No matter who it was, as long as they were Marines standing in Nox's way, below the rank of Rear Admiral, it was just a matter of one sword strike. If it was a Rear Admiral, it would just take one more sword strike.
A powerful fighting force without restrictions can play a huge role on the battlefield, potentially even being the key to winning the entire war.
As Nox rampaged and slaughtered, he attracted the attention of Former Admiral Gikai.
He was responsible for guarding the Marine warships to prevent Pirates from destroying them and cutting off the Marines' retreat.
Likewise, he was also the Marines' fallback. If the battlefield situation spiraled out of control, Gikai would enter the fray to eliminate the uncontrolled factor.
And Nox was precisely the one who fell into Gikai's sight.
"Gikai, I heard your swordsmanship is very strong, that you're a Grand Swordmaster. Let me see if that's true!"
When Gikai rushed up to stop him, Nox wasn't surprised. If the Marines didn't have some trump cards, they would have probably lost long ago.
He felt a powerful Sword Intent from Gikai. This was a Grand Swordmaster!
Nox had obtained information about this person from Shakky. He was a former Marine Admiral, but had already retired for ten years. He didn't expect to be conscripted back by the Marines.
"Infinite: Half Moon Slash!"
A crescent-shaped Half Moon Slash attack blasted towards Gikai.
"Kid, you're still a bit too green to compete in swordsmanship with me!"
When Gikai saw Nox's hundred-meter Half Moon Slash charging at him, he likewise unleashed a hundred-meter slash with his Great Grade 21 O Wazamono, Konpira.
"Boom!!!"
Nox's Half Moon Slash was seen being shattered by Gikai's slash, and that slash continued to charge towards Nox.
"Clang!!!"
"Shatter for me!!!"
Nox held Fūsetsu covered in Busoshoku Haki, rushed forward, and shattered Gikai's slash.
"Hmm? Is this the slash of a Grand Swordmaster?"
"A slash of the same size is much more powerful than a Sword Master's slash, and the density of the slash is higher than a Sword Master's."
"Within the slash, there's also a powerful will reinforcing it, significantly raising the upper limit of the slash's power."
"That will should be Gikai's Sword Intent. Sword Intent is the path and threshold to becoming a Grand Swordmaster."
"I have now reached the peak of Sword Master, just short of comprehending Sword Intent. As long as I can comprehend my own unique Sword Intent, I can become a Grand Swordmaster!"
Nox had only just taken one slash from the Grand Swordmaster Gikai, but he saw many things from it. It must be said, his talent in the sword road was too strong.
"It's not that I'm green, but that you're old! Come and fight!!!"
After blocking that slash, Nox immediately used Soru to rush in front of Gikai.
"Infinite: Fierce Dragon Breaking Army Slash!!"
Countless sword qi behind him formed a sword qi fierce dragon. In an instant, the fierce dragon attacked. Even if there were thousands of troops and horses in front, the fierce dragon sword qi could break through the army and directly strike at the head of the enemy General.
"Hmph, you must be the Headhunting Swordsman who recently became an executive officers of the Rocks Pirates. Let me execute you, lest you cause harm in the future."
Gikai said seriously.
Then Konpira was also covered in Busoshoku Haki, blocking Nox's Fierce Dragon Slash, but his physical condition was not as strong as before. This slash forced him back over ten meters.
"If you have the ability, come!"
Seeing his move blocked again, Nox had no other thoughts and continued to attack Gikai with his sword.
Gikai's swordsmanship was very strong, much stronger than Nox's current skill, even though he had been retired for ten years.
But his swordsmanship hadn't regressed much. The reinforcement of Sword Intent made his sword techniques even more powerful.
Before joining the Rocks Pirates, Nox would absolutely not have been Gikai's opponent. But after joining the Rocks Pirates, Nox's strength advanced by leaps and bounds.
Even though his most powerful swordsmanship couldn't compare to Gikai's, his physique was much stronger than Gikai's. Relying on his strong physique, Nox often adopted a fighting style of trading injuries.
As long as it wasn't an attack on his vital points, Nox wouldn't bother to dodge Gikai's sword.
He would cover the area of his body Gikai attacked with Busoshoku Haki, let him cut, and then seize the opportunity for Nox's sword to cut Gikai.
Gikai was very old now, over seventy years old, and his physical condition had declined sharply. He absolutely dared not use his body and Haki to take Nox's sword head-on.
So every time Nox desperately tried to trade injuries with him, it was Gikai who was forced to retreat.
As the battle continued, Nox's fighting power, trained three months ago, burst forth. He continuously refined his sword techniques and fighting style in the battle against Gikai.
At the same time, he was absorbing Gikai's swordsmanship experience and combat experience as nourishment to promote his own progress.
It could be said that fighting Gikai, Nox was extremely crazy and excited.
Conversely, Gikai was very hesitant and cautious when fighting Nox. After all, Gikai himself was unwilling to put on his armor again, return to the Marine, and continue fighting Pirates.
But he couldn't resist Brac's persuasion and some implicit coercion, so Gikai could only reluctantly return to the Marine.
He originally thought this kid who had just joined the Rocks Pirates wasn't very strong, and that he could slack off on the battlefield and not have to deal with other powerful Pirates.
But unexpectedly, this kid was so crazy that he even chased and cut at him, a retired Marine Admiral.
And he became more and more excited with each cut, which truly left Gikai speechless. He just wanted to slack off, but he ended up poking a shark!
The powerful fighting forces within the Marine had been intercepted by Nox and others, while executive officerss like John, Wang Zhi, and Silver Axe were intercepted by various Vice Admirals.
But even with two or even three Vice Admirals facing one of the executive officerss, they couldn't contend with executive officerss like Wang Zhi.
Those Marine Vice Admirals were beaten back by Wang Zhi and others, only able to barely hold them off.
"Charge!!!"
"Kill the Marines!!!"
"Annihilate the Rocks Pirates!!!"
"Boom!!!"...
The high-level fighting forces were clashing on one battlefield, while the low-level fighting forces were clashing on another. Tens of thousands of Pirates and tens of thousands of Marines who had landed engaged in fierce slaughter.
On the battlefield, the sounds of gunfire, fighting, and screams were incessant, and the scene was exceptionally brutal.
Nox's subordinates were in the middle-to-rear of the Rocks Pirates and didn't rush to the very front, but even in the middle-to-rear, the pressure on Kano and others was immense.
Fortunately, Kano had eaten the Chop-Chop Fruit, and after a few days of development, he was already able to use it proficiently.
With his strength greatly increased, Kano was able to protect his Senior apprentice brothers on this chaotic and brutal battlefield.
The battle between the Rocks Pirates and the Marine lasted for a full day.
Originally, there were over twenty thousand Marines and Pirates combined, but now there were only about fifteen thousand left. Overall, the Pirates still held the upper hand, and the Marine was at a disadvantage.