Suzumebachi's golden stinger in her right hand instantly enlarged as she let out a cold, low shout.
"Bankai!"
Enveloped in dazzling golden light, the stinger transformed into a golden missile more than ten times her size, locking onto Rem Jones.
Create distance and dodge?
No—I can't.
The moment Suzumebachi's Raikōben was aimed at him, Rem Jones felt goosebumps rise across his skin. Even without relying on Observation Haki, he sensed the aura of death rushing toward him. Despite the Bankai's transformation, the golden missile on her arm wasn't much larger than his own limb, yet he felt as if he were facing death itself. He knew the power of a Zanpakutō wasn't measured by size.
Whoosh!
Suzumebachi's Raikōben exuded a palpable threat. Rem Jones couldn't afford to be careless. He stomped the ground and unleashed his full speed, moving like a ghost to avoid being locked on. He closed the distance between them while scanning the battlefield. He could see that after Suzumebachi's Bankai, her lethal two-hit kill had become a one-hit kill. However, her stinger was now a ranged weapon, and its increased size inevitably reduced her speed.
In other words, by closing in for close-quarters combat, he could limit her Bankai's effectiveness.
"Heh… even if you had two more legs, you couldn't catch me."
Suzumebachi sensed his intention. Carrying the golden missile, she leaped into the air, her body and the weapon transforming into a streak of golden light that rapidly ascended, widening the distance between them.
"Don't even think about running!"
Rem Jones stomped the air with Geppo, soaring like a bird to chase her. The two raced upward, quickly reaching an altitude of several hundred meters above the Judge's Forbidden Zone. The distance between them and the other Zanpakutō and pirates widened.
However, Rem Jones didn't notice that Suzumebachi maintained a steady, unhurried flight speed. He seemed able to catch up, but the distance never actually closed.
"This distance is about right."
"It shouldn't affect anyone else."
Suzumebachi glanced discreetly at the Judge's Forbidden Zone below, confirming the distance was sufficient. Without hesitation, she accelerated sharply, instantly widening the gap. Then, she turned and aimed her golden missile at Rem Jones.
Bang!
A deafening roar echoed like a rocket launch. The golden missile trailed a shockwave, shooting through the air like a laser beam, hurtling toward Rem Jones.
"Not good!"
Rem Jones stared at the golden missile instantly reaching him, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints. At this moment, he faced only two choices: dodge or fight head-on. Confident in his Observation Haki, he could dodge the incoming missile—but if he missed?
He glanced down. The missile's trajectory would inevitably hit the pirate ship in the inner bay. The ship carried not only the heavily injured Hongo but also ordinary crew members of the Red-Haired Pirates, including trainees.
I'll risk it!
Rem Jones abandoned any thought of dodging. Instead, he unleashed his maximum Armament Haki, wrapping it around his staff, and transformed it into a streak of black lightning that shot straight at the golden missile.
"Destroy it!"
A resolute glint flashed behind his sunglasses.
Haki was the best way to counter Devil Fruits. He was extremely confident in his own Armament Haki. As long as he could destroy Suzumebachi's Bankai with sufficient force, everything would be fine.
However…
BOOM!
The instant the powerful staff collided with the golden missile, a dazzling burst of light erupted from the sky, dimming the sun overhead. The light expanded a thousandfold, transforming into a gigantic golden sphere that replaced the sun in the sky above the Judge's Forbidden Zone.
Immediately afterward, a devastating shockwave rippled outward, engulfing everything in its path.
The first to be hit was Rem Jones, who had cleaved the missile with his staff.
The commotion caused by the explosion of Suzumebachi's Raikōben was so immense that it couldn't escape the notice of the Red-Haired Pirates fighting on the outskirts of the Forbidden Zone. They didn't need Observation Haki to sense it; they didn't even need to look up. The sky was covered by a crimson-gold curtain of light, and a fireball like a blazing sun burst forth from the void.
As for Rem Jones… even a fool could guess his fate.
"Rem Jones!"
"No!"
"Damn the Marines!"
"Damn these Zanpakutō!"
Looking at the blazing fireball hovering in the sky, Shanks, Ben Beckman, and the other Red-Haired Pirates paled, their faces twisted with rage. Such a terrifying attack, delivered at close range, meant that even if Rem Jones survived, he would be on the verge of death.
"One down."
The instant the golden missile launched, Suzumebachi was thrown back by the recoil of her Bankai, crashing headfirst into the Marine base fortress wall. She looked disheveled, but watching the earth-shattering explosion, the billowing smoke, and the mushroom cloud, a proud smile appeared on her small, lovely face.
