Rumble!
At the center of Witch Island.
A bolt of thunder suddenly split the sky.
A massive purple glow spread across the ground, shaking a building the Revolutionary Army had erected hundreds of meters away until it collapsed. Books—and perhaps workbooks used to teach children to read—flickered in and out of view amid the swirling dust, only to be reduced to ash by the Purple Flame.
The purple flames expanded outward with wave after wave of shock, while at the center of their glow, Figo braced both arms against the upper body of the Hellhound as it stomped down on him, locked in a test of strength.
Conqueror's Haki clashed again and again. The sky grew darker, swarming with gathering clouds that grew thicker, blacker. The entire island shook as man and beast struggled against each other. Loose stones trembled and bounced across the ground before rapidly crumbling to dust!
Cracks spread everywhere. At last, the ground across a hundred-meter radius gave way, sinking more than ten meters under the strain. Then came another thunderous blast, and man and beast were hurled backward in opposite directions! The shock waves surged skyward, scattering the clouds that had just gathered. The haze cleared, and daylight returned!
Figo blew sideways, extinguishing the flames burning on his shoulder. Purple flames coursed over Rebrus's claws, and his broken talons grew back.
They both had Top-tier Level physiques. After more than ten full-force clashes, neither had sustained more than minor injuries, and their stamina was barely affected. They had only just warmed up!
Hiss—
A long plume of purple smoke poured from the Hellhound's mouth. "If this is a trap the World Government set for me, why are you the only one here? Where are the other Admirals? You—did you offend the World Government?"
"I'm not sure yet, but you might be right," Figo answered plainly.
Rebrus paused, then burst into loud laughter. "Ho-ho-ho! Interesting! Want to join my crew? Someone with the potential to be a King shouldn't be serving under the World Government! Come be my First Mate. I'll let bygones be bygones for what you did before. Together, we'll take down Gluttony and become the only King of these seas!"
"You sure like inviting people to be your First Mate. Me, I like inviting pirates to visit my territory. How about coming with me to Impel Down and staying for a few lifetimes?" Figo shot back.
"Tch." Another plume of smoke came from Rebrus's mouth. The purple flames whirled rapidly around him, changing shape. His four legs became arms and legs once more, and he rose upright, taking on a dog-headed, human-bodied form!
All the Purple Flame coiled around his right fist, as large as a soccer ball. Its thicker coating made it all the more dangerous!
His muzzle opened and closed, and his voice lowered. "Guess I'll have to show you the gap between us first!"
He stomped, cracking the ground, and reached Figo in an instant. His huge right fist slammed toward Figo's face! Though it was clearly a punch, to Figo's eyes—and to his Observation Haki—it looked like a purple crescent moon!
"Yellow Spring Nether Moon!"
His instincts screamed a warning. Figo chose not to block the attack, twisting aside to dodge. A crescent-shaped shock wave of purple flame grazed his body and shot past! Unlike the Purple Flame he had casually blown out before, the flame Rebrus had layered with his power was several times hotter!
The purple crescent struck the ground, instantly melting dirt and stone. In an instant, it left behind a massive crescent-shaped pit of molten rock!
The lava dripped and flowed, testifying to the devastating power of that attack!
That dangerous heat can burn through my defenses! Figo made his judgment at once. He drove his right leg against the ground and thrust upward from his crouch. At the same time, his eyes flew wide, his hair stood on end, and the muscles in both arms swelled slightly. His fists slammed into the dog-headed man's abdomen!
"War God Thrust!"
The force, enough to blast apart a ship weighing hundreds of tons, struck Rebrus squarely and blew his clothes to pieces with a thunderous boom.
"That didn't hurt at all!" The words would have been more convincing if he hadn't spat bloody foam as he spoke.
But his superhuman physique let Figo experience firsthand the helplessness his opponents must have felt when he took their killing blows head-on. Rebrus didn't retreat a single step from the heavy hit. He planted his feet and swung his left fist at Figo's head.
He'd concentrated all the Purple Flame in his right fist, leaving his left bare. Yet as that fist swung, Figo's Observation Haki sensed almost as much danger as it had from the right!
Figo dodged it.
But not completely.
Rebrus's fist didn't actually touch him, but as it grazed past, a small crimson bolt of lightning exploded in front of the fist!
An attack had come from thin air! Figo was struck as if by lightning. His cheek throbbed, blood spilled from his mouth, and he was sent flying sideways. He traveled dozens of meters before landing on one knee and drawing a deep breath.
That didn't look like a Devil Fruit ability!
"Is that... Conqueror's Haki Infusion?"
Coating an attack in Conqueror's Haki was an advanced application of the power. In some ways, the boost it granted was several times stronger than ordinary Armament Haki flow!
Watching Rebrus charge at him again, Figo's thoughts raced. The technique for Conqueror's Haki Infusion... Do it this way... then that way...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several thunderous crashes. Several clashes!
The ground split apart layer after layer. The area spanning thousands of meters seemed to be hit by a magnitude-ten earthquake. Broken stones bounced, then were obliterated. Dust filled the air, and Figo was sent flying once again!
"Damn it, I can't learn it that fast!"
Cursing, Figo spat out another mouthful of blood and charged at Rebrus.
Level up! Level up! Give me those points!
The Hell Pirates who had fallen into the sea were captured by the marines, and Figo received Capture Participation for their arrests too. Most were between 20% and 50%, their strength ranging from R5 to SR6, and their Crime Indexes were all high. For the past few minutes, rewards had been continuously added to Figo's Prison Archives!
The rewards from capturing the Revolutionary Army earlier hadn't even been claimed yet.
If not now, when?!
[Physique +309] [Armament Haki +257] [Observation Haki +377] [Armament Haki +206]
He'd added several hundred points' worth of gains. Compared with Figo's current strength, the increase wasn't huge, but Rebrus could still clearly feel it. Figo, whom Rebrus's Conqueror's Haki Infusion had just suppressed, was growing more formidable with every clash, gradually clawing his way back from the disadvantage!
What was with this guy?!
Die! Die! Just die already!
"Hell Light Kill Gun!"
"War God Drawing Body—Fist-Finger Cannon!"
"Yellow Spring Nether Pillar!"
"War God Drawing Body—Iron Shattering Strangle!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The two fought at close range, their fighting spirit and fists and feet clashing at their peak. Their thunderous impacts destroyed everything around them. Clouds and lightning churned across the sky, and the upheaval seemed ready to destroy the world!
The shock waves pounding underground continued to build, until, little by little, even Witch Island—small as it was—could bear no more!
Crack—crack—
An immense cross-shaped fissure stretched out from the point where the two collided, reaching all the way to the sea. The waves came rushing in, dividing Witch Island into four!
Figo and Rebrus finally separated, standing on two different pieces of the island and staring at each other across the sea trench.
Figo suddenly crouched, scooped up some seawater, and splashed it over his face to wash away the blood. Looking refreshed, he stood and smiled at Rebrus.
The dog-faced Rebrus glowered. The blood on his face seemed to darken along with his expression!
Thanks, everyone, for your support. And thanks again to Alliance Leader Elephant for the generous reward. Three of my six books have had an Alliance Leader—this must be true love.
Before you continue