that had already begun cutting into his flesh suddenly stopped.
Zechs blinked.
He could clearly feel the difference. World's flesh had become far tougher, to the point that his sword now felt as though it were pressing against something extremely hard and brittle that refused to be cut apart.
'Speed, size, strength... and now even rigidity...' Zechs silently took note of the many ways World was using his Devil Fruit.
World sneered. "This is it... this is your full strength. And if this is all you have, then you don't have what it takes to defeat me!!"
He had to admit that it was surprising that Asmodeus Zechs had pushed him to use both Fiftyfold Strength and Fiftyfold Rigidity.
But that was all.
"Hah... you really think so?" Zechs muttered with a grin. "Then how about this?"
With a slight twist of his wrist, Zechs tilted his blade and slid World's fist out of the way. Then, in the next instant, he coated the sword in Conqueror's Haki and swung with all his strength toward World's chest.
"Netori Slash!"
Sha! Crackle!
Red lightning crackled wildly around the blade as a wave of dark energy exploded from it.
The slash carried far too much power, force, and sharpness. The moment it struck World's body, it completely overwhelmed him.
"This...?!" World's eyes widened in shock.
Before he could react, the attack blasted him backward at a speed even faster than the one with which he had charged in. He flew through the air along the same path before finally crashing down onto the deck of his own ship, and breaking through several levels, fell into the deeper levels of the ship.
Bang! Thud!
The entire pirate ship shook violently. Wood cracked, chipped, and broke. Dust rose into the air. The weaker crewmen staggered from the impact. Byojack, in particular, the weakest of the bunch, fell flat onto his backside, stammering, "This… this…"
Not only Byojack, but the other members of the World Pirates were shocked as well. "Captain… Captain World was pushed back like this?"
They had never seen their captain blasted back like that before. For a moment, none of them knew what they were supposed to do.
While they were all confused, Zechs slowly descended onto the deck of the World Pirates' ship, murmuring to himself, "He didn't fall into water… so…"
Some of the pirates recoiled in fear the moment they saw Asmodeus Zechs land.
Others forced themselves to stand their ground.
Byojack, still sitting on the deck where he had fallen, looked first toward the place where World had crashed and then at Zechs, who was calmly walking toward him. Gritting his teeth and forcing down his fear, he shouted, "What are you all standing around for?! Attack him!!! Kill him!!!"
Even though the order came from a weak and sickly man, it was still the command of the vice-captain of the World Pirates.
That alone was enough to briefly give the frightened pirates courage.
They raised their weapons, swords, spears, halberds, gauntlets, guns, crossbows, and anything else they had, and rushed toward Zechs.
"Attack him…!!"
"Kill this bastard!!!"
"Kill him!!!"
"Sigh… Geez, guys..." Zechs said lightly. "Isn't being alive nice? Why are you all so eager to die?"
But even if he asked that, he had already swung his sword in a complete circle, 'Netori Circle Slash!'
A massive ring-shaped slash exploded outward from him, with Zechs standing at its centre.
Anything in its path was cut apart.
Many of the pirates did not even have time to react before their bodies were sliced to pieces and collapsed onto the deck.
Some lost their arms.
Some lost their heads.
Some were simply chopped from the middle of their body.
All of them fell on the deck with weak thuds.
The ship itself was not spared either. Parts of the deck and railings were cut apart, and even the mast was sliced clean through. It creaked for a moment before toppling over and crashing down onto the ship, shaking it violently once again.
"W-We're all going to die... what the hell is he?!"
"Where's Captain World?!"
"Captain World... you're not defeated yet, are you?!"
The few pirates who had managed to avoid the slash or the collapsing mast no longer dared to get close. Their legs trembled so badly they could barely stand.
Some stared at Zechs as though he were a monster. And looking at the horns on his head and the devil-like wings on his back, that was exactly what they called him.
"M-Monster...!"
"Demon!!!"
"Monster? Demon? Well... technically, that is not wrong... but that is just my race, you know. Calling me something like that, as though I am some terrifying, loathsome eldritch monstrosity... aren't you hurting my feelings a little?" Zechs asked innocently.
The pirates' lips twitched before they all shouted at once, their faces twisted into furious shark-like expressions. "Hurting your feelings?! What about the fact that you maimed so many of us and killed so many others?!"
"Is it my fault that you are all so weak?" Zechs replied with a shrug. "I was simply on my merry way, about to kill your captain, and then all of you attacked me first. All I did was defend myself."
