First Injury

"Oni Aura: Oni Giri!" Ener roared in a low voice. The Sandai Kitetsu clenched tightly in his hand suddenly seemed to come alive, trembling violently. Then, an incomparably dense oni aura erupted from the blade, shrouding the entire sword like rolling black smoke.

At that moment, Ener's unfathomable eyes suddenly flashed with an eerie green light. That ghostly gaze seemed to pierce through time and space, directly connecting to the depths of the underworld, sending chills down one's spine. Ener no longer looked like an ordinary human, but more like a vicious ghost that had crawled out of hell, radiating a suffocatingly sinister and terrifying presence.

"Whoosh..." With a full swing of Ener's arm, an earth-shaking slash burst forth. Like an incomparably savage dragon, it bared its fangs and claws as it lunged straight at Jinbe. Wherever it passed, the air itself seemed to be torn apart, letting out sharp, piercing howls.

In the blink of an eye, that terrifying slash had reached Jinbe. Yet faced with such overwhelming force, there was not the slightest hint of panic on Jinbe's face. Instead, an indescribable excitement appeared in his eyes. His lips parted slightly as he murmured, "Now that's more like it..."

After their lengthy exchange, Jinbe had already gained a certain understanding of Ener's strength. Their previous clashes had made him realize that this opponent was not to be underestimated, but that was all. Now, however, as he watched Ener use this move, intense shock surged through him—he knew that this young man had finally revealed his true power!

"Fish-man Karate: Five Thousand Brick Fist!" With a furious roar, Jinbe wore a resolute expression as he unhesitatingly unleashed his trump card. Yet this attack differed from his usual ones—his fist was wrapped in an incomparably dense layer of pitch-black Armament Haki! Clearly, Jinbe had drawn out every ounce of his strength and committed it to this battle without reservation.

"Boom..." A deafening explosion suddenly erupted, reverberating through the heavens as though the entire world had begun to tremble. Jinbe's massive iron fist, as large as a casserole pot, had collided head-on with Ener's ferocious slash! The moment they met, a terrifying force capable of destroying heaven and earth exploded forth, like two brilliant meteors streaking across the night sky and crashing together with thunderous momentum!

In an instant, those two ultimate forces became entangled in a violent clash, their power fierce enough to tear apart heaven and earth! As the two terrifying energies tore at each other, a world-shaking explosion followed. Boundless power raged wildly around them like floodwaters bursting through a dam, raising wave after wave of violent shockwaves that surged in every direction like wild horses breaking free of their reins.

Everything in their path was reduced to ruin. Jinbe and Ener's hair whipped wildly in the air like fallen leaves caught in a gale, while their clothes snapped and billowed violently, as though they might be torn to shreds by that dreadful power at any moment.

Even the tiny pebbles scattered across the ground could not withstand such astonishing force. Like leaves swept up by a hurricane, they were hurled into the air and shot outward at high speed. The stones flew in every direction like a dense barrage of bullets, carrying shrill whistles with them. Crackling explosions rang out one after another, resounding through the sky as if they would rip the whole world apart. Even a full kilometer away, the scene was horrific—like the area had been battered by a violent storm or raked by heavy machine-gun fire, leaving only wreckage and shattered debris everywhere.

"Shave..." Yet at that critical moment, Ener's body flickered like lightning, and he vanished from everyone's sight. In the next breath, he appeared silently at Jinbe's right side like a ghost descending upon the world. He gripped the famed Sandai Kitetsu tightly, its blade gleaming with a bone-chilling cold light, as though it could sever all evil and falsehood in the world. With a swing of his arm, Sandai Kitetsu carved an insidious, unpredictable arc through the air, moving so fast that no one had time to react as it hacked viciously toward Jinbe's neck!

"Hah..." Faced with that sudden, inescapable killing blow, Jinbe showed no fear at all. Instead, he remained calm and composed. A furious roar burst from his throat, thunderous enough to shake the soul.

