"Can you do that?" The pirate leader licked the wound on his arm. Despite the severity of the gash, he showed no sign of pain. Suddenly, the bleeding ceased, and within seconds, the wound began to close and regenerate. This was clearly the effect of the E·S series murderous drug, a substance rumored to enhance one's physical capabilities and nullify pain in exchange for long-term damage to the body, a substance even more dangerous than the Energy Steroids used by the New Fish-Man Pirates during the Fish-Man Island arc.
"What! what! The wound actually healed!" Passat stared at the pirate leader's arm, stunned. The cut had been deep, carved with his own blade, and it had reached the bone. Yet now, it looked almost untouched. His mind reeled. Even in previous fights, injuries of that level had taken hours or even days to heal.
"Heh... surprised? This is the power of the E·S murder drug," the pirate leader sneered. "It's far more effective than the so-called forbidden drugs that guy was talking about earlier." His confidence oozed, matching the arrogance of drug-enhanced foes Passat had read about in Navy reports foes who traded humanity for power.
"Be careful. After injecting that thing, his strength and resilience are on another level," the injured man warned as he leaned on Linnana for support. "Don't let him land a solid hit. One blow could crush your internal organs. These drugs push the body beyond its natural limit they numb pain, increase regeneration, and amplify brute force."
"You two better watch it, huh!" the pirate leader growled before vanishing in a blur of motion. "Ugh!" He was on them in an instant, faster than before. His claw swiped across the air, and Passat, Linnana, and the injured man were all slammed against the wall like ragdolls.
"Hahahahaha! What happened to all that bravado? Weren't you three supposed to be strong?" The pirate leader laughed maniacally, looking down on them the same way Caesar Clown mocked test subjects. His newfound strength had changed the entire battlefield. Even Passat and Linnana, who had once dominated, found themselves overwhelmed.
"Agh…" Passat stood up, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. He coughed violently he could feel it. That earlier impact had shaken his insides, and his breathing had become labored.
"Don't get cocky… just yet." The injured man groaned as he staggered upright, but his wound, freshly bandaged by Linnana earlier, had torn open again. Blood gushed freely, staining the fabric and leaking down his side.
"Your wound, it's open again!" Linnana gasped, panic in her voice. "You can't fight like this anymore. You'll lose too much blood. If you keep going, the internal damage will become irreversible!"
"I'm fine…" he muttered, though his face had gone pale. "Listen… take this." He reached into his coat and pulled out a leather-bound book with a familiar symbol etched on its front a faint resemblance to the sword crest of Wano's samurai. "Turn to the page with the marked corner. Train as fast as you can. It's a technique scroll special sword style... you can use it to beat him. I'll hold him off."
Before Passat could respond, the injured man surged forward with reckless determination. He drew his blade and charged, knowing full well he wasn't going to survive another clash, but determined to buy them time.
"What is this?" Passat whispered, flipping through the book. The technique illustrated was strange unlike anything he had studied before. The stances resembled elements of the Ittoryu used by Roronoa Zoro, but with added intricacies in footwork and breathing.
"Do what he says! Trust him!" Linnana urged, her vine coiled at her side, ready to intercept if necessary. "If he says that'll help, then it's our best chance right now."
Passat's fingers tightened around the book as he began memorizing the flow of the new technique. The pirate leader let out a monstrous roar, preparing another charge stronger, faster, even more brutal than before.
This was no longer just a brawl.
It was a race against time.
"Well, you be careful!" Passat had no choice right now, he had to trust the injured man's judgment. Without hesitation, he turned the book to the marked page, gripped his blade tightly, and began practicing the unfamiliar technique. The footwork was different from the sword style he'd used before, resembling a blend of Fish-Man Karate's flowing stances with the explosive burst motion akin to Soru from the CP9.
"Whoosh! Are you done discussing? Ha! Then prepare to die!" The pirate leader sneered, watching them converse as if amused. He didn't strike immediately he wanted to see if the three of them could do something desperate, like moths flying into a flame. Then, suddenly, the injured man charged in. His sword pointed directly at the pirate leader, slicing the air with a whirling wind, as if channeling the very essence of sword aura like Zoro's "Shishi Sonson."
The pirate leader slapped with his claw, but this time, the injured man held firm. Their clash froze the air blade against claw—neither yielding. The collision created two streams of force that surged against one another, like Haki users testing strength. Although the injured man didn't use Armament Haki, the sheer will in his blow was unmistakable.
"Snap!" Linnana joined in just then. With expert precision, she cracked her whip, the tip curling around a nearby wooden chair. She flung it with all her might toward the pirate leader. The chair flew fast but predictably, it was swatted away midair with one hand.
"Hmph. Sneak attacks? Pathetic. Die all of you!" The pirate leader roared. He threw off the injured man with brute force. The man's body flew back like a sack of potatoes, but before he could crash into a wall, Linnana's whip shot out again. The vine-like lash coiled around his arm and yanked him safely toward her.
"Thank you." The injured man's voice was hoarse, but grateful as he steadied himself, blood still trailing from his reopened wound.
"Watch out he's coming again!" Linnana shouted. As she spoke, the pirate leader lunged forward, claws raised high. Without hesitation, she shoved the injured man out of the way and rolled to the side, narrowly dodging. The pirate's claw slammed down, crushing the floor like a Sea King smashing a raft.
As Linnana flipped over, she didn't waste the motion. Her whip lashed out, slicing across the throat of the last remaining enemy pirate in the room. With one precise flick, the man dropped his life ended in an instant. Now, only three people remained facing each other: Passat, Linnana, and the pirate leader.
"So you're stronger than I thought," the pirate leader said, scanning the room full of corpses his crew, all slaughtered. Blood pooled around them like the aftermath of Eustass Kid's battles. "Impressive. Not a single one of my men left. But that won't save you."
"Come again!" The injured man rose to his feet once more, pain written all over his face but determination in his eyes. He dashed forward and launched a flurry of slashes—dozens of them in a breath. His sword shone with sharp intent, each swing releasing blades of compressed air. Several arcs of sword aura shot toward the pirate leader, aiming to tear him to shreds.
But the pirate didn't dodge. He let the slashes hit. Sword after sword cut into his flesh, leaving gashes that reached the bone. Blood spilled, splattering across the room. But just like before, the horrifying part followed the wounds, even those that should've been fatal, slowly began to close. Muscles knit together. Skin reformed. The pirate's eyes glowed red with madness.
The man looked like a demon out of the worst New World nightmares a beast who refused to die.
"Damn it! This is insane how do we kill something like this?!" The injured man gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on his sword, frustration and helplessness rising in his voice. His techniques had no lasting effect. No matter how much blood was spilled, the creature just healed again.
His gaze drifted toward Passat, still in the corner, drilling the techniques from the book. Just a little more… Please, learn it fast. That was their only hope now. He swallowed his despair and bought them more time.
"It's hopeless, isn't it? Hahahaha!" The pirate leader's mocking laughter echoed in the blood-soaked room. "You're all finished. Just hand over the damn item, and I might spare one of you."
The pirate's voice dripped with disdain, the same arrogance Doflamingo once showed when talking down to enemies. But now, the tables had turned. The once-confident trio was battered and on the defensive. And Passat their last hope—had to master a style that might tip the scales.
The pressure was unbearable.
But the fire of rebellion hadn't died yet.
—