The pirates fell silent. Technically... what he said was true. But... but...
"AARRGGHHH!!!"
Suddenly, one pirate, his arm already severed and blood pouring from the stump, let out a howl of pain and rage. Breathing heavily, he forced himself back onto his feet, raised his gun with his remaining hand, and shouted, "At this rate... I am going to die anyway... if that is the case, then—!"
He pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The bullet shot toward Zechs, but Zechs merely slipped aside with a graceful step, dodging it effortlessly.
The pirate was not finished. Roaring madly, he charged straight at Zechs while firing again and again, getting closer with every step.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Why waste bullets?" Zechs asked lightly. He avoided every shot with such ease that it looked less like a battle and more like he was taking a casual stroll.
Then, in an instant, he closed the distance and swung his blade at a sharp diagonal angle, 'Angled Netori Slash!'
Sha!
The blade cut cleanly through the pirate's shoulder and emerged from his waist.
For a brief moment, the man remained standing, then his torso slid apart and fell onto the deck.
Plop! Thud!
Seeing that pirate die, many of the others were filled with despair. But not all of them.
"Attack him all at once again...!!!" one pirate shouted.
Those words stirred the others. "Fill him with lead and iron!!!"
More guns were raised toward Zechs.
He blinked. 'Didn't these people abandon Byrnndi World in canon? How come they are fighting to the death now like hot-blooded idiots?'
He was half-expecting them to understand the danger, betray World, and run to save their own asses. Instead, they were charging at him, willing to die fighting. It was strange... and honestly a little surprising.
Then Zechs shrugged. Without even thinking too much, he could already make a few guesses.
In the original 3D2Y story, Cipher Pol agents had long since infiltrated Byrnndi World's crew and created cracks within it. More importantly, in canon, their enemy hadn't just been the Marines, but many other factions at the same time, because of World's habit of attacking any and all forces that he came across. Compared to that, a single Asmodeus Zechs, someone they did not yet truly understand or fear, and even underestimated a lot, was not enough to make them give up. They still believed that if all of them attacked together, one of them might be able to kill him.
"How annoying..." Zechs muttered with a pout as he looked at all those guns. He was not worried about being hurt. His body was far too tough for ordinary bullets to do any real damage.
But still... Who actually wanted to be shot? He certainly did not. After letting out a sigh, Zechs released a burst of Conqueror's Haki.
Boom!
It exploded from his body like a wave.
"This…!???" The pirates trembled violently.
The pressure was so intense that it affected not only the pirates but even the ship itself. Fine cracks began to spread across the deck and walls, while the air around them seemed to tremble under the sheer force of Zechs' will.
The surrounding environment was no exception.
After spending several months training with Katakuri, Zechs' Haki had grown far stronger than before. Its oppressive force and dominance had increased tremendously. Of course, it was still probably nowhere near the level of a Yonkō, the Pirate King, Pseudo-Gods, or true God-class existence...
But it was still overwhelmingly powerful.
Under the pressure of that Haki, sweat poured down the pirates' backs. Their hands weakened. Guns slipped from numb fingers and clattered onto the deck as most of them instantly lost consciousness.
Some minions, with relatively stronger will than others, struggled to stay away under the pressure, but they weren't faring well either. But just as they were also about to lose consciousness, another burst of Conqueror's Haki erupted and crashed against Zechs' own, protecting the minions.
Boom!
"Oh? So... you have it too, huh, Byrnndi World?" Zechs murmured in surprise as he felt his pressure collide with someone else's.
The two waves of Conqueror's Haki smashed into each other, filling the deck with an even heavier pressure.
Then footsteps echoed across the ship.
Step… step… step…
A figure slowly emerged from the rubble and stepped onto the deck.
"It's Captain World...!"
"Great! Captain World wasn't defeated!"
"I knew it... Captain World, you have to beat this guy... he... he... he did this to so many of us...!"
The remaining pirates immediately cried out in relief and hope when they saw him.
At that moment, World looked rather embarrassed.
His horned helmet was gone, exposing his bald head, and several leaves and patches of flour clung to his dark green beard. Apparently, when Zechs had blasted back away earlier, he had broken through several levels of his ship and crashed straight into the ship's kitchen, which explained the mess.
But that was not what drew everyone's attention.
