Pseudo Moonwalk

Roy also focused with utmost vigilance. After all, the Vinsmoke Family's reputation needed no further explanation. Though they had only been minor players in the manga, being able to play minor roles in the latter half of the Grand Line was a kind of ability in itself. Fortunately, there were still seven years before that time. They should still be relatively inexperienced.

Yonji tossed the rocket launcher aside. Though he was reckless, he was no fool. He knew that a rocket launcher was useful for long-range ambushes, but its mobility was poor, making it nearly useless in close combat.

Still, Yonji showed no fear at all. On one hand, the Lineage Factor modifications had granted him a body and abilities beyond those of ordinary humans; calling him a superhuman would not be wrong at all. On the other hand, he had confidence in his high-tech combat equipment. In his mind, with those two advantages, subduing a country bumpkin like Roy would be effortless.

"Winches Heavy Blow." Completely confident in his own abilities, Yonji could not even be bothered to talk. He charged straight at Roy.

Roy swung his blade, and a crescent-shaped Sword Qi collided with Yonji, instantly forcing him back. Seeing this, Roy had a better grasp of the situation. Though Yonji's strength and speed were not weak, he was still more than a level below Roy.

Yonji, having been forced back by Roy, felt deeply humiliated. Modified by the Lineage Factor, he regarded himself as a superior human. He even looked down on his own brother Sanji, let alone Roy. In an instant, he threw his earlier intention of avoiding high-tech equipment out of his mind.

Electric Shock Fist!

A pale blue glow wrapped around his right fist. Looking at that ghostly blue light, Roy had no intention of testing it with his own body. With Observation Haki, Roy easily predicted Yonji's movements. In Roy's eyes, every one of Yonji's moves was riddled with openings.

Phantom Raid!

Roy seized his opponent's opening, and his figure shifted in an instant. Aurora's blade stabbed viciously into Yonji, sending him flying into the forest. He crashed through four or five large trees before barely coming to a stop.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! You trash actually dared to hurt me!" Yonji blasted away the trees pinning him down, wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, and roared furiously.

Yet judging by how strong his voice still was, his injuries were clearly not serious. Roy frowned slightly before understanding. It seemed that Yonji's combat suit also had shock absorption and cushioning capabilities, and its quality was exceptionally high. It had taken one of Roy's sword strikes head-on and suffered almost no damage.

"Spark, Spiral!" This time, Yonji's hands released a massive torrent of flames that surged toward Roy.

He had learned his lesson. Knowing that close-range attacks could hardly even touch Roy, he changed tactics again, hoping to pressure Roy with ranged attacks.

Roy was rather speechless at the sight. This guy was indeed significantly weaker than him, but his high-tech abilities just kept coming. Roy suddenly felt as though the other side were invaders from an advanced civilization, while he himself was a resistance fighter from a primitive civilization.

But these were merely cheap tricks. Roy remained utterly fearless. His sword light split apart the sea of flames, which could not harm him in the slightest.

Seeing his attack fail again, Yonji flew into a rage. "Damn it! Don't think this is my true strength! Let me show you why our Vinsmoke Family can dominate the North Blue—Human Wall!"

All the soldiers he had brought rushed at Roy without regard for their lives, piling toward him like ants. Though they were not deadly, they would still cause Roy some trouble.

After all, they were elite soldiers equipped with quite a few high-tech weapons. Normally, they would not be much of a problem, but dealing with them while also guarding against Yonji's sudden attacks was truly troublesome.

"Captain, leave these small fry to us." Without even waiting for Roy's response, Patch charged into the crowd with a savage grin. Like a tiger among sheep, every enemy in his way was sent flying, or even torn apart directly. He was far bloodier than Roy. Fortunately, these were artificial soldiers who knew no fear. Had they been ordinary soldiers, they would have collapsed long ago.

King also raised his Sniper Rifle, making Yonji feel threatened and preventing him from acting rashly. What surprised Roy even more was Kayou. He had not expected a cook to be so strong. Not a single soldier could get near him. Though his close-combat ability was inferior to Patch's, he was absolutely a force to be reckoned with.

On second thought, it made sense. Anyone who could live so comfortably despite being hated by so many people could not possibly be weak.

Yonji nearly ground his teeth to pieces. He sent part of the soldiers to harass King, then launched another attack on Roy.

Spark Light Fist!

Dazzling light flashed across the battlefield, so bright it made people unable to open their eyes. Even Roy felt his eyes sting, his vision turning blurry.

"Can't see now, can you? Let's see how you die this time."

Bang!

Yonji was sent flying again. Naturally, he did not know that Roy's mastery of Observation Haki now even surpassed King's. Even if all five senses were completely cut off, he could still easily handle enemy attacks. For those with Observation Haki, the mind's eye was actually more reliable than physical sight.

Yonji began to feel that something was wrong. Though his high-tech combat suit could reduce the damage he took, it did not make him completely immune. After being struck by Roy so many times, the internal injuries in his body had accumulated to a point he could no longer ignore. Moreover, his combat suit did not have unlimited cushioning capacity. After blocking Roy's attacks so many times, it was already nearing its limit. He would not have been surprised if it broke apart the very next moment.

"Heh, I really was an idiot this time. I insisted on abandoning my greatest advantage to fight you. That's right, the abilities granted to me by high-tech combat equipment already put me a class above you people. Why shouldn't I use them? Heh heh, now then, let you all experience what true fear is."

Yonji's eyes gleamed with cruelty, as though he wanted to release all the frustration and repression he had suffered in this battle at once.

He hoisted the rocket launcher he had discarded earlier onto his shoulder. Then, his combat boots released jets that propelled him into the air. He flew directly into the sky and looked down at Roy and the others, laughing loudly. "Idiots, dumbfounded now, aren't you? I can fly! Let's see how you're supposed to hit me now! With air superiority, I'm invincible! Next, I'll blast every one of you into scraps with my rocket launcher!"

Roy merely chuckled. "That posturing of yours isn't nearly fresh or refined enough. I can only give it a passing grade. Flying? What a coincidence. I can fly too—Pseudo Moonwalk."

Then Yonji, Patch, and the others all widened their eyes as they watched Roy walk step by step into the air, as though there were an invisible staircase in midair. In only a few steps, he arrived in front of Yonji.

"Y-you, you, how did you do that? That's impossible! Even in the Navy, not many people know Moonwalk!" As a member of the Vinsmoke Family, he naturally knew that the Navy possessed a technique called Moonwalk that allowed one to fly into the sky. But he could not understand why Roy could use it. Could Roy be the descendant of some major Navy figure?

Roy also sighed softly. Good thing he had developed this ability. Otherwise, he would truly have been at a loss today.

He used the Dream-Dream Fruit's power to project footholds beneath his feet. Though the projection ability consumed a great deal of his stamina, merely projecting two meaningless footholds beneath his feet like this consumed almost nothing.

Moreover, in this kind of battle, Roy's mobility could still be considered extremely high. After all, he had footholds even in midair. Walking on level ground was the best description of this ability.