Longinus’s words brought a deathly silence to the hall.
The nobles of the four kingdoms were all deeply shaken. To firmly believe that one will never fail, so much so that fear never arises in one’s heart, what an incredible conviction!
Commander Adekin and the other Navy members were also deeply moved. Believing that justice will never fail—was this the reason for Major Longinus’s strength?
Cobra, who had been in a daze, was also swept away from his gloom by Longinus’s words. “Was it because I was too weak in the past that I couldn’t stop the wrong outcome despite knowing it? Was it because I always envied Major Longinus’s strength but never thought about the source of that strength, and so I could only endure failure helplessly?”
“Cobra, since you yearn for the strength of Major Longinus, wipe away your tears and stand up. From now on, fight without fear like Major Longinus!”
Felix was taken aback and then burst into wild laughter. “Ha ha ha! You Navy brat are truly arrogant and ignorant. There’s no such thing as someone who will never fail. Since you believe you’ll always win, let me shatter your foolish illusion!”
Felix grasped, and a giant scythe exuding a dark aura materialized in his hand. “Anyway, the strongest in your Navy is now just a cripple. Even if you can ignore my ability, what use is it for a mere major to stand up? If you don’t know what fear is, I’ll teach you what it means to be afraid!”
“Scream, wail, and then die in fear!” Felix swung his enormous scythe, shouting madly.
As if influenced by that violent aura, Rougishuneither dodged nor avoided it, allowing the giant scythe, three times a person’s height, to land on him.
Boom!
The intricately patterned marble floor cracked like a spiderweb, spreading throughout the hall with roars.
Amid the rising dust, screams from the nobles of the four kingdoms and the pirates’ rampant jeers rang out. Felix’s smile beneath his mask froze. He could sense an immovable force stopping his scythe, immobilizing it completely, making it impossible to pull the weapon back.
As the dust settled, the screams and jeers abruptly ceased. The scene before them was entirely different from what they had imagined.
Rougishustood, one hand raised above his head, holding the sharp giant scythe as if an ant was engaged in a tug-of-war with an elephant. But none of the pirates were laughing, for they could see their captain’s face turning red as he struggled to pull back the weapon, yet the scythe that had claimed countless pirate heads remained motionless.
“As you said to Commander Adekin before, when a Devil Fruit user’s ability is countered, how much of their strength can they still exert?” Rougishustood is tall, his posture like a benchmark, speaking indifferently.
“How is this possible? The Reaper’s Scythe is imbued with the fears of many. Even giants couldn’t catch it so lightly. How can you, a mere major in the Navy, do this? Who are you?” Felix struggled to suppress the fear rising in his heart. Even if his ability was countered, such a powerful attack shouldn’t be caught by a mere Navy major.
Behind Longinus, Commander Adekin looked at Felix with a strange expression, “Now I’m starting to believe you really were just in the right place at the right time. If you had analyzed our intel, you’d know the strongest among us isn’t me.”
“What? You mean…” Felix looked at Longinus, who was holding the scythe, in disbelief.
Commander Adekin mockingly said, “Felix, you’re an experienced pirate. Don’t you know the highest bounty doesn’t always mean… Cough cough, I misspoke. The highest rank doesn’t always mean the strongest.”
Felix almost spat out blood in anger, feeling rage and disbelief. He looked at the pile of flesh that was once the King of Alabasta on the floor and cursed through gritted teeth, “That old bastard lied to me!”
“You can’t blame the King of Alabasta. He doesn’t understand these things. He just assumed I was the strongest, just like you did,” Adekin said helplessly.
Before Felix could say anything, Rougishuflicked the tip of the scythe upward, sending Felix flying into the air. Rougishuappeared before him in a flash, his right leg raised high like a battle axe.
Felix, though panicked, reacted instinctively, transforming the fear-induced scythe into armor around him.
However, the fear in the hearts of those present had waned, and the black armor appeared dull, more like a layer of black mist. It couldn’t withstand Longinus’s thunderous strike. Felix was embedded into the ground, the violent impact causing the pillars of the palace to crack, sending the people inside fleeing in panic.
Boom!
In just a few breaths, the opulent palace completely collapsed, leaving no trace of its former grandeur among the ruins.
But no one cared about the insignificant details. All eyes were on the chaotic ruins, some filled with hope, others with fear.
Standing amidst the debris, Rougishuused his Haki to cover the area, fully aware of Felix’s every move.
Suddenly, the ruins exploded, and a tattered shadow shot towards Longinus. But as if expecting this, Longinus’s leg swept out like a whip, sending Felix flying several times before crashing to the ground.
“What incredible vigilance! To counter my attack and retaliate so swiftly!” To everyone’s surprise, Felix stood up from Longinus’s repeated blows, brushing himself off as if nothing had happened.
Rougishushowed no interest in explaining Haki to him, merely observing with curiosity, “Though your combat skills remain as weak as before, your physical strength has increased several folds.”
“Hmph! You talk big for a brat!” Felix grunted, not bothering to argue. His combat skills indeed fell short of Longinus’s.
“Why does he seem stronger even though our fear has lessened?” Commander Adekin frowned. Pirates with near billion-bounty in the first half of the Grand Line were genuinely troublesome.
“Don’t think you’ve found a way to counter my power just because you have no fear. You’ll never comprehend the true strength of a Devil Fruit user!” Felix removed his shattered mask, revealing a face pale from lack of sunlight, mixed with fear and madness. “The more fear, the stronger I become. If you no longer fear me, then I will fear you!”
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