Then, with a low growl, every muscle in his body suddenly tensed as if clutched tightly by an invisible hand. At the same time, the power long dormant within him seemed to find an outlet, erupting with the force of a volcano.

That power surged through his body like a roaring flood, like a raging dragon, carrying the might to destroy heaven and earth. When it gathered in his arm, his already thick limb became as hard as forged Steel. Veins bulged across it like coiling dragons, radiating a terrifying pressure as though they might burst at any moment.

Even Ener's previous mountain-splitting slash could not withstand such terrifying force. It could only disintegrate before it, breaking into fragments that scattered through the air. Before anyone could react, Jinbe's body shifted, dropping low at a blinding speed until he was nearly pressed against the ground.

His movements were smooth and unbroken, as though he had practiced them countless times. They flowed as naturally as a clear mountain spring, without the slightest hesitation. With that nimble agility and extraordinary reaction speed, he narrowly evaded Ener's powerful, unstoppable fatal strike at the last possible moment.

Nor did he stop after avoiding the attack. Using the momentum, he angled his body slightly to the right and took a light step forward. It seemed like a casual movement, yet it cleverly closed the distance between him and Ener. In the blink of an eye, they were within arm's reach.

Seeing that the moment had come, Jinbe swung his right hand without hesitation. His palm howled through the air like lightning. In an instant, a palm as large as a fan clamped down on Ener's arm like iron pincers. As Jinbe exerted force, an even more powerful strength surged endlessly from within him like a bursting flood.

"Fish-Man Jujutsu: Tide Pull Ippon Seoi Nage!" With a furious shout, he swung both hands and directly hoisted Ener, who weighed over two hundred pounds, over his head before smashing him down toward the ground!

No sooner said than done! Jinbe flashed forward like a ghost, closing in on Ener. He seized both of his arms and yanked, wrenching him into the air. Then, with a flick of his wrist and the aid of his immense arm strength and the centrifugal force generated by Ener's spinning body, he violently swung upward and hurled Ener into the sky like a sandbag.

A deafening, muffled bang rang out, as though even the air had exploded. Ener crashed into the ground like a cannonball fired from a barrel, carrying incomparable impact. In an instant, the sky darkened, sand and stones flew, and an aura of destruction swept through the surroundings.

That terrifying power surged like an avalanche, as though it would tear the land apart completely. Even the unbreakable rocky ground was helpless before such immense force, smashed into a bottomless crater. The unfortunate Ener landed squarely in its center, his entire body embedded within, unable to move.

Furthermore, the impact's aftershock caused fine cracks to appear across the once flat, smooth ground. Centered on Ener's location, they spread outward in every direction. The cracks grew larger and larger, eventually weaving together into a dense spiderweb that stretched out in all directions.

The scene alone was enough to show how mighty and overbearing that strike had been. Yet what was astonishing was that after unleashing such a shocking blow, Jinbe did not press his advantage. Instead, he retreated several steps, returned to his original position, and stood there calmly.

At that moment, his face was so grim it seemed as though water could drip from it. Chilling light flashed in his eyes like two cold bolts of lightning as he stared fixedly at Ener in the crater. Yet his thoughts were racing in a tangled mess as he silently considered something.

At that very instant, amid flashes like lightning and thunder and blazing fire, Jinbe had suddenly felt alert. An indescribably intense sense of danger had welled up in his heart. That sudden dangerous aura made his hair stand on end, and he did not dare relax his vigilance for even a moment. He could only focus every ounce of his attention on dealing with whatever might come next.

More importantly, through his years of accumulated experience and his own extraordinary insight—Observation Haki—he had always trusted the intuition deep within his heart.

After all, countless past experiences had proven that this premonition from the depths of his soul had never been wrong even once... "Cough, cough, cough..."

A wrenching fit of coughing rose from the bottom of the crater. Ener endured the roiling pain inside his body and used his trembling hands to barely support his unsteady frame as he struggled slowly to his feet. Then he abruptly turned his head and spat a thick mouthful of phlegm onto the empty ground beside him.

