Fierce Battle!

"Blessing of the Sea God!"

Swain had three blue circles wrapped around each of his limbs.

Between the azure circles, black Conqueror's Haki flowed in the middle.

However, this was not Conqueror's Haki Infusion, but merely Conqueror's Haki wrapped around him to enhance his defense.

"You seem a little different now?" Kuzan said upon seeing Swain in this state.

Deep down, he felt a faint trace of worry, and it came from the premonition of his Observation Haki! Unlike Katakuri's future sight, the things Kuzan's Observation Haki foresaw clearly made him somewhat uneasy.

What could it be?

He felt a bit of doubt in his heart.

From the distance, Norton saw this scene involving Swain, and his eyes also carried excitement!

He could sense that Swain had become very strong in this state, and he looked forward to his captain defeating the enemy before them.

Swain's eyes carried a look of disdain, and this was not something he deliberately put on.

Rather, after using the Blessing of the Sea God, his entire physical state was elevated by a tier! Naturally, it caused his very demeanor to change.

"Let me see if I can match an admiral!"

Swain formed his right hand into a fist and stretched out his left palm, the distance between his two hands staggered.

"Mirror Sea Moon!"

At this moment, five mirror-like surfaces appeared in front of Swain, and projected full moons were reflected within them.

He threw a punch, and two of the sea moons shattered, releasing two forces capable of warping space as they attacked his opponent.

Kuzan's vigilance heightened, for he could perceive the terrifying power contained within.

At the same time, he extended both hands straight and spread them open.

"Ice Wall!"

From the ground, a thick ice wall grew, exceptionally broad and solid.

Even if countless cannonballs were fired at it, they might not necessarily break through this defense.

The shockwave caused by the shattering collided with the ice wall.

The destructive scene did not happen; instead, it was very calm, without causing any sound at all.

Swain then shattered three more sea moon mirrors in succession.

"Could it be..." Norton, watching this quiet scene from the side, was just about to speak when—

The very next moment, a change occurred.

That ice wall suddenly fell over like a toppled city wall, pieces of ice scattered everywhere.

It was just like a hydraulic press bearing down on a block of iron.

Before reaching a critical point, the ice wall and the impact force would not undergo any change, but once one side failed, it would be crushed into fragments!

That was precisely the quiet scene that had just appeared.

Meanwhile, Kuzan behind the ice wall also staggered backward several meters.

A sweetness rose in his throat, and a mouthful of blood spewed out.

Shocking!

It left Norton standing there dumbfounded.

"Such powerful strength!" Norton exclaimed.

Swain was growing stronger the longer he fought now! Yet looking back at Kuzan, he no longer possessed that calm and unruffled demeanor from earlier.

"This brat... must never be allowed to leave this place!" Kuzan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Do you still want to fight?!" Swain's voice was like a booming bell, echoing far into the distance.

Swain's Haki was also rapidly draining, and his stamina was about to hit rock bottom; at this moment, his state was all show and no substance!

If they fought again... he had no certainty of keeping Kuzan here.

If he could force him to retreat, that would undoubtedly be the best outcome!

However, he had underestimated this marine admiral's resolve.

Seeing the expression on Kuzan's face indicating he wanted to keep fighting, Swain felt helpless as well; this man's pride had been wounded.

And naturally, he had to bring the primary culprit, Swain, to justice personally.

Time was running out!

Taking advantage of the moment before his condition plummeted to rock bottom, Swain needed to end this quickly!

His figure moved like a ghost, arriving right in front of Kuzan, and he whipped out a side kick.

Kuzan's state had not yet adjusted, and he was caught completely off guard by Swain's move.

He had no choice but to guard his right side with his hands, but even so, he was still sent flying by the monstrous strength in Swain's leg.

If any marine soldiers were here to witness this scene, they probably wouldn't dare to believe their own eyes.

Strike while he's down!

Swain would not hold back; before Kuzan had even stopped rolling on the ground, he planted another stomp right onto his body.

However, this time it directly "crushed" him, and beneath his foot turned into a block of ice.

Bad! I fell for it! Swain thought to himself.

You can even use it like that?? Swain was covered in black lines.

Kuzan truly pushed the understanding and application of his Fruit to the limit; he used ice to create a fake body of himself that rolled around on the ground, successfully deceiving Swain's Observation Haki.

Sure enough! The real Kuzan was already behind Swain.

He only heard him say in a deep voice:

"Ice Age!"

Four simple words, yet they were like a Grimweed's death warrant.

Kuzan slammed his own body down into the ground, and subsequently, several forward-extending ice fissures appeared on the ground, splitting the terrain apart.

Swain blasted forward with a strike, wanting to shatter it, but the intensity of these ice fissures was exceptionally hard.

"Haki?" Other than that, Swain could think of no other reason.

He managed to narrowly dodge two of them, but others came attacking him.

Several consecutive grazes scraped Swain, tearing away his flesh.

Swain's condition was also nearing empty, and even his speed had noticeably slowed down.

"We can't keep entangling like this."

"Norton, let's go!"

Supporting Swain, Norton flew up into the high air, and after giving Kuzan a deep look, Swain departed.

Seeing Swain walk far away, Kuzan's body could no longer hold up either, and he sat down heavily on the ground.

He took out a Golden Den Den Mushi and said, "Spandam, get yourself over to the port!"

"O... okay!" The person on the other end stammered in reply.

Actually, he had been present all along while Norton and Aokiji were exchanging blows, though he was watching the battle from a residential area on the outskirts.

He had always believed that Aokiji could easily win, and the facts were indeed so; the fight against Norton had been an easy victory.

Yet the battle against Swain had completely upended his expectations!

That fledgling brat had actually managed to injure Aokiji, which filled him with bitter resentment, because he was far too envious of Swain's youth and formidable strength.

A moment later, he appeared before Kuzan with a flattering, bowing posture.

"Got any booze?" Kuzan asked without even raising his head.

Spandam produced a bottle of strong liquor, and Aokiji chugged it all down in one breath!

Then he lay down right on the ground and fell soundly asleep.

With a helpless look on his face, Spandam had no choice but to hoist Kuzan onto his back and leave.

Swain on the other end was not having a good time either.

Having continuously used over-limit moves, he coughed up blood repeatedly.

"Should we find a doctor?" Norton asked.

"No need! This little injury doesn't warrant a doctor," Swain refused.

Just as everything settled into calm, a figure suddenly popped out from the battlefield. Clearly, none of them had noticed his presence.

This is a big scoop! If I write this well, the boss will definitely let me make a fortune.

I've even thought of the title; I'd better write it down right now!

He immediately picked up pen and paper, recording the details and scenes from the battlefield.

A piece of news that would shock the world was about to be published!