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New World – G-1 Marine Branch, War Front.
Watching the overwhelming surge of lightning rise from the Holy Land, Vice Admiral Tsuru finally let out a deep breath.
"So… he's finally made it back?"
No matter what kind of controversial schemes Sakazuki (Akainu) and Rowen might be plotting, Tsuru knew one thing clearly, neither of them would ever allow the Holy Land to fall.
Such a defeat would benefit neither the sea, nor the people… and it would completely violate the justice both men believed in.
Tsuru couldn't say for certain what Rowen truly stood for, but she understood Akainu well enough. If this action truly violated justice, then Rowen would never have been the one sent in the first place.
Still…
"It's too reckless…"
Remembering the cold, determined look in Commander-in-Chief Kong's eyes before she departed earlier that day, the veteran Marine pressed a hand to her forehead with a deep frown.
Gū Lū… Gū Lū…
On a hospital balcony somewhere far away, Dr. Kureha tilted her head back and downed a bottle of strong liquor, a crooked smile on her wrinkled face.
"Heh heh heh… what an interesting brat."
"Compared to Rocks and Roger… he's got way more guts!"
She came to the same conclusion Tsuru had, then her expression softened, tinged with a wistful sigh.
"And far more strength, too…"
"Imu… I bet you're having a real headache right now, aren't you?"
Here, the word "strength" didn't just refer to power.
It referred to something deeper, something that couldn't be publicly discussed, but that every Allied Kingdom Member silently valued above all else.
In today's seas, the name "Soryu (Azure Dragon)" alone could quell an entire rebellion. Even if Rowen stormed a royal palace and dragged a king down from his throne, as long as Marine Headquarters declared they would not tolerate rebellion, even the most stubborn monarch would be forced to yield and submit.
To outsiders, Rowen was just the ruthless Marine who once schemed against the Yonko, slaughtering countless pirates, his name alone enough to make children cry at night.
But those with foresight could see the greater purpose behind his every move.
And Kureha, if nothing else, had lived long enough to see through many such things.
Setting aside Kureha's silent anticipation…
At that very moment, from within the blazing mushroom cloud of thunder and light, two massive silhouettes shot upward into the sky.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn't one figure, but two colossal bodies violently entangled in combat.
The Thunder Dragon Crescent Halberd had one major flaw: it was too short in reach. Once Rowen entered Thunderous Titan mode, the weapon became awkward and restrictive.
Fortunately, Kaido's specially-made spiked club had been destroyed earlier, and that was good news for Rowen.
Because now, he had far more opportunities to close the distance and fight Kaido hand-to-hand, dragging him onto equal footing, and from there, use his superior combat experience to suppress him.
As one of the rare Devil Fruit users who excelled equally in physical combat, Rowen's martial arts were no weaker than his mastery of the Goro Goro no Mi (Thunder-Thunder Fruit). Moreover, the abilities he developed from that fruit directly enhanced his physical prowess, and that was what made him truly terrifying.
BOOM!
A scale-covered fist slammed toward him like a meteor.
Rowen's eyelid twitched as he sensed the strange, condensed energy coating Kaido's punch, and instantly ducked down to evade.
PAA!!
The Soryu (Azure Dragon) Fruit allowed Kaido to manipulate the atmosphere itself. Though it looked like an ordinary punch, he had actually torn rifts into the air, leaving behind streaks of white in the void.
The terrifying shockwave poured from the sky onto the ground below, the hard red earth of the Holy Land collapsing in a massive section, as if struck by a divine hammer.
But no matter how powerful the attack, if it missed, it meant nothing.
THUD!!!
Rowen seized the opening. He pivoted and swung horizontally, his thunder-wreathed fist struck Kaido squarely in the lower ribs.
Even with Kaido's monstrous defense, pain twisted his face.
"Guh… cough!"
The ribs protected two of the body's most vital organs, the heart and lungs. That one punch landed perfectly. Kaido felt the air being violently forced out of his body, choking on the taste of iron as he spat a mouthful of bloody breath.
"Hrah!!"
Rowen didn't let up.
Having landed a solid blow, he spun on the spot, his left hand, wreathed in lightning, lashed out with another punch.
BZZZZT!!
The air shuddered violently. A circle of golden-orange energy wrapped around his fist, the blazing friction between air and speed forming a halo of light. If not for the protection of Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki), that glow would have ignited like a meteor's flame.
"Thunder God: Eight-Gate Cannon?!"
The sheer destructive power of the attack made Kaido feel as though a mountain were collapsing upon him.
Recalling the same devastating technique from their last battle, Kaido instantly realized, He could not let Rowen finish charging it!
