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The distance was closing fast, maybe thirty meters now, and Zephyr's voice, deep and clear, carried right to them.
"This is coming way too fast!" Trens muttered, a nervous edge to his voice.
"Don't panic. He can't possibly know who we are, it's just a bad coincidence," Rojen said, trying to steady them. He could sense the Killing Energy Zephyr was giving off, and it wasn't the overwhelming, focused malice of a hunter. It felt more like he saw them as random, weak stragglers not even worth a second thought.
"That's a relief," all three sighed in near-perfect unison.
"Admiral Zephyr, we mean you no offense. Please, allow us to leave," Rojen called out.
Their plan was simple: avoid a high-tier pirate confrontation like this for now. They weren't ready.
"Since we've crossed paths, how could I let vile scum like you walk away?" Zephyr took a heavy, deliberate step forward, his face set in a cold, unforgiving mask.
"It seems... a fight is inevitable," Rojen's gaze hardened.
He never underestimated the power of an Admiral. This was a level of strength that could later stand against the Four Emperors, a terrifying powerhouse capable of dominating an entire battlefield single-handedly. More importantly, this wasn't a newly promoted Admiral. This was Zephyr, a seasoned legend at the peak of his combat life. He was the man who had trained Kizaru and Kuzan, the teacher who had molded countless Marine elites.
"Get ready. We'll test this Admiral-level strength. If we can't hold him, we retreat immediately!" Rojen whispered to his crewmates. He wasn't fool enough to seek a glorious defeat.
They could have already escaped; Rojen felt confident the four of them, moving together, would be too fast for even Zephyr to stop. But the Admiral had posed a question, and it was a good one: Why not fight? This was the perfect, low-stakes chance to truly measure their crew's current power against an Admiral of the Navy.
Yes, they had a combined bounty in the billions. They owed it to themselves to at least gauge the reality of this power. Having faced the equivalent of an Admiral before, Rojen felt no urge to be arrogant. In fact, knowing the opponent only made him take the situation more seriously.
"System, stay on standby for now. Only go full power when it's absolutely necessary," he murmured to himself. Everything was focused on the rescue plan, he needed to maximize their chances of saving the Lordling.
"This is genuinely exciting... fighting an Admiral this soon," Crocodile muttered, a grin spreading across his face.
"Charge!"
Rojen roared the command.
Whoosh!
The four of them moved as one. Four bursts of dust and air kicked up from where they'd been standing, and in the next blink, they had appeared at four different points, creating a perfect circle around Zephyr.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The air rippled with the energy of their movement. The four of them had split the second they started moving, and now they had him boxed in.
"You surprise me. All four of you have mastered the Rokushiki," Zephyr exclaimed, a flicker of genuine surprise in his expression. "Even if they're full of flaws in my eyes, it's enough to get my attention."
"Rankyaku!"
Trens swung his leg low, a faint blue energy wave slicing toward the Admiral's legs.
At the exact same moment, Rojen and Jason exploded into action.
"Shunpo!"
"Soru!"
In a flash, the two of them materialized right in front of Zephyr, fists coiled and a sword flashing free of its sheath. The terrifying combined speed and sudden rush of air sent a storm of dust scattering violently around them.
"Interesting... you dare attack me!" Zephyr laughed, a booming sound that echoed across the clearing, then clenched his fist and swung.
His form blurred. Jason's rushing fist was deflected by a subtle shift of his body, the immense force of the missed blow causing Jason to stumble slightly forward.
At the exact same moment, Zephyr's punch, heavily reinforced with Armament Haki (Busoshoku Haki), slammed directly into Rojen's blade, the Rainbow Abyss.
Geh!
The shocking force of the collision startled Zephyr for a brief moment, while Rojen's expression instantly changed to one of sheer pain.
He was forced back, taking fifteen jarring steps to finally absorb and dissipate the overwhelming impact.
But before Jason could fully recover and adjust his balance, Zephyr lifted a leg and delivered a swift, heavy kick.
Bang!
The force exploded upon contact. Jason's body shot forward like a cannonball, utterly demolishing the house in front of him upon impact.
The entire sequence, the punch, the retreat, the kick, happened in the blink of an eye, unbelievably fast, almost imperceptible.
They had already passed each other, yet the aftershock of the three-way clash only now began to spread.
A circle of white shockwaves erupted from the point of impact, whipping up dust with a thunderous roar and leaving several deep cracks etched into the ground.
"Impressive!"
Zephyr laughed, genuinely amused that a single strike had failed to neutralize his opponents.
The sword strike he'd just blocked hadn't just been immense raw power; it also possessed a sharp, strange energy wrapped around the blade, a counter-force akin to Armament Haki. It was that strange aura that had absorbed and deflected the majority of his own powerful Haki.
Cough, cough, ugh!
Just then, Jason burst out from behind Zephyr, sending clouds of debris and dust flying as he climbed out of the ruins of the house.
Seeing that Jason had taken his kick without suffering a significant injury, Zephyr's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Among the current generation of Supernovas, I believe you are the strongest," he declared with sudden certainty, his gaze becoming serious.
Not long ago, he'd fought the Crazed Lion Pirates, and that skirmish had felt like playing with children, his opponents were utterly helpless. Yet, these two had shown an ability to stand their ground against him, however briefly.
"Your strength... though far below what I had heard, is still enough to surprise me," Zephyr said to Rojen.
Rojen tightened his grip on the Rainbow Abyss. The punch had made his blade ring and hum for four to five tense heartbeats before finally settling, a terrifying testament to Zephyr's power. He now feared that if Zephyr landed a few more direct hits, his sword would simply shatter.
"Is this... Admiral-grade power?"
Shaken to his core, Rojen pushed his mind to its absolute limit. Following this brief exchange, he and his companions grew deadly serious.
"Again!"
Zephyr's interest was clearly peaked, and he let out a sharp laugh. One man against four opponents, it was a thrill he hadn't expected.
Three heartbeats later, Rojen and Jason roared and launched their next attack.
"Subduing Dragons: 18 Palms!"
"Dugu Nine Swords!"
Sword light crisscrossed, fist winds surged like overwhelming waves, and in an instant, they violently clashed with Zephyr once more.
Wēng wēng wēng!
Zephyr stood his ground, his form flickering and dancing, effortlessly dodging every attack with an unnerving ease.
Dozens of exchanges passed in blinks and flashes. To the absolute shock of the four crewmates, not a single one of their attacks managed to graze him.
"Trens!"
The crocodile perched on Crocodile's shoulder dispersed into a cloud of shifting sand as the man whispered sharply,
"I can't lock onto him... this feeling!"
"This is too strange!" Trens, sweating profusely, raised his gun, his eyes wide with shock.
"It's as if..."
"It's as if he can predict our attacks!"
Those last words made Crocodile's pupils contract in fear and realization.
At that moment, an immense sound erupted from the center of the chaotic battlefield where Rojen's two attacks had just missed, sending a massive, blinding cloud of dust high into the air.
(End Of This Chapter)