The last attack had brought back a feeling Loa had almost forgotten from his days as an ordinary man: the feeling of punching an iron plate.
Against hard metal, his flesh and blood had been so helpless, so insignificant. Even with all his strength, he could not so much as dent a sheet of iron.
That was exactly how Ulysses made him feel now.
The man once called the World's Strongest had earned that title!
As the smoke cleared, the pirates looked toward where the two had briefly clashed. Their eyes widened in shock.
"How is that possible?"
"Not a scratch?!"
"He even blocked Ice Dragon Loa's attack?"
Staring at the unscathed figure, the pirates swallowed hard. Had Blood Earl Ulysses always been this powerful?
The thought filled them with despair.
With a monster like that after the Poneglyph, what chance did they have?
Loa steadied his breathing and turned to Aokiji. "What now? Hand him the Poneglyph?"
Aokiji understood. If they could not beat Ulysses, they could simply do as he asked. The Poneglyph aboard the ship was a fake anyway.
As for the real one, a single call would tell Zephyr to take it away.
They stood to lose nothing. Fighting an unbeatable enemy to the death over a little pride would be foolish.
Who would want to die here?
It was a sensible plan, and the Marines were not so stubborn that they could not yield. Yet Aokiji shook his head, rejecting the tempting proposal.
Because...
"Once Blood Earl Ulysses sets his sights on prey, he doesn't let go easily." Aokiji's expression remained calm, but he had already seen the thirst for blood in Ulysses's eyes. Even if they surrendered, a battle was inevitable.
"Hm?"
Loa turned back at Aokiji's words.
Sure enough, Ulysses's crimson eyes were