Suppression, Pursuit and Escape

With a boom, lightning intertwined in Ian's palm, and a pillar of electricity like a roaring thunder dragon shot into the sky from his hand!

In the flash of lightning, the electrical beam struck first despite being launched later, carrying tremendous force.

Yet in that split second, Tailed Fox's pupils contracted sharply. Sensing danger, she moved with a fox's agility, twisting her body in an inconceivable manner and barely dodging the lightning beam just before it struck her!

The lightning beam surged forward unstoppably, like a ray of light illuminating the surroundings. It blasted into the sky and punched a massive hole through the white clouds!

"As expected of a CP0 member. Your reaction speed in that instant was incredibly fast..." Ian's Observation Haki had sensed Tailed Fox's movement just now, and he could not help praising her.

"Lightning of this level... Is it the power of a Mythical Zoan?" After landing, Tailed Fox felt a lingering chill. Had she been struck by that attack just now, even if she used Iron Body and coated herself in Armament Haki, she likely would have been injured!

Thinking of this, Tailed Fox's expression turned grave. She did not dare approach Ian. With a flash, she retreated, and both her body and aura vanished completely.

"Some kind of Devil Fruit ability? It can even conceal your aura... Observation Haki can't catch it?" Ian raised a brow, somewhat surprised.

Within the range of his Observation Haki, he could no longer sense Tailed Fox's presence.

The same had happened earlier. Tailed Fox's aura had appeared abruptly within his perception!

Ian did not move. His Observation Haki remained vigilantly spread through the surroundings.

It had to be said that an ability capable of concealing one's aura from Observation Haki was indeed extremely powerful!

After all, Haki was a fundamental ability in this world. Being unable to use Observation Haki was like having one's eyes blindfolded while fighting someone in his previous life...

"Not coming out? Then I'll just ignore you." Ian merely smiled, not particularly bothered by it. Though her ability to hide her aura was indeed troublesome, he possessed Observation Haki that could foresee the future.

As long as she dared to make a move, she would not escape Ian's Future Sight!

So Ian ignored Tailed Fox and continued toward the box.

At that very moment, Ian's Observation Haki glimpsed several seconds into the future. The air suddenly rippled, and Tailed Fox's figure abruptly appeared. She charged at him at astonishing speed, her index finger bent and its pitch-black tip aimed at the back of his head, intending to kill him in a single blow!

"Heh..." Ian sneered. He stopped in his tracks, suddenly twisted around, and reached out with spread fingers toward a certain direction!

The next moment, Tailed Fox appeared in that exact area. Seeing Ian's hand reaching for her, her expression changed abruptly. "Observation Haki that foresees the future?"

But her reaction was not slow either. An expert of the Six Powers possessed extraordinary control over her body. In an instant, she halted, shifted her attack, lowered her body, and lashed her slender, shapely right leg toward Ian's head like a whip.

It was as if she had broken the sound barrier in an instant, producing an explosive crack through the air!

The strike surged forward with unstoppable force, powerful enough to shatter a massive boulder.

Ian sneered at the sight. His hand shifted from palm to fist, coated in thick Armament Haki, and met the attack head-on!

With a boom, fist and leg collided, erupting with a terrifying roar. Rings of air ripples radiated outward from the point where they clashed.

The ground between them instantly collapsed and burst apart. Broken stones flew everywhere, and cracks spread across the earth!

"What tremendous force!" Tailed Fox felt as though her kick had struck an unyielding rock. Even with Armament Haki coating it, her leg throbbed with pain, and she even felt as if the bones in her right leg were about to break!

Moreover, a terrifying force transmitted through her leg, sending her body flying uncontrollably backward. Like a cannonball, she crashed through a tall building behind her with a boom, smashing it to pieces!

Dust billowed, and rubble buried her!

"Thunder Roar Cannon!" Ian did not stop his assault. Lightning gathered in his palm, and the Thunder Roar Cannon blasted forth!

"Iron Body!" From beneath the rubble, Tailed Fox sensed the incoming danger with her Observation Haki. Ian's attack was too swift for her to evade, so she could only grit her teeth and withstand it head-on!

Her muscles tensed instantly, and Armament Haki covered her entire body as she took Ian's Thunder Roar Cannon head-on!

