The Strongest Man, True to His Name!
As the Moby Dick drew closer to Jozu's ship, Gion gave her one last piece of advice. "Don't forget we still have a journey ahead..."
After saying this, without waiting for Ortolan's response, she turned and left the warship.
Ortolan's gaze was fixed on the Moby Dick, and gradually, he saw that figure, the Whitebeard Edward Newgate, known as the Strongest Man!
This time was different from the last. Last time they met, even from a distance, Ortolan could feel the pressure from this strongest person, a feeling that made him somewhat nervous.
Now, he found that he wasn't nervous at all; he was only excited, even thrilled!
For a moment, he even understood how Kozuki Oden felt when he saw him. With a ferocious beast in front of him, how could he suppress his desire to draw his sword?
The Moby Dick showed no intention of ramming into them, and soon it came to a steady stop not far away. Newgate and Ortolan's gazes met.
He first stared at Ortolan and looked him up and down without saying a word. Then his gaze fell on Kozuki Oden at Ortolan's feet. Looking at Kozuki Oden's badly injured state, Newgate's eyes showed a little helplessness.
Ortolan was also observing Whitebeard. This was the first time he had observed the Strongest Man, Whitebeard, up close. His wild, shoulder-length blond hair was fluttering in the sea breeze, and his crescent-shaped white beard was clearly well-maintained, looking very smooth.
That tall, robust physique certainly gives people a sense of strength.
Their gazes met again. Whitebeard remained silent, as did Ortolan, and Marco and the others had no room to speak.
After staring at each other for a moment, Ortolan smiled, reached out and scooped up Kozuki Oden from the deck, then tossed him toward Newgate without a word.
Perhaps he could blackmail Newgate for something, like making him pay ransom, or threatening him to do something, or else he would kill Kozuki Oden.
At this distance, and given Kozuki Oden's condition, even Whitebeard couldn't possibly stop Ortolan!
Ortolan didn't. He might be greedy and mercenary in his daily life, and like to take advantage of others, but when facing a hero like Whitebeard, even if their positions were different, he was willing to give him enough respect!
Moreover, he wanted to gauge the distance between himself and the strongest being. Since that was the case, he didn't want any factors to affect that distance. If he kept Kozuki Oden in his hands, how could Newgate possibly go all out?
Newgate caught the heavily injured Kozuki Oden and casually tossed him to Marco beside him without even glancing at him.
His gaze remained fixed on Ortolan, and at this moment, a hint of admiration appeared in his eyes.
He was swift and decisive, without uttering a single unnecessary word, and without even needing to speak, he had managed to bring out Kozuki Oden. Was this an admission of weakness? No, not at all. Newgate could read the answer in Ortolan's eyes!
That's not admitting defeat, that's showing courage!
On this vast ocean, strength alone is not enough; only those with both a magnanimous heart and a heroic spirit can earn true respect!
Even without any prompting, Newgate knew what kind of respect Ortolan wanted right now: the full respect of Whitebeard!
Still no one spoke. Ortolan stretched his shoulders slightly, then took the Warhammer hanging behind him and casually placed it aside, causing the deck to creak.
While the Warhammer was indeed his preferred weapon, ultimately, Ortolan believed that his strongest form was when he was unarmed!
Carrying the Warhammer now would not only not bring any benefit, but the weight would also cause him to deviate from his target. It didn't matter when facing Kozuki Oden and the others, but when facing Newgate, he needed to be fully focused and give it his all!
Seeing Ortolan's actions, Newgate waved his hand, and Marco and the others quickly retreated, leaving space for their father.
At this moment, Ortolan took a deep breath, and with each breath, his already muscular chest became even more imposing. Then, Ortolan slowly exhaled the breath.
As he exhaled, a dense aura of lightning began to appear, quickly covering Ortolan's body like armor.
Completely different from the Lightning Armor worn by Kozuki Oden, Ortolan's hair was now standing on end, becoming extremely aggressive. His already full and firm muscles became even more muscular under the stimulation of the lightning power.
