"Admiral Zephyr, you wouldn't happen to be waiting for your support fleet, would you?" Bege said suddenly.
Zephyr's pupils constricted, his gaze instantly locking onto Bege.
Bege shrugged. "Then I'm afraid you'll be waiting for nothing. I sent my men to sneak into the waters near Promin Island long ago. The moment you left, they were to occupy the island. But, since you appeared here first, I had them change the plan. They went to intercept your support fleet instead. I estimate your fleet has probably been annihilated by now."
Bege had arranged for Little Oars Jr., Weevil, and the others to lie in ambush in a coated ship on the seabed. The plan had been to lure Zephyr away from Promin Island so they could occupy it and cut off his retreat.
But when Bege saw Zephyr separate from the main Marine fleet, he immediately changed the plan, choosing to have Little Oars Jr. and the others intercept the fleet first. As long as the main fleet was destroyed, Promin Island would be left with minimal defenses and could be taken easily.
"You..." Zephyr was fuming with rage, his fury driving him to charge at Bege.
The two clashed again, and a world-shaking shockwave swept out. Every one of Zephyr's punches had the power to shatter mountains, and every Rankyaku he kicked out was no weaker than a slash from a master swordsman.
He switched between the Six Powers at will, each move possessing immense destructive force.
In truth, the Six Powers were not created by Garp alone. Back when Garp was developing them, Zephyr had also provided suggestions. After Garp officially established the Rokushiki, Zephyr helped perfect some of its flaws. His mastery of the Six Powers was only slightly inferior to Garp's.
He had been fighting with his full strength before, but now, he was fighting for his life. The annihilation of the main fleet had thoroughly enraged him.
As Zephyr's mind replayed the possible deaths of his trainees, he was completely consumed by fury, throwing all caution to the wind.
Bege seized an opportunity and slashed at Zephyr's body, but the sound of striking steel rang out as sparks flew. Under the cursed blade's attack, the Armament Haki was broken, but the sword was still unable to cut through his defense.
Zephyr's large hand instantly shot out and grabbed Bege's arm, clamping down on it tightly.
Bege immediately understood that Zephyr had intentionally left an opening, a feint designed to catch him.
Zephyr raised his other fist high, a terrifying power accumulating within it. With a ferocious expression, he roared and threw a punch at Bege's head.
"Six King Gun: Ultimate Drill Cannon!"
As Zephyr's fist descended, the power in it began to rotate, forming an invisible, cone-shaped drill. The rotation of this invisible cone stirred the air, making it visible.
Bege's expression changed drastically. The space around Zephyr's fist distorted rapidly, but the terrifying destructive power of the punch tore right through the warped space and continued down.
Bege crossed his sword above his head. Before the black fist even arrived, the cone-shaped drill struck the cursed blade, and the terrifying force pressed it downwards. When Zephyr's black fist finally slammed onto the sword, a world-shattering power instantly drove the blade into Bege's face, the force of it rattling his skull.
Fortunately, Bege had already activated his Castle Skin and Armament Haki. As the violent power slammed into his face, sparks flew from his skin.
His body shot downwards, but Zephyr had no intention of letting him escape his grasp. He held on with his left hand, and the two of them plummeted towards the sea together.
But as they fell, Zephyr raised his fist again and landed another punch on Bege's body. This time, Bege didn't use his sword to defend. The punch landed squarely on his chest. The outer layer of Armament Haki instantly shattered, and the Castle Skin beneath it cracked under the terrifying impact.
He immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.
His Castle Skin had absorbed three Poneglyphs, increasing its hardness several times over, but it still showed signs of breaking. It was a testament to how terrifying Zephyr's punch was.
The space beneath Bege's feet instantly hardened. He planted his feet firmly, and the Cursed Sword Hannya slashed viciously at Zephyr's body. The reason he hadn't defended against that last punch was for the sake of this one slash.
He knew very well that if he only defended passively, he would likely have to endure a continuous barrage from Zephyr and would definitely be seriously injured, eventually losing the strength to break free.
So he decisively took the punch to create an opening for his own attack.
The cursed sword instantly slashed into Zephyr's body. The supremely sharp energy of the blade tore at his Iron King Martial Body, ripping it open and leaving a deep gash.
Zephyr grimaced but had no intention of letting Bege go. He raised his fist again and, without hesitation, threw another punch.
Bege's expression was equally ferocious. His external space twisted Zephyr's arm with all its might, and at the same time, he swung his sword, a surging, bloody energy erupting from the blade.
"Let's see who can hold out the longest."
The black fist and the sword struck their targets one after the other. Both men spat out blood.
Zephyr's eyes narrowed, and the terrifying aura around him exploded. He pulled his right fist back as far as it would go and then instantly slammed it forward. At the same time, the hand gripping Bege was suddenly released. He no longer intended to trade blows; this punch contained all his remaining strength.
The invisible cone on his fist scraped against Bege's Castle Skin, sending a shower of sparks into the air. Before the black fist even landed, the pressure was already terrifying.
In an instant, Bege's body vanished. Zephyr's black fist struck down, and the terrifying, cone-shaped force of the punch hit the sea, creating a conical crater hundreds of meters deep.
Bege instantly reappeared behind Zephyr. Zephyr's face was horrified. His body suddenly became flat, as if it were weightless and could be blown away by the wind.
It was the power of Rokushiki's Kami-e.
Bege's swords slashed down simultaneously. The Fire Cloud Sword was dodged by the Kami-e, but the cursed blade was not. Zephyr's body was sent flying like a cannonball into the crater he had just created.
The sea instantly rushed in, filling the crater.
Bege supported himself on his sword, which was propped up on the hardened space. He couldn't help but cough up blood, spitting out several mouthfuls, his face pale. Those last few punches from Zephyr had severely damaged his internal organs.
He stared at the surface of the sea. Amidst the turbulent waves, Zephyr emerged, also coughing up blood continuously. He leaped into the air, treading on the surface of the water to keep himself from sinking.
At that moment, a bolt of lightning shot from the distant Sky God and landed next to Bege. The lightning solidified into Enel, who stood on the hardened space.
"Godfather, we got a message from Uncle Oars. The Marine fleet has been taken care of. They're heading to Promin Island now," Enel reported.
"Good," Bege nodded faintly. It was what he had expected.
He quickly descended, stopping when he was close to Zephyr. "Your fleet is gone, and Promin Island will soon fall into my hands. There's no point in fighting anymore," he said.
An intense killing intent surged in Zephyr's eyes.
"I am not a bloodthirsty man. The vast majority of the Marines on those support ships have been spared. I will return all of them to you. I won't kill the Marines on Promin Island either; I will let them leave on their own," Bege said slowly.
"What do you mean by this?" Zephyr asked in a low voice.
"Just a little parting gift. Perhaps one day, the actions of the World Government will truly make you lose faith. When that time comes, I hope you will come find me. I will give you the respect you deserve and a place for your justice to belong," Bege said solemnly.
"Then you've made a miscalculation," Zephyr said, his face grim.
"I have great faith in this rotten World Government... faith that it won't disappoint me. And even if I'm wrong, it doesn't matter," Bege laughed loudly. He turned and left with Enel.
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