Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
The cold wind mingled with torrential rain.
Amid the ravaged battlefield, that proud figure merely stood there, yet no Marine dared make a reckless move.
The ground had sunk a hundred meters from a simple buildup of force; Sakazuki, the Monster Vice Admiral who had been defeated and knocked down in the clash; the terrifying flowing Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki Infusion...
That invincible aura, though intangible, still weighed heavily upon every Marine's heart. Even Kuzan and Borsalino were no exception.
Kuzan stared blankly at the man he had long dreamed of capturing.
Austin could have relied on his exceptional Observation Haki and Devil Fruit ability to toy with them all, yet he had given them the chance to face him head-on.
But no one was confident, and no one dared claim they could remain undefeated against those black-and-crimson iron fists.
Not even Sakazuki, who possessed the strongest offensive power, could do it.
As for a sneak attack...
Before those eyes capable of seeing through the future, such intentions were nothing more than a fantasy.
A moment later,
"Cough, cough, cough..."
The sound of someone coughing blood rang across the field. From within the massive crater, a figure in a red suit staggered to his feet, thin streaks of blood still lingering at the corner of his mouth.
It was Akainu.
Credit where it was due, that bastard really was tough as nails.
Yet from his pained expression and the blood at his lips, it was clear that the previous punch had dealt him tremendous damage. He was still badly injured.
But as Sakazuki rose again, the stifling atmosphere among the Marines instantly shifted.
Was this the Red Commander?
"Hey!! What are you hesitating for!?"
"No matter how powerful our opponent is, we are Marines! We are the ones who protect these seas, and we must give everything we have!!!"
"Even if we die in battle, so be it!!!"
Seeing his comrades faintly sinking into despair, Sakazuki's expression turned incomparably grim, his furious roars deafening.
That also made many Marine officers who had lost their will to fight grit their teeth and raise their blades and guns once more.
At the same time, biting frost and dazzling light appeared across the battlefield as everyone unleashed their full strength.
Watching the future leading figures of the Marines, brimming with fighting spirit as though this were some grand movie climax, Austin raised an eyebrow.
For one brief moment, he had thought he was about to subdue the entire field.
But clearly, it would not be that simple.
Heroes under heaven were as numerous as crucian carp crossing a river. Austin might stand above the rest, but he could never extinguish everyone else's brilliance.
In a Marine Headquarters without a King of Cowards,
There truly was not a single weakling!
Looking at the many warriors draped in Marine coats,
Austin likewise showed them the respect they deserved in battle. An excited smile appeared on his face, red light flickering in his eyes.
He slowly removed his trench coat, revealing muscles packed with explosive strength. A few scars lay across them, but they were few and far between.
Since childhood, blessed with monstrous Observation Haki, he had rarely been injured.
Two-Colored Haki coiled around Dark Crow in his hand.
One hand formed a fist, while the other gripped his sword.
These Marines were worthy of his full strength.
Then,
He slowly raised his left thumb, and from afar, it looked as though he were giving them a thumbs-up.
His gaze swept through the gathered Marines.
At last, it settled on the curly-haired man he often singled out.
"It's coming."
"What?"
Kuzan, who had been gathering freezing frost within his body, froze in confusion for an instant upon seeing that gesture.
The facts proved that when someone pointed their thumb at you,
They were not necessarily praising you.
They might also be taking aim at you.
From Kuzan's perspective, those red eyes had been staring straight at him from a hundred meters away. Then, in an instant, Austin was right before him, still staring directly at him.
Only the movement of his hand had changed. The long blade wreathed in black-and-crimson lightning slashed straight down with lightning speed.
"This speed!!!"
"You've got to be kidding!?"
As Austin's blade fell, terrifying sword energy accompanied by Conqueror's Haki Infusion cleaved straight into Kuzan's frozen body. The strike was too fast, too unexpected!
Even though Kuzan activated his elemental form in an instant, a vivid red wound still appeared across his front before rapidly freezing shut to stop the bleeding.
Austin had intended to strike again, but his Observation Haki detected a laser beam shooting toward the back of his head.
He did not choose to take it head-on, instead dodging to the side.
Then he twisted at the waist, turned back, and slashed apart the incoming magma with one stroke.
This was no longer the wide-range head-on clash he had just had with Sakazuki. The Marines were now coordinating a highly effective group assault.
If not for the scenes of the future constantly appearing before his eyes, Austin would likely have long since been drowned beneath their relentless chained attacks.
But with the power of Future Sight and the Warp Fruit,
Invincibility was inevitable!
He darted and shifted, warping away from the glacier spreading beneath his feet.
Surrounded by the Marine commanders' assault, Austin remained utterly calm. With his monstrous strength and Haki, anyone who came close was dealt with in a single kick.
He charged through them like a battering ram, turning to meet the suddenly appearing Heavenly Cloud Sword with a slash. As he warped away from Nether Hound, he threw another punch at Sakazuki's chest.
As the occasional glimpses of the future failed to perfectly connect with his body's responses, fresh wounds also appeared across Austin's body.
It hurt, but this feeling of his strength improving intoxicated him. The exchanges of fist against flesh were addictive!
His scarlet-glowing eyes continuously swept across everyone present.
"You all want to dance too?"
Although Austin kept gaining cuts, burns, puncture wounds, and frostbite, the Marines' numbers were also visibly dwindling.
After all, not everyone was a damage sponge. Most of the young officers, once struck by one of his attacks, ended up like Tokikake before them, completely losing their ability to fight.
Gradually, only four figures remained fighting on the battlefield.
"Yasakani no Magatama!!!"
Austin's body warped continuously, crimson light flashing in his eyes as the trajectory of every light bullet falling appeared in his mind, allowing him to evade them perfectly.
Yet when he warped into a certain gap, the ground beneath his foot felt slick, and wisps of cold wound upward.
"Using the gaps between the beams to force me into a designated position, then freezing me?
Not bad tactics."
Austin calmly looked at his frozen right foot, red light flickering in his eyes.
Clearly, he had already seen this future.
But that was also one characteristic of wide-range attacks. To avoid being frozen, he would have to take the light bullets. Looking at the wounded Marines on the ground who had been caught in the beams, Austin knew they had truly been driven desperate.
And in the very instant Austin was caught by the ice, a charged giant magma fist once again shot straight for his face.
But this time, it was not just that.
There was also a dazzling beam of light and a massive ice bird radiating biting cold.
Facing the three ultimate attacks, Austin showed no panic. Instead, the faint smile on his face gradually deepened.
"Interesting. Then I'll get a little more serious..."
The Conqueror's Haki in his hand continuously contracted, then slowly spread across the entire blade of Dark Crow.
"You'd better be ready to take this one!"
"Divine Departure!!!"
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