A Perception on the Brink of Life and Death, the Captain's Last Resort

The heavy Black Steel Bone-Cleaving Blade collided violently with a fist coated in Armament Haki, erupting in a spray of blinding sparks.

On the other side of the highland battlefield, Leona's situation had reached a critical point.

She gasped for air, her wild, dark red hair soaked with sweat and blood, clinging tightly to her cheeks. Her dark brown leather apron was already marred by several deep, bone-exposing gashes. The intense pain constantly assaulted her nerves, yet the fighting spirit in her vertical pupils only grew more ferocious.

Standing opposite her was a lean, hardened Commodore of the Marine Headquarters.

"What a tenacious woman, just like a beast."

The Marine Commodore shook the blood from his fist, his eyes cold. "Without systematic martial arts training, unable to even use Haki, yet you've managed to withstand so many of my strikes relying solely on beast-like instinct and freakish strength. As a pirate, you certainly have some talent."

"Shut your mouth!"

Leona gritted her teeth, gripping the black and silver blades in each hand. "On my cutting board, there is only meat to be shredded, never a bone that cannot be severed!"

She pushed off with her legs, charging forward like an enraged lioness. The Black Steel Bone-Cleaving Blade whistled through the air as she brought it down in a vertical slash.

"Too slow."

The Commodore snorted, his feet tapping rapidly against the ground.

"Soru!"

His figure vanished instantly, leaving only a blurred afterimage behind. Leona's heavy, powerful strike slammed into the empty ground, sending gravel flying.

"Over here!"

A cold voice came from her blind spot. The Commodore appeared at her left like a phantom, his index finger tensed like a drill, aimed directly at her ribs.

"Shigan!"

A sharp, piercing force surged toward her. At this distance and speed, her physical reflexes were far too slow to evade.

I'm going to die!

Under the extreme pressure of this life-or-death moment, Leona's mind plunged into a suffocating void.

She could no longer hear the chaotic roar of artillery or the whistling wind. In her perception, the entire world seemed to have suddenly hit a slow-motion switch.

Just as that lethal finger was about to pierce her internal organs, an instinct honed from years of hunting prey in the Primeval Forest broke through an invisible membrane under the crushing pressure of this desperate situation.

She didn't use her eyes, yet the trajectory of the Commodore's muscle contractions flashed abruptly into her mind!

"Now!"

Relying entirely on this sudden intuition, Leona forced her waist to twist half an inch at an impossible angle.

"Sshhh!"

The Shigan that was meant for her heart grazed the edge of her ribs, drawing a long trail of blood.

Though she was still wounded, she had avoided a fatal blow!

Not only that, but the moment she dodged, Leona used her left hand to thrust the silver Bone-Trimming Blade upward in a vicious arc. The edge moved like a viper, carving a long, deep gash directly into the Commodore's arm!

"What?!"

The Commodore retreated in pain, clutching his bleeding arm, his eyes filled with shock. In that split second, the female pirate's movements had completely exceeded the limits of physical reflex; she had clearly anticipated his attack trajectory in advance!

"The budding of Observation Haki?!" The Commodore's expression darkened.

"Huff... huff..."

Leona knelt on one knee, using the Black Steel Bone-Cleaving Blade to support her weight. She breathed heavily; although that momentary perception had saved her life, the mysterious, ethereal state was incredibly draining. Her stamina was nearly exhausted, and her hands trembled uncontrollably as they gripped her blades.

"To touch the threshold of Haki in the heat of battle—leaving you alive is a disaster."

The Commodore held nothing back. He crossed his arms and swept his right leg through the air, unleashing a fierce, vacuum-cutting wave.

"Rankyaku: Ran!"

A dense web of crescent-shaped vacuum slashes blanketed the area, rushing toward Leona like a crushing net.

Leona gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stand. She knew she couldn't block this attack; that miraculous perception hadn't returned, and the excessive blood loss was causing her vision to blur.

Even so, this proud lioness would never close her eyes and wait for death. She raised her twin blades, preparing to meet the sky-filling slashes head-on.

Just as the situation reached its breaking point.

"BOOM!"

A tall, imposing black shadow descended from the sky without warning, standing firmly in front of Leona like a mountain.

A fierce wind whipped his dark red coat.

Facing the dense slashes capable of shredding steel, he didn't even raise a hand.

"Hum—"

A layer of deep, black Armament Haki instantly coated his back and shoulders.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang!"

The dense slashes struck that invisible armor, emitting a series of dull, metallic explosions before shattering and dissipating like waves crashing against a reef!

The Commodore's pupils contracted violently, cold sweat instantly drenching his face.

As the dust settled, the black-haired man, looking like a demon god, turned around.

Ace's expression remained calm, his breathing not even the slightest bit disordered. He swept a glance at the Marine Commodore with his deep, dark eyes; that single look was enough to make the man feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, crushing the very courage he needed to even twitch a finger.

"Well done."

Ace tilted his head slightly to look at Leona, who was covered in blood yet still gripping her blade tightly. There was no reprimand in his tone, only an affirmation of his comrade breaking through her limits. "To be able to capture the opponent's aura in that split second—you've already touched the threshold of Observation Haki."

"Captain..."

The moment Leona saw that broad back, her taut nerves finally snapped and relaxed. She collapsed to the ground, exhausted, gasping for air while a weak but fanatical smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

Ace withdrew his gaze and looked back at the terrified Marine Commodore not far away.

"Even that old man Zephyr has fallen. You small-fry, do you still intend to keep fighting?" Ace's tone was indifferent.

"Teacher Zephyr has been defeated?!"

The Commodore was struck as if by lightning. He whipped his head toward the other end of the highland. When he caught a glimpse of the crater that had been blasted into ruins, his will to fight completely collapsed.

Yet, he still gritted his teeth and raised his trembling fists. "I am an officer of the Marine Headquarters! I will never bow to a pirate!"

"Spirited, but meaningless."

Ace took a step forward, walking toward the Commodore.

He did not use Divine Fire, nor did he even employ Ryuo. Facing an opponent whose strength was on an entirely different level, any superfluous move was a waste of time.

The Commodore roared, throwing a heavy punch reinforced with Iron Body.

Ace merely tilted his head slightly, dodging the move—riddled with openings—with extreme composure. Immediately after, he clenched his right fist, Armament Haki instantly coating his knuckles. With a sudden burst of power from his waist, he delivered a simple, unadorned straight punch that slammed heavily into the Commodore's abdomen.

"Bang!"

Accompanied by a dull, sickening sound of shattering bone and flesh, the Commodore's eyes bulged, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. His prideful Six Powers defense was like thin paper before Ace's monstrous strength. He was sent flying off the ground, hurtling backward for dozens of meters before smashing through a thick stone wall and passing out instantly.

One punch. A clean, decisive one-hit knockout.

The entire process was so fast that one barely had time to blink.

Ace slowly retracted his fist and brushed the dust off the back of his hand. Without even glancing at the Commodore lying in the ruins, he turned and walked over to Leona.

A cluster of warm, crimson-gold Divine Fire ignited in his palm, naturally covering Leona's wounds.

"Rest for a moment. Get ready to wrap this up."

Ace looked at the Marines and remnants of the warlord's forces who were already beginning a full-scale retreat, his voice carrying steadily across the smoke-filled battlefield.

"This battle ends here."