Rebrus was already sixty-five years old. After fifty years roaming the seas, he had fought more battles than he could count. Once he became King of the seas, he had been all but invincible, with no one able to stand against him!
Three Marine Admirals?
In a one-on-one fight, even the strongest of them, Moka, would have to give him some ground!
The only Marine Admiral who could put pressure on him was that short fellow Aokiji, thirty years ago, before he was promoted to Fleet Admiral.
And the newly appointed Admiral Raul?
What was he supposed to be? He was still green!
But Figo, right in front of him, was clearly even younger. Yet this battle, unfolding today, had made Rebrus smell danger for the first time in years!
The disparity in forces and the disadvantageous terrain meant he had to defeat Figo as quickly as possible. But despite using most of his tricks, Figo was still hanging on stubbornly, with only minor injuries.
The island had already been split into four, and these smaller islands were even less able to withstand their battle for long. If they kept fighting like this, there was no way he could defeat Figo—or even kill him—before he ran out of ground to stand on!
He had to find a breakthrough.
Fortunately, his First Mate, Tony Toa, was a very clever fat man. Suddenly, a whistling sound tore through the air from the side. A round shield, like a flying saucer, hurtled straight toward Rebrus!
Figo had already sensed it with Observation Haki, and his body was moving before it arrived. He crossed the newly formed trench, more than ten meters wide, and swung a fist at the spinning shield with unstoppable force!
Rebrus shifted to the side, using his own body to block Figo's attack.
With a muffled thud, Figo's fist turned into a finger, streaking like a beam of light as it pierced Rebrus's flesh. Blood burst out! Rebrus staggered, his right leg gouging a deep furrow in the ground as he absorbed the force. With his other hand, he finally caught the flying shield securely!
Then he spun and swung the shield at Figo. Flowing Armament Haki instantly wrapped around it, while a small burst of crimson lightning formed at its edge!
Crack!!
Figo lowered both elbows and clashed with the attack, once again coated in Conqueror's Haki. A thunderclap exploded in the sky! The ground beneath them rumbled and shattered, sliding down into the trench. Seeing this, Rebrus deliberately let up and tried to retreat, but Figo steadied himself, slid one hand along the shield, and grabbed its edge too. He leaned far back and wrestled Rebrus for control!
Either give me the shield!
Or come take a dip with me!
They strained against each other in a stalemate as the ground crumbled and slid away even faster. Suddenly, a plump leg poked out from the center of the shield and kicked Figo hard in the chest, sending him tumbling into the water!
After blowing a couple of bubbles, Figo surfaced with a frown. Rebrus had already retreated inland, still holding the shield.
"That hurt, boss. This guy really is strong. Sorry, I'm not good at attacking, so I'm no match for the Blind Witch." Tony Toa's voice came from inside the shield.
"No, you did well. You can't lose!"
Rebrus praised him in a low voice.
With the island bound to be completely destroyed by their battle sooner or later, Rebrus, an Ability User, would quickly be at a disadvantage if he couldn't fly. But with his First Mate at hand, things were entirely different!
And he happened to need a weapon he could wield.
The Hell Pirates' two First Mates, the Spear of Hell and the Shield of Hell, had originally been the weapons of their Captain! Rebrus's strongest combat state was wielding Tony, the Shield-Shield Fruit Ability User, in one hand and Jackson, the Chop-Chop Fruit Ability User, in the other.
Only when he fought with his two First Mates could he bring all his strength to bear.
Unfortunately, Jackson had been knocked out by Figo's first two punches. He had probably already fallen into the Navy's hands, leaving Rebrus with only one shield.
But one was better than none.
With violet flames shrouding one hand and the enormous round shield in the other—one that could use flowing Haki on its own—Rebrus looked even bigger. Even the aura of his Conqueror's Haki seemed to have grown a little stronger.
Figo climbed ashore and assessed the situation. A Shield-Shield Fruit Ability User wouldn't change the overall balance. Judging by the power of that kick, even if Figo stood still and let him attack, he'd need five minutes just to hurt him.
The only troublesome part was that Figo had just gotten used to Rebrus's attack patterns. Now, his fighting style would probably change again.
Behind him, Sapphire flew over on snow-white wings. "Sorry, I couldn't stop him."
"It's fine. Back me up." Figo nodded and strode forward.
Instead of attacking Rebrus, Figo stopped a hundred meters away and suddenly grinned. Then he raised his right foot and stomped hard on the ground!
He attacked the island!
A deafening rumble erupted as deep fissures spread through the ground. Rebrus had never seen an opponent this shameless. Anger flashed across his doglike face as he charged at Figo with the round shield, like a hundred-million-ton ocean liner. The shield slammed forward, blasting the air apart!
Figo had already gathered his strength and drove both fists forward.
Boom! The ground shattered, and a huge hole opened in the sky, as if answering the call!
Figo's feet plowed into the ground as the shield drove him backward. Then Sapphire's voice suddenly came from behind him. "Gap at the lower left!"
His eyes flickered. He twisted, and the towering Figo suddenly turned into a sheet of paper. Using Kami-e, one of the less common Six Powers, he slipped through the gap at the shield's lower left!
At just the right moment, Rebrus's right fist, wrapped in violet flames, came crashing down. A purple crescent burned through the spot where Figo had been, turning it into a huge crater of molten earth. But Figo had anticipated the attack and dodged it!
Figo slipped around to Rebrus's side and seized the opening, lashing out with a kick powerful enough to shatter a mountain!
Blood sprayed from Rebrus's mouth as he flew a hundred meters. He rolled to his feet and glared grimly at Sapphire, hovering high above. Then, shield in hand, he charged at Figo again, each step digging deep into the earth and kicking up clouds of dust!
"Upper left!"
"Middle right!"
"Down!"
Sapphire's short, urgent warnings came one after another. As Rebrus charged toward Figo, he heard them and kept changing his moves. He couldn't land a single proper attack.
Figo was the same, twisting his body in response to Sapphire's directions as he searched for an opening.
The two of them kept about ten meters apart. They could have struck each other in less than half a second, but neither came closer. Following Sapphire's calls, they danced a stretch of mechanical dance together.
They kept at it until Sapphire stopped giving warnings and suddenly swung her sword, slashing at Rebrus.
Rebrus, caught in the middle of his dance, hastily ducked. The slash shaved off the fur on top of his head. Figo seized the opportunity and kicked Rebrus squarely in the knee, sending him and his shield flying once more!
Then Figo looked up at Sapphire, unable to hold back a laugh. "Keep it up!"
Rebrus, you've got equipment, and now I do too. Looks like there's a difference between our gear.
Your chubby little shield—
can't compare to my Prophecy Gem!
Figo sounded the bugle of his counterattack!
Before you continue