Thick Holy Light enveloped Boars, continuously inflicting burning and paralyzing effects on him.
His vision blurred from the blinding radiance.
His wings ached terribly—the moment the Holy Light struck him, Jake's slash simultaneously landed on his shoulder.
And it wasn't over yet.
As even more piercing Holy Light tore through the sky and descended, Boars heard only the other's cold voice.
"Rankyaku - Gaico!"
Countless slashes rained down from the sky, smashing directly onto Boars.
Dust and debris exploded, and the ground beneath them split apart instantly.
The dust cloud rose dozens of meters high.
Without hesitation, Jake charged straight into it.
Boars was already faltering—this was the perfect opportunity, one he absolutely couldn't miss!
His Observation Haki expanded to its limits.
The feathers shooting out from the dust were all dodged by Jake using Kami-e and Geppo.
A faint red glow flickered at his fingertips.
"Tobu Shigan - Oren!"
The dust was instantly swallowed by explosions.
Blazing flames scorched Boars body, burning away large patches of his feathers.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Boars raised his head.
After unleashing flying slashes with his two swords, a look of resolve flashed in his eyes.
He stared at Jake, his retreating figure suddenly halting.
The next moment, he flapped his nearly featherless wings and lunged at Jake at breakneck speed.
The flying slashes were no small threat.
While evading with Kami-e, Jake was inevitably forced closer to Boars.
Then, the latter's sharp talons became coated in a thick layer of Armament Haki.
Watching Boars close in relentlessly, Jake immediately guessed his intention.
Eagles often killed their prey by carrying them high into the sky and dropping them.
Boars intended to do the same to him.
In theory, this tactic wouldn't be very effective against Jake, who possessed Geppo.
But aside from altitude, all Devil Fruit users shared one universal weakness—
Seawater!
That bastard planned to throw him into the ocean, hoping he'd exhaust his stamina using Geppo and drown!
In fact, to ensure Jake's death, Boars was now prepared to perish alongside him.
Once Jake realized this, his initial tension eased considerably.
If this was all Boars had, then the scales of victory had already tipped entirely in his favor.
Facing the charging Boars, Jake pretended not to notice his intentions.
After casually launching two slashes, his shoulder was hooked by Boars' claw covered in Armament Haki.
The sharp claws pierced his flesh and a trace of madness flashed across Boars' face.
"Join me in the abyss Marine! As a mere Pirate, dragging a future high-ranking officer like you to death with me is more than worth it!"
Hearing his words, Jake said nothing.
He simply took a deep breath and faint golden light began to radiate from his body.
His arm muscles bulged as he tightened his grip on Boars' ankle—ensuring the Pirate couldn't escape midway.
"Pirate! The only one dying here is you! Let's make a bet—see who can endure more lightning strikes. Don't you dare let go!"
Before Boars could react, Jake's slightly crazed voice rang out.
"THUNDER CALL!"
Deep-blue lightning instantly pierced through both their bodies.
Boars wings, which had just begun to flap for flight, convulsed violently from the shock.
The extensive burns on his body grew even more gruesome and what little remained of his feathers nearly all fell away.
Jake didn't fare much better—his entire body was numb and twitching from the electric current, his consciousness flickering under the lightning's assault.
Yet he showed no intention of stopping.
Still gripping Boars ankle tightly, he grinned through the pain.
"I told you, Pirate—don't let go! THUNDER CALL!"
Another bolt struck and the scent of charred flesh began to rise from their bodies.
The ground around them turned black as charcoal.
Monet and Oli watched the two with unconcealed worry.
Oli even halted his attacks, turning to Monet.
"If they keep fighting like this, they'll both die! Let's stop—we need to separate them!"
But Monet only shook her head in response.
A surge of frigid air erupted from her, blocking Oli's escape routes.
Her voice was icy, filled with resolve.
"The only ones dying today are you—both Boars and you."
"Damn woman! Get out of my way!"
Seeing Jake unleash yet another lightning strike, Oli's eyes bulged with rage, veins throbbing in his temples.
Ignoring the frostbite wounds Monet inflicted, he lunged towards Boars like a madman.
Jake looked at Boars, whose consciousness was nearly gone.
Spitting out a mouthful of blood, golden energy seeped from his body, slowly mending his lightning-scorched wounds.
Though the pain remained, it was nothing compared to Boars' suffering.
"Hey! Pirate—can't even handle this much? This pain is nothing compared to what your victims endured!"
"Thunder Call! Fifth strike!"
Terrifying lightning once again descended from the sky, striking both of them mercilessly.
Flesh was torn apart by the electric currents, muscles spasmed uncontrollably, and their entire bodies burned as if their skin had been peeled away.
Their vision was completely obscured, leaving only the blindingly intense blue lightning.
The power of Holy Light surged from within once more, continuously repairing Jake's nearly torn-apart body.
The moment he regained even a sliver of consciousness, he would immediately activate another Thunder Call without hesitation!
Lightning continued to rain down from the sky.
Jake had lost count of how many times it had struck.
He only knew that three strikes ago, the claws that had been embedded in his shoulder had finally loosened their grip.
Two strikes before that, the eagle's head beside him had already drooped low.
And during the last strike, the eagle's form had gradually begun reverting to human shape.
*****
High above in the sky, King observed this scene with a hint of curiosity in his expression.
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