"Clack—"
The longsword and a fist collided against each other, generating streaks of black lightning.
Yes, it was Advanced Conqueror Haki again—a power that seemed to have become dime-a-dozen, yet one Sherwin still needed the help of the Felynes to master.
However, even without Advanced Conqueror Haki, Sherwin still fought this elderly man to a standstill, the two of them deadlocked right there in mid-air.
With the existence of such a peculiar power as Armament Haki, even though Sherwin blade was still coated in a layer of flames, the old man fist showed no signs of damage whatsoever. In fact, if Sherwin wasn't paying attention, the opponent fist could even push closer by a fraction, forcing Sherwin to muster all twelve points of his focus to contend with him.
Yet, compared to the old man strength, what Sherwin cared about even more was...
As the edge of the sword in his hand deadlocked against the old man fist, Sherwin quickly sensed a somewhat familiar feeling transmitting from the opponent fist—
It somewhat resembled Garp fist, yet it possessed distinct differences; however, at the very least, the two of them should belong to the same school.
Although Garp fists simply emphasized pure recklessness with no specific techniques to speak of, Sherwin somehow just had that feeling—to put it in more mystical terms, he perceived the old man "fist intent."
This was entirely thanks to him successfully unlocking the Bushido style and advancing a huge step forward in idealistic swordsmanship, enabling him to master this strange yet very common trope of a perceptual ability.
Being "fellow disciples" with Garp, possessing strength comparable to an Admiral, and yet Sherwin having no impression of him whatsoever, coupled with the name of the technique from just moments ago that seemed to have run over from a neighboring set...
Sherwin quickly guessed the old man identity.
Former Marine Headquarters Fleet Admiral, current World Government Commander-in-Chief—
"Kong?
Although it was a question, Sherwin tone was very certain.
However, Kong should be from Garp older generation. According to the ages of admirals like Kuzan, even taking the minimum value, this guy should be around eighty-something to nearly ninety years old...
Looking at his robust appearance in his old age, and then thinking of a certain "young" pirate who needed an IV drip to sustain his life, the title of "Strongest Man in the World" became increasingly unreliable.
What the use of being strong for a moment? When it all comes down to it, men compare endurance!
"Hah!"
Sherwin, who was steering, got distracted for a split second and was shaken back half a meter by a burst of exertion from Kong.
However, he didn't pursue immediately, raising an eyebrow instead. "You actually recognize this old man?"
Although Kong identity was no secret, after becoming the Commander-in-Chief, he rarely showed his face in public. Only high-ranking figures in the World Government had the chance to know him, so he was somewhat surprised that Sherwin could recognize him immediately.
"I heard a brief mention of you while chatting with Old Man Garp before."
Sherwin shrugged, a mocking expression appearing on his face as he sneered in reply, "Your fists look somewhat similar, so I just took a random guess."
He was naturally talking nonsense, but Kong believed it.
Given Garp rough and unserious personality, while the probability of him mentioning Kong during a chat was very low, it wasn't zero. Furthermore, Sherwin had originally been "one of us" in the Marines.
If Sherwin said Garp often brought him up, or said anything nice about him, Kong would certainly not believe it at all. However, Sherwin statement, along with his expression of disdain, made Kong feel that he was not lying, and as Sherwin had expected, a look of guilt flushed across Kong face.
But more importantly...
Sherwin also caught a hint of sorrow in the other eyes.
Sherwin, who had originally just acted on a whim to try and inflict psychological torture, felt his heart sink.
Judging by Kong appearance, Old Man Garp had most likely been secretly executed.
Though come to think of it, even though the Garp at that public execution was a fake, given the personality of the World Government—to be precise, Imu and the Five Elders—since they had already carried out a public execution, then regardless of whether the Garp back then was real or fake, the real Garp had to die no matter what...
No wonder that day after returning from storming the execution ground, Klee Meow muttered to him that Dragon mood wasn't very good, and Sherwin had also noticed him drinking alone in secret.
Presumably, being more familiar with the World Government, he had already guessed Garp fate.
Heh, the Marines.
Although Sherwin and Garp didn't have any particularly deep bond, and before his transmigration the old man had "dropped a massive turd" in the manga, compared to those Marines who blindly obeyed the Celestial Dragons, Garp—this "rebellious" old Marine—was obviously much more endearing. More importantly, his own little darlings all liked this old man very much.
So...
"Klee! Purple Flame Mode!"
"Ooh!"
(=`Д=)
The feline helmet formed by flames showed a milk-fierce expression, and the flames on Sherwin body also suddenly surged much higher, rapidly changing from gold-red to blue-purple, and still transitioning at a steady pace toward pure purple, or even dark purple.
Klee Meow naturally did not have the experience to guess Garp situation from Kong reaction, but she could sense the unhappiness in Sherwin heart.
The temperature around them rose rapidly, and everyone nearby quickly broke out in a large amount of sweat that soaked their clothes.
Meanwhile, Kong, who was closest to Sherwin, was completely dry all over because his sweat was baked dry before it could ooze from his skin.
Kong could even smell the scent of his own facial hair and hair being roasted, and his lips quickly cracked, as if he were walking in a desert and had not drunk water for a long time.
However, Kong had no time to care about this now, because contrary to this crazily rising temperature, the flames that had originally surged high on Sherwin body gradually converged.
In the end, except for the pair of flame wings on his back used for flight, only a thin layer of flame remained covered on the Longsword.
Yet it was precisely this thin layer of flame that caused Kong Observation Haki to sound frantic alarms, giving him a sense of threat even greater than what Rocks had brought him back in the day.
Sherwin wouldn't bother about what Kong was thinking right now, and furthermore, under the purple flame mode, he didn't have that much leisure time to ponder the other person thoughts.
Leveling the Longsword in his hand, aiming the tip at Kong who was nearby looking like he was facing a formidable enemy, Sherwin flapped the flame wings on his back, and his entire person shot toward the other like an arrow off a string, transforming into a deep purple flame light.
Monster Hunter Style Secret Skill: Dark Constellation!
The deep purple flame light rapidly passed through Kong, without the slightest hesitation in the middle, as smooth as a hot knife cutting through butter.
As for the former Marine Fleet Admiral whom Sherwin passed through, his left shoulder almost disappeared, along with his entire left arm detaching from his torso and falling straight down into the sea below.
"Damn it, I was still too careless..."
Kong gripped his charred shoulder, muttering with an ugly look on his face.
He had greatly underestimated Sherwin attack power under demon mode, initially thinking he could block it until the blade was about to reach him, at which point he realized that the terror of those purple flames far exceeded his imagination.
If it hadn't been for Kong using all his strength at the very last moment to dodge to the side, that previous sword strike would have already pierced through his heart, making him dead as dead could be.
However...
"This is already enough! My mission... is complete!"
Kong gritted his teeth, enduring the sharp pain in his shoulder as he quickly retreated to the side, while Sherwin, who was just about to turn around to follow up with another attack, was enveloped by a huge sense of crisis, just like Kong a moment ago.
"Sizz—"
Uranus in the distance lit up with light, and a beam of light fired straight toward Sherwin. Although it could not compare to those beams used to destroy islands, it was still enough to engulf Sherwin entirely.
At the same time that Uranus launched its attack on Sherwin, several enemies around him, as well as the Gorosei and Saint Figarland Garling staying on Uranus, also launched attacks against him, blocking all his retreats.
However, what they found strange was that Sherwin did not seem to have any intention of dodging.
The next second, the attacks of these people, along with Sherwin figure, were swallowed by the huge beam of light.