What a coincidence [3/3]

The answer was somewhat unexpected.

Over half an hour had passed since Noah stepped into the tavern, drawing everyone's attention with his white Marine uniform and sparking a fight, yet he still hadn't managed to finish the battle.

The officers with bounties in the low tens of millions and the insignificant lackeys were easy enough to deal with. Most died before they even caught a glimpse of his blades.

The problem was still the "Crazy Invisible Man," Max himself.

His Devil Fruit was the Invisible Fruit. That hadn't surprised Noah; he'd more or less guessed it when he heard the nickname. What he hadn't expected, however, were two things.

First.

Max had developed his fruit's power so well that once he turned invisible, even Noah's Observation Haki couldn't detect him.

Noah could only faintly sense him in the instant he closed in to attack.

Second.

The bastard belonged to the Longleg Tribe. He stood five meters tall, with legs accounting for 3.8 of those meters. When he ran, those long legs spun like blazing wheels, giving him astonishing speed and agility.

Time and again, he dodged Noah's sword strikes, leaving Noah unable to land a fatal blow.

Worth mentioning was his weapon: an enormous, long-handled iron ladle. His underhanded fighting style exploited its reach to the fullest.

He would circle Noah invisibly for several dozen seconds, maneuvering until he found an opening, then suddenly slam his ladle into Noah's back with a clang.

After the blow, he would turn invisible again and retreat into the distance, circling some more as he patiently waited for his next chance.

Anyone else would probably have been beaten senseless and knocked out by now...

But Noah's defenses were already extraordinary, and with the damage reduction from Iron Skull and Tough Skin, he remained standing