Dozens of meters away, Iman lay face-down in the desert sand, utterly motionless, like a corpse.
His body jerked violently. Iman raised his head and vomited a mouthful of blood. The crimson spray soaked into the sand beneath him in an instant.
Blood poured from his face, his nose and ears bleeding heavily. The right side of his face was a mangled mess of flesh and blood. But Iman couldn't feel any of it anymore. Half of his face had gone completely numb. All he could sense was a pounding in his skull, as if his brain were sloshing around inside. Everything was hazy, spinning, and for a moment, he had blacked out entirely.
"Wow~ That punch? Beautiful!"
Oliver walked toward him with his sword slung across his shoulder, casually throwing out the praise.
Still rubbing his sore arm, Arlan frowned. "I need to keep training. Arm strength's not there yet."
He had a point. In the world of One Piece, the physical durability of fighters is absurdly high. Unless there's a massive gap in strength, knocking someone out in one hit is near impossible. And yet, Arlan had done just that, nearly beating Iman to death in one punch.
But that wasn't luck.
It was thanks to Arlan's self-developed hand-to-hand technique. He hadn't used his Bomb-Bomb Fruit ability. Instead, he adapted the kicking mechanics of Rankyaku to his arms, rapidly contracting the arm muscles to generate explosive kinetic force. The power lay dormant until the instant of impact, erupting in a burst strong enough to dent solid steel.
However, this technique demanded an insane level of control over one's body. The muscle, bone, and tendon strength required to withstand such rapid contraction and sudden force was extreme. Without it, you'd blow your own arm out. Even destroy it entirely.
In the Naruto world, this would be considered a forbidden taijutsu technique.
Though his mind was foggy, Iman knew one thing, he couldn't pass out. If he lost consciousness now, it was all over.
With trembling hands, he fumbled into his coat pocket and pulled out a small injection syringe. Inside the transparent vial sloshed two milliliters of ominous red liquid. His fingers shook as he ripped off the needle cap and stabbed the syringe into his neck.
The red fluid surged into his bloodstream.
Almost instantly, Iman's eyes turned bloodshot. Thick veins bulged along his neck. His breathing grew ragged, snarling, almost beastlike. His muscles began to swell unnaturally, his whole body radiating a feral, crushing aura, like a predator awakened.
"Huff... Huff... Huff..."
Steam billowed from his nose and mouth as he staggered to his feet. His eyes were crimson, veins pulsing. Were it not for the high-quality coat he wore, his muscles would've torn his clothes apart by now.
His neck twisted at an unnatural angle, mouth twitching with something between a grin and a grimace. He looked monstrous—his bloodshot gaze, bulging sinews, and nearly doubled musculature pushing his height past two meters. The air around him distorted with pressure. Any ordinary person would've collapsed under the weight of it.
"This feeling... Strong... Perfect..." Iman murmured, eyes closed, face contorted in blissful ecstasy.
Both Arlan and Oliver stiffened. Neither had expected this. Iman had a trump card hidden this whole time?
"What the hell is this? A potential unlock?" Oliver blinked, stunned. The aura around Iman had completely changed. It wasn't just stronger, it was primal. Like staring down a wild beast at the top of the food chain.
"No... He injected himself with something," Arlan said, pointing at the empty syringe lying in the sand. His voice was wary. "But what? A strength enhancer? Some kind of black market tech?"
Iman hefted the massive greatsword embedded nearby, gave it a quick test swing, then grinned with sharp teeth. With a single motion, he slashed down hard.
A shockwave sliced through the air. The nearby sand dune split cleanly in half, leaving a seven-meter-wide gap.
"No wonder it cost ten million Beri. Beautiful," Iman said, licking his lips with a twisted smile as he admired the clean cut.
"His strength... it's more than doubled, maybe even more than that," Oliver muttered, pupils contracting. That kind of effortless, invisible slash? He was easily beyond Oliver's current power level.
Before, if Iman's base strength was a ten, Oliver's was a fifteen. But now Iman was over a twenty, and that was just in raw power. Who knew how much the injection had enhanced his other abilities?
"What the hell was in that syringe?" Arlan's expression darkened. He felt a chill crawl down his spine.
Where did Iman get it? The black market?
But who manufactured something like that?
The World Government? The Marines? One of the Four Emperors? The Revolutionary Army?
And how had something this dangerous and strategically valuable made it into circulation?
"RRAAGHHH—I'LL KILL YOU ALL!!"
Letting out a monstrous roar, Iman launched himself forward with a boom, becoming a black blur. The wind howled in his wake, and where he'd stood moments ago, a crater more than a meter wide had formed in the sand.
"So fast!" Arlan and Oliver reacted instantly. His speed had doubled at least.
In the blink of an eye, Iman was already in front of Oliver. His greatsword arced down toward Oliver's head, carrying terrifying momentum and shrieking wind.
Sword Technique: Wind-Cleaving Slash!!!
"Tch—Don't look down on me. I'm the man destined to become the strongest swordsman," Oliver growled. Seeing Iman target him first pissed him off.
With a swift motion, Oliver's twin blades swung outward like a hawk spreading its wings—then slashed upward in unison.
Tw-Sword Style: Winged Slash!!!
Steel clashed against steel. A piercing ring echoed across the battlefield. Invisible force erupted from the clash, rippling outward like a shockwave.
Oliver's blades locked against Iman's massive sword. The sand beneath them caved in, forming a crater nearly three meters wide.
They struggled, testing each other's strength, but Iman's power was overwhelming. Oliver was steadily being pushed back.
Arlan suddenly appeared behind Iman and lashed out with a vicious side kick aimed at his waist.
But Iman twisted around, swinging his greatsword sideways to intercept.
Arlan's foot slammed into the flat of the blade.
The moment his foot connected, a massive explosion erupted from the impact point. Flames and smoke billowed out, engulfing Iman in a fiery blast.
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