Paramount War (Five) [2/5] / Paramount War (Six) [3/5]
Using the thrust of his flight, the blue phoenix unleashed bursts of splashing flames, steadily weakening the golden beam's propulsion.
"Damn it... what the hell kind of power is this?!!"
However, Marco had clearly been careless, underestimating the power of this beam that destroyed all things. He had thought it was merely a special slash with an impressive presence, one he could easily block.
But after coming into contact with the beam, blue flames began burning continuously across his body. They were the Phoenix's Resurrection Blue Flames, which could heal wounds.
The flames grew larger and larger, vaguely taking the shape of a blue-green phoenix.
The golden beam's power was indeed gradually weakening, but Marco also felt an indescribable pain.
Boom!!
Suddenly, a blue-green figure was blasted away. The golden beam broke free and continued shooting toward Whitebeard.
Crack—smash!
Whitebeard frowned slightly, clenched his fist, and punched forward.
The air shattered, and an invisible force of vibration met the golden beam.
The golden beam, its power greatly weakened, burst like a firework soaring into the sky, blossoming into a brilliant halo before dissipating.
Seeing this, Arthur lowered Excalibur, a hint of regret in his eyes.
He hadn't expected Excalibur, with three seals released, to be nearly blocked by the careless first division commander. It seemed he would need to release four or five seals to truly threaten those four monsters of the New World.
"Y-you've got to be kidding!"
"Commander Marco was knocked down?!"
"What was that light? There's no way it was a slash!"
"Could it be the Knight of Knights' power?!"
"Could it be the Knight of Knights' power?!"
"..."
Although he hadn't confronted Whitebeard head-on, Arthur's Excalibur had blasted Marco out of the sky, surprising everyone present.
It had an especially great impact on the Whitebeard Pirates.
In their minds, Marco was the number two man in the Whitebeard Pirates, the strongest after Pops.
Yet the first division commander they respected had been sent flying by a newcomer from the Grand Line.
It was simply unbelievable!
"Marco, are you all right?!" Whitebeard suddenly called out, looking at the ground below.
Whoosh—
A streak of blue-green flame shot back and transformed into Marco again.
"Ah... Pops, I'm fine. I got a little careless," Marco said, scratching his head with some regret. "That light wasn't a slash at all. It was a destructive light with destructive properties, containing a sharp cutting force and heat even more intense than Ace's."
"That light (cdfg) should be that brat's trump card. Keep an eye on him," Whitebeard said calmly. "If he keeps using similar moves, remember to stop him."
"Yeah, I understand." Marco nodded gravely.
Only by experiencing that beam that destroyed all things firsthand could one understand it.
Unless one's defense surpassed the beam's power, one couldn't withstand it head-on. Something could easily go wrong.
Marco and Whitebeard could both block it without much effort because of their powers.
Without the right ability, Marco could even picture the result: being cut apart at best, or vaporized into powder at worst.
After suffering at Excalibur's hands, Marco no longer regarded Arthur as an ordinary newcomer.
That man was definitely a formidable enemy who couldn't be ignored!
"A magnificent strike!"
Atop the high wall, Mihawk looked at Arthur, his eyes now filled with fighting spirit. "Was that your sword's own ability?" he asked.
"Ah..." With his back to Mihawk, Arthur nodded. "You could say that."
"A sword with a special ability. It seems my Black Blade Yoru, the World's Strongest, doesn't quite live up to its name," Mihawk said, reaching back to grip the hilt of Black Blade Yoru.
His words showed that he already regarded Arthur as a true opponent.
"Fuffuffuffu~~ An incredible strike. The picture on the front page of the newspaper back then captured the moment before that strike, didn't it?" Doflamingo chuckled. "That guy [Crocodile] must have been defeated by that strike! What a pitiful fellow!"
"Hehehehe... By defeating the first division commander, this kid has become the enemy of the entire New World." Moria laughed gleefully. "Never mind the Four Emperors, the pirates of the New World will never allow such a powerful bounty hunter to exist. If this kid really insists on following those eight knightly virtues he just mentioned, he'll certainly face a manhunt throughout the New World."
"This man... is strong!" Hancock bit her slender finger and gazed at Arthur's profile, thinking to herself.
"I'm going to join the war. After all, I accepted the Marines' employment." With that, Arthur held Excalibur in one hand and jumped down from the high wall.
"How scary, the same ability as mine," Kizaru said with pursed lips from the Three Admirals' seats. "It seems Fleet Admiral Sengoku got a bargain with that Devil Fruit."
"Hmph! He's a bounty hunter, but he possesses that King's Sword. He'll definitely be a cause for concern in the future." Beside him, Akainu folded his arms and raised his brow beneath his cap, his eyes full of hostility.
Those words perfectly summed up the sentiment: those who are not one of us must harbor different intentions!
Chapter 91: Paramount War (Five) [2/5]
Whoosh—
After jumping down from the high wall, Arthur began choosing an opponent.
And the most effective way to choose one was undoubtedly to attack.
Arthur raised Excalibur high and brought it down in another powerful slash toward the Moby Dick.
In an instant, a massive wave of golden sword pressure swept out.
The overwhelmingly powerful slash carved a deep, straight trench through the icy battlefield. Surrounded by raging sword energy, it advanced toward the Moby Dick as if nothing stood in its way, sending every Marine and pirate in its path flying.
"Damn it, besides that special golden light, this kid can actually unleash a slash like that himself?!" Seeing the wave of sword pressure advance as unstoppably as a tidal wave, several skilled members of the Whitebeard Pirates within its path hurriedly dodged.
