Apis Divine Bull

"Apis Divine Bull!"

As soon as he spoke, all the mangroves within a hundred meters obeyed his command and grew wildly once more.

But this time, it was not just the branches. The entire trunks continued to swell and bend, rapidly converging and changing shape ten meters in front of Vidal.

After a brief process, they formed an Oxhead over ten meters wide, its surface covered in tender green branches. Two thick, long horns jutted sharply toward the sky!

World's shock wave swept in too fast for Vidal to form the giant bull completely, so he could only hastily make an Oxhead to counter it.

Fortunately, even without a body, this "Oxhead" could still launch a savage charge and block the powerful attack for him!

[Boom----]

The two attacks collided head-on, locked in a contest of strength above the sea strewn with mangrove debris. Fierce, stormlike shock waves tore across the water, and the surging impact uprooted and destroyed mangroves over an even wider area.

It even forced both sides' ships back more than a hundred meters. Colonel Benson's warship finally seized the chance to put some distance between itself and the center of the battlefield!

A lieutenant colonel paid no heed to the Justice Coat being tugged by the raging wind behind him. His left hand gripped the railing tightly, and his right arm shielded his face as he stared into the distance in shock.

"What a terrifying clash. Are they really just sergeants?"

"Unbelievable. They look so young, yet they have such terrifying power!" Colonel Benson murmured, squinting against the wind blasting into his face.

"He just said he was Vice Admiral Cornell's son."

"Colonel, what do we do next?" another lieutenant colonel shouted.

"Did headquarters say when reinforcements would arrive, or who's coming?" Colonel Benson turned and asked.

"The call for help went out over an hour ago. Given the location of the G-2 Branch, the closest branch to here, they should arrive soon."

"I don't know who's coming. The G-2 Branch didn't say, but if I remember correctly, their commander is Vice Admiral Amyz!"

Colonel Benson said worriedly, "I'm afraid they'll only send a field-grade officer. It'd be hard for someone like that to help them much."

"They won't. We already told them the opponent was Byrnndi World. If nothing unexpected happens, the Vice Admiral will definitely lead the team personally!" the lieutenant colonel shouted.

"I hope so."

But as Colonel Benson watched the battlefield, where hurricane winds raged and flashes of blades clashed fiercely with the giant bull, he had some doubts about how much a single Vice Admiral could accomplish.

At least, he had never heard of a pirate with a bounty over a hundred million being defeated by a single Vice Admiral. Oh, Vice Admiral Garp didn't count.

After all, he was the Marine hero who had personally defeated Rocks five years ago. There was no comparing them!

The battle on Vidal and Issho's side had escalated. All three combatants had lost their tempers and were now thoroughly engaged in a close-quarters brawl.

Vidal's fighting style relied primarily on fierce, powerful kicks, reinforced with Armament Haki and supported by various techniques from the Six Powers.

Meanwhile, giant mangroves kept growing from the sea, providing Vidal with a constant stream of support and helping them harass World.

By now, the "Apis Divine Bull" had long since taken its complete form. Its job was to block the broadsword that would suddenly grow enormous from time to time and deliver a vicious chop.

Although the gap in their strength meant that every collision inflicted terrible damage on the bull's massive body, the surrounding mangroves kept converging to repair it.

They could only use these fruit abilities to make up for the enormous gap in strength as best they could and fend him off.

The fierce battle between the three looked incredibly intense, but things were going very badly for Vidal and Issho!

They were essentially relying on the giant bull's defense and the harassment of countless mangroves to resist their opponent's fierce assault together.

There was not the slightest exaggeration in calling it a fierce assault. Vidal and Issho were actually being pressed back by World!

Although Vidal had always considered himself a power fighter, that depended on whom he was being compared to.

World was forty-five this year, right in his prime. Both his physical strength and Haki had reached their lifetime peak.

