Dalmatian vaguely sensed something was wrong.
He couldn't feel any anxiety from Hiroto. Instead, he could feel that Hiroto was immersed in the battle with him.
And the evidence was that his Observation Haki was improving rapidly. His Shigan strikes were starting to be evaded, and the number of hits was becoming fewer and fewer.
He's using me as a whetstone?
Anger rose in Dalmatian's heart, but he quickly calmed down.
Such a situation was actually a good thing for him.
Since it was impossible to one-shot Hiroto anyway, it was better to drag it out and wait for Garp to arrive, then capture and kill Hiroto together.
It's just...
"Time is about up."
Hiroto's offensive suddenly paused, his position just right on the right.
Wind and fire roared as they whipped up a storm, then in the blink of an eye, they wrapped around Shusui's blade.
Dalmatian seized the opening, thrusting out with a Shigan: Barrage, but it was continuously dodged by Hiroto as if he had foreknowledge.
This wasn't just Observation Haki.
Dalmatian felt something was wrong, but it was already too late.
Thick Armament Haki wrapped around Shusui's blade, followed by Flying Slash: 6x Scale Multiplier and 6x Power Multiplier.
That energy, which was enough to form a powerful Flying Slash, was instantly integrated by the Great Trend, transforming into a crimson light wave on Shusui's blade.
Ryujin Jakka!
Dalmatian's pupils constricted, his hair standing on end as he felt an extreme sense of danger.
He crossed his arms in front to block, a thick layer of Armament Haki surfacing on his arms, which then hardened into something incredibly solid. His entire body retreated frantically, his agile footwork full of deception.
However, this time Hiroto seemed to have foreseen the future, slashing down exactly in the direction he was dodging.
A line of crimson flashed past. Dalmatian, who had already pulled back some distance, felt a sharp pain in his arms before his vision turned blood-red.
Stopping his Soru mid-speed, he appeared over a hundred meters away from Hiroto's side. Then his tall body swayed, and his head fell from his neck. Fountain-like blood gushed out from the smooth cut on his neck.
Cut off along with it were the two arms he had used to block. Even though he had covered them with a large amount of Armament Haki for defense in advance, he still couldn't block this strike.
[Incoming Chaos] predicted the future within seconds, [Armament Haki] added bonus damage, and [Flying Slash] enhanced the damage.
Using Shusui as the medium, the entries integrated and then condensed without being released, the slashing wave wrapping around the blade.
Finally, and most crucially, the direct cause of this strike's qualitative change.
[Right Is Always Right].
A one-stage increase allowed the power of Hiroto's final strike to soar to B++ or even A-rank.
The change was too fast.
Dalmatian reacted and tried to squeeze out all his Armament Haki for defense but it was already too late.
'With my current base stats plus various entries, I should be able to contend with an elite Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral.'
'I've got the materials for [Effort King] today as well. It should allow me to progress once more. It's a pity he wasn't strong enough to make me use all my trump cards.'
Hiroto silently made an assessment and flicked Shusui, the Vice Admiral's blood splattering on the ground.
This was the first significant opponent he had slain.
Moria didn't count. Compared to Dalmatian, he was just a pure fraud.
Rustle—
The sound of paper being blown by the wind caught Hiroto's attention.
An invitation letter had fallen to the ground from the pocket of the slain Dalmatian.
He hadn't intended to pay it any mind, but the moment his gaze fell upon it, his brain understood what the three pictures on it represented.
Devil Fruit?
Hiroto quickly picked it up, glanced at it, and stuffed it into his pocket.
Although he was curious, now was clearly not the time to examine this thing.
Meanwhile, at the edge of the battlefield.
A few Marines who were lucky enough to survive scrambled up, looking blankly at their colleagues lying dead all around.
"Where's the enemy?"
"What is that!"
They looked into the battlefield, Dalmatian's headless corpse clearly visible.
"Vice Admiral Dalmatian... is dead?"
The faces of the few surviving Marines turned pale, almost unable to believe their eyes.
A Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral had died at the hands of Sea-Cleaving Swordsman Hiroto less than ten minutes after the battle began.
They had followed Dalmatian and naturally knew his strength, which could be said to be quite formidable. Even if there was a gap in strength, he shouldn't have been slain within ten minutes.
But now, the one who had died was Vice Admiral Dalmatian.
Sea-Cleaving Swordsman Hiroto...
The few of them suddenly realized that this pirate, who was confined to the East Blue and hadn't even officially entered the Grand Line, was already so strong that even a Marineford Vice Admiral couldn't handle him.
"Notify Headquarters! Quickly find a den den mushi!"
Just then, Hiroto noticed those few people. The Marines from Headquarters were stronger than those from the Four Blues' branches.
Those Marines sensed Hiroto's gaze, and their faces turned pale.
But Hiroto didn't move because various images suddenly flashed in his mind, the passive trigger of [Incoming Chaos].
He abruptly looked up. A dark shadow had suddenly appeared in the sky over Loguetown.
Looking closely, one would find it was a Marine Warship with a dog-head figurehead.
A ship flying in the sky?
No, it's Garp! Garp is here!
In a flash, Hiroto realized the crisis, and the shadow beneath his feet disappeared.
Shusui was unsheathed, its position adjusted to ensure it was on the right. Then, wind and fire roared as they soared into the sky, wrapping around the blade of Shusui along with all his Armament Haki.
[Incoming Chaos] activated!
On the bow of the warship descending from the air, a burly man with short white hair wearing a Marine coat was looking down.
His Observation Haki and gaze locked onto the enemy in the Marine Base, and he also saw the decapitated Dalmatian and the large number of Marines unconscious on the ground.
"Am I late?"
Garp's expression became visibly angry. The death of his colleague and the pirate's rampage made his emotions intense.
"Since you've done such a thing, there's nothing more to say. Stay here forever."
Without hesitation, Garp stepped down. A massive force erupted, causing the entire warship to tilt.
Then, he shot out, arriving above the Marine Base in the blink of an eye, his fist raised. Vigorous Haki wrapped around his raised fist, turning it pitch-black.
Armament Haki: Hardening!
He stepped down again, the air letting out a sharp sonic boom as he turned into a bolt of lightning striking down.
In the next second, he arrived in front of Hiroto, a fist smashing down from above, and then Hiroto was blown apart by a single punch.
Garp was too fast, exceeding the limit of Hiroto's reaction.
The active prediction of [Incoming Chaos] ended.