The power of eight fully charged cannons, no one in the world today could walk away from that unscathed! Not even him!
Thinking fast, Kaido suddenly swung his arm, turning his palm into a blade and slashing toward Rowen's elbow.
He wasn't aiming to cut the arm off, only to reduce the force of the incoming strike as much as possible, then endure the rest head-on.
That was his key advantage when fighting Rowen: unless Rowen unleashed a massive ultimate move, he couldn't break through Kaido's scale armor.
In a word, drag it out!
Against different enemies, one needed different fighting strategies. Against a fierce powerhouse like Rowen, endurance was the key, he'd run out of strength eventually.
And that would be the moment to counterattack.
Crack…!!
Fist and palm clashed. Armament Haki burst out in sparks, and their terrifying Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) collided in the void, weaving through the air as streaks of violet-black lightning.
The attack was blocked; the remaining power merely made Kaido frown slightly. Yet that draconic figure from the East Blue, far from being weak, exuded murderous intent that shook the heavens.
But Rowen showed no frustration. Using his superior speed, his right fist followed immediately after.
"How laughable!"
With a cold snort, Kaido's slashing hand clenched into a fist and swept forward. His elbow, strengthened by both scale armor and Haki, swung like a sledgehammer, fist against elbow. If it connected, Rowen would not be walking away fine.
However, just then…
White lightning flashed across the air.
Xiū! Xiū! Xiū! Boom! Boom-boom!
A barrage of Meteor Guns rained down mercilessly from afar.
Kaido's eyes widened as his elbow, yes, a step too early, swung across his chest, making him so frustrated he almost coughed up blood.
Those Meteor Guns hadn't pierced his defense, they merely struck his elbow, accelerating the motion.
The problem was…
Rowen's punch hadn't even landed yet!
"Despi…"
Before the word "despicable" could leave his mouth, a Thunder God Fist the size of a boulder smashed into Kaido's jaw, forcing the rest of his protest back down his throat.
His head jerked back uncontrollably, but Kaido gritted his teeth, glaring downward, refusing to give Rowen even a moment's advantage.
Rowen's face was expressionless as he continued to throw punch after punch, like a silent killing machine driven purely by the instinct to strike.
"Hmph!"
Snorting heavily through his nostrils, Kaido advanced instead of retreating, driving his shoulder upward.
A textbook Tekkai Iron Mountain Charge, if there had been a mountain in front of him, Kaido's tackle would have shattered straight through it.
At the same time, the air around him condensed into a Tekkai, his body hardening like a steel wall.
Rowen had his lightning, Kaido had his own might!
BOOM!!!
A thunderous shockwave tore through the air. The two were blown apart upon impact, and sensing that continuing was futile, Rowen decisively halted his assault.
If Kaido shattered his finger bones in that exchange, the next opening would turn him into the one suffering instead.
In that round of exchanges, Rowen had gained only a slight advantage, but overall, they were evenly matched.
"Interesting!"
Flexing his fists and kicking lightly to loosen up, Rowen narrowed his eyes.
"To block my onslaught... you've indeed improved."
Last time, Kaido had been crushed by his assault, beaten so badly that he'd had to sever his own arm just to survive. But this time, the Hundred Beasts had calmed down and grown stronger, able to dismantle each attack one by one.
The difference was remarkable.
"The human heart... really is a fascinating thing."
As Rowen loosened his joints, Kaido quietly steadied his breathing. The Soryu (Azure Dragon)'s attacks weren't just destructive, they carried lingering electrical shards that invaded the body. Failing to guard against that meant certain defeat.
Locking eyes from across the field, Kaido suddenly grinned.
"Don't get it twisted."
"I just keep telling myself, don't back down!"
Because once you showed weakness, Rowen would only press harder. This was a man even more like a pirate than Kaido himself. Anyone who mistook him for a righteous man would pay dearly for that mistake.
"Is that so?"
Rowen didn't bother to comment. His eyes turned an icy blue, his expression indifferent.
"Then I'm afraid... that's not up to you."
Boom… KRA-KA!!
A deafening peal of thunder tore across the heavens. Kaido's eyelid twitched as he looked around.
"Lightning?"
There was disdain on his face.
Not arrogance, but confidence, aside from a few exceptional moves, Rowen's lightning attacks simply didn't faze him!
Yet Rowen seemed unaware of, or unconcerned with, that fact. Bolts of lightning erupted from the void, weaving together into a blinding, sky-covering net of thunder, flickering without pause.
Zenith Tempest — Prison of Bright Heavenly Thunder!
(End of Chapter)