Adkin: Ahem, I'm Not Actually the Strongest in the Navy

As Longinus's words fell, deathly silence descended upon the grand hall.

The royal families and nobles of the four kingdoms were deeply shaken. To believe one would never fail, to have never even entertained the thought of fear—what immense conviction that was!

Commodore Adkin and the other Marines were equally unsettled. To believe that justice would never fail—was that the reason for Major Longinus's strength?

After hearing Longinus's words, Cobra finally shook off the gloom in his heart. Was it because I had been too weak in the past that, even knowing the outcome was wrong, I still could not stop it with my own strength? Was it because I had always envied Major Longinus's power but never considered the source of that strength, leaving me able only to endure all this helplessly as a loser?

"Cobra, since you admire Major Longinus's strength so much, wipe away your tears and stand up. From now on, fight without fear, just like Major Longinus!"

Felix froze for a moment before bursting into wild laughter. "Hahaha! You Marine brat really are arrogant and ignorant. How could there possibly be anyone in this world who never fails? Since you believe you'll keep winning forever, I'll be the one to shatter that empty fantasy of yours!"

Felix clenched his hand through the air, and a massive scythe radiating a dark aura appeared directly in his grasp. "Your Navy's strongest fighter is a useless cripple now anyway. Even if you can ignore my ability, what use can a mere major be? If you don't know what fear is, then I'll teach you what fear truly means!"

"Scream! Wail! Then die in terror!" Felix howled maniacally as he swung the gigantic scythe.

As if his mind had been tainted by that violent aura, Longinus neither dodged nor evaded, simply allowing the enormous scythe, as tall as three men, to fall upon him.

Boom!

The finely patterned marble floor rapidly cracked like a spiderweb, the fractures spreading throughout the entire hall as explosive roars rang out without end.

Amid the dust that filled the air came the shrieks of the royal nobles from the four kingdoms and the pirates' unrestrained laughter and jeers. Yet the smile beneath Felix's mask froze completely. He could clearly sense an unshakable force preventing his Death Scythe from descending any further. More precisely, it had been completely restrained, to the point that he could barely even pull his weapon free.

When the dust settled, the screams and wild laughter abruptly ceased. The scene before them was completely different from what they had imagined.

Longinus stood with one hand raised above his head, gripping the sharp blade of the massive scythe. It looked as absurd as an ant playing tug-of-war with an elephant, yet not a single pirate could laugh. They could clearly see their captain's face flushed red as he desperately tugged at his weapon, but the Death Scythe that had severed the heads of countless powerful pirates did not move in the slightest.

"Just as you told Commodore Adkin earlier, when an ability user's power is restrained, how much of his strength can he still bring to bear?" Longinus asked indifferently, his upright figure standing like a benchmark.

"How is this possible? The Death Scythe carries those people's fear. Not even the Giant Race could catch it so casually! How can someone like you be merely a Navy major? Who exactly are you?" Felix could not suppress the fear in his heart. Even if his ability had been restrained, such a powerful attack should never have been caught by a mere Navy major.

Commodore Adkin, standing behind Longinus, said with an odd expression, "I'm starting to believe you truly just happened to run into us. If you had carefully analyzed our intelligence, you should have known that I'm not the strongest one in this Marine force."

"What? You mean..." Felix looked in disbelief at Longinus, who was holding the scythe's blade.

Commodore Adkin mocked him with the air of someone disappointed by his incompetence. "Captain Felix, you're a seasoned pirate. How do you not understand that the highest bounty doesn't necessarily mean... ahem, I misspoke. The highest rank doesn't necessarily mean the greatest strength."

Felix nearly spat out blood, so furious that he almost suffered internal injuries. He looked at the pile of flesh that had once been the King of Alabasta and ground his teeth. "That old bastard dared to deceive me!"

"You can't blame the King of Alabasta for that. He didn't understand these matters. Just like you, he simply assumed I was the strongest one," Commodore Adkin said helplessly.

Just as Felix was about to say something else, Longinus hooked the scythe's tip upward with his grip and sent him flying into the air. Then, like a bolt of lightning, he appeared before him, his raised right leg chopping down like a battle axe.

Felix was, after all, a pirate hardened by countless battles. Though panic filled his heart, his body reacted instinctively, transforming the fear-forged scythe into armor that shielded him from the front.

Unfortunately, after the series of events just now, everyone's fear of Felix had gradually faded. The black armor had dimmed, seeming little more than a layer of black mist wrapped around his body. It could not block Longinus's Lightning Strike. Felix was instantly smashed into the ground, and the violent impact caused even the palace pillars to begin cracking, sending everyone in the hall fleeing outside in panic.

Boom!

In just a few breaths, the exquisite and luxurious palace had completely collapsed, leaving no trace of its former appearance amid the ruins.

Yet no one had any interest in mourning such trivial matters. Their expectant or uneasy gazes were all fixed upon the chaotic rubble.

Longinus stood atop the ruins, his Observation Haki covering the surrounding area. Felix's every little movement was clear to him.

The rubble suddenly exploded, and a ragged black figure shot toward Longinus. But Longinus seemed to have anticipated it long ago. His long leg swept out like a whip, and like a stone skipping across water, Felix bounced and crashed across the ground several times before finally slamming down with a thunderous impact.

"What incredible vigilance! Even in that situation, he was able to guard against my sneak attack and counter in time!" To everyone's surprise, Felix stood up and dusted himself off as though nothing had happened, despite suffering Longinus's consecutive attacks.

Longinus had no interest in explaining Observation Haki to him. He merely looked at him with interest. "Your Martial Arts are still as weak as before, but has your physical strength suddenly increased severalfold?"

"Hmph! You sharp-tongued brat!" Felix snorted irritably, but did not argue. After all, his Martial Arts truly were far inferior to Longinus's.

"Our fear is clearly fading, so why is he becoming stronger instead?" Commodore Adkin frowned slightly. Pirates with bounties approaching a hundred million in the first half of the Grand Line truly were difficult to deal with.

"Don't think you've found a way to restrain me just because there's no fear in your hearts. People like you can never imagine the power of an ability user!" Felix removed his shattered mask, revealing a face slightly pale from having gone so long without sunlight. Fear and madness mingled in his expression as he said, "The greater the fear, the greater the strength. That saying applies to me as well. Since you no longer fear me, then I'll be the one to fear you!"