“Calm down! You must stay calm!” Buffett found a sliver of his old self in this life-or-death moment, and his brain began to operate at full speed.
“This gate is made of the latest alloy; it can’t be destroyed quickly. That means escape isn’t an option. I have to fight him head-on?”
“But I haven’t had a serious fight in nearly ten years, and this guy in front of me is obviously forged from the fires of battle. If I go all out… I can’t possibly be his match!”
“But I don’t have to go all out. I just need to stall for a bit. As long as I wait for the leader Flower Pepper to come and support me, it won’t be clear who will win or lose.”
With this thought, Buffett took a deep breath, smiling as he turned around, “Haha! You must be the Red Swordsman, Rougishu? I am the master here, Benjamin Buffett. Welcome to the mafia’s paradise!”
However, Rougishu continued to advance without a word.
“Perhaps… there’s some misunderstanding between us. As long as we clear things up, I’m sure we can still become friends.”
Seeing Rougishu remain unresponsive, Buffett began to panic and asked urgently, “Is there really no room for negotiation? I, after all, have a bounty of 120 million berries. If we fight to the death, it won’t end well for anyone!” Buffett threatened, though inwardly he felt terrified, his steps inching towards the side.
On the side wall hung his three-headed flail, once a symbol of his strength, but it had gathered dust and rust over time.
“I’m giving you a chance; take up your weapon.” Rougishu’s cold voice finally emerged from behind the deathly silent mask.
Buffett froze, surprised that his intentions had been seen through and that Rougishu did not plan to attack him while he was unarmed. Was this some sort of outdated chivalry, or did Rougishu simply not take him seriously?
“Hey hey! This kind of dismissive attitude really gets on my nerves. I hope you don’t regret this choice later. My name as the Skull Crusher, Buffett, is…”
Buffett wanted to continue his trash talk, but seeing Rougishu continue forward, he dared not delay and quickly took up his weapon in a single bound.
It was a two-meter-long iron rod with three spiked iron balls attached by chains at the end. The sharp spikes glinted menacingly in the sunlight, a unique weapon combining three flails into one iron rod.
With the weapon in hand, Buffett seemed to regain his confidence. He lifted the flail high over his head, spinning it rapidly, the sound of it breaking the air like a thunderous boom.
If it struck a person, it would instantly turn them into a pulp.
“I’ve crushed countless enemies’ skulls with this. Rougishu, you’re not the first, and you won’t be the last!”
Rougishu walked silently, his right palm dropping an ancient sword. Green flames licked along the blade, exuding a chilling and fierce aura, transforming him from a wandering spectre into a reaper.
“How can your sword emerge from your body? What kind of dark, evil flames are these? Are you human, ghost, or monster?” Buffett felt terror clawing at him. The sight before him was beyond his understanding.
The oldest and strongest emotion is fear, and the most vital kind of fear is fear of the unknown.
In this situation, beyond his understanding, Buffett backed away until he felt the cold steel bars behind him.
There was nowhere to run!
Fear turned into sheer rage. Buffett swung his flail wildly, roaring, “You damn monster, get back to where you belong!”
In the world of pirates, overwhelming force can crush everything.
Like Edward Weevil, who, despite being a brute, was considered one of the Shichibukai because he had the same strength as Whitebeard in his youth.
Buffett’s strength didn’t match such a monster, but the information about him was partially correct. He possessed the terrifying power to topple a small mountain with a punch. Under his command, the three-headed flail slammed down, spiderweb-like cracks spreading in all directions.
With a single blow, he collapsed half of the grand hall.
However, even with this giant’s strength, when Rougishu stepped on the flail, Buffett’s face turned red with exertion, and he could not lift it.
“What a joke! I can’t lose in strength to a swordsman!” Buffett’s heart was utterly gripped by fear, and his pride in his strength was shattered.
Indeed, the greatest sworders must possess extreme power and speed.
Without strength, there is no attack. Without speed, there is no hit.
Even the physique aspect, where sworders seek the ultimate attack, typically leaves them vulnerable.
But relative to this, when Buffett realised Rougishu’s strength surpassed his own, he was utterly terrified. This guy had no weaknesses?
At that moment, Rougishu lifted his foot, and Buffett, unable to retract his power in time, fell forward. The flails flew back and hit him, causing him to scream in pain.
“Rougishu, what do you mean?” Buffett gritted his teeth, hearing the cold voice again.
“The game is over. I have no interest in continuing with you.”
“Game? You said this was a game?” Buffett’s anger and blood surged, seeing red. He roared, his muscles tightening like knotted old trees, an explosive strength surging within him.
“Look down on people all you want! Die!”
The rapidly spinning flail descended with a sound of wind and thunder.
Rougishu’s right hand with the sword lifted, with no fancy techniques, only extreme speed and strength.
The iron flail disintegrated into dust as if eroded by time, disappearing without a trace.
Buffett was sent flying by a tremendous force, and even the steel bars shattered instantly.
“If it were ten years ago, I wouldn’t be so pathetic…” Buffett lay on the ground, looking up at the ghostly mask.
“When you chose to retreat from the Grand Line, you were destined to be a failure!” Rougishu’s cold voice shattered his last hope.
“Ten years ago, my failure today was already decided?” Buffett murmured in despair.
“What a joke, a single blow made the underground ruler of Etty Kingdom, the former 120 million bounty pirate Skull Crusher Buffett, lose his will to fight!” Watching through binoculars from a distance, Capone Bege felt chills. Though he had ambitions of taking over, he was far weaker than Buffett. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have stayed so quiet for so long.
“If it were me, it would be even worse.” Capone Bege felt cold sweat soaking his back, realising his underlings couldn’t provide any sense of security. “No, this place is still too close. I must retreat to the other side of the island immediately.”
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