What caught their eyes was the long, sword-wound running across World's chest from which blood slowly oozed.
Earlier, even after increasing the rigidity of his body fiftyfold, Zechs' slash had still managed to leave that injury behind.
Of course, the wound was not very deep, so his life wasn't in danger, and it'd definitely leave a long scar. Of course, that is not the main problem. The main problem is that this is the first wound he has received in his life.
Indeed, until now, World's body had remained completely unmarked with any wounds or scars.
And now, for the first time, there was a long, bloody wound on his chest.
That fact alone hurt him far more deeply than the slash wound itself, since it wounded his pride, filling him with rage.
Ignoring the burning pain from the wound, World briefly glanced around at his crew. The deck was soaked in blood and littered with unconscious pirates, mutilated bodies, and corpses.
Then he slowly turned his glare toward the person responsible for all of it... and for the wound across his chest. "Asmodeus Zechs...!!!!"
"Yo," Zechs greeted the man with a grin, taunting him. "The wound looks good on you…"
"Haah... haaah..." World breathed heavily, rage bursting from him. Unwilling to be mocked, he increased the pressure of his own Conqueror's Haki.
Boom!
The two forces collided more violently.
Crack!! Crack!!
Red sparks and black lightning flickered through the air as the deck cracked further beneath them, the atmosphere itself seemed to grow heavier, and the ocean churned, currents becoming stronger.
'As expected of the man who would one day be feared as the World Destroyer... he really does have Conqueror's Haki,' Zechs thought.
Zechs could not remember whether World had used Conqueror's Haki in 3D2Y, but a man like Byrnndi World should have possessed it.
World feared no one. He attacked anyone who stood in his way without hesitation. He carried the title of World Destroyer and possessed the ambition to challenge the entire world.
A man like that naturally ought to have Conqueror's Haki.
And unsurprisingly, he did.
While Zechs accepted that World possessed Conqueror's Haki, World himself had not expected Asmodeus Zechs to possess it as well.
"Even you... have it?" World asked.
This was far beyond his expectations. Katakuri had already revealed Conqueror's Haki earlier, and now Asmodeus Zechs has it too. That meant that, in a crew of only three people, two of them possessed the rarest form of Haki.
For the first time in a long while, World looked genuinely shocked.
But more than shock, World felt anger and humiliation.
In their previous clash, he had been the one pushed back and even suffered an injury on the chest. And after that, Zechs has maimed and killed several of his own minions.
Faced with this reality, how could he not be enraged?
He had intended to one-shot Asmodeus Zechs... yet the result had been the complete opposite.
That was not an outcome he could easily accept.
Although burning with rage, he also had to figure out what was going on. Wasn't Asmodeus Zechs defeated and arrested by a mere Rear Admiral? How did he have the strength to push him back or wound his chest even when he had increased his body's rigidity by fifty-fold?
"How is this possible...?" World demanded.
"How is what possible?" Zechs asked, tilting his head in confusion.
"You..." World growled. "You are not nearly as weak as I thought. So how did you get defeated and arrested by some mere Rear Admiral of the Marines?"
Zechs paused for a moment before reacting. "Oh... so that is what this is about." He shrugged. "First of all, I was never defeated by that Sengoku guy. And as for being arrested and thrown into Impel Down? That never happened either."
He waved his hand dismissively. "That news article about my arrest... well, I am too lazy to explain it. Just know that I was never arrested."
Then Zechs smiled faintly and looked back at World. "Anyway, that has nothing to do with you, so stop thinking about it and focus on this fight." A smirk spread across his face as he looked at the wound of World's chest and taunted him. "Or what? Are you scared now that you have gotten a taste of my strength?"
"As if I would be scared of you..." World scoffed. He increased the pressure of his Conqueror's Haki even further, as though he intended to crush Zechs through sheer force of will alone.
"Not bad... not bad…" Zechs replied. Then he grinned. "But you know… the collision of Conqueror's Haki doesn't really do anything. But… since you want to compete like this… then sure, why not?"
In the next instant, Zechs released the full pressure of his Conqueror's Haki without holding back in the slightest.
Boom!!!
It exploded outward like a tsunami, drowning everything in its path.
Rumble!!!
Crackle!!!
Intense red lightning burst through the air and spread wildly around him. The sea around the ship churned even more violently, while the deck groaned and cracked under the pressure.
Under the increased pressure, World's Conqueror's Haki was instantly overwhelmed, and he was even pushed back a little as his body trembled.