If anyone had leaned closer for a careful look, they would have been stunned to discover faint, barely visible streaks of bright red blood mixed into that phlegm.

There was no doubt about it. After that breathtaking battle with Jinbe, Ener had been injured. Though the wound was not serious, for someone newly arrived in this world, it was the first time in his life that he had truly experienced being hurt!

In an instant, his once confident eyes became grave and deep. He secretly thought, Sigh... My recent surge in strength, coupled with how smoothly everything has gone, has really made me lose my bearings.

At that thought, a bone-chilling coldness shot up his spine like an electric current, spreading through his whole body in an instant and making him shudder.

At that critical moment, Ener secretly felt immensely fortunate. The one standing before him was Jinbe—a trustworthy, powerful, and kind-hearted friend!

Had it been another more troublesome, ruthless, and cunning opponent, such as that old fox Crocodile, the enemy would have surely seized the chance to strike while Ener was off guard. They might even have shown no mercy and driven a weapon straight into a vital spot!

The consequences would have been unthinkable. He might have been seriously wounded—or even lost his life!

Ener stood rooted to the spot as though under a binding spell, staring blankly into the distance. Yet his mind was in complete chaos, thoughts surging like tides as countless wild ideas tangled together, as though they would burst his head apart.

Suddenly, a low and mysterious voice faintly reached his ears, like a death sentence issued by an envoy of the underworld. It echoed beside him again and again, ceaselessly warning him...

No matter what situation he was in—whether fighting a powerful enemy, facing an ordinary opponent, or dealing with seemingly insignificant circumstances—he could never let down his guard. He had to remain vigilant at all times.

Because even a lion went all out when hunting a rabbit, never daring to underestimate its prey.

As Ener pondered, Jinbe slowly spoke. "Young man, the battle isn't over yet." With that, he gathered Armament Haki once more, and his entire presence abruptly rose.

Ener took a deep breath. The confusion in his eyes suddenly vanished, replaced by an incomparably sharp gaze like two honed blades, radiating a chilling light. At the same time, powerful determination welled up within him, causing his whole body to erupt with an unmatched presence.

He gripped Sandai Kitetsu tightly. The blade, once dull and lifeless, now glimmered with eerie red light as though it had been granted life. With his movement, strands of black aura rose from the hilt like smoke and wound around the entire blade.

"Oni Aura: Oni Flash!" Ener growled. His body then moved like lightning, vanishing from where he stood in the blink of an eye. The next moment, he appeared silently behind Jinbe like a ghost, at a speed beyond imagination.

Ener leaped into the air, and Sandai Kitetsu carved a brilliant arc through the sky. Wrapped in fierce oni aura, it slashed viciously down toward Jinbe's back. That blow carried thunderous force. If it truly landed, even Steel would be easily cut apart.

Yet Jinbe was also a seasoned powerhouse. Faced with such a sudden attack, he showed no panic whatsoever. At the instant Ener's blade was about to touch his body, Jinbe sharply sensed the dense killing intent from behind him.

In that instant, Jinbe seemed to be pushed by an invisible force as his body spun sharply around, moving with astonishing speed!

At the same time, his thick, powerful arms rose high. Muscles as hard as Steel tensed as they tightly guarded his chest. It all happened so quickly that the onlookers had no time to react.

Then came an earth-shaking clang, ringing through the entire space with thunderous force. Countless dazzling sparks flew in every direction like splendid fireworks blooming in the night sky.

The impact generated by the collision of metal was so powerful that even the ground around them trembled, as though it had lost its former solidity and stability.

Yet this was only the beginning. In the blink of an eye, blade light and shadows intertwined, forming a complex yet beautiful spectacle.

Ener and Jinbe moved like two bolts of lightning streaking across the sky, their figures as swift as the wind and their movements as fierce as leopards as they launched into a thrilling, needle-for-needle battle!

