Boom, boom, boom! Rumble, rumble, rumble!
On the high seas, four warships exchanged cannon fire. Black, scorching, heavy cannonballs whistled as they crashed into the sea, sending sprays of water tens of meters high. The turbulent waves made the ships rock unstably, further complicating their aim.
"Target within range!"
A cold voice echoed from the Chris.
Zing!
A faint hum of a blade.
Whoosh!
A crimson sword wave sliced through the sea, leaving a deep gash as it shot towards one of Germa 66's warships.
"Trying to cut the ship in half from the start, are we? Don't underestimate my Germa 66!"
Facing the incoming sword wave, the burly man in the black combat suit, wielding a long spear, stepped onto the ship's rail and leaped. His spear darted out like a swift viper, seemingly piercing the air, and thrust into the crimson wave. "Rise!"
Mid-air, the burly man exerted strength in both arms, his muscles bulging. With a roar, he flicked his spear, incredibly deflecting the sword wave directly skyward. However, exhausted by the effort, he began to fall from mid-air. But just as he was about to hit the water, powerful jets of air erupted from his combat boots, halting his descent and allowing him to hover above the sea.
"Quite capable, aren't you?"
Oliver, a sword on his shoulder, watched the burly man's jet-propelled boots with curiosity. "He can even float? That's quite a neat trick."
Aeridar retorted, "I'd say your 'appetizer' didn't quite get eaten, did it?"
Oliver's face darkened, annoyed. "Nagging already!"
"Let me have some fun first. I wonder if they can give me an enjoyable fight."
Aeridar smirked coldly, then slowly lifted his feet from the deck, his body effortlessly rising into the air and beginning to fly without warning.
"Hey, hey! Since when could you fly?!" Oliver was stunned, his eyes instinctively wide, almost popping out of his head.
"Who knows about such things?"
Aeridar smiled proudly in mid-air, then suddenly accelerated, soaring over the Germa 66 fleet.
"He's... he's flying over!"
Seeing Aeridar flying towards them, even the Germa 66 soldiers were startled.
"This fight... is going to be tough."
Judge stared blankly at the figure in the sky, his heart sinking into a trough.
There were far too few strong individuals in the world who could truly fly. For those who could, someone who used Sky Walk or could stroll through the air wasn't truly flying; at best, it was prolonged levitation.
Facing a genuinely flying powerhouse, neither the Germa 66 soldiers, nor Judge, nor even the Marines, probably had much combat experience.
In the previous era, the famous flying powerhouse was Shiki the Golden Lion, also known as the Flying Pirate, one of the three legendary pirates. His Flying Pirates and the Golden Lion Grand Fleet constantly soared through the skies, giving the Marines and the World Government immense headaches. If Shiki hadn't courted his own demise, the Marines would never have caught him.
Now, the well-known flying powerhouses included Marco the Phoenix, First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates; Donquixote Doflamingo, the Heavenly Yaksha and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea; and Admiral Kizaru Borsalino, among a mere handful of others (there are certainly other flying Zoan users, I'm referring to true powerhouses, but since the manga hasn't introduced them yet, I won won't mention them to avoid being proven wrong). Most of them were formidable, each more troublesome than the last, and now Golden Ring Aeridar had joined their ranks.
"Vinsmoke Judge, you'd best make this entertaining for me. Otherwise, you'll die."
Aeridar looked down from above at Judge on the ship's bow deck, his cold voice like deep winter. The terrifying, overflowing killing intent swept through them like a frigid wind, making everyone feel a chill down their spines.
Gulp.
"Th-this is... the power of a Great Pirate?!" Niji on the Second Ship trembled uncontrollably under the terrifying pressure of the killing intent, swallowing hard as he looked up in awe and fear at Aeridar above the fleet.
"D-damn it! M-move, damn it! Am I... really only this strong... But... but I'll definitely be killed in an instant!" Yonji on the Third Ship's forehead streamed with cold sweat. He screamed internally, but his body was completely frozen, as if held in place, unable to move a single inch.
Though Judge was also shaken by Aeridar's astonishing killing intent, he was still a battle-hardened expert and reacted in the blink of an eye. However, Judge felt a bit humiliated that he had been intimidated by the other party's killing intent. Infuriated, he roared up at the sky, "Are you looking down on me?! The only one who'll die is you!"
At the same time, a nearby soldier handed Judge a long spear with an extended blade, which he immediately gripped.
"Come and get it if you can!"
Aeridar curled his lip dismissively.
Whoosh!
Immediately, Aeridar's body plummeted, as if he had lost his ability to fly and was falling, or as if he had jumped from an airplane without a parachute. Aeridar descended rapidly, covering dozens of meters in an instant, landing directly above Judge's head. With a sweeping motion, he delivered a horizontal kick.
Feeling a gust of wind, Judge quickly brought his long spear up to block above his head.
Clang!
The collision between leg and spear shaft produced a metallic clang. The shockwave of the impact transformed into a fierce whirlwind that spread outwards, blowing away the guards within a ten-meter radius and creating three empty spaces.
Crack! Crack!
"D-damn it! Wh-what incredible strength!"
Judge gritted his teeth, holding the long spear to parry Aeridar's leg, but his own legs bent slightly, seemingly bearing an immense force. The deck of the ship's bow groaned under his feet, and countless tiny cracks appeared in the solid, thick ironwood decking.
"Get up!"
Judge's face turned red as he suddenly exerted force, pushing Aeridar away.
Aeridar landed with a backflip on the deck in the middle of the ship, surrounded by Germa 66 soldiers.
Crack!
A crisp cracking sound came from the bow deck. Judge lunged forward from the bow, covering the distance to Aeridar in one or two breaths. The long spear in his hand became countless afterimages, seemingly enveloping Aeridar's entire body.
War Spear: Wild Dance!!!
"Child's play!"
Facing the countless spear shadows, Aeridar's face showed disdain. He didn't dodge, instead meeting the attack with a direct punch.
Clash!
Whoosh!
First came a clang, then a fierce gust of wind caused by turbulent air, sweeping across the entire deck.
"Impossible!"
Judge's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but exclaim in disbelief, his pupils contracting sharply.
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