The Paramount War: The World's Strongest Man Flies into a Rage (Fourteen) / The Paramount War: Conqueror's Haki (Fifteen)

The magnificent blade of Excalibur, gripped in his right hand, shimmered with a faint golden light.

The surrounding air, the icy ground, and even the smoke began to give off a firefly-like glow that gathered toward Arthur.

"What's that...?"

"Interrupt him! We can't let him continue!"

The strange sight drew countless eyes, and people couldn't help recalling the golden light that had streaked across the sky.

Crocodile and Marco, who had personally experienced Excalibur, were especially shaken.

Marco shouted as he flew faster, his whole body plunging like a blue-flamed meteor from the sky toward Arthur, who was fighting Jozu.

"Strike Air—"

The Holy Lance clenched in Arthur's left hand drew the winds of the world to it like a magnet. Guided by the future he had foreseen in his mind, he leaned back and deftly dodged Jozu's swift punch once more, then thrust the lance at the eye on the side of Jozu's face that hadn't been transformed by his power.

Seeing this, Jozu hastily covered his eyes with both hands.

Boom!

The lance struck his diamond-covered hands, unleashing tremendous wind pressure that formed a spear of condensed wind and blasted Jozu backward.

Bzzzt—

The wind spear kept spinning against Jozu's blocking hands like a power drill.

Crack!

History repeated itself. The crisp sound of something breaking reached Jozu's ears again, and his expression changed.

Squelch—bzzzt!

The wind spear pierced Jozu's arm, seeking to pierce the untransformed half of his face.

In dire danger, Jozu didn't hesitate. He hurriedly pressed his other hand against the tip of the wind spear.

His massive body continued to fly backward, and his blood spilled onto the ground, leaving a trail of red.

Meanwhile, Arthur, having released Invisible Air, remained where he stood in his thrusting stance, waiting for the blue-flamed bird to descend from the sky without even looking up.

He looked as though he hadn't had time to recover from his attack!

(Nuodede)

"Die, you damn brat!"

The blue-flamed Phoenix swooped down, then suddenly reverted to human form just before he hit Arthur.

Marco's furious voice rang out overhead, followed by a powerful kick that struck with the force of a raging storm.

Rumble!!

Crack, crack, crack...

The icy ground shook violently as a dazzling burst of blue flames erupted.

Cracks spread outward, forming a crater that stretched for hundreds of meters.

"Jozu, watch out—"

Thick smoke billowed up, but Marco's roar suddenly came from the crater.

"To me, you've already lost your value. I can't let you keep draining my stamina..."

"Farewell, Whitebeard's third division commander, 'Diamond' Jozu!"

Chapter 100: The Paramount War: The World's Strongest Man Flies into a Rage (Fourteen)

(Only three chapters today. At least three tomorrow, and I'll try for a burst of five!)

(Exactly one hundred chapters!)

"Farewell, Whitebeard's third division commander, 'Diamond' Jozu!"

"Three Seals Released—"

Just as Marco's roar came from the smoke, a flash of white light appeared before Jozu hundreds of meters away, both his hands pierced by the wind spear. In Arthur's left hand was a lance spewing a storm, its butt pointing forward and its tip backward, showing how he had achieved such speed.

In his right hand he held the Golden Sword, flashing with golden light. More and more firefly-like lights appeared in the air, gathering and seeping into the blade, making its golden glow brighter.

Having flashed in front of Jozu, Arthur let the Holy Lance in his left hand, still spewing the power of the storm, dissolve into golden light. He gripped the hilt with both hands instead and raised Excalibur high.

Before countless widened eyes and faces poised to shout but too late to do so, Arthur stood.

Arthur cried out its True Name Release: "Excalibur!"

"Boom—!!"

Dazzling golden light roared forth.

Like a wave, it instantly swallowed Jozu whole, his face showing shock.

"Ah!"

'Crack... crack, crack... snap, snap...'

As Jozu groaned in pain, sounds like breaking glass gradually came from his body. Within the golden light, a multitude of brightly gleaming crystals burst forth. Pieces of diamond either fell from Jozu or gradually crumbled into powder within the golden light that destroyed everything.

The golden light engulfed Jozu and carried him hundreds of meters. Along its path, the moisture in any marines and pirates grazed by the light or caught within its range evaporated rapidly, their limbs shriveled, or they were dismembered on the spot.

In particular, limbs and weapons that touched the golden light were horrifyingly reduced to nothing.

It struck friend and foe alike, leaving casualties everywhere!

Before, it had streaked across the sky in a beautiful display, powerful enough that even the first division commander, caught off guard, couldn't stop it.

But clearly, the world had vastly underestimated the power of that golden light.

