That fierce, brutal gaze, combined with his huge, brawny frame, made even Noah, standing right at his feet, feel immense pressure.
Without hesitation, Noah threw a scanner at him.
[Character: "Giant Bear" Sano] [Age: 38] [Strength: 13] [Agility: 11] [Endurance: 11] [Intelligence: 4] [Charm: 1] [Skills: Zoan Transformation Ability, Close Quarters Combat (Intermediate), Armament Haki (Beginner)...] [Estimated points reward upon successful conquest: Ambiguous Relationship/2000 points, Romantic Relationship/5000 points]
"His strength and agility are both lower than mine, and his endurance is far behind too."
Noah ignored the final section, closed the panel, and calmly met Sano's bloodshot eyes.
"But this guy actually knows some Armament Haki. With his Devil Fruit ability on top of that, this battle will probably still be difficult..."
Whoosh!
With that thought, he suddenly used Soru. His body flashed, and in an instant, he appeared behind Sano.
The Wind Sword left its sheath, crossing with Yone's Sword as both blades slashed toward the back of his neck from opposite sides!
Noah did not have the bad habit of announcing his moves before a fight.
In a life-or-death battle like this, one had to strike unexpectedly and seize the initiative!
Slash!
Blood sprayed. Without the enhancement of Armament Haki, the blades merely cut away a small patch of flesh from his neck.
"You damned brat!"
Only then did Giant Bear Sano react to the pain. He let out an enraged roar and swung his right palm at Noah as though swatting a mosquito.
"Tough Skin."
Seeing that his attack had failed, Noah decisively abandoned any attempt to endure it head-on. Using Intermediate Kami-e to its fullest, he easily dodged the strike.
Then, with a kick of his heel, he used his still-unfamiliar Geppo to rise more than ten meters into the air. Both swords fell together, slashing once more at the enormous head below from a particularly tricky angle.
Buzz!
Before the blades arrived, two thin arcs of sword energy burst from their tips first.
He still could not be considered a true Swordmaster, but when he remained calm and focused his mind to the extreme, he still had a chance of unleashing sword energy with astonishing power.
And this time, his luck was clearly not too bad.
Boom!
The sword energy struck Sano's head. Caught off guard, his massive, brawny body was forced back several meters.
No wonder that worthless Kaku had died at this guy's hands. He was actually this troublesome?
That was the first thought that surfaced in Sano's mind. Driven by a sense of danger, his eyes instantly turned scarlet, and he stopped holding back as he activated his Devil Fruit ability!
Roar!
Amid an ear-splitting roar, Sano's already towering body suddenly began to expand and transform at high speed.
In just a few breaths, he became a terrifying black giant bear over ten meters tall!
"I originally thought you had both a decent face and decent strength, so I planned to bring you back to the ship and properly train you as an officer..."
The black giant bear fixed his crimson eyes on Noah, who stood in midair on Geppo. He spoke in a voice as cold as ice:
"But now, I've changed my mind. A brat who dares hurt me is better off dead!"
The next instant.
The black bear roared and stomped the ground. Amid countless web-like cracks that burst open beneath him, he used the recoil to leap high into the air, swiping a bear claw at Noah with cannonball-like speed!
Hiss! Hiss!
Before the bear claw even reached him, a fierce gale howled toward him.
Even with the naked eye, Noah could tell how terrifyingly destructive it was. His heart tightened, and he had no intention of blocking it head-on with his swords.
"Soru!"
With a low shout, he vanished from where he stood and shifted positions once more. Using his absolute advantage in speed, he reached the giant bear's back and swept his blades toward its waist and abdomen!
However.
This time, it was as if the giant bear had eyes in the back of his head. He had anticipated it.
Just as Noah's swords came slashing in, he suddenly displayed agility utterly disproportionate to his enormous body. He spun sharply and swung his claw, colliding head-on with Noah's twin blades!
Clang!
A dull metallic crash rang out. Amid the flying sparks, claw and blade locked together, grinding with a screech that made one's teeth ache.
"This guy... after transforming into a bear, his strength increased by at least twice!"
Noah was secretly alarmed. In just a few seconds of deadlock, enormous pressure, like a mountain flood bursting forth, bore down on him.
His eyes remained locked on the giant bear's claws as he poured all his strength into his arms, yet he still could not stop the sword edges from being forced back inch by inch.
Several seconds later, the stalemate was finally shattered completely.
The giant bear growled and exerted more force, knocking Noah's twin swords aside. At the same time, his other free claw became coated in a faint layer of Armament Haki and smashed hard into Noah's chest from the side.
Thud!
Noah's body flew high through the air like a puppet with severed strings. He crashed through a half-collapsed wall and did not stop until he slammed into a three-story building half a street away.
Bricks and stones flew everywhere, and dust billowed into the air.
"So that's all you've got!"
Sano's face twisted viciously as he strode toward Noah through the dust, each step making the ground tremble. "Tell me, brat. How do you want to die, huh?"
He had once ventured through the Grand Line, where countless dangers lay hidden. He had also led his subordinates to dominate the underworld forces of West Blue. Countless victories had given him absolute confidence in his own strength.
Based on his past combat experience, anyone struck squarely in the chest by his bear claw, strengthened with Armament Haki, would be either dead or severely wounded and incapable of fighting again.
This young Marine before him, who looked to be under twenty, certainly had some skill, but he would be no exception!
As he crossed the dust-filled street, the human figure embedded in the wall gradually came into view.
Sano grinned savagely and licked his lips. Just as he prepared to deliver the final blow, he saw that figure suddenly shoot out like lightning and slash at him head-on once more!
He was incredibly fast, as nimble as a leopard, as though Sano's strike had not affected him at all!
"What?"
His pupils contracted, his face filled with astonishment.
"You really hit hard..."
Noah used Geppo to shoot forward. Apart from his torn shirt and the slight indentation in his exposed chest, he remained full of vigor. His eyes shone as he grinned down at the giant bear, bringing his blades down without hesitation:
"But if you want to knock me down, you'll need to hit me with those bear claws at least five hundred... no, a thousand more times!"
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