The thirty seconds he had expected had already stretched to about forty.
Byrnndi World's face darkened with frustration. He growled angrily, "Hmph, if Sebastian can't finish this fight, I'll have him starve for a few days when this is over."
Perched on his shoulder, Byojack was filled with unease. His furrowed brow reflected his growing worry. The churning waves and the distance made it impossible to see what was happening beneath the surface.
"Ugh... cough cough..."
His rising anxiety seemed to worsen his coughs. Turning to Waldo, he suggested urgently, "Waldo, we should send someone to check on Sebastian."
"And we need to prepare for battle. The enemy ship is getting close."
The forty seconds had also allowed both pirate ships, which had initially been sailing toward each other, to close the distance from several thousand meters to just a few hundred.
"Is that so?"
Waldo lifted his gaze toward the enemy ship and immediately barked an order to the pirates nearby. "Bring me a cannonball!"
"Time to show Wang Zhi just how terrifying my Multiplier Fruit really is!"
One of his crew quickly ran over, carrying a heavy black bomb and placing it before him.
Waldo reached out and grabbed the cannonball with one hand, casually tossing its heavy weight up and down in his palm. A devilish grin spread across his face as he stared at the enemy ship, a dangerous aura erupting from his body.
Raising the bomb high, his voice thundered, "Let's blow everything in front of us to dust!"
"Let's put on a spectacular explosion show!"
With a burst of strength, he hurled the bomb into the sky.
"Multiplier: Hundredfold Cannon!"
The bomb soared across the sky, and midway through, it suddenly expanded.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
In the blink of an eye, it ballooned from the size of a bowling ball to something as large as a small car.
The massive bomb struck terror into the hearts of the pirates on Wang Zhi's ship. Their faces paled, cold sweat pouring down in streams.
Panic spread instantly across the deck.
Just then, a powerful voice rang out.
"One-Sword Style: The Curve Within the Straight Path!"
The golden-armored warrior, Wang Zhi, leapt high into the air, wielding a gleaming, massive sword several meters long.
Shing!!
A flash of silver light streaked across the sky.
In a single, clean stroke, the colossal bomb split perfectly in half.
The two halves fell harmlessly on either side of the ship, splashing violently into the sea with booming crashes.
Having cleaved the bomb in midair, Wang Zhi didn't hesitate. He shouted across the waves toward Waldo. "Let me see for myself what kind of power the so-called World Destroyer, the pirate with a 200 million bounty, really has!"
Gripping his sword with both hands, he slashed once more from midair.
"One-Sword Style: Waterfall Slash!"
The name carried the same momentum as "a waterfall plunging from the heavens."
A dazzling white sword wave burst from his blade, surging toward Waldo with incredible speed.
The massive slash, twenty to thirty meters long, tore through the air with a deafening screech, almost breaking the sound barrier.
"What a powerful strike!"
Waldo's eyes gleamed with admiration. He grinned viciously and growled, "As expected of Wang Zhi, the Golden Armored Sword Hero of the Rocks Pirates, with a bounty of 180 million!"
His expression twisted into something fierce and savage as he snatched a long sword from one of his crewmates.
"Hang on tight, big brother!"
He gave Byojack, still perched on his shoulder, a quick warning. Then, with a burst of power, he stomped on the deck and launched into the air using "Shave," one of the Six Powers techniques.
In an instant, he rocketed into the sky, twisting his body midair and aiming himself directly toward the incoming slash.
Excited, he roared, "Multiplier: Hundredfold Slash!"
The sword in his hand expanded rapidly.
In a flash, it transformed into a blade tens of meters long.
With both hands gripping the hilt tightly, he swung it down with explosive force to meet Wang Zhi's attack.
Boom!!
The earth-shattering collision echoed across the sea.
The brilliant sword wave shattered instantly into countless fragments, dissolving into the air.
Having obliterated the slash in a single strike, Waldo threw his head back and laughed wildly. "Wahahahaha!"
His voice boomed across the waves, laced with arrogance and pride. "I am the wielder of the Multiplier Fruit!"
His booming laughter rolled over the ocean like thunder.
Seeing his attack so effortlessly destroyed, Wang Zhi's face darkened. "So this is the World Destroyer Byrnndi World... what terrifying strength."
"Bringing Ares out here was a huge mistake."
It would have been better to flee with the ship. Worst case, they could've tossed some of the heavier cargo overboard to lighten the load and escape.
But now...
Waldo's overwhelming power cast a shadow over Wang Zhi's heart.
He's strong. Far stronger than Wang Zhi had imagined.
Strong enough that even as a high-ranking officer of the Rocks Pirates, Wang Zhi wasn't confident he could win.
A wave of worry swept through him. "What's going on with Ares right now?!"
"If he's taken out, I'm dead."
Beneath the waves.
Sebastian, the fish-man with giant blood, was absolutely fuming.
What the hell is this monster?!
His strength surpasses even mine as a giant!
And this brat's swimming speed keeps getting faster!
It was like he'd seen a ghost.
Am I the giant, or is he?
Am I the fish-man, or is he?
I was supposed to have the advantage!
Now...
Sebastian genuinely felt his edge slipping away. Worst of all, his supposedly overwhelming strength couldn't even beat this freak.
This is insane!
"Forget this!" he snarled.
It felt like the kid was just toying with him. Whenever Sebastian used the same attack, Ares would land a vicious counterpunch.
If Sebastian tried something new, Ares would ease up.
It was as if Ares was studying him.
He was being humiliated.
Just a fish-man. What's so fun about this?
Having made up his mind, Sebastian turned and bolted.
He had no desire to keep fighting this monster.
"Huh... he's running?!" Ares was momentarily stunned, then his tiger-like eyes narrowed viciously. "I'm not letting you get away that easily. I haven't squeezed everything out of you yet!!"
"His attack methods are amazing. They've even helped me reduce the resistance of my punches underwater, so my strength loss is less noticeable!"
"And that weird water manipulation technique!"
"I need to memorize all of this and train it hard when I get back!"
----------------------------------------------------
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