Wood Style: Wood Dragon Technique

"Bastard!" Ochoku's face twisted like a demon's mask, his rage plain for all to see.

Anyone praising his strength would either please him or leave him indifferent. But now, the one singing his praises was a mere apprentice crewman he despised and had never taken seriously.

Though many of the ship's officers had long teased that his strength fell short of Patri Vic's, Ochoku had never truly regarded the man as a threat. Not until today's battle did he realize that the so-called apprentice was anything but.

With power like this, the man could probably step into an officer's position right now. Patri Vic's overwhelming strength, coupled with the mockery hidden in his praise, stoked Ochoku's fury to a blazing inferno.

"Shhh!"

Ochoku gripped his blade with both hands, coating his entire body in Armament Haki. A tremendous aura erupted as a massive black slash, shaped like a shark's fin, tore through the ground. Sword Qi rent the earth, twisted space itself, and surged toward Patri Vic like an avalanche.

"Wood Style: Ranked Dragon Face!"

At Patri Vic's center, a massive, dragon-faced arched wooden shield rose from the ground.

"Boom!"

Ochoku's Sword Qi struck the dragon face, leaving only cracks without harming Patri Vic within. After all, the Ranked Dragon Face boasted formidable defenses.

"Overlord Slash!"

Ochoku leaped, gripping his blade with both hands. Veins bulged along his arms as dense Armament Haki, tinged with black mist, coated the edge. He brought it crashing down on the Ranked Dragon Face.

"Boom!"

One strike, and countless fissures spiderwebbed across the dragon face as it began to shatter. Ochoku grinned—but then he saw it. Beneath the first dragon face lay another.

Double-layered.

"Fire Style: Storm Dance!"

The Ranked Dragon Face suddenly opened, and Patri Vic exhaled a torrent of flame. Shaped by divine might into a massive vortex, the raging fire blazed like a scorching sun, brimming with infinite destructive force. In an instant, it engulfed Ochoku.

"Boom!"

Patri Vic's arm coated in Armament Haki, he crouched and launched himself, leaving a small crater in the ground. He shot forward and drove a heavy fist into Ochoku.

"Boom!"

A thunderous roar echoed. In the distance, a massive crater appeared on the ground, smoke billowing and yellow sand swirling, faint embers still flickering within the pit.

"Ah..."

Ochoku's body lay at the center, a pained cry tearing from his throat. Both the flames Patri Vic had unleashed and his fist had inflicted immense agony.

"Still not dead?"

Hearing Ochoku's scream, Patri Vic knew the man was still kicking. As expected of a Rocks Pirates officer—tough as nails.

His gaze drifted to the distance. Amendos Island was ablaze with war. After all, it was a nation in the New World dripping with wealth. The country boasted no shortage of strong fighters. Even the Rocks Pirates couldn't finish it off in a short time.

"Damn it!" Ochoku rose from the great crater, his body charred black. As a Rocks Pirates officer with a bounty in the hundreds of millions, his resilience was top-notch. Even after taking such a beating, he could still stand.

"Wouldn't it be better to just lie down? Why get up and beg for death?" Patri Vic shot him a cold glance.

"How could I lose to a mere apprentice crewman?! I'll kill you today!" Ochoku roared in impotent fury. His pride, already razor-thin, had taken a devastating blow. He couldn't even beat a lowly apprentice! How could he ever face the other officers again? He'd become an even bigger joke.

"Kill me? Do you think you can? The title of Rocks Pirates officer only marks your rank, not that your strength surpasses mine."

Patri Vic's expression remained calm, his tone dripping with contempt. His current strength placed him among the Rocks Pirates' formidable fighters. How could a mere Ochoku hope to defeat him? After all, his Hashirama Senju template was now over �% complete.

"I'll drag you down with me if it costs my life." Ochoku's eyes blazed with murderous intent, as if he wanted to flay Patri Vic alive.

"Sorry, a worthless life like yours can't drag me down." Patri Vic replied indifferently.

He had always kept to himself aboard the Rocks Pirates.

He paid no mind to the internal chaos among the crew—he only cared about living his own life.

But if someone tried to kill him, he never backed down.

Because now he had enough strength to say no to even the strong on the Rocks Pirates.

Since Ochoku's killing intent was so thick, he would just kill him instead, then immediately leave the Rocks Pirates.

And he had no worries about Whitebeard, because he was an officer.

To Rocks, a dead man had far less value than a living one.

With the decision to kill Ochoku made, Patri Vic looked at him as if he were already dead.

Feeling Patri Vic's gaze, Ochoku's body trembled slightly.

But his face twisted in rage, eyes wide and bloodshot, as he lunged forward with his blade.

"Boom!"

Patri Vic's body was covered in a dense purple steam.

A powerful pressure bore down on Ochoku, making him feel the weight of a mountain crushing him.

"Crack!"

The ground around them couldn't withstand the immense force and split into cracks.

Chaotic, twisting fissures spread like shattered glass.

"Boom!"

Patri Vic's arm, coated in Armament Haki, shot forward in a heavy punch.

Ochoku raised his blade to block, but his body was sent flying backward.

"Wood Style: Wood Dragon Technique!"

A massive wooden dragon, fierce and towering, over ten meters long, appeared around Patri Vic.

It had a long hooked nose, sharp fangs, and claws that could easily tear through the ground.

The dragon surged toward Ochoku with lightning speed.

Though Ochoku dodged the dragon's charge at the last moment, he was caught by its sharp claws.

"Crack!"

The dragon's claws tore through half of Ochoku's shoulder.

The flesh on his arm was ripped open, revealing stark white bone, blood pouring out.

"Ah... damn it!"

Ochoku knelt on the ground, overwhelmed by the pain in his arm.

"It's over, Ochoku!"

Patri Vic continued to command the wooden dragon, aiming for a killing blow.

Suddenly, a black circle enveloped Patri Vic, including the wooden dragon he controlled.

An overwhelming, heaven-defying pressure descended on him like a demon's gaze.

This power caught Patri Vic slightly off guard.

He hadn't expected Ochoku to still have strength like this.

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