Overwhelming Victory!

The others watched from the sidelines while Abel and Miland stood in the middle, facing each other from ten meters apart.

The fight began.

Miland was, after all, a boy who had never fought before. He stood rooted to the spot, lost and bewildered, without even taking a fighting stance. Unlike the utterly inexperienced Miland, Abel was a battle-hardened veteran who had seen real bloodshed. The presence he naturally exuded just by standing there was enough to make Miland's knees go weak.

Abel stopped waiting. In a flash, he appeared in front of Miland and punched him in the stomach, though he used only a tenth of his strength.

Miland had no time to react before Abel's fist struck his stomach. He immediately gritted his teeth and braced for the pain, but after waiting a few seconds, he realized he felt nothing at all.

Miland himself had not noticed, but Abel had seen it. When his punch landed, the part of the Cloth he struck gave off a soft glow. Then the force of his punch seemed to sink into a bottomless ocean, vanishing completely.

As expected of something Su Yu brought out. It really is extraordinary, he thought. He withdrew his fist and threw another punch, this time using seventy percent of his strength!

Miland was still dazed, so he was struck again. But just like before, he felt nothing at all.

Abel refused to believe it. This time, he put all his strength into his fist, even coating it with Armament Haki, and struck Miland a third time.

As though he also wanted to test the armor's defenses, Miland stayed right where he was and took the blow head-on.

The onlookers could almost see the boy's miserable figure being sent flying.

But even Abel's full-strength blow proved useless. Miland merely swayed a little!

Now Abel was truly shocked. He was no small fry-he was a Marine Rear Admiral! And he ranked among the strongest Rear Admirals in combat, or he would never have been assigned as base commander in the Sabaody Archipelago!

But what had just happened? He had not held back at all. He had even used Armament Haki, yet Miland had taken his blow head-on as though nothing had happened. He had not even stepped back!

Miland had been a frail boy just moments earlier! Was this armor really that miraculous?!

Abel quickly withdrew his hand, then retreated a few steps to put some distance between them.

Abel was shocked, and so were the spectators. This was fucking miraculous! Whatever its offensive capabilities might be, the armor's defenses were beyond question! Greed flashed in the pirates' eyes once again.

Rayleigh also looked at Miland's armor in amazement. Even he was itching to throw a punch and test it.

Leaving everyone else's astonishment aside, Miland touched the spot where he had been struck. Boundless confidence suddenly surged through him, and he looked at Abel opposite him, brimming with fighting spirit.

As Abel looked at Miland, all traces of disdain had long since vanished from his mind. At the very least, his own defenses could not hold a candle to the boy's, and he apparently had no way to break through them either.

He glanced at the boy's exposed face. Looks like I can only attack there. They say you shouldn't hit someone in the face, but I really have no other options!

Then he used Shave of the Six Powers again, appearing in front of Miland in an instant, intending to strike his face before he could react.

Clearly, however, Abel had never watched Saint Seiya. Otherwise, he would have known that every Saint came with a standard passive ability: the same move never worked on a Saint twice...

Watching Abel suddenly vanish from his spot and reappear in front of him, Miland found his vision becoming astonishingly clear. Then he felt as though Abel's movements had slowed considerably. He saw Abel slowly draw back his hand and clench his fist, then slowly punch toward his face. Instinctively, Miland dodged to one side. In that moment, he even saw the astonishment and disbelief in Abel's eyes.

Then, as though acting on instinct, Miland drove a fist at Abel. Abel had no time to dodge and instinctively used Iron Body. Still, he thought nothing of Miland's punch. He believed Iron Body would be enough...

Unfortunately, before he could finish that thought, he was already sent flying.

The sight stunned the onlookers once again. In their eyes, Miland had nimbly evaded Abel's attack, then countered and sent him flying. He had moved so fast that he left afterimages!

Abel sprang up from the ground. Clutching his chest, a trickle of blood escaping his mouth, he stared at Miland in disbelief. How is this possible?! Could that frail boy from a moment ago really have thrown an attack like that?

Miland also stared at his own fist in disbelief. I just sent a Rear Admiral flying with one punch? And I barely put any strength into it!

From taking a Rear Admiral's full-strength blow without a scratch to sending that same Rear Admiral flying with a casual punch, all these changes had come after he put on the armor. His confidence swelled like never before, as though he could take his revenge at any moment. Yes, he believed he now had the strength to avenge himself.

At that thought, he could not help casting Su Yu a grateful look. Everything he had now had been bestowed upon him by Su Yu.

Seeing Miland looking at him as though he wanted to continue, Abel hurriedly waved his hands to concede defeat. By now, he had completely abandoned the idea of continuing. Admittedly, surrendering outright as a Rear Admiral was a little humiliating, but his full-strength blow had not done a damn thing, while a single hit from the boy was more than he could take. And those reflexes and that speed were clearly abnormal. How the fuck was he supposed to keep fighting?!

But excitement flared in his heart again. If this armor can be mass-produced... Looks like I'll have to report this to the Fleet Admiral when I get back.

Rayleigh was shocked as well. A boy with no training whatsoever had become an expert who could easily defeat a Rear Admiral, all in the time it took to put on a suit of armor. He could not help glancing at Su Yu again. This man was far more extraordinary than he had imagined. He had originally thought he might have roughly even odds against him, but now Rayleigh felt he had jumped to conclusions...

Seeing that Abel no longer wanted to fight, Miland felt a little disappointed. He had yet to fully test his strength.

The greed in the surrounding pirates' eyes had reached its peak. This so-called Cloth could dish out attacks and withstand them, and it could even improve reaction speed. It was a fucking divine artifact! If I could get my hands on it... At that thought, they glanced at Miland again, their eyes brimming with malice. Then, seemingly noticing one another's gazes, they eyed their fellow "competitors" warily.

Not one of them considered whether they were strong enough to defeat Miland and take the Cloth from him.

As far as they were concerned, they were the greatest under heaven. If you can't do it, that's because you're too weak. If I try, I'll definitely succeed!

Besides, in their eyes, the Cloth had one major weakness: it did not cover his entire body. Some parts remained exposed. As long as they struck those unprotected areas, victory was assured!

The pirates from the various crews all decided that once they returned, they would gather their men. As soon as Miland left this bar, they would strike and seize his Cloth in one fell swoop!

Once they succeeded, they would immediately leave the Sabaody Archipelago and escape out to sea. Then, no matter how strong the bar owner was, he would never find them!