As soon as the words fell, Kozuki Oden let out a hysterical roar.
"Daren!!"
His figure shot forward like a bullet, eyes blood-red like a demon, roaring as he slashed down with his blade!
A violent gust rushed in, kicking up dust and debris all around.
Daren's cold smile deepened as he boldly met the charge.
Fingers bent and bunched together, he thrust out his three-fingered Ryusoken, a claw strike capable of crushing any force.
Ryusoken: Dragon's Claw!
Pitch-black Armament Haki surged around his hand like a flowing river, enveloping the dragon claw in a cold, metallic sheen under Fish-Man Island's brilliant sunlight.
Clang!!
The three-fingered claw clamped tightly onto the Meito Ame no Habakiri, and the bursting sword light sparked countless dazzling embers from the Marine Vice Admiral's palm.
Boom!!
A hellish gale erupted, whipping both men's clothes into a wild frenzy.
"So, losing one sword and an arm wasn't enough for you... Now you're handing me another blade yourself?"
Daren's black hair whipped about, his defiant eyes flashing with amusement. Sparks flared fiercely from his cigar in the swirling air.
"You really are a generous man. After all, Ame no Habakiri and Enma are the perfect pair—one to destroy hell, the other to cut through the sky... Both belong neatly in my hands, don't you think?"
The Marine Vice Admiral's words, dripping with mockery and provocation, stabbed straight into Kozuki Oden's sensitive heart.
His bloodshot eyes grew even redder.
"You're dead!!"
Unable to break free from Daren's iron grip on Ame no Habakiri, Kozuki Oden gritted his teeth, wrapping his right leg in Armament Haki. Twisting his waist and firing off his muscles, he launched a heavy kick at Daren's head, hoping to force the Vice Admiral to release him.
But the next second, Kozuki Oden froze.
Bang!
His kick landed solidly on Daren's head—but the sound that followed was a dull thud.
His attack... had connected!
A surge of disbelief filled Kozuki Oden's eyes, his heart tossed by waves of shock.
The Marine Vice Admiral stood there... completely unmoved!
No, it wasn't just that he hadn't taken a step back—his head, struck full force, remained as still as a stone!
How is this possible!?
Just how far had this guy trained his body!?
Although he had long known from intelligence reports that Daren's physique was monstrously strong, he never imagined his own kick would have absolutely no effect!
His defense hadn't been broken at all!
You have to understand—Kozuki Oden had come prepared for today's battle.
Since his crushing defeat at Daren's hands last time due to being overwhelmed in close combat, he had thrown himself into intensive training, honing his hand-to-hand skills and techniques.
He had planned to catch Daren off guard with his rapid improvements in their next encounter, but he never anticipated an outcome like this...
"Hey, that hurts..."
Daren's tone was somewhat dissatisfied.
Noticing the fierce glint in Daren's eyes, which resembled that of a demonic beast, Kozuki Oden's pupils shrank.
Before he could react, Daren's other hand had already grabbed his right foot.
A piercing chill rose from the soles of his foot and shot straight to his forehead. He saw Daren grin ferociously at him.
"So, have you seen the strength of an Indestructible Body?"
Kozuki Oden was suddenly terrified.
In the next moment, the world in front of his eyes suddenly turned upside down and lost its balance.
Under the shocked expressions of Roger's pirate crew, the fierce Vice Admiral of the Marines, who looked like a demon god, grabbed Kozuki Oden's right foot with one hand and swung him like a sledgehammer...
He slammed him violently onto the ground!
Boom!
It was as if a giant wheel weighing hundreds of tons had fallen from the sky, and everything within a radius of a kilometer suddenly collapsed, shattered, and split into pieces!
Large cracks continued to spread, engulfing the surrounding buildings and emitting deafening cries.
Kozuki Oden spat blood again, his teeth shattered and his face covered in blood.
His pupils were scattered.
Even though he had used his Haki to protect his body in advance, under Daren's unreasonable and inhuman strength, he still felt as if his entire body had been torn apart.
In the distance, Neptune stared blankly at the terrifying scene, his eyes filled with fear.
Fortunately, in order to prevent the prophecy of "the gates of Fish-Man Island being broken" from coming true, he had evacuated all civilians from the area long ago. Otherwise, the aftermath of this attack alone would have affected countless people.
"Monster..."
However, he knew that he had no way to refute or stop him.
Not to mention that he couldn't beat him, even if he could, he had no reason to!
Not to mention anything else, just the crime of "harboring" a world-class criminal pirate crew was enough for that demonic Vice Admiral of the Marines to do whatever he wanted on Fish-Man Island!
Considering the hostility of humans towards the Fish-Man race, Daren could even arrest him, the king of Ryugu Castle, without suffering any political repercussions!
...
However, the attack was far from over.
The Vice Admiral of the Marines had no intention of letting go. With a ferocious laugh, he grabbed Kozuki Oden's feet and lifted him up again, throwing him to the ground in another direction!
Boom!
Once!
Boom!
Twice!
Boom!
Three times!
Once after another, under the shocked and horrified gaze of countless Ryugu Castle soldiers in the distance, who gradually became numb and dazed, the powerful samurai of Roger's pirate crew was being thrown around like a piece of rag by the Vice Admiral of the Marines.
With each impact, the ground groaned under the weight, cracking a little more, and a pool of blood spread across the mottled ground.
"Damn it!"
"That bastard!"
"..."
The members of Roger's pirate crew were furious, their eyes blazing with rage and the veins on their foreheads bulging.
If it weren't for their captain standing at the front, blocking them with a grim expression, they probably would have already rushed forward.
Even if they were branded as "unfair" for attacking, they were going to kill this damn Marine!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The ground continued to collapse.
Under the successive heavy blows, Kozuki Oden's eyes became increasingly unfocused, and blood began to seep from his mouth and ears.
Is it over...
A vague thought flashed through his mind.
This Marine is too cruel.
Whether it was Haki, physique, strength, or fighting skills... they were all better than him.
Once he was within range, he would face a terrifying onslaught like a storm, unable to defend himself, struggling to survive, and unable to use his sword skills at all.
Boom!
Another head fell heavily to the ground, and he coughed up blood again.
Amidst the flying rocks and dust, he seemed to see a figure.
His swollen, blurry eyes reflected the figure of a person wearing a blood-stained captain's cape.
Roger... Captain...
He... still believes in me...
He still believes in me!
Kozuki Oden suddenly opened his eyes wide, his face covered in blood, and roared fiercely.
"How can I lose to you like this!!!"
Suddenly, a strength he had never felt before surged from his body.
Even though his right foot was still firmly grasped by Daren, he turned over, gritted his teeth, and suddenly slashed with his sword!
"Tougen Totsuka!!!"
Amidst the burning ghostly aura, wisps of faint black and red lightning danced and blossomed!
Daren's pupils shrank.
A sword strike like that of a demon god!
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake