Ian chuckled darkly, exerting force with his hand as Conqueror's Haki bore down on Yellow Monkey, shaking his mind.
Seizing the opportunity, Ian coated his right leg in Armament Haki and kicked out.
Yellow Monkey's mind only wavered for an instant before he recovered. His Observation Haki caught Ian's attack, golden light flaring beneath his foot as he kicked out as well.
Boom!
Their feet collided with a muffled crash. The impact radiated outward, cracking the ground further as both figures were forced back.
After exchanging a glance, they charged at each other again with swords in hand. The light sword collided with Hyorinmaru, and after a brief stalemate, Yellow Monkey was overpowered by Ian!
A red gleam flashed in Yellow Monkey's eyes, as though he sensed danger. He tilted his head to the right, but with a slash, a wound still appeared on his cheek.
Every attack from a Great Swordsman carried an incredibly fierce blast of sword energy. The sword energy erupted and injured Yellow Monkey!
"A Great Swordsman really is troublesome..." Yellow Monkey narrowed his eyes and manipulated the surrounding particles of light into beams of attack.
Aurora Spike! Countless specks of golden light flickered around them. Then, golden blades shot from every point of light, blanketing the entire area!
Slash, slash, slash...
A series of piercing sounds rang out as Ian and Yellow Monkey's bodies were directly impaled by the golden blades!
Since they shared the same source, Yellow Monkey was not injured at all. However, when he looked at Ian, his expression darkened. "Ice? An illusion?"
Ian, pierced by endless golden blades, suddenly turned into shattered ice, while his real body had vanished without a trace!
The next moment, Yellow Monkey suddenly sensed something and looked up at the sky.
Ian had spread wings behind his back and appeared high in the air at some point. Like a meteor, he charged down at Yellow Monkey with Hyorinmaru raised high. Dragon-shaped ice crystals condensed along the blade. Ice Dragon Tailspin!
Boom!
With one slash, the dragon-shaped ice crystals erupted, freezing an entire area. Amid the sounds of crack, crack, a massive iceberg suddenly rose in the battlefield, stretching across the field!
"That was close..." Yellow Monkey twisted in midair and appeared above Ian out of thin air. Crossing his hands, he rained down an endless barrage of golden light!
Boom, boom, boom...
The dense barrage crashed down amid continuous thunderous explosions, filling the battlefield with countless blasts.
"What a slippery guy!" Ian clicked his tongue. Facing an enemy who could teleport, landing a hit was incredibly difficult.
He shifted left and right, avoiding the bombardment of golden light. However, the barrage was too dense, and eventually there was nowhere left to dodge. Ian halted and swung, unleashing a hundred-meter sword slash that shattered the incoming golden light!
Cross Flower! Ian charged out with Flash Step, his Conqueror's Haki intimidating Yellow Monkey as he thrust his sword forward.
Cold air gathered out of thin air, and cross-shaped ice crystals formed abruptly, taking shape almost instantly!
Due to the cold surrounding him, Yellow Monkey felt his reactions slow considerably. Before he could evade, he was frozen within the cross-shaped ice crystals.
Yellow Monkey's expression changed drastically. He had been careless!
Ice-type abilities excelled in prolonged battles and possessed formidable battlefield control. The longer the fight went on, the lower the surrounding temperature became, making things increasingly favorable for Ian!
"Let's see how you dodge this now!" Ian sneered. Sword intent burst from his body as he gripped his sword with both hands and slashed down. Nameless Divine Wind Style: Twin Gods!
The roars of a dragon and tiger rang out. The Azure Dragon stirred the wind pressure, while the White Tiger shattered the ground beneath its paws. The Twin Gods descended together.
The winds and clouds shifted across the battlefield as the earth shook and mountains trembled!
The two attacks shot forth at once, their killing intent soaring into the heavens!
"Not good!" Though trapped within the ice crystals, Yellow Monkey's body turned elemental. Light was speed, and it was also searing heat!
Boom, boom, boom!
