"You monster!"
Thud!
The sword hilt fell to the ground.
Shane's advantages from the start had been his stamina and Armament Haki.
Black Tanuki, meanwhile, excelled at group attacks and exploiting openings with Observation Haki.
Once they found the right moment, their fight was nothing more than a contest of overt and covert moves.
"I know an Observation Haki expert who can even see the future."
"In his words, panic is Observation Haki's greatest enemy."
"Excessive anger and panic keep Observation Haki from working perfectly and leave openings."
"Your Observation Haki is stronger than mine, but it's far behind other people's."
Shane was right.
Black Tanuki's Observation Haki was an advanced technique combined with his Mythical Zoan form.
Within just a few years of his breakthrough, he had considered himself invincible, yet in reality, he had grown more protective of his life and hidden behind others.
Continuing like this would lead to only one outcome: his will would weaken, and his strength would decline.
Yet he still dreamed of becoming an Admiral at Marine Headquarters. It was sheer fantasy.
The moment he mastered that advanced technique and decided never to stand in front of others again, he had lost his chance at becoming an Admiral.
"How could I be panicking?!"
"In terms of strength, you're not even a dog to me!"
"In terms of experience, you have no idea how many powerful opponents I've faced head-on!"
"You dare criticize me! Do you know there's only a two-character difference between Admiral Candidate and Headquarters Admiral?"
Humiliated, Black Tanuki flew into a rage.
His entire body hardened with Armament Haki, while his pupils and even the whites of his eyes turned pitch-black.
At that moment, he looked like a completely black tanuki.
"I'll dig your head open with my bare hands and