Chapter 65: Tree Binding Eternal Burial! The Outcome Is Decided
As the words fell,
Silver Axe's face instantly twisted with rage. In his view, Lotte's words showed zero respect—he was being utterly humiliated!
"I'd like to see how arrogant you can stay when you're on the verge of death, brat!"
Immediately after,
Silver Axe gripped the axe handle with both hands, eyes glaring furiously at Lotte. His legs suddenly crouched, veins bulging as he exploded with power.
BANG!
The moment his feet launched him forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, pitch-black Armament Haki instantly coated the axe blade.
Crackle crackle—!
Then,
With a powerful sonic boom, as if tremendous force erupted from his wrists, his figure vanished from the spot, leaving only a crater behind.
No matter what, Silver Axe was once a great pirate,
A veteran of countless battles!
Suddenly!
His figure appeared right in front of Lotte. The massive axe swept horizontally with explosive force, shattering the sound barrier as it chopped toward Lotte's head.
When the surrounding cadres saw this,
Many of them shook their heads slightly. With only a few months of growth,
There was simply no way Lotte could defeat a long-established cadre like Silver Axe.
"Sigh, what a shame."
"I've never seen a genius like that before. I didn't expect him to die here."
"He must have gotten cocky after causing chaos in Sabaody."
Kaido clenched his fist tightly upon seeing this. In his opinion, only he should be the one to defeat Lotte.
How could that bastard die at someone else's hands?!
What a joke?!
Facing the ferocious incoming axe, Lotte suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahaha! Silver Axe, you bastard really know how to joke!"
"Your funeral deserves to be grand, doesn't it?"
"Flame Dance Dual Sword Style! Setting Sun Spin!"
Facing the incoming giant axe, Lotte stomped powerfully, flashing into midair in an inverted stance and unleashing a horizontal slash. Both blades blazed with sun-like flames.
The blade carrying terrifying fiery power collided head-on with the giant axe.
In an instant, the shockwave exploded outward in all directions. The scorching airflow turned nearby leaves yellow and withered.
Clang!
The metallic clash rang through the air.
The blades and axe locked for several seconds.
Silver Axe's face gradually became more ferocious. The arm gripping the axe handle suddenly exerted even greater force.
"Ha!"
With his low roar,
Lotte used the momentum of both swords to leap high into the air.
Silver Axe sneered coldly upon seeing this, gripped his giant axe tightly, and stomped upward in pursuit.
He had to end this brat quickly. While Lotte was midair, now was the perfect moment to kill him in one strike!
"Silver Axe, you're too impatient."
Lotte spoke calmly.
Before Silver Axe could understand what those words meant, something suddenly wrapped around the leg he had just used to leap. It yanked him violently downward.
Silver Axe's expression changed instantly. He glanced downward.
Only then did he realize that tree roots had somehow emerged from the ground, transforming into branches that bound his leg.
BANG!
With a thunderous crash against the ground,
Dust and smoke instantly enveloped Silver Axe.
Lotte performed Moon Step and stood calmly in midair, narrowing his eyes as he watched the scene.
This was exactly why he chose this location. The island was covered in giant trees and roots. Though not as pure as Sabaody's terrain,
It still greatly reduced the pressure on his Wood Release.
The damage he caused earlier wasn't enough to seriously wound Silver Axe, but as long as it enraged this simple-minded idiot,
That was enough for him.
"…You bastard Lotte! I'm going to tear you to pieces!"
A furious, resentful roar came from within the smoke. Silver Axe's figure shot into the air, gripping his giant axe and slashing downward with full force!
A slash carrying the power of thousands of tons.
Pitch-black Armament Haki coated it, and the oppressive feeling made even Lotte raise an eyebrow. The mere shockwave from the attack tore apart trees on the island.
Just the residual power of the slash was this strong—this was undoubtedly Silver Axe's most powerful strike. Clashing head-on with it from any angle
Was definitely not a wise choice.
Nearby, Golden Lion Shiki couldn't help but grip his sword hilt.
If something happened to Lotte, it would greatly impact his future plans. No matter what, he couldn't let him die here!
Just as Shiki prepared to intervene,
A calm, indifferent voice came from beside him.
"Anyone who tries to interfere in this deathmatch will be purged along with them."
As the words fell,
Even Golden Lion Shiki frowned tightly.
He couldn't understand why the Captain—who had previously favored Lotte so much—would say something like this now.
Did Silver Axe really hold more value than Lotte?
Newgate also narrowed his eyes slightly.
As expected, just as he and Lotte had estimated, the Captain would show no favoritism in this fight.
Whether Silver Axe or Lotte died, both outcomes were acceptable to him.
At this moment,
The giant axe slash carrying terrifying force passed straight through Lotte's body.
Everyone thought it would be a scene of blood splattering everywhere, but instead, two wooden logs scattered apart.
The cadres narrowed their eyes slightly.
Though this wasn't the first time they had seen Lotte use this ability, no matter how many times they witnessed it, it still felt incredibly troublesome.
Blood-Hand Silver Axe, seeing the attack miss, looked around furiously.
"Aren't you called the Azure Emperor?! Hiding and dodging—what kind of display is that?!"
"If you've got the guts, fight me head-on!"
He also realized that dragging this out would be extremely disadvantageous for him!
"How about it? Not convinced? Come bite me if you dare."
Lotte stood calmly to the side and sneered.
Then he took a deep breath, his eyes flashing sharply as he locked onto Silver Axe.
"Wood Release—Adamantine Binding Wooden Prison."
Immediately after, as his stamina drained rapidly, the ground shook violently once again.
BOOM RUMBLE—!
Dozens of extremely hard wooden pillars erupted from the roots beneath the ground, transforming into prison-like restraints and ropes that surged straight toward Silver Axe!
Silver Axe's expression changed instantly.
Though he swung his axe and cut through some of them, he was still bound and trapped in place. While Armament Haki prevented injury for now,
His face twisted with rage.
"You damn brat! You think these things can stop me, Silver Axe?!"
"Once I break free, you're dead!"
He refused to believe the other side could use such an ability without cost. As long as he held the absolute advantage in three-color Haki, victory would surely belong to him, Silver Axe!
Lotte landed calmly.
He looked at the furious Silver Axe and curled his lips into a smile.
"The outcome is decided."
"I've already checkmated you, Blood-Hand Silver Axe."
As his stamina drained massively in an instant, Lotte stared intently and spoke in a low voice.
"Wood Release—Tree Binding Eternal Burial."