A vast crowd of over a thousand quickly encircled the courtyard, leaving no gaps. To Capone Bege, who observed from a distance, the sight resembled a swarm of ants.
“These people are the elite of the Happo Navy. They are not as easy to deal with as Buffett’s mafia underlings. Let me see how you tore through my defenses so quickly!”
Pepper frowned and parted his lips slightly, wanting to say something but holding back.
Though he hated to admit it, he knew deep down that he was no match for this man. Fighting without looking into his eyes would be extremely risky. Refusing Fang’s help at this moment would be more suicidal than stubborn.
Pepper took a deep breath, unleashing the latent power within him. The naginata he wielded was coated in a pitch-black sheen, reflecting the sunlight like polished iron.
“Armament, Haki?” Rougishu commented coldly. Though it was surprising his opponent possessed Armament Haki, it wasn’t enough to concern him. If Pepper had Observation Haki, the battle might have been more interesting. But Armament Haki? It would be powerful only if it could hit him. As for defence, if Pepper thought his shallow Armament Haki could block the Seven Star Sword, he would soon taste Fang’s pain.
“You know about Armament Haki? Unlike those ignorant people in Paradise,” Pepper said, swinging his naginata down with a fierce gust of wind.
Rougishu raised his sword, holding it horizontally before him, effortlessly blocking the heavy blow. Despite Pepper’s increased strength, Rougishu stood as unyielding as a rock.
With the naginata and the demon sword forming a cross in mid-air, Pepper abandoned the idea of overpowering Rougishu with brute force. His right leg shot out like a compass leg, sweeping horizontally.
“Spiral Spike, Armed Foot!”
His right foot, wrapped in a black metallic sheen, cut through the air, creating ripples—the shockwave that the Happo Navy’s technique generated.
Seemingly foreseeing his opponent’s move, Rougishu leapt into the air just as Pepper raised his right leg. Reversing his grip, he slashed down with tremendous force on the naginata’s blade.
Already unsteady on one leg, Pepper couldn’t withstand the blow and sank into the ground like a nail.
Rougishu descended, his sword aimed at Pepper’s brow, seemingly about to split him from above.
With no time to free his lower half, Pepper braced himself, his arms bulging with veins as he drove the naginata upwards with immense strength.
The ghostly green sword tip and the black blade clashed violently, sounding like thunder exploding nearby, rupturing eardrums and causing blood to ooze from the five senses of the nearby pirates.
Following this, the residual force repelled Rougishu, while Pepper was driven entirely into the ground, triggering an explosion.
Boom!
The ground shattered, dust and debris filled the air, and shrapnel flew.
The shrapnel, as fast as bullets, severely injured the surrounding pirates before they could organise an effective counterattack.
“Quickly retreat from the central combat area and engage from a distance!”
Countless bullets rained down, forcing Rougishu, who was about to follow up, to reconsider.
Under the perception of Observation Haki, ordinary gunfire couldn’t touch him. But with such dense firepower, even if he could sense all the bullets’ trajectories, there wouldn’t be enough room to evade.
“Too many ants can be annoying. I should clear the area first.”
Rougishu’s cold voice dropped, and he instantly appeared among the pirates. His red slashes, capable of cutting through steel, turned the surrounding area into a slaughterhouse within breaths.
“Damn it, he’s too fast. Without the chief holding him down, we can’t aim at him!”
“Let me pull the grenade pin and take him down with me!”
“Don’t be afraid; we have thousands of men. We can exhaust him to death!”
In the chaotic battlefield, no one noticed that the blood flowing on the ground converged toward Rougishu, like a whirlpool absorbing the blood into his body. The eerie patterns on the Seven Star Sword began to emit a crimson mist.
Under the crimson mist, the pirates’ latent rage and brutality were magnified.
“Why are you looking down on me with your nose? Are you belittling me? Watch me kill you!”
“How dare you be captain? Is it because you sell your ass?”
“Don’t kill me, don’t come near… Ah! I said don’t come near, but you did! Watch me stab you to death, stab you, stab you!”
All the pirates raised their weapons against those around them, their faces twisted in cruel smiles and distorted fear. Hell opened its gates here.
“What’s happening? How did this happen?” Emerging from the ruins, Pepper couldn’t believe his eyes. In just a few seconds, the outside world had changed drastically. “Rougishu, what did you do to them?”
“Doing it myself is too troublesome.” Seemingly pleased by the blood, Rougishu calmly explained.
Of course, to Pepper, this explanation only fueled his rage.
“Bastard, stop it!” Pepper channelled the power of the Happo Navy’s technique and Armament Haki into his right fist, creating ripples in the surrounding space. “Happo Navy Secret Technique, Spike Dragon, Drill Spike!”
“This looks interesting. Crimson Crescent.” Rougishu raised the Seven Star Sword, pointing it at Pepper. The blood mist on the sword condensed into a blood-coloured coat on the blade, exuding an eerie, chilling aura.
Pepper’s black, metallic right fist collided with the blood-mist-enshrouded green flame sword.
The explosive force transmitted through the sword and fist into their bodies and the ground.
The already cracked earth completely collapsed, evaporating much of the area. Suddenly, several meters lower, the ground became as hard as iron due to the immense pressure.
The resulting airwaves swept the surroundings like a hurricane, lifting scattered dirt into the air and raining down muddy rain.
Their standoff didn’t last long. Pepper, unable to sustain his strength, was flung away, bouncing off the ground like a ball.
He crashed down with a thud, raising a cloud of dust.
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