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Onigumo's mastery of Soru was impeccable. He vanished from the deck, his fingertip, hardened with Armament Haki, aimed at Arthur's throat.
Arthur's reflexes, honed to an almost supernatural level, far surpassed the acceleration of Soru.
To Arthur—it was like watching a child crawl. He didn't even need Observation Haki to track Onigumo's movements, which seemed agonizingly slow.
In a flash of lightning, Arthur appeared behind Onigumo, tapping him on the shoulder.
"What?!" Onigumo, startled, his attack missing its mark, hadn't even processed Arthur's disappearance before a voice echoed from behind him, sending a chill down his spine.
"Demon Slash!" He whirled around, drawing his sword and slashing blindly.
"That's the speed you're going to use to capture me? Who gave you that kind of confidence?" Arthur's voice taunted him from behind once more.
No matter how hard Onigumo tried, he couldn't see Arthur. His Observation Haki could barely sense him, and even with his enhanced reflexes, he couldn't pinpoint Arthur's location.
If it weren't for the telltale crackle of electricity accompanying Arthur's movements, Onigumo wouldn't even know he was there.
Frustration and anxiety began to creep in. Fighting an invisible enemy was a sure way to shatter a warrior's resolve.
This speed was unheard of—unique 'ONLY' to Arthur.
Even Kizaru, with his light-based teleportation, couldn't replicate this kind of maneuverability. For him to stay directly behind someone, moving with such agility, would be impossible.
"Seabury D. Arthur! You stole the Heavenly Tribute, yet you lack the courage to face me head-on?" Onigumo, agitated, brandished his sword, creating a whirlwind of slashes that engulfed him, yet never touched Arthur.
Arthur laughed. "Face you head-on? Fine. I'm all for a good challenge!"
He stopped moving, facing Onigumo directly.
"Gutless pirate! Die!" Onigumo roared. If he didn't kill Arthur now, this encounter would haunt him forever.
"Eight Sword Style — Spider Demon Slash!"
His long hair whipped around him like spider legs as he drew seven more swords, one for each hand, his eight arms a blur of slashing steel. His face was a mask of rage, the cigar clenched between his teeth burning down to the nub.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Arthur's fists met Onigumo's swords, sparks flying as steel clashed against Haki-infused flesh.
"Impossible—! So young…yet his Armament Haki is so strong?" Onigumo stared in disbelief.
A person so young, their body not yet at its peak, shouldn't possess such strong Haki. Onigumo himself trained by Admiral Zephyr, his body at its prime, considered his Haki formidable.
Yet, his blades couldn't cut through Arthur's fists. He finally understood why Fleet Admiral Kong took this sixteen-year-old so seriously.
He didn't know that Arthur's body grew stronger every single day, constantly enhanced by his Electromagnetism.
"I don't know what gave you the courage to come after me alone. But actions have consequences. You'll pay the price for your arrogance!" Arthur laughed, his voice laced with a chilling amusement.
His words were as much a reminder to himself as a threat to Onigumo. He, too, had made his choices, and he wouldn't regret them, no matter the cost.
"Thunder God — Island-Cleaving Blade!"
Arthur roared, extending his right hand. Blue lightning crackled and danced around his fingertips, converging and condensing in his palm.
In a flash, a massive, shimmering blue blade of pure lightning materialized in his hand. The compressed electrical energy radiated a terrifying pressure, its light casting an eerie glow across the warship's deck.
A high-pitched hum, like the buzzing of a thousand bees, emanated from the colossal blade.
"What…is that?" Onigumo, a notorious hardliner, a man who faced even death without flinching, felt a primal fear grip him at the sight of the massive lightning blade. It wasn't fear of death, but a visceral dread, an instinctive recoil from a power beyond human comprehension.
He felt like he was facing the wrath of a god, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"RUN…" Onigumo roared, his voice barely audible above the buzzing of the blade. He didn't bother explaining, launching himself into the air with a powerful Sky Walk.
The instant he leaped away, Arthur brought the massive blade down. The air itself seemed to twist and distort under the force of the blow, the warship cleaved cleanly in two.
The residual lightning discharge struck the sea, creating a massive fissure, thousands of yards long, as if the ocean itself had been split in half.
The Marines on board were swallowed by the sea, only a handful escaping thanks to Onigumo's warning.
The warship, obliterated by the Island-Cleaving Blade, was gone, reduced to splinters, not even a single plank remaining afloat.
"Now, it's your turn!" Arthur teleported, the thirty-foot-long blade dragging behind him, slashing at Onigumo in mid-air, the blade crackling with power, its momentum unstoppable.
Arthur, adjusting his blue greatcoat, returned to his ship and resumed his course.
A short while later, Jessica, without asking about the enemy he just faced, brought him a plate of freshly prepared food.
Twenty minutes after Arthur's ship sailed away, two Marines surfaced, carrying the badly burned Onigumo.
They activated a Den Den Mushi.
"Moshi moshi, this is Kong."
"Fleet Admiral Kong, this is Vice Admiral Onigumo's adjutant. We just encountered 'Thunder God' Arthur…The Vice Admiral…he's not going to make it!" The adjutant choked back tears.
"Arthur's route is confirmed. He's heading for Sabaody Archipelago!"
"What?!" Kong's voice thundered with rage. "Stay put! Reinforcements are on their way!"
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