Ener gripped a long blade that gleamed with cold light, carrying the majestic momentum of a dragon emerging from the sea. As he wielded it, sword light flashed continuously, forming an impenetrable defense.

His swordsmanship changed endlessly—at times strange and unpredictable, at times savage and forceful. The angles of his attacks were so peculiar and their strength so great that no one could predict where his next strike would come from.

Jinbe, on the other hand, stood firm like an enormous boulder, steady as a mountain. His techniques were not as flashy or complicated as Ener's, but they contained endless strength and wisdom.

Every palm strike carried crushing force, irresistible as Mount Tai bearing down on an egg. Every kick swept outward like a gale tearing through an army.

On the surface, Jinbe's attacks appeared simple and ordinary, but they concealed countless exquisite subtleties. One moment of carelessness would be enough to plunge an opponent into eternal doom.

This life-and-death struggle had continued for a long time. Neither side gave way, and neither showed any intention of retreating. The atmosphere around them was incomparably heavy, as though even the air had frozen.

Everyone held their breath, not daring to make the slightest sound for fear of disturbing the two peerless masters. Time seemed to stretch endlessly, and all eyes remained fixed on the two figures in the field, afraid of missing even one thrilling moment.

Just as the deadlock continued, dark clouds suddenly gathered overhead and a mysterious aura descended. A mysterious figure dressed in black appeared at the edge of the battlefield, arms folded as he coldly observed the fight.

"Hmph!" With a cold snort, a figure slowly emerged. He wore a black cloak, his face concealed in shadow so that his true appearance could not be seen, yet he radiated a chilling presence.

"Your battle has been quite entertaining, but it should end now." The mysterious man's voice was low and hoarse, as though it came from the depths of hell. Before his words had faded, he suddenly extended a hand. An incomparably powerful suction force surged forth like a flood, sweeping directly toward Ener and Jinbe.

Faced with such terrifying power, Jinbe frowned deeply and roared, "Break!" In an instant, every muscle in his body tensed, and a deep purple glow spread across his body—it was the Armament Haki he took pride in! Empowered by that Haki, Jinbe seemed possessed by a war god as he forcibly withstood the dreadful suction.

At the same time, Ener refused to be outdone. He gripped Sandai Kitetsu tightly, feeling the tremors coming from its hilt as he silently swore to defeat this powerful enemy.

As he pushed the chakra within his body with all his strength, the oni aura flickering faintly around Sandai Kitetsu suddenly became violent, like a savage beast baring its fangs and preparing to devour someone.

Then Ener swung his blade fiercely, sending an incomparably sharp slash howling out and chopping hard into that suction force.

However, neither of them expected the mysterious man's strength to be so unimaginably great. Though they struggled with all their might, they still could not completely stop the suction. As the two sides remained locked in stalemate, the mysterious man moved again...

The mysterious man rapidly formed hand seals with both hands while muttering under his breath. The suction force suddenly increased severalfold, dragging Ener and Jinbe forward by force.

In that instant, Ener's eyes suddenly lit up as though he had thought of a brilliant idea. Without hesitation, he drove Sandai Kitetsu into the incomparably hard ground and used its hilt to support his wavering body.

At the same time, she shouted toward Jinbe in the distance, "Uncle Jinbe, please join me and focus our attacks on that guy's hand seals!"

Hearing this, Jinbe immediately understood and nodded. He took a deep breath, gathered every bit of strength he could muster into his fists, and then smashed them toward the mysterious man's hands with avalanche-like force.

In an instant, an astonishingly powerful fist force swept forth like a raging gale, charging straight toward the mysterious man with unmatched might.

Ener naturally did not remain idle. Seizing that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, she swung her sword again and unleashed a razor-sharp sword light with all her strength. It perfectly complemented Jinbe's mighty attack, creating a pincer assault from both sides.

Faced with such sudden and ferocious double attack, the mysterious man was clearly caught off guard. He froze for a brief moment, but that fleeting lapse exposed an extremely subtle yet fatal flaw in the hand seals he was forming.