On the other side, on the battlefield in the North District.
"Boss Rod!"
Pekoms and Shakky had just arrived in the North District when they saw Rod fighting Onigumo.
Black Haki surged all over Rod like flowing fire. Every clash with Onigumo stirred up a terrifying commotion.
"Their attacks didn't actually touch, did they...?"
Pekoms rubbed his eyes, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Rod's fists never collided with Onigumo's slashes, yet terrifying shock waves spread out from the two of them, sending gusts of wind surging in every direction.
"I don't know what's going on, but it sure looks amazing! Boss Rod is awesome!"
Shakky nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"Nerl, take them back to the ship first!"
After clashing with Onigumo once more, Rod sprang far away and called out to Nerl while he had a moment.
"Damn pirates!"
Across from Rod, Onigumo's face was livid.
They had been fighting for so long, and not only had he failed to take down the other side's captain, but the Marines he'd brought with him had also been completely wiped out!
"Sure."
Nerl nodded without saying more. He simply flicked his foot, kicking the two people he'd tied up and stacked beside him toward Pekoms and Shakky.
"What's this?"
Pekoms reflexively reached out and caught the people Nerl had kicked over, his face full of confusion.
"Devil Fruit users!"
At Nerl's words, Pekoms' face lit up. He seemed to already see a new Devil Fruit waving at them.
So he and Shakky each grabbed one person and followed happily behind Nerl, ready to return to the Polar Tang.
As for Boss Rod, there was no need to worry about him at all!
"Come on, Genos!"
Nerl called to Genos, who was standing still and puffing away. Marines lay all around him. Aside from Onigumo's second-in-command, he had taken down just about all of them.
A new crewmate?
Pekoms looked at Genos.
He looked so strong!
Genos had a cigarette between his lips, and smoke shrouded his face. Through the haze, Pekoms could only make out his eyes, which glowed a faint red.
His clothes had been reduced to ragged strips, stubbornly clinging to his body, and were stained with blood.
But there wasn't a single wound on Genos.
He'd beaten all those Marines without a scratch?
Looking at the Marines lying around Genos, Pekoms was secretly astonished.
"Woof, woof, woof~"
A dog barking?
As Pekoms stared in astonishment, a little white dog wriggled out of the pocket on Genos's chest and licked his face.
What a contrast!
In Pekoms's eyes, the man had been a cold, powerful tough guy one second, only to become a gentle, sensitive man the next.
"Honestly, this all feels a little hasty."
Genos reached out and rubbed Xixi's head, his eyes full of warmth. Then he took a deep drag and slowly exhaled.
"But adventuring with people like you doesn't sound so bad."
He took the cigarette from his mouth and pressed it against the back of his hand to put it out. After brushing off his hands, he glanced at Rod, who was still facing down the Marines.
"Don't get yourself killed right after I join, Captain!"
So cool!!
Watching Genos's unique way of putting out his cigarette, Pekoms and Shakky's eyes lit up.
That casual, effortless, yet incredibly cool feeling!
"How could I lose? I won't!"
Seeing the others all ready to head for the shore, Rod laughed heartily, his voice full of bravado.
"Ten minutes! I'll finish this fight!"
Nerl looked back at Rod and gave a slight nod, then led the others swiftly toward the shore.
"Finish the fight in ten minutes?"
Onigumo laughed in fury. Gripping his weapon tightly, he charged at Rod. Haki far stronger than before burst forth and gathered around his weapon as he slashed down at Rod with all his might.
"Don't get too cocky, brat!"
"You're getting desperate!"
Rod raised his fist to block Onigumo's slash. Feeling the Haki far stronger than before, he grinned slightly.
The fight had already reached this point. There was no way his opponent had been holding back. If his Haki had suddenly grown stronger than before, then he must have reduced the amount he was spreading elsewhere!
Generally speaking, Haki users didn't devote all their Haki to attacking in battle. They held some back to coat their bodies.
After all, no matter how much the human body was trained, it still had its limits. Only Haki could withstand Haki.
Rod had managed to fight Onigumo this far despite having only recently awakened his Haki partly because of his solid foundation and astonishing talent. He had quickly mastered advanced Armament Haki techniques, allowing him to hold his own against his opponent.
The other reason was that his Observation Haki had reached an extremely advanced level. Though he hadn't yet managed to "foresee the future," he was close.
With his exceptionally fluid technique for making Haki flow, he could anticipate his opponent's moves during the fight and direct all his Haki toward attack or defense according to the rhythm of the battle.
After their exchanges just now, Rod knew for certain that Onigumo's Observation Haki was inferior to his!
Yet to overpower Rod in attack, Onigumo had adopted the same extreme fighting style: he had completely abandoned defense and devoted all his Haki to attacking.
Impatience led to mistakes. His defeat was already certain!
Rod felt sure of the outcome, but didn't rush to seize his opponent's opening and launch a fierce assault.
There were no shortcuts to training Haki, and it couldn't be mastered overnight. Only through one battle after another could he gradually strengthen his spirit and improve his Haki.
And the elite Vice Admiral before him, Onigumo, was a rare opponent!
He clashed fists with Onigumo once more, feeling waves of pain shoot through his fist, along with a force that traveled up his arm and wreaked havoc inside him. Rod could barely restrain himself from laughing wildly.
At last, he was feeling that pain of being wounded again!
His powerful body healed the slight damage almost at once, but the attack really had injured him!
Bang—
Rod swung his fist once more. The forceful impact echoed through the town.
The force had weakened?
Rod frowned slightly as he felt the force coming from the other side.
No! I've gotten stronger!
After so long, the cheat-like ability [What Doesn't Kill Me Makes Me Stronger] was working again!
Rod jokingly called this ability [Sit-ups], but it was actually even stronger than the protagonist-standard [Sit-ups].
Because it didn't require a process like "doing sit-ups" to activate.
It could even take effect in the middle of a fight!
This ability required a few conditions to activate:
First, Rod himself had to be injured;
Second, Rod had to survive;
Third, Rod had to recover from his injuries.
As long as all three conditions were met, Rod's body would become stronger, and the improvement would be comprehensive.
His strength, speed, agility, defense, stamina—all aspects related to his body would grow stronger. It was a fundamental, physical leap forward.
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