Werther's fight with Blackbeard had not gone nearly as badly as he had imagined.
Attacked by three men, Werther had killed two of them and wounded Blackbeard in a single exchange.
Even Werther was surprised. For some reason, Blackbeard had not felt like much of a threat to him in this fight.
"Huff, huff..."
In the distance, Blackbeard breathed hard, watching Werther with wary eyes.
Werther's speed, his slashes, even his lightning—none of those worried Blackbeard much.
What made Blackbeard's scalp prickle was Werther's ability to shut out Observation Haki.
Werther was fast, too fast for the eye to follow. But once Observation Haki reached an advanced level, it could track even something moving at the speed of light.
So speed alone meant little against Observation Haki, unless someone moved faster than the enemy could react.
Reaching that kind of speed was far too difficult. Only a Devil Fruit User like Gaban, with his speed-enhancing fruit, could manage it.
But after developing Shadowless, Werther could make full use of his advantage in speed.
Apart from sensory specialists, anyone trying to detect Werther was chasing a dream. His level-nineteen Observation Haki ranked among the best in the Pirate World.
In other words, Werther was stronger now than even he had expected.
The balance of power in the Pirate World had never been fixed. Too many factors could affect it.
Whether one fighter countered another, their physical condition, even the surrounding terrain and weather.
In the Pirate World, greater strength and a higher level did not guarantee victory.
One careless moment in battle could be enough to lose to a much weaker foe.
Blackbeard, however, was not being careless. He was giving it everything he had.
Boom!
The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit erupted again, sending a shock wave toward Werther.
Werther