The Nagasone Kotetsu gave off a faint tiger's roar, and the blade managed to shatter Redfield's sword slash.
Diarmuid took the impact, too. Even with his Geppo, he couldn't completely absorb the force coming from his blade and was sent flying backward, landing on the deck with enough force to crack the heavy wood beneath his feet.
But he had successfully blocked the attack. While it was a struggle, he didn't feel it was anything overwhelming. Still, he didn't dare to be careless, as this was likely just a test from Redfield.
"Nice work," Kong praised.
At the same time, on his small skiff, Redfield's brow furrowed. That slash hadn't been his full power, but it wasn't something just anyone could block. He was honestly a bit surprised he didn't recognize the Marine who had taken his attack.
But he's a Fleet Admiral, after all. The Marines have a deep foundation. It's not entirely unexpected for Steel Bone to bring a few masters with him, Redfield thought to himself. He was still fearless. Patrick Redfield, the "Aloof Red," was very confident in his own strength.
He stomped his foot, and the blade of his cane slowly lifted. He was about to make his move again.
But just then, Diarmuid, standing on the battleship, went on the offensive. He sent the Nagasone Kotetsu flying with a slash from a distance and roared, "Hell's Journey!"
As he yelled, the power of his Gravity-Gravity Fruit instantly unleashed. The sea within a hundred-meter radius in front of the battleship was struck by an invisible, heavy force, creating a massive, collapsing crater in the water.
This technique was a natural imitation of Fujitora's style, but Diarmuid hadn't mastered his Devil Fruit ability to that level yet, so it lacked precision. He couldn't control it much once it was launched. All he could do was unleash a wide-ranging attack to engulf Redfield.
Even so, it was enough to be shocking.
Kuzan's eyes widened.
He truly has one of the best Paramecia-type Devil Fruit abilities. Even a simple and crude use of it has this much power. When this guy fully matures, there's no telling how strong he'll become, Kuzan thought to himself. If anyone ever told him again that there were no useless Devil Fruits, only useless users, he'd freeze them for three days and three nights.
Kong was also deeply moved. He looked at Diarmuid and clicked his tongue, saying, "The Marines have a new generation of talent!"
The Marine sailors and officers on the battleship were all stunned. They had rarely had contact with Diarmuid. Although they had heard that he was the head of the sixth Marine Officer Training Camp class, the young Commodore had barely been on a mission or shown his strength. The respect they held for him was based solely on his rank.
Now they knew this young Commodore was a genuine monster. He just sank a huge area of the sea without breaking a sweat!
No wonder he's friends with a 'monster' like Rear Admiral Kuzan—he's a monster, too!
The Marines were all excited.
Redfield, however, was in a bad spot. He hadn't taken Diarmuid seriously. Even though Diarmuid had blocked his last slash, he had already gauged Diarmuid's strength. He was strong, but not enough to deserve his attention.
Also, Redfield had no intel on Diarmuid. After all, few in the Marines even knew about him, so how could Redfield? He had no idea someone here had the powerful Gravity-Gravity Fruit. He was about to draw his sword when he heard the roar of "Hell's Journey!"
Before he could react, a powerful, invisible gravity instantly pressed down on him. If his own strength hadn't been so great, he would have been smashed into the sea. Instead, the small skiff under his feet was instantly crushed and fell apart.
So, Redfield was sent plunging into the sea before he could even say a word to Kong. He was pushed dozens of feet below the surface by the gravity, gagging on several gulps of seawater and nearly losing consciousness.
Luckily, he wasn't a Devil Fruit user; otherwise, this unknown guy named Diarmuid would have one-shotted him!
Redfield was furious.
How long had it been?
For so many years, he had roamed the seas, and everyone who saw him showed him respect. Now he had been inexplicably embarrassed. How could he remain a legend if this got out?
Redfield instantly hated the kid who had attacked him and vowed to kill all these Marines to keep them silent.
As soon as Redfield fell into the sea, Kong almost laughed out loud. But as a battle-hardened veteran, he didn't hesitate and commanded, "Kuzan, now!"
He knew Redfield wasn't a Devil Fruit user, having fought him before. Besides, people like Redfield, who dared to sail the New World alone on a tiny skiff, were rarely Devil Fruit users.
It was too reckless; how could a person stand up to the weather? The weather in the New World was unpredictable, and any Devil Fruit user who tried this would be dead, except for an unbothered person like Kuzan.
Because he knew Redfield wasn't a Devil Fruit user, Kong knew the sea couldn't stop him. So, he ordered Kuzan to act immediately.
