Barn struggled slowly to his feet. A soft green glow seeped from his abdomen beneath his hand as he used his Life Fruit ability to repair his internal injuries.
Apart from the increasingly fine beads of sweat on his forehead, his internal injuries had healed. He raised Nidai Kitetsu again and faced Zephyr.
"Heh, Zephyr, your strength really is no joke. That toughness, tsk, tsk-you're every bit a match for Jozu!"
A trace of confusion crossed Zephyr's blackened face.
I put everything into that punch. His organs should have been shattered. How is this possible?
Even with the Life Fruit's healing ability, Zephyr's all-out strike had taken a heavy toll on Barn. Fortunately, Barn had coated his abdomen in Armament Haki the instant the fist hit him, cushioning much of the impact.
"'Evil Spirit' Barn, I really did underestimate you. Even my full-strength blow couldn't finish you off. But that's fine. I have plenty of strength to spare!"
Zephyr flexed his wrists again, then launched another full-strength attack!
The Danger Sense of Barn's Mind's Eye reacted immediately. He swung Nidai Kitetsu across his body, blocking Zephyr's all-out strike!
"Heh, old man Zephyr, you can use the same move again, but that doesn't mean it'll work on me!"
A glint flashed through Barn's unfocused eyes!
"Wave Explosion!"
The tremendous impact sent Zephyr flying backward!
That force! It's nothing like the other day! That brat Barn wasn't using his full strength back then!
Whitebeard, who was being held back by Sengoku, also felt the effects of Barn's tremendous blast.
"Guhahahaha! Sengoku, you saw that! Barn's fine!"
"Don't get cocky, Whitebeard!"
Whitebeard and Sengoku clashed once more.
Before Zephyr could hit the ground, Barn used Triple Slash to reach his back!
"Rippling Wave Slash!"
Barn launched Zephyr upward before he could land, and a dazzling wheel of light appeared around him!
"What?!"
Zephyr cried out in alarm!
Under the effects of Rippling Wave Slash, the Armament Haki covering Zephyr's body was actually breaking apart!
Barn noticed it too. In his Mind's Eye, Zephyr's threat level was steadily falling!
He could also feel the power of his Rippling Wave Slash gradually increasing!
Could it be? My Rippling Wave Slash can break through his Armament Haki!
In DNF, Rippling Wave Slash was a powerful skill that could forcibly break Super Armor. Barn had only tried it on a whim, never expecting it to actually break Haki!
"What kind of ability is that?! It can actually break Zephyr's Haki!"
Seeing Barn's strange move break through Zephyr's Haki naturally shocked Sengoku. He knew that, in terms of Haki mastery alone, even he was no match for Zephyr.
"Guhahahaha! Sengoku! You're distracted again!"
Whitebeard seized that moment of distraction and swung his blade!
Sengoku had no choice but to give his full attention to defending.
As the dazzling wheel of Rippling Wave Slash shattered, Zephyr was knocked back and fell to the deck.
"Cough, cough... Barn, I admit you're strong. But even if you can break my Haki, what does it matter?!"
Zephyr slowly stood up, only to discover that the Haki Barn had broken was difficult to gather again!
"Ever since I mastered this move, I've never used it-not even against Newgate. You can be proud of yourself for forcing me to use it."
"Namah siddhi, siddhi, susiddhi, siddhikara, raya juyam, samama siri, ayama siddhi svaha."
Watching Barn quietly recite that strange incantation, Zephyr frowned deeply.
What is he doing?
"Immovable Wisdom King Formation!"
Three enormous pitch-black spheres materialized around Barn!
"This is...!"
Zephyr's expression grew exceptionally grave.
Then an extraordinarily powerful suction force pulled at Zephyr!
Even Sengoku and Whitebeard in the distance were affected by the powerful pull and had to stop fighting!
"What is this strange suction?!"
Sengoku stared gravely at the three enormous pitch-black spheres!
Whitebeard watched the scene as well.
"Barn's never used this move before. Heh, that brat!"
Whitebeard drove his great blade into the deck to brace himself against the powerful pull.
Under the immense suction of the three enormous pitch-black spheres, everything on the deck was drawn toward them-including Zephyr.
Zephyr was closest to Barn, and he was already injured. With no strength left to resist the overwhelming pull, he was dragged over.
