No one had expected that Rowen not only intended to engage Jack in combat but also willingly confronted King.
After all, King was one of Kaido's strongest commanders, the "KING," ranking above "JACK" and "QUEEN."
With a swing of his sword, the atmosphere twisted and churned, causing the sea to boil and evaporate. A towering wall of flames turned into a crimson band of light, an insurmountable barrier that separated the sky from the earth and rolled towards Rowen, enveloping him in an instant.
The scorching heat was so intense that it could make one parched and thirsty even from a distance, not to mention Rowen, who was trapped within it.
"Fire? Mythological Beast?"
At this moment, Rowen's voice suddenly sounded from within the rolling flames. King sensed it using Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), and his eyes, concealed behind the mask, narrowed imperceptibly as his expression turned serious.
*Swoosh!*
The boundless blaze dissipated suddenly, revealing a black figure. Rowan brushed off the dust on his body, dispelling the Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) coating. His skin was reddened from the intense heat, but just a breath later, the blisters on his skin naturally burst, and the outer layer of skin peeled away.
"Are you trying to scratch me?"
"Ha!"
King smiled coldly when he heard these words. His wings behind him suddenly ignited, as did his samurai sword and clothing. The intense heat, like that of the sun, surged vigorously, causing even the ground to emit wisps of smoke. Some pieces of wood even burst into flames, illuminating the sky.
"King the Conflagration" truly lived up to his title as one of Kaido's strongest commanders.
Such flames were akin to Burning Mountains and boiling Seas!
"You could have avoided the attack with Elementalization, but you chose to test its power with Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki)… I admit, Vice Admiral Rowen, you've succeeded in provoking me!"
A black scabbard fell from the sky, but even before it landed, it was scorched into a lump of ashes. King flapped his wings, creating an updraft from the flames. The scorching air flowed over Rowen, making his skin dry. King took a half-step back, holding his sword flat against his shoulder, its tip pointing directly at Rowen.
"But you won't be able to avoid the next attack, even with Elementalization!"
"Stop talking so much nonsense!"
*Buzz!*
The Thunder Cloud Sword flickered with crackling electricity, and an invisible surge burst forth, forcibly pushing back the surrounding flames.
Rowen stood alone in the empty sky, his eyes half-closed. "Don't disappoint me, King the Conflagration!"
"With pleasure!"
*Thud!*
At that moment, the G-5 Marine Branch seemed to tremble like an earthquake as a figure shot toward Rowen, shouting, "Big Brother! This is my fight with him!"
Following that, Jack swung his Shotel blade backhand at Rowen, as swiftly as lightning, causing the air to resonate with the blade.
Faced with this fierce strike, Rowen had to raise the Thunder Cloud Sword to block it.
*Clang!*
As the two weapons clashed, bright sparks erupted. Just when Rowen was about to say something, Jack's facial features suddenly twisted rapidly, and wrinkles became visible on his skin, making him incredibly tough and impervious to swords.
Especially that nose, hanging down to his lower abdomen, appeared like a steel pillar, whipping towards Rowen.
"Playing dirty, huh? I only have two hands!"
In the face of this third-hand sneak attack, Rowen's mouth twitched.
*Thud!*
Under the heavy blow, Rowen plummeted like a shooting star, creating a crater in the ground.
Phew… that was close!
Although it was clearly Rowen who was taking a beating, the Marines, including Akainu and Tsuru, breathed a sigh of relief. Aokiji, stationed in the central force, shook his head in exasperation, dispersing the Ice Age he had been preparing to launch, and glanced at the smoke-shrouded area.
"Stupid brat, don't cause trouble!"
He punched Rowen once, and Rowen responded with a slash. As Admirals, if they continued to interfere, it wouldn't be just for the sake of appearances; they had important missions to carry out. If Rowen's actions disrupted the battle plan, anyone ranked higher than Rowen would be held accountable.
At this moment, Aokiji's gaze suddenly sharpened, and he stood up.
"Oh my, it seems like an unexpected Character is coming our way!"