Their evasion also confirmed that they couldn't withstand it head-on, or lacked the ability to stop it.
Many spoke through gritted teeth.
"He's a top-tier swordsman at such a young age, and with that Supreme Grade King's Sword, he's like a tiger with wings." Flower Sword Vista, who was fighting a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral on another part of the battlefield, stepped back several paces. Looking at the enormous golden sword pressure, a trace of fighting spirit appeared in his eyes. "It's as if I'm seeing a younger Mihawk. I'd really like to cross swords with him."
"Whoosh—clang!"
"You still have time to look around? Flower Sword Vista, division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
A blade whistled through the air, followed by the sound of clashing metal.
"My apologies. I saw a swordsman who set my blood racing and lost focus for a moment." Flower Sword Vista blocked the incoming slash with the rapier in his right hand. He extended two fingers of the hand holding his second rapier and stroked his curved mustache. Scarlet rose petals appeared and drifted around him as he smiled gracefully. "Let us begin the second round, Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Doberman!"
"Boom!!"
The enormous golden sword pressure advanced unhindered. Just as it was about to reach the Moby Dick, a figure suddenly rushed over and stopped it with his bare body.
"It's the third division commander, Diamond Jozu!"
"Commander Jozu, well done!"
"..."
Once they saw who had stopped the sword pressure, Marines and pirates alike cried out in shock or excitement.
"Ha—yah!"
Beneath the massive golden sword pressure, Jozu, half his body covered in diamond, pressed his palms against its sides and clamped it tightly between them. Then he heaved it upward with all his strength.
Whoosh—bang!
In an instant, the golden sword pressure that had been charging straight ahead turned into a tornado-shaped storm and shot into the sky, bursting high overhead into a dazzling golden halo.
"Heh..." Having easily neutralized Arthur's attack, Jozu, half his face covered in diamond, looked at Arthur with a provocative smile.
I look forward to our match!
Seeing this, Arthur's lips curved into a pleasing smile. He planted Excalibur in the ground, placed both hands on its hilt, and gave Jozu a proper knight's salute from across the distance.
His lips moved, silently forming a few words.
Inwardly, however, he was entirely serious.
Diamond Jozu, third division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Diamond Jozu, third division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Without a doubt, he was a formidable opponent.
On this battlefield, Arthur's strength was enough to place him above the crowd, but on the Whitebeard Pirates' side, there were three people he wasn't confident he could defeat without using the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
Those people were:
The World's Strongest Man, Whitebeard Edward Newgate. Whitebeard was so powerful that even if Arthur used the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's power, he would have to fight with his life on the line to have a small chance of winning. And that small chance was only because Whitebeard's aged body was riddled with hidden ailments!
The second was Marco the Phoenix. The Phoenix's resurrection and flight abilities were too troublesome.
The last was Diamond Jozu. Diamond Jozu had insulation like rubber, defense second only to the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, the tremendous arm strength to lift a mountain, and Haki. In some respects, he was even trickier to deal with than Marco the Phoenix.
Correspondingly, as long as he defeated Diamond Jozu, Arthur would definitely reap abundant rewards.
Whoosh—
Acting on the thought, Arthur pushed off with his foot and shot forward, his figure becoming a white afterimage.
"Come on, kid!" Jozu knocked his fists together and ran toward Arthur with his teeth bared.
He took a few light steps forward, then shifted into a sprint a few seconds later.
At the same time, Jozu's body began to transform, glossy, shining diamond covering him from head to toe.
In the blink of an eye, a diamond man with the strongest physical defense in the world appeared on the battlefield.
Clang—clang!!
A loud impact rang out as Arthur brought the magnificent Golden Sword down hard on Jozu, sending sparks flying.
"As expected of a Supreme Grade Sword. That hurt like hell." Jozu grinned on his dark face, clenched a fist with an arm that seemed made of diamond, and punched forcefully at Arthur.
"Stop lying." Arthur smiled faintly. Instinct (A) took effect, and he bent slightly, his hair brushing past Jozu's fist. Holding his sword in both hands, he delivered an upward slash the next second.
Whoosh—
Another massive wave of golden sword pressure roared out, its powerful propulsion blasting Jozu away.
"I ate the Diamond-Diamond Fruit and became a diamond man. I'm a natural nightmare for swordsmen like you. Slashes don't work on me." As he flew backward, Jozu remained completely unharmed. He wrapped both arms tightly around the sword pressure in front of him and heaved it upward again.
Bang!
The scene was much the same: golden fireworks burst once again.
"Kid, unless you use that trump card from before, you can't hurt me," Jozu said with a toothy grin after landing.
"You want me to use Excalibur? No problem." Arthur pointed his sword at Jozu and smiled. "That depends on how strong you are!"
"You turned your whole body to diamond from the very start of our fight because you know how fearsome swordsmen are, especially top-tier swordsmen, right?! Apart from a few special fruits, using any Devil Fruit consumes stamina! From the beginning, our fight has been decided by who runs out of strength first!"
"A natural nightmare? There's no such thing!"
Chapter 92: Paramount War (Six) [3/5]
Not only is he powerful, but he's also a thinking man?!
Jozu's entire body was covered in diamond, with only half his face left untransformed. He looked at Arthur gravely, thinking to himself.
"Commander Jozu, you can do it!"
"Commander Jozu, take down that bounty hunter!"
"..."
The cheers of the Whitebeard Pirates' crew rang in his ears as they fought.