How is this possible!?
When his body fell from dozens of meters in the air and Silas's ice-cold, bone-piercing blade light struck him, Sebastes was stunned.
How could he possibly be knocked down and forced to kneel by Silas?
He was a Marine Admiral, a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit user whose attributes perfectly countered Silas. It would not be an exaggeration to call him Silas's natural enemy.
Silas's strength and speed felt completely foreign to him.
"Admiral Crimson Horse!!!"
Kong's roar brought Sebastes back to his senses. The most powerful aspect of Zoan Devil Fruit users was their durability and recovery ability, not to mention Sebastes was a Mythical Zoan among animal fruits.
After Silas knocked him down, the follow-up strike nearly decapitated him. But instinctively unleashing Armament Haki, combined with the scale defense inherent to his fruit ability, allowed him to barely withstand the attack.
Only a thin line of blood appeared on his neck. Just a little more, and Silas's blade would have severed his blood vessels, severely injuring him.
Just a little more!
"Flame Burst!!!"
Terrifying flames erupted from Sebastes's body, rising almost recklessly, trying to knock Silas away from him.
But could Silas retreat?
No!
Silas was very clear that he absolutely did not have the strength to single-handedly fight two Marine Admirals simultaneously. If it were Kong and Rona, two Admiral-level fighters in their prime, Silas would run without a second thought.
To make Haki stronger, one must courageously advance when facing powerful enemies.
But this courage was not meant for suicide missions!
However, the Marines had underestimated him. Instead of sending Kong and Rona, they had sent Kong and an aging old fool.
"Sebastes, you could not catch me even in your prime. Now you are even older than me. What makes you think you can challenge me one-on-one?"
Silas laughed loudly. Facing Sebastes's flame burst, he neither retreated nor dodged. Cold white frost erupted as well, and Silas's entire body transformed into werewolf form.
"Frost Disaster!"
Bang!
The collision between frost and flame burst covered thousands of meters with extreme temperature variations. If Silas and Sebastes had fought in the port town, this single exchange would have leveled the entire harbor.
The terrifying impact made even Kong hesitate momentarily. He wanted to coordinate with Sebastes for a two-on-one fight, but after Silas closed in, Sebastes could only continuously release flames to counter him. The indiscriminate attacks covered even Kong in their range.
"Kong!"
Though frustrated internally, after taking two hits from Silas, Sebastes's rationality returned. Although he did not know what had happened to Silas, he definitely possessed his peak-period strength now.
And he...
"Haha, Sebastes, your body has long been drained by women! If this were you from twenty years ago, you definitely would not be in such a sorry state!"
So-called Admiral-level and Emperor-level were just indicators. Even after reaching this tier, there were still distinctions between strong and weak.
Powerful emperors could defeat weak admirals.
Powerful admirals could likewise defeat weak emperors.
It is the person who is strong, not the title!
As a veteran Admiral, Sebastes at his peak definitely could not be compared to newcomers like Kong, who had just stepped into this realm.
But he was old!
Just like Silas a year ago, who had aged to the point where he had to struggle desperately to take down a great pirate with less than a 200 million bounty, Sebastes barely retained Admiral-level combat power, and only barely.
Over time, his fundamental decline in stamina would be exposed.
Boom!
Impact as intense as electric current stimulated Silas's skin. After Sebastes gave up using flames to repel Silas, Kong finally found an opportunity to enter the battlefield.
Pure physique!
Pure Haki!
The moment Kong made his move, Silas knew he had definitely reached the same realm as them. And Kong was currently under forty years old. He still had at least a dozen more years to continue improving.
"Admiral Crimson Horse, are you alright?"
"Hmph, even if I am old, he cannot easily defeat me!"
Getting up from the ground, Sebastes panted heavily, gritting his teeth. He had forgotten when he had last been in such a sorry state. Since becoming a Marine Admiral, which pirate had not fled desperately upon seeing him, wishing their parents had given them two extra legs?
Only Silas had never shown fear, even when his strength was inferior.
But geniuses existed on these seas!
Sebastes looked down on Silas because he knew Silas lacked talent. Even with tremendous effort, even after eating a Mythical Zoan fruit that raised his physical limits, he still could not reach the same level.
And he had become a Marine Admiral at forty-two, even having a chance to become Fleet Admiral.
But why?
Silas, who clearly had no Conqueror's Haki, now displayed Conqueror's Haki talent. That face, which should have aged into the same sorry state as his own, still carried the mature handsomeness unique to middle-aged men.
This face was the fundamental reason Sebastes had always been jealous and antagonistic toward Silas!
Why, when everyone was born from parents, were you more handsome than me?
"Silas, how exactly did you do it?"
"Heh, you do not deserve to know!"
Silas showed complete disdain for Sebastes's questioning, not taking him seriously at all.
One had talent, and the other had looks.
This was probably why Silas and Sebastes found each other mutually detestable.
"Whew."
Silas exhaled lightly.
Kong and Sebastes joining forces was the scenario he least wanted to see.
But Silas also understood that once he demonstrated strength superior to either of them in one-on-one combat, their alliance was inevitable.
So what Silas had done before was try to weaken Sebastes as much as possible before Kong and Sebastes could team up.
And the power of Zoan fruits was now evident.
Despite being beaten badly by Silas just moments ago, after just a few breaths' respite, Sebastes's chaotic breathing began to recover.
This made Silas realize he absolutely could not give Sebastes any breathing room!
While Silas fought Sebastes and Kong, surrounding Marines had closed in.
"All forces prepare. Ready for bombardment!"
"But Vice Admiral Elliott, there are still many civilians on this island..."
"What civilians are there on this island?"
The scar-faced Vice Admiral snorted coldly. "Sphinx is a non-World Government affiliated nation. Everyone on it are criminals who trade with and shelter pirates. There are no civilians we need to protect!"
In this world, only countries that joined the World Government, became member nations, and paid Heavenly Tribute annually had the qualification to be protected by Marines.
So in Elliott's eyes, only those who paid taxes counted as people.
As for the humanoid creatures on Sphinx?
"Just a bunch of beasts with human appearances!"
[Chapter Complete]
***
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