"Kid, your Haki is too weak!!!"
With just one clash, John could roughly gauge Nox's strength.
As John said, Nox's Haki had only just Awakened for a little over a month. No matter how fast he improved, it was still in the initial stage, completely incomparable to John's Haki which had reached an advanced level.
After forcing Nox back, John covered his sword with advanced Busoshoku Haki and slashed at Nox.
John's swordsmanship was just average, even inferior to Nox's, but his primary method of attack wasn't swordsmanship, but powerful Haki.
"Limitless · Breaking Army!!!"
Nox didn't dodge but charged forward, his Breaking Army sword meeting the challenge head-on, clashing forcefully with John's rapier.
"Boom!!!"
However, the moment they collided, Nox felt a powerful Haki force blast towards him.
His Breaking Army sword move was instantly shattered, and the immense power sent him flying back over a hundred meters. The strong impact caused pain throughout his body, and even the hand holding his sword trembled.
"So strong!"
After stabilizing himself, Nox looked at John with a solemn expression.
If Nox's current attack power was at the peak of a Marineford Vice Admiral, then that last blow surpassed a Vice Admiral, reaching the level of an Admiral candidate. The two were completely not on the same level.
This also made Nox realize that the strength of each combat executive officers of the Rocks Pirates was at least at the level of an Admiral candidate.
"Kid, in the New World, Haki reigns supreme over everything else. No matter how flashy your sword moves are, they can't hide the flaw of weak Haki!"
Seeing Nox's setback, John wasn't in a hurry to attack. Instead, like a Senior apprentice brother, he began to instruct him with interest.
He now understood that although the kid in front of him wasn't very strong at the moment...
He was too young, looking only sixteen or seventeen years old, yet he could already take a sword strike from him.
It was imaginable that in a few more years, he would definitely reach his stage and become a true executive officers of the Rocks Pirates.
So he had changed his mind and wanted to get closer to Nox. After all, the Rocks Pirates were currently divided into factions.
"That's not necessarily true. As long as swordsmanship is strong enough, it can also compensate for some of the shortcomings of weak Haki!"
Although Nox admitted his Haki was weak, he didn't admit his swordsmanship was poor. His sword could cut through everything in the World; it was his strongest attack!
"Limitless - Sky Breaking Sword Draw!"
In an instant, the sword energy around Nox became sharper and stronger. He sheathed his long sword and then drew it out in a flash.
The powerful sword energy merged into the slash. The hundred-meter-long slash broke through the air's constraints, and even the sky couldn't withstand the sharpness of the slash and was forcibly cut open.
Seeing that Nox could unleash such a powerful slash, John also put away his smile and became serious. With this level of attack, if he wasn't careful, he would also be injured.
"Clang!!!!"
However, even the powerful slash Nox unleashed with all his might was still cut into fragments by John's advanced Busoshoku Haki, scattering into the air.
"Kill!!!"
At this point, John no longer held back. He stepped into the air and charged towards Nox, his sword mercilessly slashing towards Nox's head.
And Nox knew he couldn't clash head-on with John. Under Kenbunshoku Haki, he sensed John's attack trajectory and used the faster Moonwalk to evade John's attack.
"Kid, you're quite fast. Can you be faster than me?"
Seeing Nox dodge his attack, John also fully stomped on the air with his feet, instantly accelerating his speed, and slashed at Nox again with his sword raised.
"That's not necessarily true!"
"Life Return · Strengthen Legs!!"
Instantly, Nox's legs thickened under the reinforcement of Life Return, and their strength increased by fifty percent.
"Chasing the Moon!!!"
After strengthening his legs, Nox unleashed his own more suitable and advanced aerial stepping technique, which he had developed from Moonwalk.
Under Chasing the Moon, Nox's speed in the air surged. The moment John charged, Nox had already dodged John's attack.
"Limitless · Fierce Dragon Breaking Army!"
Coordinating with the speed of Chasing the Moon, Nox suddenly burst forth with an attack, based on Breaking Army.
The powerful sword move he developed, combining extreme speed with extreme impact, made this sword strike an upgraded version of Breaking Army.
"Clang!!!!"
However, just as his sword was about to hit John, it was blocked again by John's rapier.
"Kid, how long can this burst state of yours last?"
John hadn't expected Nox's speed in the air to be faster than his own. This was simply incredible. He was John, after all, yet this kid could surpass his aerial speed.
Although he also had similar burst methods, he didn't plan to use them, as they had significant side effects and weren't long-lasting.
"Don't worry yourself!"
When John blocked his sword, Nox instantly retreated, distancing himself from John, not giving him a chance to counterattack.
If it had been a month ago, using Life Return to strengthen his legs indeed wouldn't have lasted long.
But in this past month, he had been training his Life Return precisely for this moment. It could be said that the duration he could maintain it for surpassed John's imagination.
Strengthening his legs would cause strong pressure and damage to his legs, but the Sword God Body Tempering Art was constantly repairing them.
It could be said that the backlash from the reinforcement was very low, and he could sustain it for a long time.
The aerial combat between John and Nox continued to erupt. Nox used his speed and powerful swordsmanship to engage with John.
As he fought with John, Nox could clearly feel his swordsmanship constantly improving.
While his Haki was constantly being shattered, it also became purer. The tempering efficiency of the fourth layer of the Sword God Body Tempering Art greatly increased, even faster than when he had his Senior apprentice brothers help him.
Combat is indeed the fastest shortcut to improving strength!
Nox grew stronger and more satisfied as he fought, but for John, it was very frustrating. He wasn't good at aerial combat to begin with, and in the air, he couldn't even unleash seventy percent of his strength.
Coupled with Nox's hit-and-run tactics, completely avoiding a head-on clash, he was fighting a very frustrating battle.
"How is that possible? That guy can actually fight with executive officers John to this extent."
The Pirates below who had previously fainted had now woken up, watching the battle between Nox and John in the air with shock.
Is this still a newcomer who just joined the Rocks Pirates? How is he fighting directly with an executive officers?
"Gyahahaha, this kid's swordsmanship is quite good."
Golden Lion Shiki praised, looking at the flashy sword moves in Nox's hand.
His swordsmanship style was completely different from Nox's. His swordsmanship was wild and concise.
Nox's swordsmanship, however, had a variety of styles, with endless sword moves. It was very complex but very practical and strong.