Yellow Monkey's body radiated endless light. Explosions sounded within the cross-shaped ice crystal, followed by the crack, crack of breaking ice!
At the last moment, Yellow Monkey broke free of the ice. His whole body became like a tiny sun, radiating endless light and heat!
Maximum Wheel: Light Wheel Cannon! Yellow Monkey shouted, gathering the surrounding particles of light. A golden laser several dozen meters thick suddenly collided with Ian's attack!
Rumble!
The two overwhelmingly powerful attacks collided, and the battlefield became like the site of a nuclear explosion. Terrifying shockwaves spread out like raging tides, blasting away the clouds overhead and revealing a clear sky!
The ground—no, the entire island—began to shake. Violent shockwaves swept in every direction and radiated toward the sea, raising waves dozens of meters high that crashed outward!
When the world's top fighters clashed for long enough, they could even destroy a large island!
"Not bad. Then... try this move of mine! It's also one of my strongest moves at the moment!" Ian casually swept away the smoke and dust, then looked at the slightly panting Yellow Monkey and laughed heartily, his expression brimming with excitement.
In his previous life, he had never experienced such exhilarating satisfaction. The more Ian fought now, the more excited he became, endless battle intent blazing in his eyes!
Ian's smile faded, but his battle intent remained as Hyorinmaru pointed toward the sky.
With a hum, a powerful aura erupted from Ian. Even colder frost energy surged from the sword tip into the sky. Dark clouds once again covered the clear heavens, storms rose, and lightning flashed amid rolling thunder!
Ian was about to unleash a finishing move!
Sensing the battle intent Ian had erupted with, Yellow Monkey's mouth twitched again. He really did not want to fight anymore!
This guy was a battle maniac, just like that lunatic Kaido. Once he got carried away fighting, he practically stopped caring about the consequences.
Damn it, why had he come here in the first place?!
His senses spread outward, and when he saw that the Marines had already withdrawn and even their warships had sailed far away, Yellow Monkey relaxed. Well done—he could leave now!
"Hey, hey, spare this old man. This old man doesn't want to fight anymore. Until we meet again, Sir Ian!!" Yellow Monkey had no idea what ultimate move Ian was preparing, but he had no intention of waiting. After dropping those words, his body suddenly dispersed and reformed in the distance.
Then he turned into golden light and shot off in one direction without looking back. He was so fast that he vanished in the blink of an eye like a streak of light...
"Old man, don't run!" Ian was in the middle of preparing his ultimate move, only to discover that the old man had fled without even a proper goodbye, transforming into golden light and escaping. The corners of his mouth twitched...
Seeing Yellow Monkey flee as though running for his life, Ian knew that the Glint-Glint Fruit was one of the fastest abilities in this world. If Yellow Monkey was determined to run, Ian truly could not catch him...
The aura he had gathered dissipated. With no target left to attack, there was no point in unleashing his ultimate move...
Ian let out a breath and cursed under his breath. "Coward!"
"Forget it. At least the mission is complete. I can't catch Yellow Monkey anyway, and killing him wouldn't be easy. Besides, killing him would only cause more trouble. Let it be..." Hearing the system notification in his mind, Ian smiled.
So be it. He had not lost out.
One lottery draw was already a huge profit!
Ian looked around at the battlefield destroyed by his fight with Yellow Monkey, pondering inwardly. I refused the Shichibukai offer and fought Yellow Monkey... With the World Government's nature, they'll definitely pin the destruction here on me. A bounty and wanted poster are unavoidable.
And the World Government will definitely target me in the future. I'm alone; if all three Admirals come after me, I might not be able to beat them. There should also be some powerful people in the World Government. This is troublesome...
I'll take things one step at a time. If it really comes down to it, I'll just head to the New World and lie low for a while...
I hope the World Government doesn't go too far. If you really push me, I'll overthrow you just like those other transmigrator seniors did!!
Ian snorted inwardly. After giving the surroundings one last look, he paid no further attention. His figure flashed, and he left the area...
Before you continue