"Hehehe~~~"
Seeing the doubt in Gion's eyes, Arthur chuckled lightly. "Well then, Marine Supernova—why don't you try to guess? What weapon am I really holding?"
Tap!
Before his words had even finished, Arthur stomped down and shot forward at blinding speed straight toward her.
Be careful!
Gion silently warned herself, not daring to relax in the slightest.
Shhh!
The two passed one another in a blur.
A single strand of Gion's black hair drifted down. Her pupils shrank. Too fast! That strike—what was it? Its reach had clearly extended almost thirty centimeters beyond her initial judgment.
This… it's bizarre. Was that a spear? But when I first sensed it, it was a sword…!
Arthur spun and pressed forward again, no tricks, no flourishes—just the sheer brute force of his Red Dragon bloodline, his strikes carrying crushing waves of air.
Crash!
Gion narrowly avoided the slash, but the artillery tower behind her was cleaved apart instantly, the destruction stretching far beyond.
"Damn!"
Her eyes narrowed. But Arthur was already leaping onto the walls of G-1, smiling faintly. "Marine Supernova… looks like you failed to stop me."
And without pause, he rushed the surrounding artillery batteries. For Arthur, missions were serious—this one meant Devil Fruits. And a captain like Rocks, wealthy enough to hand them out, was not someone to waste.
"Stop!"
Gion's voice rang out, but it was already too late.
The G-1 Branch had a total of eighteen artillery batteries. One had already been destroyed in the earlier clash. Now, at terrifying speed, Arthur cut down one after another.
"Ohhh!"
"Brothers, charge! Arthur has cleared us a path!"
"Kill every last Marine!"
Freed from the suppressing fire, the pirates surged ashore, storming the base.
"Black Arm—Wave Slash!"
Zephyr noticed the chaos and tried to move, but Shiki intercepted immediately.
"Jihahahahaha~~~"
"Purple-hair! Your opponent is me!" Shiki snarled with glee. "Don't go interfering in the kids' battles!"
"Tsk!"
"Black Arm—Rankyaku!"
"Lion's Might: Ocean Roll!"
Zephyr knew he couldn't disengage. He would leave it to Gion and Gaji. The two old rivals clashed once again.
BOOM!!!
Amid the thunder of explosions, Arthur finished off all eighteen artillery batteries. He lifted his head, gazing at the titanic duel between Shiki and Zephyr. "As expected… there's still a gap. A gap only time can close."
Swish!
Another slash came for him. Without even looking, Arthur sidestepped, narrowly avoiding Gion's killing strike.
"I'll kill you!"
"Rabbit Shadow!"
Gion's eyes were cold, devoid of emotion. Her earlier lapse had cost the Marines dearly, and she was furious.
The Marines outnumbered the pirates. But Rocks' six hundred elite followers were a different breed—terrifying warriors, each a warlord in their own right. They served Rocks himself, not the officers. And now, the tide had turned.
Gion struck with blinding ferocity, afterimages flooding the field. Dozens of Gions seemed to slash from every direction at once, a storm of blades intent on carving Arthur into pieces.
"Hm?!"
Arthur's eyes flickered rapidly, his Observation Haki spreading out to cover everything. Then, to Gion's shock—
He closed his eyes.
"What—?!"
"No way!"
Gion's eyes widened. Impossible. Yet Arthur moved as if strolling casually through her barrage, slipping through the gaps as if he'd seen them all beforehand.
Directly clashing, she could accept losing. But this—walking calmly through her technique as though he'd dissected its flaws? It was unbearable.
"Eleven openings," Arthur said calmly. "Or rather, eleven seams in your attack. Impressive… but far from perfect."
As he spoke, Gion felt the icy chill of his unseen blade pressing against her skin.
"Rabbit Well!"
On instinct, Gion raised Kinpira, forming a lattice guard in a 井-shaped stance. It caught Arthur's strike—barely.
But even in its juvenile stage, a Red Dragon's power was not so easily stopped.
Drip… drip…
Blood spattered down. Gion's face paled as she looked down. Her chest had been split open, clothes torn, a deep gash carved straight through, organs faintly visible.
Thud!
She collapsed to her knees, her eyes dimming. Not dead yet—but utterly spent, body at its absolute limit.
"Pity."
Arthur stepped toward her without hesitation. Even before a beauty like Gion, mercy is no option.