It was undeniable that Marco had failed to stop it because he had been too careless.

But more of the reason lay in his ability.

Just like Logia users who, once they developed their elemental transformation to a high enough level, were difficult to kill even with Armament Haki, except through an opposing attribute or Seastone.

Marco's ability, Resurrection Blue Flames, was even more tenacious than a Logia user's elemental transformation. It allowed him to withstand Excalibur, but that didn't mean others could do the same.

Jozu had been hit by Excalibur, and it was a direct hit at close range.

Even with the world's strongest physical defense, he couldn't resist it at all.

Before the golden torrent formed by Excalibur's unstoppable cutting power and the intense heat that evaporated everything, let alone diamond, even Seastone would be reduced to powder.

The golden torrent stretched for nearly a thousand meters before finally dissipating.

The golden beam broke apart and dissolved into endless radiance.

Thud—

A body fell to the ground, a corpse too gruesome to look at.

Not a scrap of flesh remained on its front half, and even the exposed bones had been charred black. The smell of cooked meat came from all over it, while its organs and blood seemed to have been entirely scooped out.

If its back half had not remained unchanged, no one could have recognized the faceless corpse, even missing half its skull, as Whitebeard's third division commander, the pirate famed throughout the New World, "Diamond" Jozu.

"He wasn't reduced to dust? What an incredibly tough body!"

Arthur, however, was very surprised that Jozu had left a corpse at all.

The golden torrent had spread a thousand meters. Marines and pirates who had been directly hit or grazed along the way had either died on the spot or lost limbs, and even the lucky ones had nearly had the moisture in their bodies dried out. Jozu's hands had been pierced by the wind spear, leaving him unable to resist as Excalibur engulfed him head-on.

Unlike Marco, who had intercepted it midway, Jozu had endured Excalibur's power from beginning to end.

Not only had Excalibur failed to cut him in two, but the back half of his body was still intact.

Though he had died in the end, it was still quite remarkable.

Even though Jozu had been his opponent, and even though killing him could no longer earn him Victory Index, Arthur couldn't help feeling respect for him.

He truly was the man with the world's strongest physical defense!

"Captain Jo... Jozu..."

"He's dead! Whitebeard's third division commander, 'Diamond' Jozu, is dead—"

"Captain Jozu was killed by a newcomer?! You've got to be kidding. That's impossible, I don't believe it..."

"Get up... Captain Jozu, tell us it isn't true!!"

"Aaaaah..."

"..."

Before "Fire Fist" Ace had even been executed, Whitebeard's third division commander, "Diamond" Jozu, had gone first, and at the hands of the World's Greatest Bounty Hunter.

This news, this fact, sent many of the Whitebeard Pirates' crew into emotional collapse.

A sense of grief hung over the entire battlefield.

Trembling voices refused to believe it and pleaded for a miracle, completely uncontrolled cries rang out, and roars filled with killing intent rose...

"Jozu..."

On the Execution Platform, Ace's face was covered in tears as he roared, nearly breaking down.

"I'm going to kill you—"

A figure staggered out of the crater, his usually half-closed eyes wide open and filled with savage killing intent. Furious blue flames erupted all over his body.

Boom!!

Just then, a rumble rang out, shaking the mountains.

Boom! Boom! Boom...

A gigantic figure leaped down from the Moby Dick, making the ground tremble with his landing.

The enormous figure carrying a naginata slowly emerged from the smoke with heavy steps.

An intangible, suffocating aura spread out.

"Attention, everyone! The World's Strongest Man has flown into a rage—"

On the Execution Platform, Sengoku's pupils contracted as he watched the scene. Gripping the broadcast Den Den Mushi, he shouted in an almost roaring voice.

Chapter 101: The Paramount War: Conqueror's Haki (Fifteen)

(First chapter!)

"Attention, everyone! The World's Strongest Man has flown into a rage—"

Sengoku's roar rang across the battlefield through the broadcast Den Den Mushi, rapidly spreading throughout the world.

"..."

The atmosphere changed almost instantly.

The marines, who had been fired up by Jozu's death, were suddenly doused with a bucket of cold water and instantly calmed down.

"P-Pops, Captain Jozu..."

"Pops, you have to avenge Captain Jozu!"

"Pops, please, you have to kill that bounty hunter..."

"..."

Many of the Whitebeard Pirates' crew were emotionally shattered, their eyes brimming with tears as they shouted angrily.

They looked just like bullied children complaining to a parent.

At that moment, Arthur once again became the focus of the world's attention, drawing the hatred of the entire Whitebeard Pirates.

"Fufufufu~~ That brat's really gotten himself into trouble. I wonder if he'll survive Whitebeard this time," Doflamingo said with an interested laugh.