Zebruth was now 65 years old, having sailed the seas for 50 years. He had experienced countless battles, becoming an unrivaled ruler of the seas!
Three Marine Admirals?
Even the strongest, Moka, would have to give way to him in a one-on-one fight!
The last Marine Admiral to pose a threat to him was the shorty, Ohka, before he became Fleet Admiral, thirty years ago.
As for the newly appointed Admiral Raul?
He’s still too green!
But today’s battle with Figo, a much younger opponent, gave Zebruth a rare sense of danger he hadn’t felt in years!
The disparity in manpower and the unfavorable terrain forced him to defeat Figo as quickly as possible. However, despite using most of his techniques, Figo remained tenacious, only lightly injured.
The island had already split into four smaller islands, making it even harder to sustain their battle for long. If the fight continued conventionally, Zebruth knew he wouldn’t be able to defeat or kill Figo before they ran out of solid ground to stand on.
He needed a breakthrough.
Luckily, his vice-captain, Tonytoa, was a clever fatty. Suddenly, a whirring sound came from the side—a round shield flying like a frisbee, heading straight for Zebruth!
Figo’s Observation Haki had already detected it. He leaped across the newly formed sea trench, carrying a formidable momentum, and punched the spinning shield.
Zebruth sidestepped, using his body to block Figo’s attack.
With a dull thud, Figo’s fingers pierced into Zebruth’ flesh, blood splattering. Zebruth staggered, his right leg digging a deep trench into the ground to absorb the impact, while his other hand firmly caught the incoming shield.
He then spun around, wielding the shield to strike Figo. The shield was instantly enveloped in flowing Armament Haki, with small red sparks forming in front of it!
Crack!!
Figo braced his elbows, once again clashing with an attack imbued with Conqueror’s Haki, causing a thunderous roar in the sky! The ground beneath them crumbled, sliding into the trench. Zebruth tried to retreat, but Figo stabilized himself, grabbed the shield’s edge, and pulled back, engaging in a tug-of-war.
Either give me the shield!
Or come take a bath with me!
As they wrestled, the ground beneath them crumbled faster. Suddenly, a chubby foot emerged from the center of the shield, kicking Figo in the chest and sending him into the water!
Figo resurfaced, spitting out a couple of bubbles, and saw Zebruth retreating inland, still holding the shield.
“That really hurt, boss. This guy’s strength is incredible. Sorry, I’m not good at attacking, not a match for the Blind Witch,” Tonytoa’s voice came from the shield.
“No, you did well. You can’t lose!” Zebruth praised.
With the island destined to be destroyed by their battle, a Devil Fruit user like Zebruth, unable to fly, would soon find himself at a disadvantage. But with his vice-captain in hand, it was a different story!
He also needed a suitable weapon.
The Hell Pirates’ two vice-captains, Hell Spear and Hell Shield, were originally Zebruth’ equipment! Zebruth’ strongest battle state was with Tony, the Shield Shield Fruit user, in one hand and Jackson, the Cut Cut Fruit user, in the other!
Using both vice-captains, he could unleash his full power.
Unfortunately, Jackson had been defeated by Figo at the start and was likely in Marine custody now, leaving him with only a shield.
But it was better than nothing.
With one hand wrapped in purple flames and the other wielding the massive shield, Zebruth appeared even more imposing, his Conqueror’s Haki seeming to grow slightly.
Figo observed from the shore. A Shield Shield Fruit user wasn’t a big deal; judging by the power of that kick, it would take five minutes for him to inflict any real damage on Figo if he just stood there.
The problem was that Figo had just adapted to Zebruth’ attack patterns, which would now change again with the shield.
Behind him, the winged Blind Witch flew over, saying, “Sorry, I couldn’t stop him.”
“No worries, just support me,” Figo nodded, stepping forward.
He didn’t attack Zebruth directly. When he was about a hundred meters away, he suddenly smiled, lifted his right foot, and stomped the ground!
Attacking the island!
A loud rumble erupted, deep cracks spreading out. Zebruth had never seen such a shameless opponent. With a furious expression, he charged at Figo, the shield crashing through the air!
Figo had been preparing, his fists pounding.
Boom! The ground shattered, the sky seeming to tear open in response!
Figo’s legs dug into the earth, but the shield pushed him back. Suddenly, he heard the Blind Witch’s voice behind him: “Left bottom gap!”
Reacting instantly, Figo twisted, his large frame becoming thin like paper. Using the Paper Art technique from the Six Powers, he slipped past the shield’s left bottom gap!
Just in time, Zebruth’ right fist, wrapped in purple flames, smashed down. A purple crescent moon scorched the spot where Figo had been, turning it into a molten crater, but Figo had dodged it!
From the side, Figo seized the opportunity, delivering a powerful whip kick to Zebruth!
Blood sprayed from the dog’s mouth as Zebruth was sent flying, rolling to his feet, glaring at the Blind Witch in the sky before charging at Figo again, shield in hand, each step leaving deep imprints in the ground, raising clouds of dust!
“Upper left!”
“Middle right!”
“Down!”
The brief, urgent reminders came from the Blind Witch, causing Zebruth to switch attacks, unable to land a proper strike continuously.
Figo, following the Witch’s guidance, twisted his body, seeking gaps.
The two kept a ten-meter distance, their attacks missing by less than half a second, moving like they were performing a mechanical dance.
The dance continued until the Witch suddenly stopped calling out, unleashing a slash at Zebruth.
Dancing Zebruth ducked, his hair singed. Figo seized the moment, delivering a front kick to Zebruth’ knee, sending Zebruth flying with his shield again!
Figo looked up at the Blind Witch, chuckling, “Keep it up!”
Zebruth, you have equipment, and now so do I. But there’s a difference in quality.
Your fat shield…
Can’t match my foresight gem!
Figo sounded the horn of counterattack!
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