Sengoku did keep Giotto at bay on his own and let Aokiji help the others, but there was one thing that Sengoku didn't expect. When Aokiji was about to help Kizaru and Momonga to deal with Fran, Lussuria, who was in charge of treating the injured Varia members, also joined the battle.
Originally, he thought that Lussuria was just an ordinary Varia member, but when they actually fought, Aokiji realized that Lussuria was not weak at all. His Color of Arms Haki and Dying Will Flame usage, coupled with his superb Muay Thai skill made Aokiji have a hard time.
He could only say that none of the Varia officers was easy to deal with!
It was also because Lussuria participated in the battle that the situation remained at a stalemate. Akainu and Gion were still at Xanxus's mercy. Akainu and Gion were very capable combatants, but with Xanxus as their opponent, they couldn't truly demonstrate their true abilities.
Any attack Akainu threw at Xanxus would be petrified and disintegrated by Bester.
Although Gion was a close combat master, Xanxus did not give her a chance to get close. With Flame of Wrath supported by Dying Will Guns, it was difficult for her to close the distance.
On the other side, the battle between Fran, Kizaru, and Momonga was too straightforward. After using Varia's ring, his illusion was no longer something ordinary people could resist. In comparison, Momonga didn't struggle as much as Kizaru did when facing the illusion.
After all, Momonga's mastery of Color of Observation Haki was not bad. Because Kizaru was too focused on honing his Devil Fruit ability, his Haki and physical skills were only on the average level of a Vice-Admiral.
When he was still a student under Z, he always thought that physical skills and Haki were not important. After all, his Glint-Glint Fruit was one of the most powerful Devil Fruit. He believed that he could be strong enough with just his Devil Fruit ability, so he thought that physical skill and Haki weren't important.
Only in the face of illusion.
It was fortunate that he fought Fran now. Had he encountered someone like Mukuro Rokudo or Demon Spade, he would have been killed by an illusion spell!
It wasn't that Fran's illusion was not as strong, but simply because Fran didn't like a battle. He hadn't been completely serious until now. Otherwise, he would have used Varia Ring.
In his hand, there was a Hell Ring, the Emblem of Satan!
"I didn't expect you to hide such a strength. Even I didn't see this coming."
Al said in a low voice as he dealt with the opponent's attack.
Previously, he had thought that although Alaudi was strong, he was only a little stronger than Amon. He did not expect that Alaudi would be even stronger than him.
"There are many things you overlook, but these are not important. What is important is..."
At this moment, a cold light flashed in Alaudi's eyes. He used the handcuffs as a knuckle and waved his fist towards the opponent's face. "If you don't use your full strength, I will kill you very soon!"
In an instant, although Al managed to dodge Alaudi's punch, he was still injured by the strong impact, leaving a straight line of blood on his face.
Then he put some distance between him and Alaudi.
"Indeed, I can't look down on you anymore. However, the result has been set in stone. In ten minutes after I use my true strength, you will be pulverized!"
As he said that, Al's body began to undergo a change. His head grew two irregular-shaped headgear that looked like battle axes. From his mouth, small and sharp teeth appeared. His limbs also became thicker, and his legs were obviously much stronger than his hands.
He turned out to be a Zoan Devil Fruit User. As the strongest shield of the Celestial Dragons, he could get any Devil Fruit that he wanted.
Ancient Zoan - Dragon Dragon Fruit, Allosaurus Model!
This human-beast form granted him more strength, agility, and vitality. It was also because of this Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit that Al could rival an Admiral's strength. He was truly worthy of being the Celestial Dragons' strongest shield!
"Interesting, otherwise even if I defeat you, it will be boring."
A strong fighting spirit flashed in Alaudi's eyes. He immediately enveloped his handcuffs and fists in Color of Arms Haki. His Color of Arms Haki's mastery was extremely high. Even if he did not eat any Devil Fruit, he was not afraid of anyone in a head-to-head fight.
At the same time, the Cloud Flame also enveloped the handcuffs. However, in a head-on battle, his Cloud Flame probably was not as impactful as Color of Arms Haki.
"Defeat me? Save your sleeptalk when you're sleeping. Your arrogance is not funny. Shigan!"
Al remained calm be it when he was attacking or defending. He was indeed a professional agent as he didn't show the slightest bit of his killing intent.
However, after he transformed into his human-beast form, the killing intent and bloodthirsty aura became even more intense.
His finger that had already turned into a beast arm was covered in Color of Arms Haki as he charged straight at Alaudi.
"Tekkai 'Sai'!"
Since the opponent attacked him with Rokushiki, he'd return the favor. From the moment he arrived in this world until now, Alaudi had already learned Rokushiki and Haki in the CP0. And he wasn't just able to use it, he mastered it!
"Bam!"
The moment their fist collided, their Color of Arms Haki also violently clashed. The earth beneath their feet directly shattered under the impact of this force.
This was the battle of physical skills. Both Alaudi and Al were skilled combatants. Moreover, their reaction speed was quite outstanding. If none of them made a mistake, the winner wouldn't be decided anytime soon. The physical fitness of the characters in One Piece world is exceptional, after all. Even the future Aokiji and Akainu fought for ten days and ten nights!
However, wasting time was never Alaudi's habit, and he didn't have the idea of fighting his opponent seriously. His objective was just...
"Click!"
Handcuff his opponent's wrist!