Respiration!

[Bang bang bang]

The massive, heavy body of the 'Apis Divine Bull' pounded the straight wooden path as it charged toward the Oro Jackson, occasionally raising its head and bellowing to bolster its own morale.

This scene caused Roger's crew members, who were engaged in fierce fighting nearby, to change their expressions drastically.

"Don't let him get near the ship!!"

They had all heard Rayleigh's words clearly. Although the ship was guarded by the 'Little Giant' Norzton and the 'Hawk Hand' Fish-Man Sambel, who had a large amount of Haki reserves, no one present wanted the Oro Jackson to take any risks.

"You bastard, stop right there!"

Just then, the extremely burly combatant Max punched a Colonel who was rushing towards him, and quickly landed on the wooden path, blocking the front of the 'Apis Divine Bull'.

In an instant, his whole body swelled up, his tendons, bones, muscles, and skin all bulged, and his bones cracked and popped in a series of loud noises.

Even the blackness that originally only covered his fist spread across his entire body at a visible speed, instantly transforming him into a black giant over three meters tall.

[Moo!--]

The 'Apis Divine Bull' lowered its Oxhead, its two thick, long, sharp horns gleaming coldly, pointing towards the sun under the unbearable heat.

"Drink! Come on!!"

Max roared, his thick neck bulging, and swung his muscular arms forward, lunging forward like a black elephant with terrifying momentum towards the horns that were also stained with a layer of black light.

[Boom--]

Two incredibly powerful forces collided and touched on the wooden walkway in the middle of the sea.

The air itself rippled and exploded violently, like waves on water.

The wooden path beneath Max's feet cracked under the weight of his footing.

"Vice Admiral level combat power?"

Vidal stood above, looking down at Max with the giant bull, letting the shockwaves that could damage the internal organs of an ordinary person wash over him.

"Unfortunately, it's not enough."

The struggle was short, or rather, Max didn't last long. Faced with the overwhelming Haki Emission from the bull's horns, his eyes bulged out after only three breaths, and he was sent flying.

Although it appears to be a contest between him and the 'Apis Divine Bull', the Armament Haki on the latter's horns was actually applied by Vidal.

The Haki Emission from the user was enough to suppress Max was only at the Hardening level.

"Max!--"

It was impossible for Roger's crew members nearby not to be shocked to see their comrade, who always relied on his strength to overpower others, defeated so quickly.

Even so, Vidal cannot be allowed to get any closer to the past!

In an instant, those who noticed the situation gathered around, and some of the stronger ones even broke through the officers' layers of interception.

"Ultrasound!--"

Duolingo, flying at high speed using the black bat wings on its back, opened its mouth full of sharp fangs without saying a word and let out an extremely piercing sound at Vidal below.

The moment the sound left his mouth, it transformed into spiraling black ripples that enveloped the area.

"Snort."

Vidal snorted coldly and attacked without hesitation.

A burst of green energy surged forth, his entire body bulged, his muscles and bones trembled and grew stronger, and his powerful right palm suddenly slammed upwards.

[Boom!!]

A bright green light transformed into a gigantic palm print amidst a thunderous explosion, forcefully colliding with the black sound waves, creating a suffocatingly thick shockwave.

In an instant, the powerful energy tore through the air and surged violently, causing the waves on the sea to churn violently.

The next moment!

The green palm print unleashed a devastating barrage of sound waves, striking the bat-man in mid-air.

Duolingo screamed in agony and flew backward like a cannonball, coughing up blood.

"Haki Emission!"

A golden light shot over like Inazuma, catching Duolingo tightly as he was about to fall into the sea. The newcomer was none other than Rayleigh.

He glanced down at Duolingo, whose face was contorted in pain, and anger welled up in his eyes.

As the well-known 'Pluton', he was naturally the target of the naval officers. As soon as he arrived at the battlefield, he was besieged by more than two hundred people, the lowest of whom was Colonel, and most of them were Commodores and Rear Admirals.

"You all stay away from him, leave him to me."

Rayleigh was surprised that Vidal had reached the level of Emission at such a young age; he had never shown this kind of power before.

"Yes!"

Although Roger's crew members nearby were angry and resentful, they obeyed orders and dispersed again, venting their anger on the navy that kept surrounding them.