An explosion rang out. Flames and black smoke rose into the sky, and the next moment, a figure flew backward from the black smoke!

In midair, Tailed Fox twisted her body, drove both feet into the ground, and dug her hands into the earth as well. With a tearing screech, four long trenches appeared in the ground. Tailed Fox forcibly stopped herself, staring gravely at Ian ahead, her heart filled with shock.

After only a brief exchange, she, a CP0 member, had been blasted away twice in succession. The enemy's strength far exceeded her expectations!

"So strong... Is this the monster with a bounty exceeding 1.1 billion?" The shock in Tailed Fox's eyes did not fade. She had been suppressed in nearly every aspect.

His Armament Haki was stronger than hers, and his Observation Haki could likely see the future. Otherwise, ordinary Observation Haki could never have detected her concealed-aura ambush earlier!

Against such a monster, she had no chance of victory at all!

"Is this all CP0, the strongest branch of the World Government's lapdogs, amounts to?" Ian stepped toward her one pace at a time. As he drew closer, the aura around him steadily intensified!

With a boom, Ian's gaze sharpened. Terrifying Conqueror's Haki descended upon the battlefield like a storm ravaging the sea, pressing down on Tailed Fox!

"Conqueror's Haki..." Sensing the overwhelming Conqueror's Haki, the wariness in Tailed Fox's eyes deepened. Even the ground beneath her feet could not bear the pressure, cracking with sharp snapping sounds!

Run... In an instant, that was Tailed Fox's only thought. The enemy was too powerful. He was simply not someone she could fight!

Perhaps on this island, only her captain—one of the few commanders of CP0—might stand a chance of defeating him!

CP0 was organized into squads, usually operating in groups of several.

The person at the head was the squad captain!

And among CP0, those who could be called commanders were few even within CP0 itself!

Every commander possessed combat power on the level of a Marine Admiral!

Her captain was one such CP0 commander, bearing the one-character codename "Owl" and answering directly to the Five Elders!

Tailed Fox gave Ian a deep look. Without almost any hesitation, she turned and fled. Changes also began occurring to her body—her figure gradually blurred, and her aura diminished until it became nearly imperceptible!

She was the user of the Concealment Fruit. She could hide her aura and blend into the surrounding environment, even concealing her killing intent and malice, making herself impossible to detect with Observation Haki!

As long as she remained motionless, even an Observation Haki expert walking right past her would be unable to sense the slightest trace of her presence!

Of course, even a Devil Fruit ability could not completely conceal one's aura. There would still be some flaws!

The moment she moved, the air would flow because of her movements. Sharp Observation Haki could detect it!

But that window was exceedingly brief. Combined with her mastery of the Six Powers, her speed was beyond reproach, and her strength was formidable. Almost no one targeted by her had ever escaped!

Yet the assassination techniques she took such pride in had been easily countered by Ian. Observation Haki capable of foreseeing the future was, in a sense, indeed her natural enemy!

Against someone who crushed her in every aspect, she had no chance of victory whatsoever!

"An ability that can block Observation Haki? But you want to run? It won't be that easy." Ian narrowed his eyes, and Conqueror's Haki suddenly erupted from him, sweeping in every direction.

This time, Ian did not control its range. Wherever his Conqueror's Haki passed, people around him collapsed like harvested wheat!

Though Tailed Fox was fast, she was not fast enough to instantly leave the range of Ian's Conqueror's Haki.

"Damn it!" Tailed Fox felt her body grow heavy. Her forward momentum suddenly stalled for an instant, and the force beneath her feet increased under the sudden pressure, shattering the ground!

"Found you!" Ian's Observation Haki covered the surroundings and instantly caught the anomaly there. He flashed over with Flash Step and pointed forward. "Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō!"

Six golden beams abruptly appeared, locking onto Tailed Fox's body and freezing her charging form in place!

"What kind of ability is this?" Tailed Fox's expression changed drastically. Haki erupted from her body, her muscles tensed, and she struggled with all her strength against the six beams binding her!

With a boom, the beams restraining her exploded under her exertion, turning into specks of light that faded away.

But it was already too late!

Ian had already charged in. Hyorinmaru slid from its sheath at his waist, sword intent bursting from his body as he slashed down. "Nameless Divine Wind Style: White Tiger!"

With one slash, a phantom tiger emerged, and its roar rang across the battlefield. The next moment, a terrifying slash that seemed capable of cutting through everything burst from Ian's blade, charging forward with unstoppable momentum!

Everything in its path was cleaved in two!

"Maximum Wheel: Tempest Kick: Whip Lash!!" At the critical moment, another CP0 agent wearing an owl mask suddenly rushed out and landed before Tailed Fox. His body transformed abruptly. His already nearly two-meter-tall frame grew even larger, and bulging muscles burst through his clothes!

He raised his eagle-claw-like right leg high. Just as Ian's slash was about to descend, he fiercely whipped out a terrifying wind blade, which collided with Ian's attack!

BOOM!

The two equally powerful attacks collided like sparks striking the earth. In an instant, a violent current of air raged through the battlefield, while scattered sword energy carved cuts across the ground!

The two attacks deadlocked in midair, clashing fiercely. The raging currents grew increasingly violent, even blowing down countless surrounding buildings!

Finally, an incomparably terrifying boom resounded across the entire island. Waves of shock ripples spread in every direction, destroying everything in their path. The ground was torn up, rocks flew wildly, and the battlefield was left in ruins!

Ian stood in the middle of the battlefield, completely unaffected by the impact. His Observation Haki spread out, and when he saw Tailed Fox and the newly appeared man being swept away by the blast and sent flying while vomiting blood, he sneered.

Did they really think a great swordsman's slash was so easy to block?

Though Ian had acted quickly to deal with Tailed Fox and had not used his full strength in that slash, it was still not something just anyone could withstand!

These two CP0 agents before him were not capable of taking his slash without injury!

The owl-masked man was codenamed "Night Hawk," a user of the Bird-Bird Fruit, Night Hawk Form.

Yet even with the physique of a Zoan user, he had been injured by the impact just now.

The main reason was that the collision point of the two attacks had been too close to him. The instantly erupting force had not given him time to defend, and he was struck directly, coughing blood. "Cough, cough... This guy is actually this strong?"

"Cough, cough..." Tailed Fox also coughed blood as she climbed up from the ground. Her physique was inferior to Night Hawk's, but he had stood before her just now and absorbed part of the impact for her, so her injuries were not too severe.

"Go, leave this place now. We're no match for that monster!" Tailed Fox hurriedly spoke to Night Hawk. Ian's successive attacks had already allowed her to judge the gap between them.

Even with Night Hawk, they were no match for that monster!

If they remained here, there was only one outcome: death!

"Go!" Night Hawk nodded as well, his gaze toward Ian filled with gravity.

He had not held back just now. Seeing Tailed Fox in danger, he had rushed over and attacked with his full strength, yet he had still been forced back by a single slash. Both of them had even been swept up in the aftershock and injured!

How could they dare remain here now?

After exchanging a glance with Tailed Fox, they rushed off in one direction!

"Did those guys take the chance to run away?" Ian looked back. The men in black suits from earlier had already fled amid the chaos, but Ian was not in a hurry. As long as they remained on this island, finding them would not be difficult!

Moreover, when his Observation Haki spread outward, he discovered that fighting had also broken out at the underground port.

If his guess was correct, Fujitora Issho had encountered another CP0 agent!

CP0 usually operated in teams of several. Aside from the two before him, there should be other CP0 agents as well!

"Hmph, you think you can get away that easily?" Ian snorted coldly, moved his feet, and gave chase. He swung his sword again, sending out a magnificent slash that surged forward unstoppably!

"Block it!" Night Hawk sped forward, but sensing the attack coming from behind, his expression changed sharply as he shouted at Tailed Fox.

He abruptly stopped, took a deep breath, and once again swept out an incomparably powerful Tempest Kick that charged forward!

"Flying Finger Pistol: Fox Claw!" On the other side, Tailed Fox did not hesitate either. She stopped alongside him, turned back, and swung her five clawed fingers down. Five wind blades shot forth with unstoppable force!

BOOM!

Another terrifying boom rang out. This time, working together, the two unleashed tremendous power. Their attacks collided with Ian's slash, producing a horrifying explosion as shockwaves surged outward. They barely managed to block Ian's slash!

Without hesitation, the two turned and fled again, not daring to stop...