Slash!
Arthur's sword cleaved the shockwave in two—another blast that Ochoku had spat out. Arthur immediately sensed something was off.
It was strange.
Normally, with enough raw power, throwing out a shockwave with a punch—or even with a single strike—wasn't unusual.
But opening and closing your mouth and firing shockwave after shockwave like a cannon?
That was downright unnatural.
Arthur wasn't about to miss something that obvious.
"ROAR—!"
Another shockwave burst from Ochoku's mouth and crashed down.
Arthur stepped back.
Slash!
One clean cut—split straight down the middle.
Arthur flicked his sword lightly and said with amusement, "Ochoku… you ate a Devil Fruit? Or did you always have one—and you've just been hiding it all this time?"
Arthur narrowed his eyes, genuinely intrigued.
Had Ochoku possessed a Devil Fruit before? Honestly, Arthur didn't know.
But now?
Arthur could say for certain—Ochoku absolutely had a Devil Fruit.
No normal person could keep launching consecutive shockwaves like this. This wasn't skill—it was a Devil Fruit ability, plain and simple.
Of course… if you told Arthur that decades later, Garp could do it by sheer strength alone, he'd believe it.
At his peak—like Rocks at his peak—one punch, one shockwave would be the most normal thing in the world.
"Hahahaha!"
Ochoku laughed loudly. "Arthur, boy—so you noticed?"
Arthur said, "You're not an idiot. Anyone would notice a fighting style this blatant. But I am curious… You're the type who prides himself on using his head, so how could you choose a Devil Fruit like this? You don't seem like the kind of guy who'd eat one."
That was what felt the most unnatural to Arthur.
Could Arthur beat Ochoku today?
Arthur had some confidence, yes.
But could he kill Ochoku?
On that, Arthur wasn't confident at all.
It wasn't arrogance or lack of faith in himself—this was simply reality.
Ochoku's preparations for survival were too thorough.
To be precise—
Every move Ochoku made came with a near-guaranteed escape route.
As for the time they attacked the Red Line? That one was awkward—Ochoku had been forced into it. If he didn't go, Rocks would've killed him.
Even so, Ochoku still had contingencies.
And for someone like him—someone who always keeps a back door open—eating a Devil Fruit was odd.
Because once you do, the sea becomes your enemy.
That contradiction didn't fit Ochoku.
"Hahahaha!"
Ochoku laughed with booming confidence. "Arthur, boy—I know exactly what you're thinking. But it doesn't matter. I've been prepared for a long time. Or rather—my preparations are more than sufficient!"
Crack—crackle!
He clenched his fist and said proudly, "I searched for this Devil Fruit for over ten years. Ten years—just to finally get my hands on it."
"A Paramecia?"
"That's right."
"Paramecia — Shockwave Fruit!"
Ochoku spread both hands, no longer bothering to hide anything.
Thoom… thoom…
Shockwaves gathered like a frenzy—compressing, concentrating, swelling with destructive intent, as though they wanted to crush everything into dust.
In an instant—
"Split Shockwave!!"
Ochoku struck.
Two shockwaves erupted from his palms—and then immediately split into countless streaks, like beams of light, forming a chaotic net from every direction—up, down, left, right—completely surrounding Arthur.
"I see."
"Wind King's Shield!"
Arthur raised one hand.
A shield of compressed gales formed instantly, catching the lethal barrage head-on.
BOOOOM—!
A small mushroom cloud rose… but in battle, "smoke with no damage" was practically tradition.
Arthur stepped out of the haze.
Not a scratch. Not even a tear.
He nodded in approval. "No wonder you chose this fruit, Ochoku. That power… is seriously impressive."
Paramecia — Shockwave Fruit.
Even among Paramecia, it wasn't necessarily the most broken ability, and its raw destruction wasn't the absolute peak.
But—
To Ochoku, it was perfect.
Endless shockwaves could destroy nearly anything. And even if an opponent blocked them, the ability still excelled as a long-range style—exactly suited to him.
That was why this had always been one of the two Devil Fruits he most wanted.
After more than ten years of searching—
He finally got it.
Ochoku curled his lips into a confident grin. "Arthur… the real fight is only just beginning."
Arthur smiled back. "Yeah. Now it really starts."
Crack—crackle!
Their pupils tightened at the same time.
Two waves of Conqueror's Haki erupted—covering everything, swallowing the battlefield.
Dark lightning writhed like living fangs, spreading wildly in every direction.
RUMBLE—!
The two monstrous wills collided.
With them at the center, dark-violet bolts covered the surroundings like a storm.
"Retreat!"
"Fall back!"
Even after people had already pulled away once, the entire battlefield retreated even farther outward.
There was no choice.
