BANG—
Road's punch landed squarely on John Giant, making his face contort as he spat out blood.
No matter how much of an outlier Road was among his people, he was still an adult giant. His physical strength was astonishing, and his monstrous power was enough to split mountains and crack rocks. Even John Giant, also a giant, could not possibly be unharmed after taking that punch head-on.
Blood gushed out like a fountain, drenching the dozens of soldiers on the glacier who were raising their weapons to fire at Road.
"!!"
John Giant spun around, his twisted, blood-stained face staring intently at Road. He gripped his katana with both hands and swung it with all his might toward Road's chest.
To this, Road, as if casting everything aside, glared back with his bloodshot eyes, unafraid, preparing to meet the katana head-on with his fists.
Just then, a female voice came from the nearby mist. "You've really grown after joining Captain Louis's crew, Road!"
As the words fell, the ice mist beside Road was disturbed. A slender figure holding a single-bladed giant axe leaped out.
Gerd's slender legs pushed off, leaving shattered cracks in the ice as she leaped high. Gripping the giant axe with both hands, she descended from mid-air with her back to the sun, chopping down at the back of John Giant's neck.
Beneath her, a group of human soldiers holding firearms stared in shock at the fallen blonde female giant in the distance and the half-broken spear.
John Giant heard the whistling sound from above his head, and subconsciously looked up. He saw the slender figure falling from the sky and the single-bladed giant axe aimed at his neck. He instantly realized he was in trouble. "!!"
In a nearby battlefield.
Hajrudin, bare-chested, wearing a metal helmet, and with long black hair, looked at the leader of the giant squad, Lacroix, and two other giants lying before him. He slowly exhaled a puff of white air.
After a long while, Hajrudin gently flicked the giant's blood from his fist and turned to walk in the direction he remembered Road being. Although the strength of most of these giant squad members was nothing special, Road's strength worried Hajrudin more. His strength and mentality were not very good. Facing a battle-hardened giant soldier from the Marines on his own, he would most likely die a miserable death.
Just as he was about to walk away, a cold voice sounded from behind him. "Where do you think you're going, you damned pirate?!"
Immediately after, a second voice sounded from his side. "To think you defeated Vice Admiral Lacroix, the commander of the Giant Squad. You, the one who dared to attack Enies Lobby alongside the Blue and Red Ogres, have some skill, I'll give you that."
As the words fell, a series of footsteps drew near. Even in the storm, the gradually approaching sense of pressure could not be concealed.
In the bone-chilling cold wind, one after another, imposing figures in Justice capes slowly appeared around Hajrudin.
Hajrudin stopped. The eyes under his helmet scanned the group, taking in their identities. Marine HQ Vice Admiral Onigumo, Marine HQ Vice Admiral Doberman, "Red King," and an elderly flag officer with graying hair. Behind them, more than a dozen other flag officers of various ranks stood scattered. Their eyes were firmly locked on Hajrudin, their hands on their respective weapons, ready to attack at any moment.
Onigumo, wearing a dragon-crested helmet and with six katanas on his back, lit a cigar, his eyes piercing through the smoke to stare intently at Hajrudin's head. "That little brat named Louis... where is he hiding? And where is that rat who hides his head and shows his tail?"
To this, Hajrudin gave a contemptuous smile. "The likes of you are not worthy of seeing Louis!"
As Hajrudin's words fell, the expressions of the Marine flag officers instantly turned cold.
"Kill him, and that little brat will naturally show himself!" Doberman, his body covered in twisted scars, became very impatient. He coated his katana in Armament Haki and, using Geppo, launched a rapid assault, intending to sever Hajrudin's throat.
To this, Hajrudin was unafraid. He also coated his fist in Armament Haki and swung it to meet the oncoming Vice Admiral Doberman.
CLANG!
The giant fist and the katana collided, yet it was met with the sound of clashing metal. A powerful impact burst from the center of the collision, continuously spreading outward and briefly scattering the hurricane and ice mist.
