Vir’s blade, the moment it was about to touch Zero’s right hand, suddenly shortened!
Then, after passing his right arm, it instantly returned to its original length and power!
This sudden change left Zero completely stunned!
What the hell?! You can even do that?!
There was no time to dodge!
Zero had no choice but to trade injuries with Vir.
The sound of two weapons piercing flesh rang out simultaneously!
Vir’s slash carved a deep diagonal wound across Zero’s chest!
A spray of blood burst forth instantly.
Even though Zero had taken countermeasures, the blade still dealt him a significant injury.
Strangely, the wound felt... stiff.
Almost as if... it was starting to turn to stone!
Meanwhile, Zero’s spider-leg strike had pierced straight through Vir’s chest without resistance.
Vir couldn’t withstand such a razor-sharp, penetrating attack.
However—it didn’t hit his heart.
At the last moment, Vir shifted upward slightly, causing the strike to land just below his heart.
Feeling Vir’s monstrous physical defense, Zero’s heart pounded in shock.
Vir’s previously unmoving right hand suddenly grabbed Zero’s left arm!
A devastating lightning blast erupted from Vir’s mouth!
Purple lightning instantly engulfed Zero.
He tried to dodge, but Vir’s grip slowed him just enough.
The lightning slammed into him with full force, sending him flying backward—
—straight into Impel Down’s massive, reinforced walls.
A collective intake of breath echoed through the area.
Magellan stared, slack-jawed, as Zero was once again blasted away.
His shock was impossible to hide.
This sight was beyond comprehension.
His brain short-circuited.
His cerebellum might as well have shriveled up.
The first time could’ve been a fluke.
The second time, maybe luck.
But this was the third time!
This guy was actually overpowering Zero!
Just what kind of power was this?!
Who the hell was this guy?!
Magellan’s jaw hung open, his eyes bulging in disbelief.
Now, remembering how he’d been one-shotted earlier, he no longer felt ashamed.
He should have been one-shotted!
If he hadn’t, that would’ve been weird!
In fact, judging by Vir’s current performance, that guy had clearly held back against him.
If Vir had used this combo on him, Magellan would’ve been decapitated on the spot.
Meanwhile, the more dominant Vir became, the harder Blackbeard’s crew cursed their captain.
But alas—they wouldn’t be cursing for much longer.
The toxin had already forced their eyes shut.
Their life force was rapidly fading.
Without an antidote, Magellan’s poison was a death sentence.
Soon, they would be reduced to withered bones.
Despite appearing to dominate, Vir hadn’t actually dealt critical damage to Zero.
And his techniques consumed massive stamina.
He couldn’t keep this up forever.
With the physique of an Admiral candidate, briefly suppressing someone slightly stronger than an Admiral was already his limit.
So far, Zero’s injuries were far from debilitating:
A slow-healing slash across his chest.
Two broken ribs and moderate burns from the lightning blast.
A fractured skull and scalp burns from the impact.
None of this hindered his combat ability.
This guy was a true monster.
Taking advantage of a brief pause, Vir crushed a vial of medicine in his hand!
The blackened wound on his chest visibly regenerated at an insane speed.
Almost the moment he pulled out the vial, eight glowing red eyes appeared before him.
Several webs shot toward him, sealing his escape routes.
At the same time, a spider-leg slash descended upon him!
"Tempest Kick: Deathweaver Slash!"
But it was too late to stop Vir from using the potion.
The instant it shattered, Vir countered with a parry strike!
Zero’s descending spider-leg was forcefully deflected upward!
This time, Zero was completely baffled.
With his strength, how was that possible?
It shouldn’t be possible!
How the hell did he doing this?!
Was it that effective?
It even neutralized his poison like it was a joke?
After the deflection, Vir knew—
The tides were about to turn.
Soon, he’d be the one getting overwhelmed.
He’d been holding back for too long, only using his abilities without going all out.
Now was the time to unleash everything!
In the blink of an eye, Magellan’s vision was filled with nothing but afterimages!
One moment—webs filled the air.
The next—black blood rained down.
Then—sword slashes tore through space.
Followed by—blinding lightning storms.
But judging by the increasing amount of black blood splattering, Vir was clearly losing ground.
He was getting beaten down.
Still, thanks to his newly awakened abilities, he wasn’t completely helpless.
With less than an hour until the execution, the entire plaza was engulfed in tension.
Everyone knew—it was coming.
Former Fleet Admiral Kong and Zephyr had also arrived.
Beside Zephyr stood his two remaining students:
Ain (Return-Return Fruit) and Binz (Grow-Grow Fruit).
They were the sole survivors of the attack that destroyed Zephyr’s entire unit.
Kong, meanwhile, sat at the highest vantage point—even above the execution platform.
From there, he could oversee the entire battlefield.
Perfect for catching slackers.
But everyone present understood—holding back was not an option.
So his role was likely just to ensure Garp fought seriously.
At this moment, Garp and Ace had arrived.
Ace now stood on the execution platform, his expression unreadable.
Garp sat beside him, his face twisted with emotions.
Before ascending, Kong had spoken to him privately.
After that conversation, Garp’s expression became something indescribable.
As he sat next to Ace, Garp’s first words brought forth tears he hadn’t shed in decades—
"Pirates don’t deserve sympathy... but family is different."
"What should I do...?"
"ACE, YOU DAMN BRAT! WHY COULDN’T YOU JUST LIVE THE WAY I TOLD YOU TO?!"
By the time he finished, Garp was already weeping uncontrollably...