His skin, exposed outside his robe, was also faintly red. His eyes were gradually transformed by the thunderous essence, and after a moment, his pupils burst forth with the dazzling light of thunder.
Newgate watched calmly as Ortolan gradually entered this state of truly giving his all. Although he was calm, when Ortolan's eyes flashed with the light of thunder, even as the strongest, he still felt that sense of pressure!
The fact that he could make Newgate feel pressured before even making a move was enough for Newgate to conclude that Bane Ortolan was worthy of being his opponent!
"That guy might have already crossed the threshold of combat power at the level of Marine Admiral..." Newgate silently evaluated in his mind.
To show Ortolan the respect he deserved, Newgate made no attempt to test his mettle. He raised his Cloud-Cutting Sword, his gaze sharpening, and a menacing aura emanated from Newgate.
It was the power of Conqueror's Haki, but it was only for a moment. Since he had no intention of testing his opponent, there was no need to use Conqueror's Haki to fight back!
This overwhelming power of Conqueror's Haki's Haki flashed for a moment before rapidly wrapping around Newgate's Cloud-Cutting Sword!
At that moment, as Newgate's gaze gradually filled with a sense of oppression, the surrounding space also trembled slightly. If someone were to get close to Newgate for a closer look, they would find that there was a faint transparent halo on the surface of his body. That was the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, accumulating and waiting to explode!
Both sides entered a state of combat readiness, but neither made the first move. Their gazes were fixed on each other, and their restrained aura seemed to be gradually becoming uncontrollable, even though they did not intend to engage in Haki confrontation.
As the silence deepened and the two locked eyes, faint flashes of black Inazuma seemed to crackle in the air, and the space itself began to tremble slightly.
A sea breeze blew by, and the Justice Cloak behind Ortolan fluttered in the wind, while the captain's coat draped over Newgate's shoulders also swayed slightly.
At that very moment, Ortolan moved!
The muffled sound of thunder pierced everyone's ears, and instantly, everyone felt as if a bolt of lightning had suddenly struck their brains.
As the muffled thud subsided, Jozu's massive pirate warship suddenly tilted as if struck by a tremendous force, its bow tilting violently as if its head had been forced into the sea, causing it to lurch violently.
At this moment, Ortolan was no longer on the ship!
Their gazes couldn't even lock onto Ortolan's incredibly fast, lightning-fast figure. At Newgate's level of strength, visual perception was secondary!
Without even looking, Newgate had already Cloud-Cutting Sword in his hand!
Just as perfectly timed as their performance, when Cloud-Cutting Sword, with its trembling power, rippled through the space, carving out a perfect crescent moon in front of them, like Newgate's mustache.
Ortolan's figure appeared precisely in front of the blade.
Without any surprise, as if Ortolan had already anticipated this scene, he clenched his fist, which was filled with extremely strong Conqueror's Haki, and smashed it down to meet the slash!
The greatest sound is silent, the greatest form is formless!
Everyone watched as Cloud-Cutting Sword and Ortolan's iron fists collided. The moment of contact caused the surrounding space to shatter violently, and the massive Moby Dick beneath Newgate's feet trembled.
Let the surrounding seawater overflow, let Jozu's huge warship be overturned. In the sky, thunder roared behind Ortolan, like Inazuma storm, but at this moment, it was as if in silence, and no sound could be heard!
After a brief standoff, Newgate's arm muscles bulged again, and he involuntarily took a step back. With just that one step, the deck beneath his feet suddenly shattered. There were no large pieces of debris; the fragments were pulverized into dust the moment they left the deck and scattered everywhere.
"Incredible power!!!" That was Newgate's first thought!
Immediately following, the power of the tremor erupted from the tip of the sword, sending Ortolan flying. A streak of Inazuma flashed through the air before he came to a stop dozens of meters away.
After regaining his footing in the air, Ortolan looked at his fist. The Haki on it had shattered, and the flesh on his once indestructible Fist Bone was now rotten, revealing the bare white bones.
"The Strongest Man, Guo Xin truly lives up to his name!" A hint of excitement flashed in Ortolan's eyes.