The next moment, several other imposing figures flashed and appeared in mid-air, launching surprise attacks on Hajrudin's neck from several different directions.
Just as the Marine officers' attacks were about to land, a figure in a black suit with short stubble appeared on Hajrudin's shoulder.
"Who's that?!"
"An unfamiliar face!"
Under everyone's gaze, Daz Bonez, in his black suit and looking like a bodyguard, transformed the five fingers of his right hand into five sharp blades and, turning sideways, swung them violently. The next moment, a fierce slash rose, spinning at high speed and forming a storm of slashes that protected Hajrudin, quickly repelling the attacking Marine officers.
After doing this, Daz Bonez crossed his arms, looking down from above at the group of Marine flag officers below.
The sudden appearance of the strange pirate made the Marines frown for a moment, quickly searching their minds for a figure similar to the man before them. Soon, an officer who had been transferred from the West Blue to Headquarters recalled the man's identity.
"That face... I remember now! You're the famous assassin from the West Blue! The one wanted by the underworld for killing all his colleagues and superiors—Daz Bonez!"
"An assassin from the West Blue?" a Marine looked on in disbelief. The combat power Daz Bonez had just displayed made it hard for them to believe that this was a guy from one of the Four Seas.
At the front of the Marines, the graying old general glanced at the figure standing on the giant's shoulder and quickly issued an order to those behind him. "Contact Headquarters immediately through the Den Den Mushi! Get detailed intel on this assassin! His Devil Fruit's weakness would be best."
On a wave-shaped iceberg in the distance, Aokiji frowned as he watched all this. His Observation Haki, which was among the best in the Marines, spread out, sensing everything around him, searching for that most crucial person.
Just then, Hajrudin put force into his punch, sending Doberman, who had been in a stalemate with him, flying. He flew several thousand meters and crashed into an iceberg, creating a large number of cracks.
Hajrudin turned his head and gave Daz Bonez a heroic smile. "Thanks, Daz! I'll buy you a drink later!"
Daz Bonez nodded without replying, his gaze fixed on the Marine side, estimating their powerful combatants. Then, his expression changed. His entire body exuded a sharp, dangerous aura, and he instantly disappeared from Hajrudin's shoulder.
SWOOSH—
With a barely audible sound of tearing air, Daz Bonez's figure instantly streaked through the atmosphere, crossing a considerable distance. When he reappeared, Daz Bonez, both of his arms completely transformed into blades, crossed them in front of his chest and forcefully charged into the group of low- to mid-ranking Marine officers.
"Atom Spurt!" The next second, he brought his blade-arms down in a cross-slash. He was preparing to annihilate the gathered group of Rear Admirals and the officers below them in a single blow.
An intense sense of mortal danger instantly fell upon the officers behind the Vice Admirals. The sudden killing intent suppressed them, leaving them unable to move, powerless to resist.
Seeing this, the graying old general's pupils constricted. His aged body burst forth with a speed that astonished the Vice Admirals. In an instant, he was in front of the low- and mid-ranking officers. His aged face was furious, his fiery eyes glaring fiercely at the young man in the black suit.
He extended a hand covered in many age spots, made a grasping motion, and flowing Armament Haki was emitted from his body. He threw it forward, directly smashing the brewing slash to pieces.
Seeing this, a subtle change came over Daz Bonez's expression. "Is this an advanced stage of Armament Haki?" He had never expected that the advanced Armament Haki that not even Louis had achieved would suddenly appear before his eyes.
But he didn't dwell on it for too long and instantly calmed down. Before the weapons of the Vice Admirals behind him could land, he turned his entire body into a blade, coated it in Armament Haki, and quickly retreated in one direction.
The second Daz Bonez left, Hajrudin coated his giant fist in Armament Haki and swung it down at the Marines with all his might.
"GUNGNIR!"
The giant fist, wreathed in Armament Haki, was like a meteor. It fiercely scraped against the air, causing flames to burst forth, dyeing the iron fist red as it came crashing down.
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