Kuzan wasn't a sentimental guy. When fighting pirates, he wouldn't try to go for a one-on-one duel just because the opponent was alone. He had already prepared himself without the Fleet Admiral's command.
As soon as Kong finished speaking, the cold air from Kuzan's feet spread along the deck, turning the water Diarmuid had manipulated into a freezing line.
"Ice Age!" Kuzan said in a low voice.
A Logia-type master was a Logia-type master. He acted silently, yet his power was world-shattering. In reality, Kuzan was not yet at his peak, but his attack was still overwhelming. In the blink of an eye, the entire area of the sea was frozen solid, as far as the eye could see.
Compared to his wide-ranging attack, Diarmuid's gravity field of a few hundred meters wasn't so noticeable anymore. The surface of the sea was frozen fairly smoothly, but the crater Diarmuid had made was now fixed in ice.
Seeing this, Diarmuid sheathed his Nagasone Kotetsu and deactivated his ability. "Is that it?" he asked.
But he already knew the answer.
"It's not that simple. Patrick Redfield may be a loner, but his power is not a lie. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so bold as to wait for me here!" Kong said gravely. At the same time, his aura surged. As the Marine Fleet Admiral, he wasn't a pushover. His powerful aura quickly swelled from within, making even Diarmuid instinctively want to take a step back to relieve the pressure.
But a fierce look flashed in Diarmuid's eyes, and he held his ground, enduring the pressure from the old man without giving way.
Black Armament Haki already covered Kong's fists. He seemed to be waiting for something.
And just as expected, in the next second, the sunken ice shattered, and Redfield burst forth, cane-blade in hand. Although his aura was still overwhelming, he looked a little disheveled, covered in shards of ice. It would have been less embarrassing if he hadn't fallen into the sea and been frozen by Kuzan, but having his wet clothes frozen solid was extremely awkward.
Now, Redfield was consumed by rage. The moment he came out, he roared, "Steel Bone!"
As he yelled, he swung his cane-blade, releasing a powerful sword slash that flew through the air. This was different from the last one. The previous slash was just a casual attack, which Diarmuid had confidently blocked. But this one was on a completely different level. Diarmuid knew with one look that the slash had reached its peak. He would just be a fool to try to block it again.
Kong didn't want Diarmuid to show off again, either. As the slash came, he stomped his foot and shot forward like a tiger charging down a mountain.
"Army of Origin: Fist of Victory!" Kong roared. He met the slash head-on with a punch.
For a moment, Diarmuid thought he was seeing things. He could almost see an endless sea of Marines charging behind Kong.
"What… is that?" Diarmuid murmured in shock.
"I was just as surprised the first time I saw it," Kuzan suddenly said.
"So, I wasn't seeing things…" Diarmuid said, slowly pulling his shocked expression together. After a brief pause, he asked, "Is that a Devil Fruit ability?"
As he asked, Kong's punch, which carried the might of a thousand armies, had already shattered Redfield's slash. Without losing any momentum, he charged toward Redfield fiercely.
Kong knew that Diarmuid hadn't fully grown in strength yet. He might be able to fight Redfield in the future, but right now, he was just a liability. As for Kuzan, while strong, he hadn't reached the top tier yet. He might be able to exchange a few blows with Redfield, but he couldn't defeat him.
Therefore, only he, Steel Bone Kong, could be Redfield's true opponent. Kuzan and Diarmuid could only provide support and act as a strategic backup.
"It's not an ability. To be precise, it's a type of aura…" Kuzan said, his eyes fixed on the battle.
"An aura?" Diarmuid murmured, not quite understanding. He figured he should ask his sensei Zephyr about it when he got back; he would likely know something.
"Yes. You know that when Haki is honed, it can have more extensions. If I'm not mistaken, this must be the Fleet Admiral's development of his Conqueror's Haki, combined with his aura… It's like he's carrying thousands of Marines with him. Garp calls it the 'Fist of the Army.'" Kuzan nodded.
Diarmuid was completely floored. What? Conqueror's Haki can do that? My impression was that it was only used to intimidate small fry at first and only had any real use when the Straw Hat fought Kaido. This world runs deeper than I thought!
What surprised him even more was that Kong had Conqueror's Haki… but only for a moment.
On second thought, not many people in the Marines had shown Conqueror's Haki, but it was never said they didn't have it. In fact, he knew that Sengoku had it, a Haki of a true ruler. Since the future Fleet Admiral had it, it didn't seem so unbelievable that the current one did, too.
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