"You don't know my name?"
El chuckled softly as he spoke, glancing sideways at Doflamingo.
Though he had been observing the battlefield through his Observation Haki, he could not see or hear every single detail—certainly not catch every word exchanged.
It seemed Doflamingo had not mentioned his name during their fight. But that was of no consequence.
"Mr. Issho, you are more than welcome to try and guess. See if you can figure out who I am."
El's strength far outstripped Issho's, so he had every reason to be confident. As for Issho, the moment El appeared, he had lost control over the situation.
This was not to say he would simply accept whatever El said, but to challenge him head-on would be foolish.
Issho began to think carefully. With his level of power, there were very few people across the Grand Line who could claim to be stronger than him.
El's identity was actually not that difficult to deduce—at least, the range of possibilities was quite small.
He knew for certain this man was not one of the Four Emperors… nor one of the Marine Headquarters Admirals.
Yet he had ties to Donquixote Doflamingo and possessed such overwhelming power.
"Could it be… you are from the El Pirates?"
Indeed, El's identity was easy enough to guess, given the limited options—and the fact that the El Pirates had been making waves across the seas recently.
It was no surprise Issho recognized him so quickly.
"Ha ha… you are correct." El nodded. "Since we are being honest…"
He gestured toward Doflamingo, who had just gotten back on his feet and moved to stand beside him.
"This man is under my protection. Since you chose to attack him, I cannot simply turn a blind eye."
Issho tightened his grip on his sword-cane. "Oh? And what does Captain El have to say about this?"
El shook his head. "I think we've said enough… let us settle this with our fists instead!"
Before the words had fully left his mouth, El lunged straight at Issho.
Even without relying on any special abilities, his mastery of hand-to-hand combat and Haki alone placed him among the very strongest fighters in the entire world—not just the Grand Line.
Issho was taken aback. He had heard of this young, rising pirate captain, but never imagined his speed could be so terrifying!
Bzzz!
Without a moment's hesitation, Issho spun his sword-cane in two rapid, fluid arcs.
In an instant, every loose stone and piece of debris around him lifted off the ground and hovered in the air.
This was the true power of the Gravity Fruit—it gave its user unmatched mobility.
The ability to rise into the air at a moment's notice was something even many of the world's greatest warriors could not achieve.
In one move, Issho had seemingly taken the high ground.
Yet relying entirely on one's Devil Fruit power will only take you so far.
For any Devil Fruit user—especially those who aspire to reach the very top—true growth means learning to let go of that power, or at least not become dependent on it.
Only then can one push past their limits.
Issho had clearly mastered this balance. But now, standing before El, all the effort and training that had brought him so far suddenly felt insignificant.
To anyone else, Issho's control over gravity was a weapon that granted him total command of the terrain—an ability that, in many ways, could rival even the most powerful Logia-type fruits.
But against the wrong opponent, even the Gravity Fruit could struggle to reach its full potential.
Just as Issho intended to lift himself into the sky and escape El's sudden charge, he realized too late: El's speed, strength, reflexes, and physical coordination were beyond anything he could have imagined.
At the exact same moment Issho and the debris around him began to rise, El launched himself upward.
Using the floating stones as stepping stones, he climbed higher and higher, moving as if the floating fragments were solid ground beneath his feet.
"What?!"
Even with his exceptional Observation Haki, Issho frowned deeply in shock. Could this legendary young pirate truly possess such incredible skill?
Whoosh!
Though surprised, Issho did not slow his blade. He swung his sword-cane again, and the stones and debris hovering beside him swirled rapidly through the air, as if responding to a command. Spinning at such speed, they carried the force of cannonballs.
Caught in the center of this storm of rock and rubble, El seemed to be in grave danger.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
A continuous barrage of impacts echoed through the air as the stones slammed into something solid.
Yet there was no sign that El had been harmed. Instead, Issho's expression grew more and more serious as he tracked the fight through his Haki.
He could sense clearly: El remained completely uninjured. Every single piece of debris that struck him shattered instantly upon contact, crushed to dust by the impenetrable Armament Haki covering his body.
Even among masters of Armament Haki, there were vast differences in skill.
Issho himself was highly trained, yet even he would find it difficult to withstand such a relentless assault without effort.
But what he was seeing now gave him a glimpse of what lay beyond his own current limits.
"Can Armament Haki truly be refined to such a degree?!"
To the naked eye, the full scope of what was happening was impossible to see—but to someone with Issho's level of perception, every detail was clear.
El's Haki was not simply wrapped around his skin; it extended outward, forming an invisible barrier just above his body.
Every rock, every shard, every piece of debris that flew toward him disintegrated before they even came close to touching him.
El moved forward with no visible strategy or intricate techniques—just pure, overwhelming power, crushing all resistance in his path.
The pressure he exuded was immense, and even Issho could not afford to relax for a single second.
It was worth remembering that only moments earlier, Issho had defeated Donquixote Doflamingo—a famous and feared pirate of long standing.
Doflamingo was no rookie; the Donquixote Family was known across the Grand Line, and his own strength placed him among the world's elite.
Though Doflamingo had been caught off guard and underestimated his opponent at first, Issho had not even used his full power in that fight.
Even if Doflamingo had gone all out, it was doubtful he could have matched Issho's true level.
El could see clearly: Issho was already every bit as strong as a Marine Admiral. No wonder, after the world-wide conscription, he had risen so quickly to claim that very rank.
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