Standing within the formation and directing it, Barn sensed that Zephyr had been caught. With a thought, he acted!
"Rise!"
The three enormous spheres swept Zephyr up and rapidly rose directly above Barn!
They began spinning wildly!
The three enormous spheres passed through Zephyr's body again and again. Each time, he cried out in agony.
Watching from a distance, Sengoku felt a bead of cold sweat run down his forehead.
Men of their caliber naturally had a high tolerance for pain. For Barn's attack to make a man as tough as iron like Zephyr cry out, its power was unimaginable!
The three enormous black spheres spun faster and faster in the air, then suddenly stopped! They slowly swelled! Then...
Boom!
A powerful blast of air swept Zephyr away!
"Zephyr!"
Seeing Zephyr sent flying, Sengoku abandoned Whitebeard and immediately rushed over, catching Zephyr just before he fell into the sea!
Zephyr was already unconscious, yet strangely, there were no obvious wounds on his body.
Holding the unconscious Zephyr, Sengoku gritted his teeth, his face full of frustration. But he had no choice but to give up.
He could capture Whitebeard another time, but Zephyr's injuries could not wait! He absolutely could not lose one of the Navy's top fighters over this failed arrest!
"You got lucky, Whitebeard! Sooner or later, you and I will settle our score!"
With that, he turned his gaze to Barn.
"A great pirate who disappeared twenty years ago-'Evil Spirit' Barn! I never imagined you'd been hiding here all this time! Enjoy this while you can! You won't have peaceful days like these again, Barn!"
As Sengoku left with frustration written all over his face, Whitebeard was all smiles.
"Guhaha, guhahahaha! Sengoku, my old friend! Take care! Guhahahaha! I'll be waiting for that day! Won't we, Barn?"
Whitebeard slung an arm around Barn's shoulders as he spoke.
But he failed to notice how pale Barn was. The strain of fighting and using his Devil Fruit ability alone had already pushed Barn beyond his limits.
Barn merely gave a faint nod before collapsing...
"Barn!"
"Mr. Barn!"
"Get the ship's doctor! The ship's doctor!"
"Ugh..."
Barn woke up, but all he saw was the same endless darkness as always.
"Ah..."
Barn sighed and sat up.
The movement woke Marco, who had been slumped beside the bed.
"Huh? Mr. Barn! You're awake!"
Seeing that Barn was awake, Marco immediately ran outside and shouted.
"Pops! Everyone! Mr. Barn's awake!"
Before long, Barn's tiny cabin was packed with people, with plenty more outside who had been unable to squeeze in.
"Mr. Barn, your ribbon!"
Hearing that familiar voice, Barn reached out to take it and said,
"Thanks, Thatch."
Barn took the ribbon and tied it over his eyes.
"Whoa, Mr. Barn, you slept for three whole days! Why were you asleep for so long?!"
It was Marco's voice.
"Chirp, chirp!"
Oh, Fitz was there too.
"Mr. Barn, you were incredible! That 'Black Arm' Zephyr couldn't fight back at all!"
"Surely you're exaggerating, Curiel."
"I'm not! Not at all! Vista, you didn't see how impressive Mr. Barn was!"
"Haha."
Everyone stopped talking when Barn spoke. He was laughing, full of happiness, and they looked at him in confusion.
"Haha."
Barn was still laughing.
"Haha."
"Hahaha."
The other pirates began laughing too.
Just then, Whitebeard arrived, holding a yellowed sheet of paper.
"Guhahahaha! Here, Barn, take a look at this!"
Barn's happy smile vanished at once, his face darkening with exasperation.
"Oh! Sorry, Barn! You act just like anyone else every day, so I forgot you were blind!"
Barn looked even more exasperated...
"Ha, ha... Sorry, sorry. I'll read it to you."
"Now, look here. 'Asura' Barn, bounty: 230 million!"
The quiet cabin erupted into a commotion once more.
"You're amazing, Mr. Barn!"
"'Asura'! What an imposing name!"
Barn had initially been rather shocked to hear that his bounty had risen by a full hundred million. Now, a smile returned to his face, and he chuckled softly along with the rest of Whitebeard's crew.
"This scene really does feel familiar, Captain York..."