Both Marine Vice Admirals were masters of close combat.
Gilman's physical abilities were massively amplified by his Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit, while Nickt used sonic explosions to propel himself, achieving astonishing burst speed and destructive force.
Yet even so, when facing Marshall D. Teach, the gap between them remained overwhelming.
They were far stronger than ordinary veteran Vice Admirals, but Teach's strength was comprehensive. When two combatants were close in power, a battle could appear evenly matched. But once the difference widened across every aspect, strength, speed, endurance, perception, and technique, the fight inevitably became one-sided.
Gilman's strength and speed, enhanced by his Devil Fruit, were still formidable. With Nickt supporting him, their cooperation was seamless. Though they were not communicating telepathically, years of combat experience allowed them to move in near-perfect sync.
Their mistake was underestimating Teach's explosive speed.
Teach's movements were indeed captured by their Observation Haki. At this level, pure speed alone could not fully escape perception unless aided by special abilities.
But perception was one thing. Reaction was another.
Teach's body had reached true Admiral level. That meant strength, speed, explosive power, durability, and vitality, all pushed to monstrous extremes.
Only now had Teach's physique reached the terrifying level he had envisioned.
He no longer held back.
This world was about to witness his power.
Earlier battles had been deliberate training. Against Vice Admiral Brom of the Crush-Crush Fruit, skill had been unnecessary. Later, Teach chose direct, head-on combat to temper his physique and refine his Armament Haki.
But it had never meant he lacked finesse.
Teach possessed top-tier Observation Haki.
The two Admiral Candidates reacted instantly the moment they sensed his movement, unleashing their strongest attacks in perfect coordination.
Teach slipped between them.
Guided by Observation Haki, he passed through the narrow gap, evading both attacks with frightening precision.
This was true combat.
Some gaps were not measured in inches or seconds, but in entire realms of power.
Teach's sudden burst sent both Marine Vice Admirals flying with a single kick and punch, the shockwaves tearing through the air.
Across the seas, countless viewers felt their pupils shrink.
Through the broadcast, Teach's speed was nearly invisible. Without Observation Haki, it was impossible to follow. Even many strong figures could only estimate his movement through experience.
Compared to Redyat, Teach's physique was slightly inferior. Redyat possessed a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit and the monstrous bloodline of Patrick Redfield. But Teach's body was still terrifying, supported by natural vitality, overwhelming strength, and years of brutal training.
More importantly, the true powerhouses noticed Teach's Haki.
His Armament Haki had reached the level of internal destruction.
Whether there existed a realm beyond that was unknown, but within the Grand Line's understanding of Armament Haki, this was its pinnacle.
In the New World, Teach spent two full years mastering basic hardening and touching upon Ryuo. It was during his battle with Douglas Bullet that he truly grasped it.
Flowing Haki formed an invisible armor, vastly superior in offense and defense, capable of striking without contact.
Internal destruction was another tier entirely.
It required condensing Haki to a single point, bypassing external defenses to devastate internal organs directly. This demanded extraordinary quality and quantity of Haki, something only accumulated through time.
Teach had struggled with it for more than two years.
Six months ago, on Beast Island, he finally broke through.
Even now, the comparison was absurd. Monkey D. Luffy would later leap straight to this level in an impossibly short time. Even Garp once flattened seven mountains just to temper his Haki.
Teach's accumulation, however, was terrifying.
The two Vice Admirals crashed heavily into the ground.
Teach never believed a single exchange could defeat them.
And he was right.
In the past year, his growth had been explosive, not limited to physique or Haki alone.
Once a certain level was reached, many things followed naturally.
Under countless gazes, Teach spread his arms.
His hands rapidly transformed into demonic claws. Dark purple Armament Haki wrapped around them, intertwined with swirling black mist from the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Until now, he had not used it at all.
Gilman and Nickt stabilized themselves and rose quickly, brushing dust from their bodies as they stared at Teach with grim expressions.
They were injured.
Nickt was in better condition. His Haki had mitigated part of the damage, but Teach's Haki had pierced straight through, wreaking havoc inside his body. That punch nearly displaced his internal organs.
He coughed up blood, one hand pressed to his abdomen.
Gilman was worse.
Teach's kick had struck his head directly. The destructive Haki disrupted his nervous system, causing him to momentarily lose consciousness and control.
Even now, pain tore through his skull.
His neck had nearly snapped. If not for the Ancient Zoan's vitality and the flexible structure of the Titan Python, that kick would have killed him outright.
Now, Teach was far more dangerous.
The enhancement of his Haki elevated every strike to a new level of lethality.
Only by experiencing his attacks firsthand could one understand how terrifying he had become.
Teach's claws were his most lethal weapons.
Their strength surpassed any other part of his body.
He had tempered the bones of his hands with sword aura, pushing them to their absolute limit. It was extremely dangerous training. Any mistake could have crippled him.
He also used Haki to temper his body itself, similar to forging a Black Blade. Teach called this method "Haki Body."
The pain was unbearable.
At times, Teach even regretted eating the Dark-Dark Fruit so early.
A cruel smile crept onto his face.
"Are you ready to face hell?"
His claws gleamed. They were sharp enough to tear apart giant beasts with ease.
The moment he finished speaking, Teach vanished.
Silently, swiftly, he closed the distance.
Gilman and Nickt stood ready. They could sense Teach's presence, but not his exact position, which filled them with frustration.
Nickt struck first.
"Sonic Blast!"
He punched forward, unleashing a storm of vibration that swept through the forest. The ground ahead flattened for over a hundred meters, sinking several meters down into a massive crater.
Even Gilman was forced to cover his ears from the shock.
The power was terrifying.
Yet neither of them relaxed.
Teach's presence was still hidden.
They could not sense his aura at all.
It was as if he had vanished.
The next instant, both looked up.
Teach was already in the air above them, completely uninjured.
Their Observation Haki had failed.
Teach had sealed his own aura, fully internalizing it so not a trace leaked out.
From above, Teach raised his claws and slashed downward.
The air rippled faintly.
"Demonic Claws: Ten Blades!"
Ten razor-sharp slashes tore through the air, arranged in two crossing waves of five. They descended like a net, leaving no space to escape.
Each slash carried terrifying sharpness. They were not wide arcs, but thin, deadly lines, like threads of a spiderweb.
Gilman and Nickt had no time to dodge.
"Sonic Tremor!"
Nickt raised his arms, unleashing layered shockwaves upward. The slashes slowed, weakened, their momentum disrupted.
Gilman acted immediately.
His body expanded, and his massive tail, coated in Armament Haki, whipped upward.
"Poison Dragon Tail!"
The air twisted violently. Two opposing currents collided and surged toward the center.
Boom!
The ten slashes scattered apart.
Teach had never expected them to hit.
That was not their purpose.
The moment the attacks collided, Teach was already moving.
Between Nickt's shockwave and Gilman's counterattack, Teach's figure appeared directly behind Nickt.
The decisive strike was about to begin.