"Damn it, all forces, withdraw!"
Feeling the warship continuously sinking, Judge looked through the hole in the deck and saw torrents of seawater pouring into the holds. He immediately ordered the soldiers to retreat, knowing that if they remained on the warship, few of the hundreds of people on board would survive once it sank.
Soon, the small boats on the warship were lowered, and large numbers of soldiers boarded them. Other more skilled swimmers jumped directly into the sea like dumplings, swimming towards the Second or Third Ships.
Whoosh!
Splish!
A crimson sword beam flashed across. Instantly, more than half of the ship's bow, including the triple gun turret, was sliced clean. The cut was as smooth as a mirror, and the severed section tilted into the sea, kicking up waves over ten meters high.
The burly man in the Germa 66 combat suit stood rigidly on what little remained of the ship's bow, his face ashen. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, his long spear lay discarded beside him, and his left arm was severed at the elbow, blood gushing from the veins. His right hand clutched his chest, but copious amounts of blood still seeped through his fingers; he couldn't stop it because his chest was completely cut open, revealing his still-beating internal organs. Such injuries meant he was practically dead.
Witnessing this scene, Aeridar in the air gave a thumbs-up to Oliver on the Chris, two hundred meters away.
"Noct... A waste. To be defeated so quickly." Judge's face darkened. His adjutant, he knew, had the strength to contend with pirates boasting bounties over a hundred million. He hadn't expected him to fall so swiftly to Oliver's blade.
Boom, boom, boom...
The cannon battle continued between the two sides. The remaining two warships constantly fired at the Chris, but all their cannonballs were sliced apart by Oliver. The Chris, however, relentlessly unleashed its cannon fire, completely suppressing Germa 66's two warships, forcing them to scramble for cover.
Whoosh!
Aeridar plunged directly from the sky towards Judge.
Clang!
Aeridar's black fist, covered in a large amount of Armament Haki, slammed onto the metal spear shaft. The immense force caused the spear to hum continuously and sent Judge sliding back over ten meters, leaving two clear marks on the deck.
"Damn it, his punch... it's heavier!"
Judge's expression contorted wildly. His hands, gripping the spear, trembled uncontrollably, as he realized the force of that punch was at least double what it had been before.
"You didn't think... I was using my full power earlier, did you?" Aeridar mocked, seeing Judge's astonished expression.
No sooner had he spoken than Aeridar vanished again.
Thud!
Boom!
A circular airwave exploded, sweeping across the entire deck. Judge, who had just recovered, was hit by a devastating blow and was instantly sent flying sideways, smashing violently into the ship's rail. The metal rail, as thick as a wrist, was completely twisted and bulged outwards by the incredible force. Fine cracks appeared on the metal, almost on the verge of shattering.
"Cough, cough... Guah..."
Judge's upper body leaned against the twisted metal rail, his long spear fallen beside him. His combat suit was torn beyond recognition, and he vomited copious amounts of blood. More than half of his body was exposed; if not for the rail, he would have fallen into the sea.
Truth be told, Judge's strength wasn't bad, especially when combined with his high-tech gear, which greatly boosted his power. However, compared to a true Great Pirate, there was still a significant gap, especially against an all-rounder powerhouse like Aeridar.
"Still not dead, huh? Looks like your gear is pretty good! But external tools are just that—external. So, how many more of my attacks can you take?" Aeridar said softly, his voice devoid of emotion.
Aeridar raised his fist, his fingers tightly clenched, and unleashed a thunderous punch.
Impact Wave!!!
In an instant, the air became chaotic, strong winds raged, and a halo of pressure suddenly erupted. A circular Impact Wave rapidly surged outwards, shattering the deck inch by inch, destroying everything in its path.
"Oh... Damn it..."
Judge hadn't even fully stood up when he saw the massive Impact Wave approaching, his pupils contracting instantly.
The next moment, the Impact Wave enveloped Judge. The metal rail instantly disintegrated, and countless metal fragments, along with Judge, were carried by the Impact Wave out to sea.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The Impact Wave extended nearly a hundred meters, directly hitting Yonji's Third Ship. The powerful shockwave immediately sent nearly a hundred soldiers on the deck flying, with more than half of them tossed into the sea. Many others were impaled by metal fragments carried within the shockwave, their blood splattering.
Judge himself slammed heavily onto the deck. The terrifying force almost shattered the thick ironwood deck, but he still couldn't stop sliding backward, crashing heavily into the main mast before finally coming to a halt.
The immense force shook the main mast, which required three people to embrace, causing it to wobble. However, a closer look revealed several cracks in the mast where Judge had impacted.
"I thought you were more impressive. Didn't realize you only had this much skill," Aeridar scoffed, then leaped into the sky.
A hundred meters in the air, Aeridar hovered. The warship beneath his feet was already mostly submerged. Germa 66 soldiers, like ants, struggled in the turbulent seawater, but Aeridar paid them no mind. He stroked his chin, gazing from afar at the heavily wounded Judge on the Third Ship, muttering to himself, "How many warships should I sink for you all? One? Two? Or all of them?"
Hum...
Suddenly, a barely perceptible hum. Aeridar seemed to catch a whiff of blood.
"Two-Sword Style: Purgatory Kill!"
Immediately after, a flat voice echoed. Oliver stood with two swords in hand, a flash of crimson light erupting. A terrifying killing intent, like a true purgatory, even made many of the Chris's own pirate crew members tremble with fear.
A crimson light appeared from seemingly nowhere, and in less than a breath, it sliced across the Second Ship as easily as cutting tofu, then flew far out over the sea.
Whoosh!
With a soft sound, the Second Warship, over a hundred meters long, split vertically down the middle. At the same time, the sea itself split open, creating a chasm twelve to twenty meters wide and hundreds of meters long, cleanly dividing both the ship and the ocean.
"Th-th-this can't be real, right?!"
"Oh, my God, am I dreaming?!"
"M-monster!"
The soldiers on the Second Ship, separated by twelve to twenty meters, stared blankly at the other half of their ship, practically dumbfounded. Even the ship's commander, the cold-hearted and arrogant Niji, was struck rigid with shock.
"Oh? Looks like the second one has sunk already." Aeridar in the sky raised an eyebrow, tilting his head as he watched Oliver, who was displaying his power below.
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