"Moo~"
As the dust settled, Jack in his Mammoth Form let out another cry, his thick trunk swinging back and forth.
"Snort, snort."
The giant elephant took a couple of breaths.
"Taro, you've angered me. Now, let me show you the power of the Zoan-type Ancient Species!"
Thud~
Thud~
In Jack's Mammoth Form, his movements weren't as sluggish as one might imagine; on the contrary, he was quite fast.
With every step he took, steam rose from the moist earth, and the ground trembled.
As his speed increased, the tremors gradually turned into a violent shaking, as if the mountains themselves were swaying.
"Gravity Command!"
Taro held his blade with a reverse grip, sheathed it, and then slowly drew it out, his Internal Energy erupting frantically.
Two streams of air surged from his wrists, and after a quick spiral, a bluish-purple gravity suddenly erupted.
Jack's charging speed suddenly dropped, and his raised left leg stalled in mid-air.
His eyes, much larger now that he was a mammoth, showed a hint of unbelievable surprise.
Then, his gaze hardened and became even more ferocious. Forcing himself against the gravity, he stomped down heavily.
Boom~
This forceful stomp split the ground into pieces.
Holy shit, this guy's physical strength is freaking insane!
Taro was secretly shocked; this was the first time he had encountered someone who could move against his gravity so quickly.
He exerted more force through his wrists, his entire body's Internal Energy vibrating violently as even more majestic gravity poured out.
Jack's movements became even more sluggish, every step an immense struggle.
However, thanks to his massive size, every step he took covered dozens of meters.
Eventually, he reached a spot about ten meters in front of Taro.
"Moo~"
His thick trunk rose high, and his two sturdy forelimbs lifted, bringing his entire body nearly upright.
The trunk, like a spiked club, slammed down heavily toward Taro.
"Gravity Rebound!"
Taro took a step back, crouched slightly, leaned forward, and suddenly drew thunderstorm, holding it horizontally across his chest.
The Internal Energy in his Meridians surged out, forming a cyclone on his back. After two rotations, the bluish-white Internal Energy gradually turned purple.
Hum~
A powerful repulsive force instantly erupted, surging straight toward Jack's raised neck.
Crackle~
The collision between the repulsive force and physical strength crackled loudly.
Jack's trunk stopped a dozen meters above Taro's head, its downward strike halted.
"Moo~"
Jack let out another angry roar, his eyes bloodshot and wide with rage, as he concentrated all his strength into the front of his body.
His body suddenly plunged, and his trunk slammed down again.
Taro gripped his hilt tightly and gritted his teeth. Internal Energy from his internal organs surged out to replenish what was spent, erupting with an even stronger repulsive force.
Buzzing~
The air tremors caused by the eruption of repulsive force emitted a series of hums.
Jack hadn't expected Taro to have strength in reserve, and he was instantly pushed back a distance by this sudden burst of repulsive force.
This push caused a major problem.
He had already channeled his strength into his forelimbs, weakening his hind limbs. Once pushed back, his footing immediately became unstable, and he stumbled.
His attack could no longer continue, and his massive body lost its balance.
Taro exerted force once more, activating his Internal Energy without holding anything back.
Boom~
The newly erupted repulsive force actually lifted Jack's massive body off the ground, causing him to fall backward.
At the moment the repulsive force flipped Jack over, Taro retracted his remaining Internal Energy.
"Second Gear"
"Armament Hardening"
"Conquerors Haki Infusion"
"Vibration Energy Empowerment"
"Nether Dog"
After the Internal Energy retracted into his body, it was compressed into his internal organs before surging out again.
All his Internal Energy was poured into his right arm. Blue-black Armament Haki and blue-red lightning immediately covered it, accompanied by a blue-white pressure shroud.
Buffs maxed out!
This time, Taro had learned his lesson from his encounter with Edward Weevil.
That time, he had attacked Weevil's head.
However, the head had the hardest bones, and he hadn't even broken through Weevil's defense then.
Being an Ancient Species as well, Jack's head defense was bound to be incredible.
Therefore, Taro chose to attack Jack's exposed abdomen this time.
Looking at the high-leaping Taro, Jack's eyes were filled with horror!
His right fist, rising with scorching heat, slammed into the elephant's belly. The powerful defense of the Ancient Species made Taro feel his punch stall.
"Yah!"
Taro gritted his teeth and let out a low shout from his throat, punching out with all his might.
Zzzzt~
The blue-red Haoshoku lightning erupted first, with a surge of electricity flickering between Taro's fist and Jack's abdomen.
Pfft Cough
Taro's fist finally pierced Jack's defense, tearing a bloody hole in his stomach. Jack instantly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Immediately after, the vibration power erupted with a bang!
Taro could even see the mass of flesh inside Jack's wound vibrating violently.
"Waaah Cough Cough~"
The vibration power erupted directly inside Jack's body, instantly causing severe damage to his internal organs, and blood gushed uncontrollably from his mouth.
Boom~
The scorching power of Nether Dog surged last, like a pillar of blue-white light, piercing straight into Jack's body.
Although it didn't ultimately pierce through Jack's back, under the impact of the massive force, Jack was sent flying backward like a crashing battleship.
Rumble Sizzle
Jack's massive form flew back several hundred meters and slammed heavily onto the ground.
The powerful inertia caused him to slide nearly another hundred meters, rolling twice before coming to a stop.
The moist soil didn't stir up much dust.
The "smoke but no damage" rule didn't apply on this battlefield soaked by seawater.
Jack was truly injured!
However, after struggling a few times, he actually stood up unsteadily.
"Waaah!"
From the massive elephant mouth, another large puddle of blood was coughed up.
From the hole in his abdomen, which was still steaming with heat, blood flowed like a fountain, quickly staining the nearby soil a deep crimson.
Taro's eyebrows twitched wildly.
Holy crap, he can still stand up with injuries like that?
Jack not only stood up, but the powerful durability and recovery abilities of the Ancient Species also quickly allowed him to stop the bleeding.
Taro was dumbfounded.
Damn it, do I have to decapitate him like I did with Weevil?
His face flickered with uncertainty, his gaze shifting as he assessed whether his remaining Internal Energy could support one more max-buffed Slash.
Ting Ting
Just then, the sound of metal clinking from footsteps came from his side.
Katakuri approached with a grim expression.
"Taro, you actually know powerful Taijutsu as well!"
His tone was filled with uncontrollable anger.
Before their duel, Taro had hardly used any Taijutsu.
Now, suddenly seeing the strike that defeated Jack, Katakuri realized that Taro had been hiding many things.
This Marine didn't just have abilities and swordsmanship; his Taijutsu was equally powerful!
Taro had never given it his all!
Katakuri felt looked down upon!
Unforgivable!
The fire of anger in his chest almost ignited his internal organs, and his killing intent filled the air as he looked at Taro with an even colder gaze.
"Now that you've defeated Jack, our duel can continue!"
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