As a legendary pirate from the old era, Patrick Redfield's Armament Haki was naturally far above average. The umbrella in his hand transformed seamlessly into a razor-sharp blade, his swordsmanship refined through decades of combat. His agility, movement, and attack speed were all absolutely astounding.
Furthermore, he had recently acquired the abilities of the Bat-Bat Fruit, Mythical Zoan Type, Vampire, which allowed him to absorb blood and regain his youthful vitality, returning him to his absolute peak condition.
But what Redfield was most renowned for was the extraordinary Observation Haki he had possessed since childhood.
With years of accumulation, his Observation Haki had grown increasingly powerful, eventually developing the rare ability to peer into people's hearts and read their memories directly. This invasive power had allowed him to witness the darkness lurking in human hearts from an early age, fostering a deep rejection of others. Like Bullet, he had always sailed alone, trusting no one but himself.
Thanks to this unusually powerful Observation Haki, Redfield had long been accustomed to sensing his opponents' inner thoughts during battle, knowing all of their actions and intentions in advance. This supernatural advantage had made him virtually invincible in combat.
However, what shocked Redfield to his core was that when facing the young man before him, his Observation Haki was completely unable to capture even the slightest fragment of his opponent's thoughts.
Jerry, for his part, was equally unable to perceive Redfield's mental fragments, but he didn't particularly care. After all, Jerry rarely pried into other people's minds, thoughts, and memories except under special circumstances.
In battle, Jerry had always relied more on his water-based elemental perception, the natural functions of his Observation Haki, and his ability to glimpse the immediate future. Mental invasion was never his preferred approach.
Given this mutual blindness, after the two fighters engaged in fierce high-speed combat for several intense minutes, Redfield was surprised to discover that he couldn't gain any clear advantage in terms of Armament Haki, combat technique, or even raw speed.
The Observation Haki that he had relied upon throughout his legendary career was now powerless to turn the tide of battle when he couldn't see through his opponent's mind.
"Your Observation Haki..." Redfield couldn't help but speak with genuine surprise, recalling his past experiences. "This situation only occurs when facing an opponent who also possesses specialized Observation Haki of considerable strength."
Jerry tilted his head with a mysterious expression, responding cryptically: "Take a guess."
As he spoke, the fishing rod in his hand was instantly wrapped in black Armament Haki, crackling with dark energy like a violent dragon preparing to strike. He swung it forward with tremendous momentum.
Redfield instinctively raised his umbrella-sword to block, but the moment it made contact with Jerry's enhanced fishing rod, he was sent flying backward dozens of meters. He twisted his body with practiced grace, skillfully reducing the impact of his landing before immediately launching himself forward again.
In the blink of an eye, he unleashed an extremely sharp sword technique directly at Jerry's position.
"Whoa! You're really slippery—completely different from that blockhead Bullet," Jerry commented as he dodged sideways, casually deflecting the attack with a diagonal sweep of his fishing rod. "At least you actually know how to fight properly!"
Meanwhile, Kotatsu observed the fierce battle between Jerry and Redfield for several minutes before realizing it was visually exhausting for viewers. The combatants moved so fast that the live broadcast was becoming difficult to follow. With a small sigh, he turned the camera toward Cavendish on the other side of the battlefield.
At this moment, Cavendish and Edward Weevil had been locked in combat for quite some time.
When the battle first began and Cavendish realized he was facing yet another muscle-bound tank, he couldn't help but roll his eyes in exasperation.
"Hehe! Hand over the treasure right now!" Weevil had declared with his characteristic simple-minded enthusiasm. "If my mama gets impatient waiting, I won't forgive you!"
Hearing these incomprehensible demands, Cavendish was momentarily speechless.
"You really don't look very intelligent," he finally replied with obvious disdain. "I guess you really can't judge a book by its cover." Perhaps from spending too much time with the Black Star Pirates, Cavendish had unconsciously picked up some of Jerry's sarcastic tendencies.
Weevil blinked his small eyes in confusion before responding: "Even though I'm happy you complimented me, you'd better hand over the treasure anyway! Otherwise, I'll chop you into eighteen pieces!"
With that declaration, he raised the massive naginata in his hands and launched himself forward, swinging the enormous weapon at Cavendish with devastating force.
Cavendish stared in disbelief. "Who was complimenting you, you oversized potato? Don't you understand basic human speech?"
Despite his mockery of Weevil's apparent simplicity, Cavendish didn't allow himself to become careless. He understood that raw power could be just as dangerous as cunning.
A confident, almost predatory smile spread across Cavendish's face as his aura suddenly shifted, becoming violent and focused. He had clearly entered serious combat mode.
A gust of wind swept across the battlefield, and Cavendish's figure vanished completely from sight.
"Eh?!" Feeling a chill run down his spine, Weevil instinctively covered his entire body with Armament Haki. Despite his massive size, he demonstrated surprising agility as he quickly spun around and swung his naginata in a wide defensive arc.
But when Cavendish entered his enhanced fusion state, Weevil found himself at an absolute disadvantage in terms of movement speed.
Flashes of steel and shadow began weaving through the air in complex patterns. Although Weevil kept his feet planted firmly on solid ground, he appeared to be surrounded by countless sharp sword strikes attacking from all directions simultaneously.
Swish! Swish! Clang!
Within moments, Weevil's body was covered with countless small cuts, thin streams of blood seeping through his defenses.
Under Cavendish's relentless assault, Weevil did his best to resist the barrage, but the precise sword strikes were still nearly impossible to completely block. He could only rely on his Armament Haki to strengthen his defense and use his naturally tough body to absorb the damage.
However, while his defensive capabilities were extremely impressive, they hadn't yet reached Bullet's monstrous level.
"Defense like a turtle is useless against me!" Cavendish called out, though his attacks remained effective. He seemed eager to end the fight quickly.
Through his enhanced perception, he could sense several more pirate ships breaking through the waves, heading directly toward the island. Time was becoming a factor.
Cavendish, who had been moving at impossible speeds, suddenly came to a complete stop. He held his sword aloft, and brilliant clusters of crackling lightning suddenly emerged from his arm, rapidly spreading along the blade's entire length.
Then, his whole body began to float effortlessly in the air, surrounded by an aura of blue and white electrical energy. He appeared to have transformed into an actual god of thunder, with the lightning around his sword becoming increasingly violent, as if it could tear the very sky apart.
"Listen up, you overgrown child," Cavendish said, his voice carrying an otherworldly calm that somehow made it more intimidating. "When you decided to come here, you must have understood what you were getting into, right?"
Seeing this dramatic transformation, Weevil's expression became deadly serious. While he usually followed his mother's instructions without much thought, his combat instincts and battlefield reactions were definitely not lacking.
Before Weevil could formulate a response, Cavendish's figure blurred and disappeared once again.
In that moment, every nerve in Weevil's body tensed, his Haki pushed to its absolute maximum.
Then Cavendish's voice echoed from high above, followed by actual thunder rumbling from the clouds overhead.
"Lightning Strike: Heaven's Judgment!"
Facing the incoming bolts of lightning, Weevil raised his naginata high overhead and began spinning it in continuous, powerful rotations. The weapon created what appeared to be a massive shield of wind, causing the air around him to whistle and howl.
At that exact moment, a light blue figure—almost impossible to track with the naked eye—streaked across the sky like a meteor before vanishing in a brilliant flash.
"Beautiful Sword: Thunder God Slash!"