“Crack!”
“Crack-crack!”
As Michion crashed with immense force, their clash caused the ship to groan under pressure, emitting cracking sounds.
Read, who had been grinning savagely, felt the deck beneath him splintering and the force travelling up his “dog leg,” his expression changing.
Ignoring the surrounding pirates and the Marines about to board, both had eyes only for each other. In that instant of collision, both sensed the danger each posed.
“Finally, a worthy opponent. This will be a tough fight,” the thought flashed simultaneously through both their minds.
“Didn’t expect a kid like you to have such power. I underestimated you. Killing a genius like you might just make the Navy heartbroken,” Rad said, his dog tongue licking his lips, grinning wildly.
His unrestrained killing intent was palpable, like a beast showing its malice.
“You think you can?” Michion responded with an impassive face, showing no emotion.
Though his tone was disdainful, Michion was on high alert internally, gathering his strength, ready to unleash his full power to counter Rad’s imminent attack.
In these two years in the North Sea, Michion was no longer the greenhorn he once was. He had seen plenty of dirty tricks.
Trash talk from someone like Rad was nothing; Michion had faced a pirate who talked non-stop during a fight, rivalling even the most talkative monks from “Journey to the West.”
Unable to bear it, Michion had used “Shave” to smash the pirate’s face, enduring an attack with “Iron Body,” and then knocked out all his teeth with a punch, finally silencing him.
Rad’s blood-red eyes shone with malice, revealing his sharp teeth with a series of beastly growls, truly resembling a wild animal.
The standoff didn’t last long. The nearly two-meter-tall black dog crouched low, gathering strength, then instantly pounced at Michion’s neck.
Facing Rad’s pounce, Michion’s arm wrapped in a red aura swung out to intercept, redirecting Rad’s claw and smashing it into the deck.
“Crack! Crack!”
The wooden deck splintered under the force, sending shards flying exposing the dim space below.
“Woo-woo.”
Blocking the initial attack, Michion’s ears were met with a sharp whistling sound.
Having missed his initial strike, Rad twisted his body, his tail like a steel whip lashing towards Michion.
“Smack!”
Michion blocked twice, feeling a numbing sensation in his arm, his expression becoming serious.
This guy’s use of his animal form, combined with human intelligence, made him even more dangerous than ordinary beasts.
No wonder Yujimura had specifically warned him. Rad’s attacks were mostly mitigated by his Zoan-type fruit’s powerful regenerative abilities.
Momentarily distracted, Rad seized the chance to leap forward, standing upright like a werewolf, claws crossed, aiming for Michion’s heart, intending to tear it out.
“Repulsion Aura!”
Sensing the attack at the last moment, Michion compressed the air in front of him, blocking it, then exploded it, pushing Rad back.
“Kid, you’ve got some skill, but it ends here. Die!”
After landing from the air blast, Rad’s body coiled like a spring, launching himself at Michion.
“Bring it on!”
With Observation Haki, Michion’s senses heightened, and Rad’s movements appeared slow to him, allowing Michion to track his trajectory.
“Too slow.”
Stepping on the ground, Michion used “Shave,” his right hand forming a blade. As Rad pounced, Michion sidestepped slightly, letting the attack pass by.
One could see a thin, transparent air blade forming on Michion’s hands, tinged with blood, dripping onto the deck if observed closely.
Michion had already condensed the air blade on his hand in that instant of dodging.
Combined with Observation Haki, the sharp hand blade struck deep into Rad’s transformed black dog’s soft belly.
Michion then held the air blade in Rad’s path, letting his momentum cause the blade to slice deeply.
Immediately, a massive, gory wound appeared on the beast’s abdomen, blood spraying into the air.
Had this been two years ago, Michion, newly awakened to Observation Haki, would have been drenched in blood. Now, not a drop touched him.
Read, in his black dog form, disembowelled by Michion, lost control mid-air, crashing heavily onto the deck.
His innards spilt from the gruesome wound, making a pitiful sight.
“Damn…kid…” Rad tried to rise, but his injuries were too severe. His limbs trembled before he collapsed, breathing shallowly, then ceased altogether.
“Phew, that was a tough fight. I’m still not strong enough,” Michion said, taking a deep breath to calm his battle-fueled adrenaline.
The red ouroboros aura briefly flashed, now tinged increasingly with black.
“Hmm? Physical enhancement this time? Not bad,” Michion felt the improvement in his body, attributing it to the stronger opponent.
This was good news for Michion; the stronger the feedback, the greater his advantage. He gained more strength from defeating powerful foes, eventually snowballing his advantage.
However, considering Rad’s exhibited strength, Michion reminded himself he was still far from the top and couldn’t afford to slack off.
The battle, though brief, would have been arduous without Observation Haki.
As Michion pondered after killing Rad, the pirates, seeing the hopeless situation, fled, but with Vice Admiral Ark overseeing, those jumping into the sea didn’t get far.
“How was it? Quite strong, right?” Yujimura asked, approaching Michion, who was lost in thought.
“Very strong, especially in physical combat, stronger than me. And this is just a random pirate in the Grand Line…” Michion said, recalling the clashes where he was suppressed, feeling uneasy.
This was just a drop in the ocean of the Grand Line, insignificant in the grand scheme.
The vastness of the sea and the strength of its warriors became even more apparent to Michion.
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