"Bang... Rumble!"
This was the most chaotic tempest Kōjin had ever seen.
It was as if a god stood on the clouds pouring seawater back into the sea, and it felt as if the Milky Way were falling from the heavens in a torrential cascade. A howling gale swept above their heads, and the battleship beneath their feet could only drift helplessly amid the raging waves.
Even more terrifying was the fact that the storm was still growing stronger.
"Hurry, hurry! Get the water out!"
"Don't let the rain flood the battleship!"
"The storm is too fierce, this damn sea is truly temperamental!"
Shouts rang endlessly in his ears, and Kōjin quickly joined in.
Rain hammered down on him like pebbles, stinging his back and forehead. When he looked up at the sea, he saw bubbles rising everywhere and the sea surface churning violently.
It felt like a massive tsunami was brewing.
"Kōjin, head to the stern!"
Kuzan was already drenched from head to toe. Holding a wooden bucket, he shouted through the storm.
"Bang... Rumble!"
Thunder boomed. Lightning flashed across their faces, turning them from light to dark in quick succession. Kōjin nodded and stepped across the flooded deck, instantly vanishing from where he stood.
When he arrived at the stern, he saw that Sakazuki was there as well.
"Hmph, Kōjin."
Sakazuki glanced up at him, snorted coldly, and continued scooping water with a wooden bucket and dumping it overboard with quick, sharp motions.
Kōjin spared him a glance. The man had a blade at his waist and an icy expression on his face. Without another word, Kōjin bent down and began filling his own bucket.
Gradually, both of their hands began to move faster and faster.
Suddenly, they both raised their heads at the same time. Their gazes met, and sparks seemed to fly between them.
An invisible competition had begun.
Sakazuki's hands moved with incredible speed. The pool of water at his feet visibly shrank as he scooped it up so quickly that his arms became mere afterimages.
Kōjin growled, determined not to lose.
Finally, when the water on the deck had nearly reached the minimum level, he collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily.
Sakazuki was also exhausted, but he forced himself to stand. He crossed his wrists in front of his chest and looked down at the younger boy with clear disdain, as if to say, "Is that all you've got?"
"Childish competition," Kōjin muttered after a moment, rising to his feet.
Sakazuki's face twitched when he heard that. He wanted to retort, but Kōjin had already turned and walked away. The Tempest continued to rage. The unimaginable gale and downpour created endless trouble for the crew.
Visibility was almost zero, and the direction of their voyage had become uncertain. Looking around from the ship, they couldn't find any reference points.
They had completely lost track of Roger's crew.
"Bogard! Before they disappeared, was Roger's group heading this direction?" Garp shouted through the storm.
"Yes," Bogard replied, wiping rain from his face.
"This damn Tempest!" Garp cursed loudly.
Then he turned and yelled at Kōjin, who was staring blankly ahead.
"Brat! What the hell are you spacing out for?!"
Kōjin didn't answer. Instead, he pointed straight ahead, where more than a dozen pirate ships had suddenly appeared, swaying crookedly in the curtain of rain.
Garp froze for a second, then his expression changed, and he suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha! Looks like this tempest completely scattered Shiki's fleet!"
The rain was too heavy. Visibility was terrible so by the time both sides noticed each other, their ships were already at the point of collision. One of the closest pirate ships was seconds away from ramming into them.
"Attention, all hands!" Garp roared with thunder-like force.
For a moment, even the storm seemed to pause. Everyone on the ship stood rigidly at attention.
"Clear the obstacles in front of us!"
"A bunch of small fry dare to block my way?!"
Garp bellowed.
"Yes, sir!"
Kuzan, Sakazuki, Bogard, and the others shouted in unison.
"Bang... Rumble!"
Thunder roared across the sky. Lightning suddenly flashed, briefly clearing their vision through the downpour.
"It's the Marines!"
"Kill them!"
"Wait... who's that guy standing at the bow?"
"Vice Admiral... Garp!!!"
The pirates on the dozen ships likewise saw the people on the battleship, especially the man standing at the bow with short black hair, cold eyes, and a powerful, imposing build.
Their already panicked expressions instantly shifted to visible terror.
They hadn't even fought yet but merely recognizing the man was enough to plunge their hearts into chaos. Fear seeped into their very souls.
"Kill!"
Without wasting a breath, Sakazuki leapt forward. Drawing the long blade at his waist, he rushed onto the nearest pirate ship.
Kuzan and Bogard moved at the same time.
Kōjin's figure flickered, his feet tapped rapidly in midair and, in the blink of an eye, he soared past Sakazuki and the others, heading toward an even farther pirate ship.
Looking down, Kōjin saw Sakazuki wielding his longblade with astonishing ferocity. In mere seconds, he had cut down more than a dozen pirates. His killing intent was fierce and sharp.
His swordsmanship was clean and decisive, making it an overwhelming force against the Pirates.
Bogard swung his longblade. A flying slash shot out, cutting through the mast and nearly half the ship. Screams echoed across the storm.
Kuzan repeatedly flashed into the midst of the pirates, his fists smashing out with tremendous force.
Back in those days, he fought primarily with his fists because he admired Vice-Admiral Garp. Naturally, he still carried a military sword at his waist.
Within a few breaths, Kōjin landed on another pirate ship.
"Kill him!"
"We have no choice. Whether it's Garp's forces or not, we have to fight!"
"Kill him, then escape!"
From their shrinking pupils and trembling bodies, Kōjin could sense the pirates' terror.
Almost instantly, a figure lunged toward him, gripping a blade with both hands, and executed a fierce downward slash.
The speed was outrageously fast!
...and a unique aura lingered on the blade...
—.
"Busoshoku (Armament) Haki?!"
Kōjin's eyes narrowed, but he didn't have time to react.
This man was undoubtedly an elite among these pirates, not to mention being battle-hardened. The angle and force of his downward strike were executed with deadly precision, sealing off every possible escape route.
Kōjin had neither Observation Haki nor fully sharpened combat instincts.
The longblade fell from above with an unbelievably fast speed, splitting him cleanly from head to hip.
His pupils shrank violently, filled with terror and searing pain.
This was almost his worst death yet, being cut cleanly in half with a single strike.
But the next second, his eyes turned cold. The blade mysteriously expelled from his body, clattering onto the deck beside him.
"Ka Cha!"
The slash continued forward, slicing straight through the ship's bow and splitting it in two.
"Shigen (Finger Gun)!"
Kōjin's gaze was icy as he muttered. He pressed his index and middle fingers together and shot them forward like a spear.
"Pū!"
The swordsman's eyes bulge as his brow is pierced clean through. The force of the strike blasted out the back of his skull, embedding itself into the mast behind him with a dull thunk and leaving a hole.
In his final moment, his face was frozen in utter confusion.
He couldn't understand.
His long blade had clearly cut the boy in half.
"Hu—"
Kōjin slowly exhaled. Surrounded by pirates with tense, trembling faces, his expression grew solemn.
Pirates of the New World were no amateurs.
This was, without a doubt, a true challenge.
But he would not die.
Naturally, he would not lose.
(End of Chapter)
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