Patri Vic opened his mouth and exhaled a cloud of white mist. The thick fog spread in every direction in an instant, shrouding the area in white.
The mist blocked Kong's vision.
Then Patri Vic used Wood Release to create a clone, which appeared in front of Kong.
Meanwhile, he himself quickly vanished from where he stood.
The fog and the clone successfully deceived Kong, allowing Patri Vic to escape danger.
He hurried toward the location Whitebeard had reported.
He reached the other side of the island. Whitebeard was there, along with Golden Lion, Charlotte Linlin, and the others. All of them had sustained injuries to varying degrees.
"Are you all right, Vic?"
Seeing Patri Vic arrive, Whitebeard asked with slight concern.
"I'm fine. I've escaped the danger." Patri Vic shook his head slightly.
"You look pretty weak, Vic," Golden Lion said with a cigar between his teeth and a grin.
Anyone could see that Patri Vic was very weak now.
"The Navy Admiral was too strong. It's already impressive that I held out for so long," Patri Vic replied with a helpless shrug.
Kong surpassed him in strength, stamina, speed, combat experience, and mastery of Haki.
It was no small feat that he had held out for so long.
"An Admiral?" Golden Lion asked, somewhat shocked.
Navy Admirals were the face of Navy Headquarters, and each one was the Navy's greatest fighting force.
If Golden Lion encountered one, he would undoubtedly choose to run, because he knew he couldn't defeat an Admiral.
He might as well go pick a fight with some weaker Marines instead.
What he hadn't expected was that Patri Vic could fight a Navy Admiral and, even while weakened, still manage to shake him off.
There was no denying that Patri Vic's strength and cunning were extraordinary.
"You ran into an Admiral and still got away unscathed?" Charlotte Linlin asked, equally surprised.
At her peak, Charlotte Linlin would have been able to shake off a Navy Admiral pursuing her.
But if she were weakened, that would be another matter.
She could tell that Patri Vic was weak, but not because he had suffered serious injuries.
He was weak because he was nearly out of stamina.
Not everyone could escape a Navy Admiral's pursuit with almost no stamina left.
"I think we should leave quickly, or he might catch up."
The fog and clone Patri Vic had created would be easy for Kong to discover. Once he did, there was no doubt he would come looking for them.
They were strong enough to deal with a single Navy Admiral, even with their numbers.
But the rest of the Navy would soon arrive as well.
"I've already contacted Captain Rocks and the other officers," Whitebeard replied with a nod.
It wasn't long before Silver Axe, John, and the other officers arrived, along with Kaido, who had joined the Rocks Pirates only this year.
They had reached this safe area.
The Marines still hadn't discovered them.
Many other members of the Rocks Pirates arrived there as well.
"Shiki, it's time to go!"
A shout suddenly rang out from the distance. Rocks had appeared not far away.
The Fleet Admiral and many of the top fighters from Navy Headquarters were pursuing him.
"Damn it!"
The Fleet Admiral's expression darkened when he saw the Rocks Pirates' officers gathered together.
The Buster Call's bombardment wasn't just meant to wear down their stamina.
Its primary purpose was to scatter the officers.
When the shells came, those proud officers would certainly refuse to work together to fend them off.
Instead, they would scatter.
That way, once the Navy landed on the island, they could each seek out a powerful opponent.
Even if he couldn't wipe out the Rocks Pirates entirely,
he believed they could still kill some of its officers and weaken the crew's fighting strength.
But if the Rocks Pirates' officers gathered together and fought as one, things would become much more troublesome.
"Let's go!" Golden Lion flew toward the ship, a cigar between his teeth.
The other officers followed behind him.
"Stop them!" the Fleet Admiral shouted urgently.
"Patri Vic!"
A figure suddenly blocked the path of the Rocks Pirates' officers.
It was Navy Admiral Kong.
His upper body was bare, and his body was covered in wounds. Blood was still dripping from some of them.
"Did you do this?"
Golden Lion, cigar still between his teeth, turned to Patri Vic and asked in surprise.
"I did." Patri Vic nodded slightly.
The Fleet Admiral and the Navy's top fighters also arrived behind the Rocks Pirates' officers.
"Kong, what happened to your injuries?"
The Fleet Admiral was startled to see the many wounds on Kong's body.
The Rocks Pirates' officers were strong, but Kong was the Marine with the greatest mastery of Armament Haki.
Could one of their officers really have wounded him this badly?
Fights between the strong were usually a matter of attacking the enemy while avoiding injury oneself.
As a Navy Admiral, Kong understood that kind of battle better than anyone.
Yet he still had so many gruesome wounds. That was proof enough that he had faced a terrifying opponent.
"Patri Vic did this."
Standing in front of the Rocks Pirates' officers, Kong stared at Patri Vic and spoke in a low voice.
His eyes brimmed with murderous intent, as if he were determined to kill Patri Vic today.
"Gurarara... Vic, you actually left a Navy Admiral helpless against you." Whitebeard laughed.
Patri Vic had few wounds on his body; he was simply exhausted.
Kong, on the other hand, wasn't exhausted, but his body was covered in wounds.
If they judged the battle right then, it was a draw.
If the fight continued, Patri Vic would undoubtedly lose, because he had little stamina left.
Still, he had lasted a whole day and night against Navy Admiral Kong.
And he hadn't let Kong gain the upper hand. His strength was enough to astonish everyone.
"We can praise him later. First, we need to find a way to break through."
Rocks scanned the people around him and spoke gravely.
Even he was somewhat surprised by Patri Vic.
"Lion's Might: Earth Scroll!"
Golden Lion touched the ground. It rumbled and rose, forming several enormous lion heads that attacked the Fleet Admiral.
"Bang!"
Silver Axe charged straight at Navy Admiral Kong, his immense strength briefly holding Kong at bay.
The other officers rushed toward the ship.
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