Breakthrough

Jozu had been watching Rono, who didn't have the habit of turning his back on strangers. He leaped forward, his diamond-hardened hook punch carrying a gust of wind. Rono narrowed his eyes, steam rising from Flowing Fire as a red halo vibrated from it. Humph— With a steam cry, Rono and Jozu's fists collided. BOOM! A wave of force qi spread out, affecting the civilians nearby who hadn't managed to escape and sending them flying. Crack! Rono's bone claws shattered. Rono's expression turned serious as he placed Gelu on the ground. "Go play with Uncle Sairona." His bone claws regenerated at extreme speed.

Jozu looked at the small chip missing from his diamond-hardened fist and couldn't help but raise his guard. Although he hadn't used his full strength and had underestimated his opponent, this bone was just too hard.

Soru! Rono, covered in Scarlet Armament, appeared beside Jozu amidst a cloud of steam. Jozu's Observation Haki detected Rono's movement. Jozu's body turned diamond-hard, and he threw a punch. Rono's pupils contracted, his leg muscles split, and he retreated slightly. BOOM— a much more violent punch than before landed on the ground, creating a crater over three meters in diameter.

No, if we get hit together, I might lose my combat power. Scarlet Armament can't be used. Rono's thoughts raced. He activated his Bone Planting Armament, and the Scarlet Armament receded.

"Let's see if this method works." A bit of skin on Rono's arm peeled away, but it quickly healed. Damn it, he had to try again. This hardness could only be broken by Scarlet Armament.

Jozu was huge, but surprisingly fast. In three or two steps, he was in front of Rono and shoulder-charged him. Rono didn't have time to think. He raised his hands. Crack! Bones shattered. The finger bone armor on Rono's arm shattered directly, but his arm underneath wasn't significantly damaged due to the protection of Flowing Fire. Rono put force into his waist and abdomen, covered his right foot with Armament Haki, and kicked Jozu in the abdomen. Jozu slid backward, plowing a scorched mark on the ground.

"Come on, just a little more." The skin on Rono's arm peeled and then healed again, but the healing speed was gradually slowing down.

Jozu glanced back at the execution platform. Marco was in a difficult situation, facing Aokiji in close combat and Sairona, who was sniping with extremely high accuracy from afar. The Seastone bullets occasionally mixed with Armament Haki made him quite flustered. The Division Captains of the First and Second Divisions were fighting the Marines. Blackbeard was performing as expected, not showing any openings.

Humph— Whoosh! Boom! A red halo retracted from Flowing Light, the charging complete. Five Times Punch Power, Partial Scarlet Bone Planting Armament. His arm muscles exploded with a bang, striking Jozu with a sound that broke through the air. Jozu tilted his head slightly, using his shoulder to block Rono's attack.

Boom— Crack, crack. The first sound was Rono's Bone Planting Armament shattering, revealing his right fist, half-wrapped in Flowing Fire. Three bone spurs were embedded in Jozu's shoulder. The second sound was Jozu's diamond-hardened shoulder cracking, with fissures spreading like a spider web within his arm.

"Your Armament Haki is actually this strong." Jozu clutched his arm, somewhat shocked. He had used his Armament Haki too, and could even block a blow from Hawk Eyes. Yet, this youth had broken through it.

He pulled out the bone claws embedded in him and looked at the panting Rono. Switching to his left hand in front, he hunched over and charged. If he hit, Rono would be dead or crippled. Rono's stamina was almost depleted from activating so many modes, and he could barely grit his teeth to maintain the Bone Planting Armament. He couldn't dodge this attack... so he'd go head-on! "I am a Berserker! ROAR—" The Bone Planting Armament receded. Rono activated Scarlet Bone Planting Armament on one hand. Seeing Jozu charge from the side, the bone claws on his fist melted and attached to his fist back, forming many tiny spikes. He sidestepped, adopting a Shot Put Throw stance. The muscles in his hand surged, steam filling the air and obscuring Rono's face, revealing only his scarlet hair, wet and dripping with water droplets. Jozu rushed forward. Rono roared, his arm meeting Jozu's shoulder at a speed slightly faster than Jozu's charge. The force qi tore the ground, mud flying. Both were sent flying. BOOM— BANG— BANG— Seeing this, Marco maximized his ability, sending flames towards the civilians. "Despicable," Aokiji cursed, but with two against one, he really had no right to shout.

Aokiji rushed to treat the civilians. Marco grabbed Ace and looked at the Division Members escorting Jozu. With a bird song, he shouted, "Retreat! If you chase, I'll burn this place down!"

At this moment, Sairona had no time to shoot. Carrying his sniper rifle, he found the unconscious Rono amidst a pile of ruins and breathed a sigh of relief.

Marco stayed behind to cover their retreat, while the others had already boarded the ships prepared earlier.

Aokiji's face was ashen. This time, it was a complete loss. Supporting Rono, Sairona, who had rushed to his side, quickly said, "You can't go back on your word."

Aokiji glanced at Sairona, didn't reply, and flicked his Marine coat before heading to the command room. He needed to report this. Whitebeard in the New World was allied with Red-Haired, so why was one of his Division Captains here?

Sairona helped Rono lie down. His injuries didn't need checking; he healed faster than anyone could check. Gelu, beside them, was crying nonstop. He had been terrified by the aura of the fight between the two and hadn't been able to help at all. No matter how Sairona comforted him, it was useless.

Sairona sighed. This trip had been quite a mess. No, I need to find something to vent on. "Oh, right. Didn't Jinbe say he was coming to cause trouble earlier? I heard there's a Fishman Pirate crew in the East Blue too. Hmm, I'll just take them down, then have Jinbe come looking for trouble, and kill them all at once." Hoo— Sairona went over the plan in his mind. He just had to wait for Rono to wake up to execute it. Just thinking about it made him feel much better. Indeed, causing trouble was the right way.

Cocoyasi Village. The Orange Haired Girl was tallying the day's revenue. "Strange, why have the pirates decreased so much these past few days? When will I be able to raise enough money? How much more suffering do the two people in the village have to endure?"

Meanwhile, in the Arlong Empire, Arlong sneezed. Strange, how can I, with my noble Fishman Physique, catch a cold like those weak Humans? He then thought of Rono, who had annihilated the Shark Pirates, and gritted his teeth. "Damn Red Devil, I'll kill you sooner or later! Jinbe Big Brother will also avenge Brandt Hyde! Hachi, increase the Village Tax by 10 percent!" If he couldn't defeat Rono, he'd take his anger out on his kind.

"Arlong Big Brother, isn't that bad? I don't think they can afford to pay more taxes, and they won't be able to gather it." Hachi felt a bit reluctant.

"Hachi, remember you are a Fishman. It doesn't matter if those lowly Humans all die. Just follow my orders."

"Then... alright." Hachi lowered his head and walked out.

Little did he know, someone else was also looking to vent their anger on him.