"Who are you?"
Just two simple words—but in that instant, they dealt a devastating blow to Sonic's pride.
The sinister grin on Sonic's face froze.
Then his expression changed dramatically as he roared, "Quit playing dumb, brat! I'm Sonic the Poison Calamity, one of Lord Kaido's three Calamities! No way a Marine like you hasn't heard my name!"
But I really haven't heard of it…
Nao looked speechlessly at this guy who had fallen into a state of rage. It seemed that most of the people Kaido liked had a little problem with their brains, so he didn't bother to pay him any more attention.
He raised his right arm. At the tip of his outstretched finger, faint arcs of azure lightning began to spark and dance.
BZZZT!
The next moment, dazzling blue light flooded everyone's vision.
It happened too quickly for Sonic to dodge. His face went pale as he hurriedly brought his massive battle-axe up across his chest, pouring every ounce of Armament Haki into defense.
BOOM!
Lightning crashed against the axe, and an unstoppable, terrifying force surged into him. Sonic staggered backward step after step—over a dozen in a row—gritting his teeth, straining with all his might… and still, he couldn't hold it back.
CRASH!
His body was sent flying like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily into the ship's figurehead. The battle-axe in his hand flew out uncontrollably, disintegrating into countless fragments mid-air under the electric current.
"Pfft!"
Sonic fell onto the deck along the railing. He felt a sweetness in his throat and coughed up a large mouthful of blood. The flush in his face drained like a receding tide, leaving him deathly pale.
A casual strike could have this much power?
Panic struck his heart.Seeing his battle-axe shattered, he didn't dare hold back any longer. He threw his head back and roared, his body swelling wildly in the wind. In just a second or two, he transformed into a giant scorpion over five meters long.
His entire body was pitch black, armored like steel, its sheen glinting coldly in the rain.
Only his tail stood out—arched high, an eerie shade of dark green, its venomous stinger gleaming with a sharpness that made the onlookers' scalps crawl.
"OHHHHH!!! He's here—the Captain's strongest form!"
"He's serious now! Captain, smash that Marine bastard! Show him your true strength!"
The lackeys watching from afar shouted excitedly. Transformed into his full scorpion form, Sonic's fighting spirit had surged to its peak—any trace of fear was instantly gone, replaced by boundless fury.
"Die, Marine brat!"
The scorpion's red eyes flared. With a roar, his tail lashed forward, the venomous stinger wrapped in thick Armament Haki, striking again and again at such speed the eye could scarcely follow.
"Frenzy… Venom Needle!"
The attack lived up to its name. Like a raging storm, his tail stabbed again and again. In just a few breaths, he had already thrust over a hundred times.
But Nao never dodged, never even flinched. Step by steady step, he simply kept walking toward him…
If time had frozen, one could have seen it clearly:
Each time the stinger was about to pierce his skin, that spot of flesh dissolved into crackling blue arcs, lightning rippling outward from the point of contact.
It was as if the stinger struck the gaps in a web of thunder, every thrust sliding harmlessly through.
He's dodging them all by elementalization?
How is that possible!
He had fought Logia users before. Every one of them who thought they could rely on elementalization had died writhing in his venom.
But this guy actually...
The giant scorpion's eyes were bloodshot. Watching Nao's figure getting closer and closer, he gritted his teeth, his attacks becoming even more frenzied.
But everything remained the same. Each time the venomous stinger pierced into Nao's body, it was like a pebble dropping into the sea—com ineffective, causing no impact whatsoever...
Squelch!
Suddenly, a sound like a blade piercing flesh rang out. The giant scorpion froze for a moment, then looked down at the venomous stinger lodged in Nao's chest and abdomen. A surge of wild joy flashed across his face.
Yes—it hit! Finally, it hit!
"Hah! Acting so arrogant, brat!"
He burst out laughing, his tail tightening with force.
"The venom in my stinger can bring down an elephant in an instant! Since you've been pierced, you'd better just keel over and di—huh?"
His words stopped abruptly. The giant scorpion's eyes widened in disbelief.
He had just realized that even though his stinger had struck, it seemed stuck right at the surface of Nao's skin.
It was as if an unyielding mountain blocked the way forward. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't drive the stinger even a fraction deeper into his chest.
How… how is this possible? What kind of monster is this guy?
"Looks like you've noticed," Nao said calmly, now standing right in front of him. Watching Sonic panic and struggle to pull out his stinger to no avail, Nao's voice was steady and unhurried:
"Even if I stand still and let you hit me, you can't break through my body's defenses."
"This ends here."
Nao shook his head. He had felt a flicker of anticipation when the man transformed into a giant scorpion, hoping the fight might offer him some surprise.
But now it was clear—this so-called new Calamityh under Kaido was the weakest of the Calamities he'd faced. Their strength wasn't even in the same league.
There was no reason to waste time on him. The urgent matter was reaching Hall Island.
With that thought, his eyes flashed coldly.
His left hand gripped the stinger still lodged in his chest. With a sharp twist, he snapped it clean off. His free right hand crackled with brilliant blue lightning, arcs snapping and sparking as he drove his palm forward into the giant scorpion.
Raikiri!
In an instant, the entire deck erupted in lightning. The very air quaked violently. Blinding azure thunder spread outward, forcing the onlooking pirates to squeeze their eyes shut and stumble back in fear.
When they finally dared to look toward the bow again—
They were stunned to see their captain blasted out of his scorpion form, reverted to his human body, covered in blood, kneeling on the deck in a battered heap, his whole body trembling.
Lord Sonic… was defeated just like that?
The pirates swallowed hard, glancing at each other. They could see the shock and fear in each other's eyes.
From the moment this Marine Vice Admiral landed until now, only about ten minutes had passed. The actual fight hadn't even lasted five minutes.
The gap was simply too vast...
"Cough… cough…"
Sonic, gravely injured, clutched his chest, coughing violently before finally steadying his breath. When he lifted his head toward Nao, the battlelust and ferocity in his eyes had completely vanished
All that remained was naked fear.
"So, you're finally scared now?"
Nao pinched his neck with one hand, lifting him up effortlessly to eye level like an eagle grabbing a chick. He spoke with an amused smile:
"Now talk. From last night until this morning—what exactly happened on Hall Island? And the Road Poneglyph… whose hands is it in now?"