Creed narrowed his eyes. "So this is the Iron Arm Fruit…"
"Die!"
The Iron Arm Madman swung his massive, fully metallic arms forward. "Pulverizing Strike!!"
Creed met him head-on, Rinne in hand.
BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The fight now burned hotter than their earlier warm-up.
Metal clashed against steel in a relentless storm of ringing impacts.
Both went all out, their forms turning into humanoid demolition machines—boulders the size of millstones hurtled through the air, the earth shattered beneath them.
The entire harbor fell into ruin under their exchange.
Ships were torn apart, either sliced cleanly in half by sword aura or smashed into splinters by the force of a punch.
The two figures reappeared, standing across from one another—neither bearing so much as a scratch.
As expected from a pirate who had roamed the seas for so many years—his battle experience was leagues above. Even among SS-class foes, Edward Weevil had been far less troublesome.
What Creed didn't know was that the Iron Arm Madman himself was equally shocked.
This boy's swordsmanship was vicious, precise, and overwhelmingly strong.
If not for his youthful face, the Madman would have believed he was fighting a veteran Great Swordsman from the New World.
But so what if he was a Great Swordsman?
He wasn't one of the very top—only someone who had recently stepped into that realm.
If he had been a swordsman like Mihawk, one who had forged his own "Sword Path" and possessed an unmatched "Sword Will"…
The Iron Arm Madman knew he wouldn't have even had the chance to run.
Yes, his bounty was 500 million, but he knew his limits—he was still far from the peak.
He remembered once seeing a pirate crew with a captain worth 600 million, famous in the New World, attempt to challenge Kaido.
The result?
One swing of Kaido's club.
In that single strike, the entire crew was annihilated, the captain's body and ship reduced to blood mist.
The boy before him would no doubt join the ranks of the top powerhouses one day—
But that day was not today.
Today, he was just another Great Swordsman.
And he'd killed Great Swordsmen before.
Especially one this young—there was no way his Haki and physical combat matched his swordsmanship.
The Iron Arm Madman roared, charging once more.
"Megaton Smash!!"
Steam hissed from the joints of his mechanical elbows, erupting in a powerful jet. The blast of propulsion sent his steel fist surging forward like a rocket.
The terrifying punch vacuumed the air itself, the light glinting off it with a deadly brilliance.
The air distorted around it as it howled forward.
Creed's expression shifted—he moved to dodge.
But—
The mechanical arm bent mid-strike at an inhuman ninety-degree angle, twisting toward him like a predator changing course mid-leap.
He hadn't expected that—he couldn't dodge!
"If I can't avoid it… then I'll meet it head-on!"
His eyes hardened. Armament Haki flooded his body, his hands turning pitch black.
Rinne gleamed with an abyssal light.
BOOM!!
Thunder cracked as blade met steel fist.
The shockwave leveled everything nearby, wind roaring, debris flying—a ten-level typhoon tearing the harbor apart.
But this time—Creed was the one forced back.
The immense force hurled him away. He stabbed Rinne into the ground, boots gouging deep trenches as he slid back more than ten meters before halting.
His eyes stayed locked on the Iron Arm Madman.
Garp had been right—the seas teemed with strong foes, many with strange and deadly Devil Fruit powers.
Never underestimate an opponent—one never knew what trump cards they held.
Those bending arms could have killed him had he been weaker.
Exhaling slowly, his sword aura surged to the heavens, his robe billowing violently. "Then take this!"
"Itto-ryu · Mujin Hanarashi (One-Sword Style · Endless Vexation Wind)!!"
Creed swung, his sword aura exploding outward—countless blades of light churned the air before descending in a storm.
Like a torrential gale, the countless slashes rained down on the Iron Arm Madman, blanketing the sky.
The sight alone sent chills down spines.
The Iron Arm Madman's arms shuddered. "Defense Mode!!"
His mechanical arms shifted shape, swelling in size, their surfaces solidifying into massive, angular plates.
Now, each arm was larger than his entire body—twice as thick as an elephant's leg.
…
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For 20+ Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!]
[[email protected]/Draumel]
[Thank You For Your Support!]