As Ochoku cleaved through dozens of wind's swords, the latter had already swung his own blades toward Ochoku's face. The situation was dire.
Yet, at the last possible moment, Ochoku managed to cross his dual swords, blocking wind's lethal strike. He licked his lips, his eyes glinting with bloodlust and madness.
"Are you underestimating me? You dare fight me in close combat?!"
With reckless abandon, Ochoku launched a fierce offensive, capitalizing on his advantage in close-quarters combat. He refused to give Orion the opportunity to wield his Devil Fruit ability to control his swords.
"Ochoku, do you think close combat alone can defeat me?!"
Did this brat truly believe wind's greatest strength lay solely in the Wind-Wielding Fruit? His swordsmanship and physical prowess were formidable in their own right. Today, he would prove it—he would crush this arrogant upstart with pure swordplay!
Their battle intensified, a clash between an established powerhouse and a rising swordmaster. The duel shook the battlefield, but overall, the Vesper Pirates had already secured an overwhelming advantage against the Rocks Pirates.
However, the outcome of this fight between the strongest warriors could still alter the final result.
...
Elsewhere on the battlefield.
"You oversized tin can! You're slow and clumsy!"
Jevalle nimbly dodged Silver Axe's powerful swings, the massive axe carving deep craters into the ground with every missed strike.
"You little flea! All you do is jump around! If you've got guts, face me head-on! Or are you just a cowardly runt?"
Silver Axe was a brute—a berserker born with monstrous strength. Yet, against Jevalle's speed and agility, he struggled to land a hit. At the same time, Jevalle couldn't penetrate Silver Axe's formidable defenses.
"Do you have muscles for brains?"
Jevalle smirked as he observed the ravaged terrain. His maneuvering had deliberately led Silver Axe into an increasingly uneven battlefield, further hindering the already sluggish giant's movements.
Sensing the perfect moment, Jevalle's speed surged to another level. The battlefield rang with the rapid clang of metal-on-metal, sparks flying as his rapier danced against Silver Axe's armor. Bit by bit, the once-impenetrable plating began to crack and fall away.
Beneath the broken armor, thick, battle-worn muscles were exposed. But even with his formidable Armament Haki, Silver Axe couldn't fully negate Jevalle's piercing attacks—fresh wounds oozed blood.
"You're stronger than me, and your defense isn't bad... but battles aren't won by brute force alone, kid."
Despite calling him a kid, Jevalle himself was already in his forties. He chuckled at the sight of the massive 26-year-old brute, eager to teach him what it meant to be a veteran.
A pirate with a 600-million-Belly bounty bullying a 490-million-Belly upstart? Perhaps. But this was war.
Jevalle prepared to finish off Silver Axe—until an unexpected interruption made him grit his teeth in frustration.
A golden ship descended from the sky.
The Golden Ark.
"Damn it! The Hell Pirates?! Of all the times for these bastards to show up!"
Jevalle had lost his territory on Marseille Island to them. Now, with victory nearly in his grasp, fate had thrown them into his path once more. He abandoned his fight with Silver Axe and rushed to assist Orion.
"Orion! Let's finish Ochoku quickly—then help me bring down that damn Golden Ark!"
Jevalle still thought Orion was dominating Ochoku. He failed to notice Ochoku's growing ferocity—the wild glint in his blood-red eyes. At the exact moment Jevalle arrived, his distraction cost Orion dearly.
Ochoku's real target had always been Jevalle.
The swords screamed toward his heart. Desperate, Orion sacrificed his own safety to intervene—one hand coated in Armament Haki grasped Ochoku's sword, while his own blade deflected the second strike. With a mighty kick, he sent Jevalle flying to safety.
Ochoku pressed his attack. His blade, relentless, targeted Orion's injured hand. Even with Haki, the grip faltered, bones nearly visible through the torn flesh.
Ochoku didn't let up, mercilessly striking the wounded hand. Forced into a defensive position, Orion abandoned his plan to defeat Ochoku with swordsmanship alone. He finally unleashed his full power, summoning a violent gust of wind to blast Ochoku away.
He had intended to win solely through skill, to defeat Ochoku at what he believed to be his strongest aspect—swordsmanship—so that the arrogant youth would accept his fate.
But now, with his hand injured, he had to fight seriously. He couldn't afford to lose.
"I'm sorry, Orion! I just wanted your help dealing with the Hell Pirates—I didn't mean to distract you!"
Jevalle's voice wavered as he saw Orion's mangled hand. He felt a chill down his spine.
"Hmph."
Orion didn't respond. Instead, he raised his hand—and a powerful storm erupted, aiming to drag the Golden Ark from the sky. But something was off. The ship wasn't falling as quickly as expected.
...
Golden Ark
"Brook, there's a huge battle up ahead!"
Shakky shouted, peering through her binoculars. The sight stunned her—dozens of pirate ships locked in brutal combat. Even while fleeing from an Admiral, they had stumbled upon this chaos.
"Captain! It's the Vesper Pirates versus the Rocks Pirates! We should get out of here!"
Antonio had also spotted some familiar bounty posters. He recognized several top figures immediately.
"What?! Rocks and Vesper are both here?! Retreat—immediately!"
Brook's face paled. Had Rocks already begun his conquest of the New World?
"Bad news, Captain! A massive gust is pulling us toward an island!"
Fishman engineer Tom activated all Jet Dials, while Redfield channeled electricity to stabilize their course.
"Captain, those aren't just any pirates fighting below! The strongest there is Orion, an 800-million-Belly pirate, and Jevalle—the bastard we crossed at Marseille Island. On the Rocks side, it's the swordmaster Ochoku and Silver Axe."
Silva, the sniper, scanned the battlefield with his scope.
"It looks like Rocks' side is getting wrecked. Silver Axe is wounded, and both Ochoku and Orion are injured."
"Wait! That bastard Orion has the Wind-Wielding Fruit—it must be him trying to pull us in!"
Shakky realized the truth.
"Tom, Redfield—can we break free?"
Brook wasn't ready to face two Yonko-level forces at once.
"Maybe! But if we disrupt him somehow, it'd be easier!"
Redfield's eyes gleamed. Without hesitation, he unleashed a devastating lightning strike toward the island.
At the same time, Charlotte Linlin, grinning with excitement, commanded Zeus and Prometheus to attack Orion and Ochoku. Not to be outdone, Whitebeard followed up with a quake punch.
Brook slashed, sending a massive Shichiseiken wave down toward the battlefield. Even Silva loaded his rifle with poison bullets—eager to see if these legendary figures could withstand them.
-----------
+122 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg