Barton's Powerful Strength, The Pirates' Pursuit

"What happened?" Annie asked, a little flustered.

The crowd was in utter chaos, with stampedes happening at any moment. Teach shielded Annie, and before long, they too understood what was happening.

The Blood Scythe Pirates had attacked Sess Island, and the entire port had been reduced to ruins.

"Oh no, let's go find Mom first," Annie cried out, thinking of her mother. She took a shortcut, heading towards the dessert shop.

Annie had grown up here and was very familiar with the area. Soon, they arrived in front of the dessert shop. There were no customers inside, and the shop was closed. The street was also deserted; everyone had fled.

"Mom!" Annie spotted a familiar figure. Inside the dessert shop, her mother was constantly looking out at the street, seemingly searching for something.

Annie excitedly ran over. Her mother also came out, tears of joy streaming from her eyes, her worried expression vanishing instantly.

Mother and daughter embraced happily.

Meanwhile, at the port, Anthony, who had arrived by walking on air, looked at the port, now a ruin. The former prosperity was completely gone.

The extent of the destruction far exceeded Anthony's imagination. With countless casualties and constant moans of agony, a surge of anger rose in his heart.

"Hahaha, no one can stop me! My subordinates, kill! Don't hold back, kill everyone you see! And the Marines, not a single one can be spared," Barton laughed, his body covered in blood. His scythe flashed, instantly killing a struggling civilian on the ground.

"Whoosh!"

"Rokushiki Secret Technique - Rankyaku - Great Pinwheel!"

A figure suddenly appeared before Barton, his right leg transforming into a black blur. With a sweep of his leg, he unleashed a massive slash.

Barton, having been in countless battles, sensed it but couldn't dodge. Instinctively, his arms transformed into scythes, both covered in Armament Haki.

His scythes were no joke; not only did they possess immense attack power, but they were also developed to be harder than steel. With the enhancement of Armament Haki, Barton managed to block the powerful strike.

"How troublesome, this ability." Seeing Barton block the attack so easily, Vice Admiral Anthony's eyes flickered with a hint of seriousness. Such a taijutsu expert was troublesome, especially one whose taijutsu was combined with a Devil Fruit ability.

Attack, defense – it seemed to have no weaknesses except for speed.

"But I won't let you continue to be arrogant," a hint of determination flashed in Anthony's eyes. Armament Haki covered his arms, and he flickered, appearing before Barton. "Steel Fist - Bone Shatter."

The blow landed heavily on Barton's abdomen. Anthony's voice echoed in Barton's ears, a powerful punch carrying a terrifying shockwave that spread outwards.

"What?" Barton was incredulous. He was sent flying backward, traveling over a hundred meters and carving a path through the ruins before crashing heavily into a large rock.

"Damn Marines, that was one powerful punch," Barton grunted, getting up from the ground and shaking his head. He glared hatefully at Anthony.

"As expected of a Marine Vice Admiral who has been stationed in the New World for years, you're much stronger than those two good-for-nothings before," Barton said with a sinister smile.

His hands transformed directly into scythes and pointed at Anthony. Although Anthony was a Vice Admiral, his strength ranked among the top three, not including the monstrous Marine Hero Garp. Without sufficient strength, how could he have been stationed on Sess Island in the New World for over a decade?

"I won't let you continue," Anthony said sternly, charging at Barton. Barton also charged at Anthony, and their battle was fierce. The fight shifted, and with every collision, astonishing shockwaves erupted. Houses collapsed every second, brought down by their immense power.

"Shigan - Black Bear Strike." His Haki-infused arms clashed repeatedly with Barton's scythes. However, Barton was a madman, and his strength far exceeded Anthony's expectations. With his powerful defense, he adopted a strategy of trading blows.

Barton's scythes were incredibly strong. Anthony couldn't simply block them, as they weren't ordinary scythes but enhanced by a Devil Fruit ability, possessing special traits like sharpness and cutting power, greatly increasing their offensive might.

However, Anthony had his own advantages: speed and a flexible fighting style.

"Give up your resistance, pirates! You have been surrounded by us," Marines swarmed in, weapons in hand, pointing at the Blood Scythe Pirates. One officer said.

"Surrender? Hahaha, what are you? Asking us to surrender? My subordinates, attack! Our captain said to kill all Marines on sight," a pirate leader said excitedly, wielding a long sword.

"Kill, kill them!"

"Kill these Marines!"

"Blood Scythe - Scissors Decapitation!" On the main battlefield, Barton laughed. His scythe-like hands crossed, condensing Haki, and he unleashed a swordsman's slash. The cross-shaped blood-red light furiously slashed towards Anthony.

"Damn it!" At this range, Anthony couldn't dodge. The blood-red slash was a full five meters wide. Anthony hadn't expected Barton to have another trick up his sleeve and could only brace himself.

"Rokushiki Secret Technique - Tekkai - Armored Body." "Secret Technique Rokuogan." At his level, the weakness of Tekkai, which prevented movement, was no longer an issue. Little did he know, a future CP9 member would master Tekkai to the point of being able to move while using it.

He attacked to reduce the slash's power while simultaneously strengthening his defense. This was the best countermeasure he could think of.

All of this was happening simultaneously, showcasing Anthony's profound mastery of Rokushiki.

"Boom boom boom!" The collision between the two techniques, the resulting powerful airflow, instantly collapsed the surrounding buildings. Within a hundred meters, the area became a ruin due to the battle.

"Cough cough! I blocked it." Anthony gasped, bloodstains appearing on his arms, and a cross-shaped slash mark on his chest.

The wound wasn't deep, but Anthony dared not relax for a moment.

"Life Return." Anthony expended stamina to quickly heal his injuries, bringing his condition back to optimal as soon as possible.

"Damn you, Barton! You not only destroyed my ship but also injured my subordinates," a pirate wearing a captain's hat roared. Angrily, he swung his long sword, cutting down two pirates in his path with two or three strikes before charging towards Barton.

"Hmph! What trash are you, daring to provoke me? Die," Barton sneered. Facing the charging pirate, he swung his scythe-like arm downwards. A flash of blood-red light cut through the air – an irresistible, terrifying strike.

"Pfft!"

The blood-red light pierced the pirate captain's body. His eyes widened in disbelief as his long sword slipped from his grasp, his eyes staring blankly.

"Idiot, this world has always been about strength," Barton declared, stepping on the dead pirate captain's body. With his overwhelming power, the other pirates looked at him with fear, and they all madly fled into the distance.

But how could the blood-crazed Barton let them escape? His scythe-like hands turned into a killing machine. No one could escape from Barton's grasp. Soon, there was no one else in Barton's vicinity. Even the members of the Blood Scythe Pirates dared not approach, fearing that Barton might accidentally kill them. They all fled to other areas to kill and plunder.

On Teach's side, Annie had reunited with her mother. At this moment, dozens of young thugs and orphans, led by Mobius, came running. "Hurry and run! Those Blood Scythe Pirates are coming! It's too terrifying, they kill everyone they see, they don't intend to spare anyone."

Mobius held a long sword, and the others also carried weapons, seemingly ready for battle.

This street was close to the port, and staying here any longer was extremely dangerous, as they could easily be captured by the approaching members of the Blood Scythe Pirates.

"Alright, let's go!" Annie knew the situation was dire; these cruel pirates were not people they could handle.

The group ran towards the northwest of Sess Island, hoping to find a secluded spot and wait for the Blood Scythe Pirates to be wiped out.

However, their large numbers quickly drew the attention of the pirates.

"Captain, there's a group of prey over there, looks like they're trying to escape." A member of the Blood Scythe Pirates spotted them. "Haha, this is interesting. I love a good game of cat and mouse." The pirate, known as the squad leader, held a blood-stained long saber and looked excitedly at Annie and the others fleeing. "Chase them! Don't let them get away," he shouted with a smile to his subordinates, pointing his saber in the direction Annie and the others were running.

"Uh oh, pirates are onto us!" One of the boys turned and saw pirates rapidly approaching their direction.

This was undoubtedly bad news, and everyone except Teach's heart sank. They quickened their pace, but how could they outrun a group of powerful pirates?

After all, most of them were still children. Despite their efforts in training, their strength was only enough to handle a few, maybe a dozen ordinary adults, and among them were ordinary people like Annie's mother.

As the pirates drew closer, Mobius, holding his long saber, suddenly stopped. He turned to face the pirates and said without looking back, "You guys run ahead. I'll hold them off and buy you some time to escape." Mobius was resolute, having decided to sacrifice his life to buy his companions time.

"Mobius, don't do that! Let's escape together," Annie shouted to Mobius.

Mobius shook his head. "You must survive." With that, he charged directly at the pirates. "Big Brother Mobius, I'll go with you!" The boys who remained rushed forward, wanting to join Mobius in buying Annie and the others time to escape.

"You guys..." Annie didn't know what to say, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Hey, hey! Don't be like that. This isn't the most dangerous moment yet. That'll be up to me next," Teach said with a smile, patting Annie's shoulder as he slowly walked towards the pirates.

"Teach." Annie didn't know what to say.

One by one, the boys charged forward, following Mobius, facing the pirates who filled them with fear, yet not a single one of them retreated.

"Wahaha! What do a bunch of brats want by running over here? To die?" The captain at the front sneered as he watched the charging youths. The others also stopped, looking at the overconfident boys.

"Pirates, I will never let you take another step forward," Mobius shouted from the front, but his body trembled uncontrollably. These pirates were all forged in slaughter and battle, and the aura they exuded instilled fear in them.

"Haha, are you kidding me, kid!" one of the pirates roared with laughter. His body vanished in Mobius's eyes. So fast! Mobius thought, but his body couldn't react at all. The pirate appeared before him and swept his leg, hitting Mobius hard.

"Mobius!"

"Boss Mobius!" the others cried out worriedly. Mobius was kicked more than ten meters away. They rushed to his side, staring at the approaching pirates. They held their weapons, wanting to protect Mobius behind them.

"No! You guys hurry and go!" Mobius shouted.

Forcibly suppressing the urge to vomit, Mobius slowly got up from the ground. His body swayed, and he barely managed to stand. Blood flowed from his mouth. He felt like his chest had caved in from that kick, and two ribs were broken. However, he didn't pass out and stood up with astonishing willpower.

He tried to pick up the long saber that had fallen beside him. As he bent slightly, he lost his balance and knelt on the ground. Gripping the hilt of the saber tightly, with the tip stuck in the ground, Mobius used the saber to steady himself and stood up again.

"Quite tenacious, kid." The pirate was surprised that this Snake-Head Tribe child could still stand after taking his kick.

He looked at the others, a sinister smile appearing on his face as if he had thought of something unpleasant. "This Snake-Head Tribe kid is probably your backbone, right? What do you think would happen if I killed him?" the pirate said with an evil laugh.

The other pirates and the pirate captain watched this scene with smiles, finding it amusing. They made no move, letting the pirate toy with the youths.

"You're not allowed to hurt Boss Mobius!" The boys shielded Mobius and charged at the pirate, but they were too weak. With a kick, a punch, they were all soon lying on the ground, groaning weakly.

The pirate finally walked up to Mobius. He had held back against the other boys because of his cruel amusement; he wanted them to witness the death of this boy named Mobius with their own eyes. He wanted to see their pained and desperate expressions.

The other pirates watched this scene with anticipation. They were well aware of this pirate's cruel streak and also wanted to see such a scene.

"Damn it, I'll kill you!" Seeing his companions fall, though not killed, they had been severely beaten. Mobius angrily raised his saber and slashed at the pirate before him.

The pirate blocked the saber with his own, then delivered a kick. Mobius's body slammed heavily onto the ground, unable to get up again.