On top of that, the More-More Fruit could multiply his speed several dozen times at a moment's notice. The giant sword in his hand also grew and shrank, and when enlarged, it could cleave the "Apis Divine Bull" apart with a single blow.

Honestly, in terms of overall strength, Byrnndi World in his prime was definitely no weaker than the likes of Crocodile and Doflamingo, the future Shichibukai!

What was more, the man even knew Geppo of the Six Powers, giving him excellent aerial combat ability.

Fortunately, that aspect wasn't too bad. Vidal knew Geppo too, and he also had the "Apis Divine Bull" beneath his feet, ready to catch him at any time.

It was even simpler for Issho. He used the Gravity Fruit's ability to fly at high speed on a thick block of wood, which took far less effort than Geppo.

Besides the speed granted by the More-More Fruit, World also had two particularly troublesome assets: Armament Haki strong enough to harden his entire body, and highly proficient Observation Haki!

He was fast, powerful, strong in Haki, and capable of flight, and he had developed his fruit ability to a considerable degree.

As Vidal struggled alongside Issho to fend off the attacks, he thought the man was frighteningly well-rounded.

Normally, being well-rounded meant being mediocre in every respect.

But the problem was that, as far as the two of them were concerned, World outmatched them in every respect. Only Vidal's fruit ability could hold its own against his opponent.

Yet the gaps between them in every respect meant that they could not keep up this resistance and fierce fighting for long!

Byrnndi World's gaze turned cold. The instant an explosive crack rang out beneath his feet, he vanished from the spot and appeared in front of Issho. His broadsword had returned to its normal size, but a pitch-black sheen suddenly coated it.

The air burst apart, a howl trailing before the blade. With one slash, he shattered the long blade that dared to block him and blasted Issho straight down!

There was nothing Issho could do. He had yet to master Armament Haki and was powerless to protect the long blade in his hand. Besides, the blade itself was not a Famous Sword.

"Issho!"

Vidal was alarmed. Seeing that World was about to pursue him, Vidal's body gave off an even denser green light. He turned into a green blur and charged forward, Haki coiling around his long, powerful legs as they instantly produced a flurry of afterimages that engulfed World.

The two plunged into another fierce fight!

Below, a mass of mangrove branches converged into a net, safely catching Issho just before he fell into the sea and dissipating the force acting on him.

At the same time, a black afterimage and a streak of green light flashed through the air, clashing and separating. The air exploded repeatedly wherever they went, and white bursts of shock waves appeared and dissipated.

Then, with a tremendous crash, the green light was violently sent flying downward, smashing through one tall, thick mangrove after another. Finally, Vidal slammed into the "Apis Divine Bull" as it came to catch him, sinking deep into its wooden body.

"Pfft."

Vidal spat out a large mouthful of blood, and his face turned several shades paler in an instant. But a bright green light immediately emerged from his body, rapidly healing his internal and external injuries.

At the same time, the warm sunlight radiating from the scorching fireball overhead replenished the "photosynthetic energy" in his body as quickly as possible, without wasting a moment.

To put it bluntly, as long as he had an ample source of light, his stamina and recovery were comparable to those of an awakened Zoan user!

In the air, World saw color return to Vidal's face and finally understood what made the brat so troublesome.

If I can't kill this thing in one blow, can it wear me down until tomorrow morning?

"I can't drag this out any longer. I have to finish these two brats quickly!"

This time I won't ask for recommendations or comments. Even I'm tired of saying it so often, and I trust those willing to give them will do so.

Let's talk about something nice. I don't know if you've noticed the light novel category on the public new-author chart, but this book has climbed from the forties to twenty-fifth place!!

Many thanks to everyone who has given this book recommendation votes so far, especially Huakai Yueyuan Yeduren, Tiaohou, Jiuxi s, and Xuanxiao Shiliu, who have basically voted two or three times every day. Nearly eighty percent of the comments and chapter comments are theirs too. Thank you for your support!