It was impossible to imagine how these two monsters could be this terrifying—just with Conqueror's Haki alone.
In truth—
Even though both were insanely strong, neither had reached Conqueror's Haki infusion yet.
So far, aside from Whitebeard and Shiki, no one could do that.
In a roundabout way, it proved it again:
Among the "three colors," aside from Armament, the other peaks were not easy to reach.
Crack—crackle!
Lightning rolled.
The two simply stared at each other—neither moving.
"Hmph."
Ochoku bared his teeth. "Arthur… your Conqueror's is terrifying. Looks like I've underestimated you this whole time."
Arthur smiled calmly. "Underestimate me? Don't say that. Of everyone in Rocks' crew… I always felt you were the one who took me the most seriously."
"Oh?"
Ochoku's eyes gleamed. "Arthur, brat… you figured that out?"
Arthur chuckled. "Yeah. Compared to everyone else's arrogance, blind confidence, and madness—yours was different. You acted the part… but it wasn't real. Your 'wildness' was a mask. Underneath, you were constantly on guard."
Arthur's gaze sharpened.
"And you weren't just watching me. You were watching Kaido too. No—more accurately…"
He leaned in slightly.
"Rocks Pirates… you recorded every member's strength and future potential, didn't you?"
"Hahahaha!"
Ochoku burst into excited laughter. "Arthur—so you did see it!"
"As expected…"
"You really are smart."
His laughter grew louder, but his eyes turned heavy.
"Arthur brat—I valued you and Kaido more than Silver Axe or Captain John ever did."
"Because you were too young."
Young enough to be terrifying.
And because of that—
Your growth rate was just as terrifying.
"To be honest," Ochoku said, voice dropping, "I even considered attacking the waters of Britannia directly."
"Of course…"
"Hehehe…"
A grin spread across his face—feral, unsettling.
This man had more tricks prepared. He was never that simple.
Arthur stayed calm. "Yeah. I've more or less guessed what you've prepared."
"But I'm prepared too."
"Hehehe…"
"Then let's see."
"Sure."
They met each other's eyes—both perfectly composed.
Like they said—
They'd find out by testing it.
Whose preparations were truly enough.
"Enough talk!"
BOOOOM—!
Ochoku's Conqueror's exploded even harder, devouring the space like a tidal wave.
Arthur answered without fear, releasing an equally terrifying Conqueror's.
Who was afraid of who?
If this was a contest of will—
Arthur wanted to see whether Ochoku's was just as monstrous.
RUMBLE—RUMBLE—!
Two beasts of will collided.
No techniques. No weapons.
Just Conqueror's Haki—
And it still felt like the world would be swallowed whole.
"Monsters…?!" Neptune swallowed hard, shock written all over his face.
How could anything be this terrifying?
Could a human being truly defeat monsters like this?
Honestly—
Neptune used to think Fish-Man Island might have a chance against the Five Peaks Pirates.
Now he understood.
Don't be ridiculous.
They weren't even on the same level.
Not even close.
Trying would be suicide.
"Your Majesty," Tiger said gravely from in front of Neptune, "should you return to the Ryugu Palace?"
"No," Neptune said firmly. "As the king of the Ryugu Kingdom, I can't retreat. Standing here and waiting for the war to end… is the only thing I can do."
Whoosh—whoosh!
At that moment, several pirates suddenly rushed Neptune—no matter what, killing the king was worth it.
But in the next instant—
Gareth flashed in like a lone wolf on the hunt, wiping them out in one breath.
"Hm?"
She shook her spear, eyes sharp, presence overwhelming.
"The King's order! No one is allowed to harm Mr. Neptune!"
That was right.
Arthur had already predicted someone would try to assassinate Neptune.
No matter how strong Arthur was, no matter how important he was—
Neptune was still the true king of Fish-Man Island.
Kill Neptune, and everything changes.
So Arthur assigned Gareth to protect him—locking him down completely and ensuring nothing could happen.
"Thank you," Neptune said sincerely.
He knew it—if the fish-man army had to protect him instead, who knew how many lives it would cost?
That was unacceptable to him.
Neptune might be aggressive in policy, but he loved his people.
He wouldn't accept his citizens dying in droves because of him.
Gareth smiled and nodded. "Mr. Neptune, don't worry. I'll protect you."
Tiger stared at Gareth's gallant figure and clenched his fists.
His longing for Britannia only grew stronger.
There were many reasons—
But one thing was certain:
Britannia could make him stronger.
Strong enough to protect Fish-Man Island better.
Tiger had once dreamed of sailing out, traveling the seas, seeing what the world beyond looked like.
But now…
He abandoned that idea.
Now he wanted to go to Britannia—or join the Knights.
He wanted to witness it with his own eyes—
That world.
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