From the east and the north, two colossal behemoths, comparable to War Behemoths, slowly approached the Marine camp. The soldiers on the outer defense lines widened their eyes, their trembling figures revealing their nervousness.
"That's…!!"
"It's [The Moby Dick] and [The Red Force]!!"
"Whitebeard and Red Hair are here!!!"
Pirate flags fluttered in the wind as the two Pirate Ships completely disregarded the heavily fortified "Marine Continent" in front of them, it's as if two sharp knives were piercing straight through the formidable Marine force.
The nearest Marine soldiers and enemies were separated by a mere ten meters, and even the mites on their faces were clearly visible.
But within this range, none of them dared to make a move.
"A person's name is like the shade of a tree!"
The Yonko had reigned over the New World for decades; this was their territory, and the Marines had won fewer battles here.
"Why aren't they firing the cannons?!"
Akainu slammed his fist angrily on the table, roaring furiously at the surrounding soldiers.
"Now, now, don't get so worked up, Admiral Akainu…"
[The Red Force], slightly smaller than [The Moby Dick], and a bit faster, navigated its way through the countless cannon-armed ships surrounding it and approached Akainu's flagship.
Shanks, one of the current Yonko, was casually sitting on the railing, legs crossed, and grinned at Akainu, "They've all passed out; wouldn't it be cruel to ask them to fire cannons?"
"What?!"
As if to confirm Shanks' words, a "Pū Tōng" sound caught Akainu's attention.
He turned around to see, on the path taken by [The Red Force], soldiers holding guns on the deck suddenly collapsed. Then, as if someone had lit a fuse, soldiers standing in formation fell like dominoes, one after another. After a few breaths, the massive area was filled with unconscious soldiers.
It wasn't that the soldiers refused to fire the cannons and let them enter the central area; it was that in the presence of Shanks' Haoshoku Haki, no one could remain conscious.
This was the man with the strongest Haki on the seas, one of the Yonko–Shanks!
"A bunch of wicked pirates!"
Akainu clenched his teeth so hard they creaked. Suddenly, something struck him, and he turned around.
As expected, on the path Whitebeard took, soldiers had similarly collapsed. Whitebeard, as tall as a Giant, stood at the bow of [The Moby Dick], holding a naginata and with a cape billowing behind him.
"Gūrarararara!"
"Don't be so stingy, Akainu! I'm just here for the show; I didn't plan on fighting you guys!"
With that, Whitebeard slightly squinted his eyes and raised an eyebrow at the figure behind him.
"Kuzan, you want to ambush me?"
"What?!"
"How did he get here?!"
"Don't panic! Protect Pops!"
The Whitebeard Pirates were in turmoil, watching the imposing figure suddenly appear on the deck, dressed in a blue shirt and a casual jacket, holding it with one hand and looking tired and lazy.
"Ha…!"
Faced with the hostile gazes of the pirates, Aokiji chuckled. "Well, well… since you are just here to watch the fun, let's enjoy it. As long as no one gets physical."
With that, Aokiji completely ignored the fact that he was on an enemy ship, leaned back against the railing, and pulled down his eyepatch. In no time, he was snoring loudly.
"I'll take a nap first; wake me up when it's over."
The pirates looked at each other in bewilderment, exchanging glances with questioning eyes.
Should they take advantage of the situation and get rid of him?
Yes, they should!
Alright, who goes first?
Not me! I'm not that dumb!
You…!
"Even more annoying than before. It seems that nothing good comes from what Garp brings out!"
Whitebeard snorted coldly, then sat back in his chair, waved his hand, and said, "Marco, bring me the jug of sake!"
"…Alright, an exception for today."
Marco, the First Division commander, glanced at Aokiji, then at his old man, and finally shrugged his shoulders with a sigh. He went to fetch the jug of sake.
With the appearance of Whitebeard and Red Hair, the scene froze instantly.
Marines and pirates!
Admirals and Yonko!
Nearly half of the world's Top-Level combat power had gathered here!
This left the spectators, who had come expecting nothing more than to witness a battle between Jack and Rowen, dumbfounded, their eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
What's going on here?!!
(End of this chapter)
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