"Your target is me!"
When Yas's cold, arrogant voice rang out like a phantom beside Ochoku's and Silver Axe's ears, the two legendary pirates' pupils abruptly contracted.
Where did he go?!
They discovered to their horror that the figure at the bow of the black warship ahead, whom they should have had locked on as their primary target, had vanished into thin air!
This is bad!
Both were battle-hardened fighters of the highest caliber, and they instantly realized something was wrong.
But it was already too late.
"Too slow."
A voice that seemed to come from the deepest pits of hell appeared soundlessly behind Silver Axe as he descended from the sky.
Silver Axe felt a chill shoot up his spine to the crown of his head. Without thinking, he moved to swing his two massive axes back to guard his rear.
But Yas moved faster than his reactions, faster than his nerves, faster than his thoughts!
Bam!
An iron fist covered in fearsome Black Lightning Demon Armor used no flashy technique. It was just a plain, unremarkable punch, planted in the center of Silver Axe's broad, mountainlike back.
"Urgh!"
Silver Axe's burly body jolted violently, and he spewed a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of his internal organs.
He felt an indescribable, terrifying torrent of pure force instantly penetrate his harder-than-steel muscles and Armament Haki, slamming into his internal organs and spine.
Crack!
The crisp sound of breaking bone reached his ears with perfect clarity.
His spine, strong enough to support a small mountain, had actually been broken outright by that single punch!
"Aaaargh!"
Silver Axe let out a piercing scream of utter agony. Like a kite with its string cut, his entire body hurtled helplessly toward the enormous island slowly rising below.
Boom!
His enormous body smashed