"To be so brazenly Emission such Haki, is it just impulsiveness, or is there some kind of backing they have?"

Rayleigh stood on the wooden path at the other end, frowning as he met Vidal's gaze, who had also managed to stop the giant bull.

Armament Haki is constantly depleted during battle, and the only way to replenish it is after the battle ends. Good news.

However, the Emission of this technique consumes a great deal of energy, so most people, even if they reach the level of Emission, will not easily use this technique in battle, and will mainly rely on Armament Haki Hardening to deal with the enemy.

"Judging from the power he just displayed, his Haki must have been recent. Even so, his talent is truly monstrous!"

At this point, Vidal didn't want to continue this stalemate. He looked around at the battle situation and realized that only he could barely handle Rayleigh, which made him feel somewhat complicated.

At this moment, Vidal wanted to have a good fight with this big shot, but knowing he definitely couldn't win, he didn't want to get entangled with him any longer.

But the current situation won't work!

We must fight!

If you back down now, your reputation will definitely suffer a huge blow.

Moreover, their own officers seemed to have tacitly accepted the rule of king against king and general against general. Seeing that Roger Pirates was no longer harassing him, they also stopped attacking Rayleigh, giving the two ample space and respect.

It was Vidal's previous glorious achievements that gave the naval officers a certain degree of confidence and recognition in him.

Rayleigh wasn't in a hurry. Since it would be difficult for him to take down Vidal in a short time, he could simply stall him.

At the same time, keep an eye on the other crew members and lend a hand with Flying Slash if necessary.

The outcome of this battle depends on Garp and Roger, and when they arrive at Whitebeard Pirates's territory.

This fleet of ten warships, while indeed powerful enough, was no match for the combined forces of the Roger Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates.

I believe the Navy understands this as well!

"Mr. Rayleigh, how about we practice a bit too? I happen to have an ability I haven't tried yet, so I'll let it be a chance for the junior to practice."

As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for Rayleigh's reply, Vidal unleashed another burst of blazing green flames from his body— Photosynthetic Energy.

"Hiss--"

Then he took a deep breath, and not just any deep breath, but a very long and sustained one.

Not only that, his clothes and coat were flapping loudly as if they were being blown by a gale, but although there was a sea breeze around him, it was not actually strong due to the scorching heat.

"Um?"

Rayleigh squinted. "The air is gathering around him. What's he going to do?"

On the other side, Vidal absorbed enough oxygen through his mouth, nose, and skin all over his body, and then exhaled the carbon dioxide that had been converted into carbon dioxide in his body.

These carbon dioxide particles didn't create any strong winds because they encountered the Photosynthetic Energy that enveloped the entire body as soon as they were released.

[Boom!--]

The next moment, the green flames on Vidal's body surged skyward, transforming into a tall pillar of light that shot straight into the clouds and completely obscured his figure.

"What is that?!"

"It's Rear Admiral Vidal. What is he up to?"

Almost instantly, the green beam of light became the second most important focal point in the entire arena after the central area. As the beam of light gradually dissipated, Vidal reappeared before Rayleigh and the others.

Vidal's aura changed; his original forest-green aura turned into a green-gold color, and it even made a swishing sound as it rose. His pupils also turned into a cold and ruthless emerald green.

But the biggest change was his thick, long, flowing hair, which was not only still green but also Hardening and stood up in the heat of the moment. Combined with his handsome, angular face and bulging, strong muscles, he looked like a legendary warrior emerging from mythology. An incredibly powerful and terrifying force field surged forth, pushing aside the waves around the wooden path.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, this is my Respiration."

Vidal stood atop the 'Apis Divine Bull' with his arms outstretched, feeling the temporary surge of power within him.

Thank you so much, Old Heart of Sorrow City, for the 100-coin reward! Thank you, thank you!

Photosynthesis: Through chloroplasts, oxygen is released using light energy and converted into Photosynthetic Energy.

Respiration: It can absorb a large amount of oxygen throughout the body at once, convert it into carbon dioxide, and inject it into Photosynthetic Energy, further stimulating and amplifying the effect of Photosynthetic Energy. As for side effects and duration, we'll discuss that tomorrow.

(The author has researched this and found that carbon dioxide can indeed significantly increase plant Photosynthesis. With this evidence, there is a basis for developing this capability. As long as this aspect is plausible, it's acceptable.)