The fierce battle continued, Hades constantly darting left and right to evade.
The CP0 Chief was stronger than Black, but somewhat inferior in body techniques.
He had mastered neither Haki's internal destruction technique nor Conqueror's Haki.
His strength fell a notch short of Admiral "Steel Bone" Kong's.
Hades had already reached his assessment.
And through constant, high-intensity battles over the past three years, his own combat prowess had become terrifying.
The CP0 Chief found him troublesome. In a head-on fight, he actually could not get the better of Hades.
No matter how he attacked, Hades always found a way to block or simply evade.
Hades's bizarre method of manipulating Haki to interfere with him further disrupted his fighting.
The CP0 Chief naturally knew about this ability of Hades's, thanks to the experience Fleet Admiral Black had shared, but he still struggled to counter it.
Back then, Hades had still been relatively "weak," and Black had been able to withstand it through his mastery of Haki and body techniques.
Now, after three years of further physical growth, the quality of Hades's Haki was on an entirely different level.
If the CP0 Chief's tail was tangible,
then the Haki Hades controlled was his intangible tail.
Even if Black stood before Hades again, he would struggle to get the better of him now.
His terrifying combat prowess, combined with his ability to manipulate Haki to disrupt his enemies.
This was Hades's nearly invincible close-combat system, overwhelmingly powerful, with no blind spots and no answer.
Its only weakness was Hades's own level of strength.
An enormous shadow loomed overhead, drawing steadily closer.
Hades noticed it but continued grappling with the CP0 Chief.
Below, on the nearby battlefields, members of the Allied Forces and pirates alike raised their heads in shock.
They saw an island