At the same time, the remaining underlings who had still been clinging to consciousness under World's protection could no longer endure it. Foam spilled from their mouths, their eyes rolled back, and they began dropping to the deck one after another like dominoes.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Just then, while World was still trembling under the pressure, Zechs stepped forward and used Shave, instantly appearing right in front of him before slashing once more at his chest, intending to make a cross on the man's chest.
'Can't get hit by that sword another time!'
Having been wounded once already, World didn't dare to underestimate Zechs' slash. Even though he didn't understand how or why Zechs' sword was able to wound him despite him having increased the rigidity of his body… he didn't have the time to think about that at the moment, and focused on dodging.
'More-More Fortyfold: Speed!'
Amplifying his speed by forty times using his Devil Fruit's power, he used Shave to appear further away.
An unconscious underling lay there. World hurriedly snatched up the set of knives the man had dropped and hurled three of them at once towards Zechs.
'More-More Fiftyfold Knives!'
The moment the three knives left his hand, both the size and speed of the knives increased by fifty times.
The effect was absurd.
The original thirty-centimetre knives instantly became a fifteen-metre monster, nearly twice the size of Linlin in her normal form. Their speed became even more ridiculous. They shot through the air several times faster than bullets. The air pressure generated alone was terrifying.
Faced with that kind of speed and that size, anyone would find it hard to be able to react; Zechs wasn't any different. He hurriedly used Moonwalk to avoid being in the path of the knives. The gigantic blades tore past him, smashed through the ship's railing, and disappeared into the sea, creating a massive wave.
But Zechs did not even have time to look because World had already thrown the second set of knives at him and increased their speed and size at the time of throwing.
'More-More Seventy-Five-fold Knives!'
"Tch…" he clicked his tongue and waved his sword, releasing a wind blade that slashed apart the Knives as they whistled past him, following a projectile trajectory, and fell into the ocean.
"Even that didn't work?" World narrowed his eyes.
Then he threw another volley of knives, this time making them even larger and faster.
'More-More Hundredfold Knives!'
The knives flew so quickly that, under normal circumstances, even Zechs would not have been able to react in time. But he had already expected World to try the same trick again.
The moment the knives left World's hand, Zechs had already begun swinging his sword based on his prediction.
"Useless..." he said lightly, and with a single slash, he cut through the incoming knives just as he had before, splitting them apart and sending the shattered pieces toward the sea.
But then World's voice rang out. "Not useless." He grinned.
While Zechs was still in the middle of his swing and unable to immediately change his stance or movement, World had already used that brief opening.
'More-More Hundredfold: Speed!'
Amplifying his speed, he vanished from his position, closing the distance.
At that speed, even Zechs reacted a fraction too slowly.
Still, he immediately tried to swing his sword toward World.
"Barorororo..." World laughed.
But before he even entered the range of Zechs' blade, he unleashed the attack he had been preparing from the very beginning.
'More-More Hundredfold: Thrust!'
The single knife in his hand, already coated in Armament Haki, suddenly expanded a hundredfold. Not only did its size increase, but its sharpness also increased.
And this enormous, extremely sharp blade shot forward, stabbing toward Zechs' chest.
This time, Zechs could neither dodge nor deflect. His speed wasn't fast enough.
The knife struck him directly.
Boom!
World laughed loudly. "Haha... got you... You are so dead."
Unlike himself, who could use his Devil Fruit to increase the rigidity of his body and greatly enhance his defence, World did not believe Zechs possessed any such ability.
Because of that, he fully expected the gigantic knife, coated in dense Armament Haki, to pierce straight through Zechs, split his body apart, and injure him severely, even if not outright kill him instantly.
Even if Zechs tried to defend himself with Armament Haki, World was certain it would not be enough. He had concentrated an enormous amount of Armament Haki onto the very tip of the blade, not to mention the increased sharpness of the blade, thanks to his Devil Fruit.
The massive, Haki-coated blade slammed directly into Zechs' abs. It drove forward, trying to pierce through his muscles and tear his body apart.
But the bloody scene World expected never appeared.
Far from ripping Zechs apart or killing him, the blade did not even draw a single drop of blood.
It simply stopped. The tip remained pressed against Zechs' abs, stuck there in World's hands, unable to move forward even an inch.
"What the hell?!" World stared in shock. "How did it not pierce you at all?!"
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