While the other materialized Zanpakutō battled the Red-Haired Pirates, she had already unlocked the achievement of taking down an executive with a single shot. Aside from Hanaten, who severely injured Hongo with a single strike, she was the first materialized Zanpakutō to finish her opponent and end the battle. This alone was enough for Suzumebachi to feel superior in the eyes of the others.
"Damn it!"
Although Yasopp, consumed by rage and murderous intent, was unable to maintain composure and thus couldn't use Observation Haki, his eyesight as a world-renowned sniper was unparalleled. Even without Observation Haki or a scope, he could hit an ant's antennae from a hundred feet away with a pistol without damaging the rest of its body. That was before he even touched Haki, when he had just set sail.
Now, his shooting range, accuracy, and power far surpassed his earlier days. With his unparalleled perception, Yasopp's gaze locked onto Suzumebachi, who had been blown away by the blast wave the instant her Raikōben exploded. As she was pinned to the base wall, he swiftly drew a pistol from behind his back with his left hand and fired with lightning speed, without aiming.
Within his sights and the bullet's range, every shot hit its mark.
Bang!
A bullet wreathed in Haki flew from the pistol, carrying a swirling current of air as it hurtled toward Suzumebachi, who was pinned against the wall by the recoil and unable to move.
"Bankai."
Cloaked, obscuring his face and body, Nijizuku calmly extended a hand from within the cloak, grasped the blade of his Zanpakutō, and gently pulled.
Sizzle!
A gushing stream of crimson, incredibly viscous blood spurted out, enveloping the blade and transforming it into a monstrous, blood-red blade.
"All Extinction."
Holding the blood-red blade, Nijizuku swung it backhand. The originally eighty-centimeter-long blade instantly extended, like a ferocious blood python tearing through the sound barrier with a sharp, piercing screech, slicing through the air as it intercepted Yasopp's bullet aimed at Suzumebachi.
"What swordsmanship!!"
"A Zanpakutō possesses such unbelievable swordsmanship?!"
"How is this possible?"
Yasopp's enraged face couldn't help but show a hint of astonishment and disbelief. He could calmly accept dodging or even blocking the bullet. After all, his opponent was the materialized form of Rosen's Zanpakutō, and an opponent specifically arranged for him. But the problem was, he fired first. The bullet had already traveled some distance before Nijizuku drew his sword. Despite being the second to strike, it arrived first, slicing through his Haki bullet in mid-air.
Such eyesight, such swordsmanship—how could Yasopp not be shaken?
"Don't be surprised."
Nijizuku slowly lifted the cloak he always carried. Before his Bankai, he was a blurry shadow beneath the cloak. After Bankai, lifting the cloak revealed a gentle, serene face and a cascade of long, black hair. His face and expression alone conveyed a sense of gentle compassion, but once one's gaze fell upon his eyes, a chilling aura would run down one's spine.
Those eyes radiated a cold indifference to life, a murderous intent as vast as mountains of corpses and seas of blood. They were not eyes fit for a human.
If Rosen were here now, he would surely recognize that after Nijizuku's Bankai, the true face beneath the cloak—the face, hairstyle, figure, and even the eyes—were identical to Unohana Retsu. The only difference was the clothing. Unohana Retsu wore a Shinigami robe and a captain's haori. After Nijizuku's Bankai, he possessed the face and physique of Unohana Retsu, but wore a dark green cloak.
"I am strong," Nijizuku said, smiling, but his icy gaze created a chilling, oppressive aura. "Stronger than any Zanpakutō except those bearing the title of strongest. So, put away that surprised expression."
Yasopp glanced at Katen Kyokotsu, who was fighting Ben Beckman. "Stronger than her, too?"
Nijizuku didn't answer, only staring intently at Yasopp with a chilling smile. The meaning was clear.
Seeing this, Yasopp felt a chill. He naturally understood the meaning of "Zanpakutō bearing the title of strongest." It referred to Zanpakutō like Hyōrinmaru, the strongest of a particular type. In other words, even compared to Katen Kyokotsu, who had fought Ben Beckman to this day without showing any signs of defeat, Nijizuku was in no way inferior.
Whether for Yasopp or for the entire Red-Haired Pirates, the fact that Nijizuku possessed strength comparable to Katen Kyokotsu was not good news. It was, in fact, a huge disaster.
—-
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