"Don't let a few words from those pirates defeat you! You're Bogard!"
Dragon had never expected Bogard's battle with Shane to reach this point.
After all, in terms of swordsmanship and Haki,
Bogard could now fight Kaido with ease.
Shane also possessed a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, but naturally, his Haki and Rokushiki weren't as strong as Kaido's.
How could he possibly gain the upper hand against Bogard?
Yet at the very end of this battle,
Shane had broken through to a higher level of Haki.
Even injured, he was still seeking a more powerful fight.
Bogard, however, hesitated to move forward.
The facts were right before his eyes.
Dragon couldn't stand it. He had to act!
Marines rushed past him one after another.
Dragon immediately hardened his hands and arms with Armament Haki.
An invisible layer of Haki enveloped his entire body as well.
In this state, his hands could handle the main offensive while his body retained formidable defenses.
Even amid a hail of gunfire, Dragon had nothing to fear.
In terms of Rokushiki, his Six Powers were practically flawless, thanks to Zephyr's instruction.
In terms of Haki, his Dragon Claw Fist had developed from Garp's Iron Fist, and he possessed all Three Types of Haki!
How could he possibly fear a mere Shane?
"Shane!"
Still young, Dragon had yet to don that green cloak.
Beneath his cape, however, he still wore green clothing.
His face bore none of his signature tattoo markings.
His eyes brimmed with resolve.
Standing before Shane was an elite Marine who refused to yield a single step!
Though still very young, Dragon already had quite a few accomplishments in battle.
Only because of his father had he never actively sought promotion.
But in the years following God Valley,
Dragon had risen forcefully to prominence, already a well-known monster before Sakazuki and the others joined the Marines.
It was also after his departure
that Zephyr personally trained even more monsters, ultimately forging the Marines' Golden Generation!
They became the pillars of the Marines for the following decades!
At this moment, Dragon stood opposite Shane.
Two years apart in age, they were the strongest of the younger generation among pirates and Marines.
Their confrontation was like a clash between the opposing factions of the sea.
After a layer of steam rose from Dragon's entire body,
invisible Haki wrapped around him.
His figure swiftly vanished.
This was the technique of Soru.
The instant he reappeared,
he launched a flying kick.
Tempest Kick enhanced with Armament Haki!
Bang!
Shane, who had only just grasped Armament Haki Hardening, blocked directly with both arms.
"Who would've thought my next upgrade package would arrive right after I leveled up? What luck."
Shane felt that precisely this kind of battle could make a person stronger.
Just as Rayleigh had said,
awakening Haki and mastering it were abilities within everyone's potential.
But to go a step further and awaken Advanced Haki,
one had to hone it through battle after battle.
Insight, opportunity, opponents, life and death!
Not a single one could be missing.
Having just honed himself against Bogard and mastered Armament Haki Hardening,
he had then encountered Dragon, allowing Shane to advance another step during battle and become more proficient with Haki.
It simply couldn't have been better!
For someone who loved fighting as much as Shane did, it was everything he could have wished for.
"The white vapor coming off you looks more like the effects of some drug that stimulates the body's potential."
"Once the drug wears off, all that pain will return to your body."
"That overwhelming impact will instantly turn you into a cripple who can't even stand!"
Dragon kicked relentlessly.
His eyes were bloodshot, his legs pitch-black, and every kick combined the techniques of Tempest Kick and Iron Body.
Together with Geppo and Soru, they struck like devastating blows.
One attack came from in front of Shane, and the second would shift behind him!
This was precisely where Rokushiki experts differed from master swordsmen.
Swordsmanship often required a powerful willingness to face death, believing the sword in one's hand could cut through anything.
Even holding a piece of scrap metal, one needed the understanding required to duel a Supreme Grade Sword.
Rokushiki experts were different.
They needed absolute speed, strength, and control over their bodies.
Rokushiki experts who used their bodies as weapons had to maximize every one of these different aspects.
The reason the Six Powers were considered physical techniques that surpassed the limits of the human body
was that they stimulated the body's potential in different areas.
Having studied under Zephyr and Garp, Dragon's control over his body was practically at its peak.
"Don't think the fight ends here, Shane!"
Bang!
His kicks swept through like an autumn wind scattering fallen leaves, and thanks to Geppo, he could attack from any angle, including midair.
In an instant, he appeared in several different positions.
It looked like teleportation, so fast that afterimages appeared.
Shane kept striking back, relying on his powerful physique and keen instincts to retaliate.
Compared with Bogard's explosive, swift sword strikes that continually gathered power,
Dragon wasn't actually stronger; it was just that he didn't have those unceasing attacks!
He was Garp's son, after all, and surely carried the bloodline for Conqueror's Haki!
Someone like him was destined to refuse to submit to others.
Dragon would leave the Marines sooner or later!
"Fight back, Shane!"
"Aren't you good with words?"
"Don't let the wind answer for you!"
With one final sideways sweeping kick,
Dragon struck Shane with a sweeping blow.
Feeling those rapid attacks, Shane also kept using Soru to dart about,
as well as other Rokushiki techniques to strike back!
One was a wind sweeping away the clouds; the other was flashing lightning and rolling thunder.
Each had his own fighting style.
Shane faced the strongest practitioner of Haki and Rokushiki among his peers!
Purple Lightning flowed around his fingertips.
It illuminated every flaw between them.
Dragon was like a gale, sweeping everything along, every move lethal.
The kicking ended.
The white vapor rising from Shane's body kept increasing, like air escaping a deflating ball.
The effects of Stussy's Drug were about to end!
"As expected, you need Observation Haki against a highly mobile opponent."
"My perception still relies on hearing and sight, and you're faster than that."
"Under these circumstances, constantly striking back will just leave me passively taking hits!"
Smoke spilled from Shane's mouth as he spoke.
The two suddenly slammed their fists together!
Knowing that kicks couldn't defeat Shane,
Dragon would have to use his signature skills against that tough, thick-skinned body.
"You make it all sound so trivial."
"You talk about passively taking hits, but you're striking back faster and faster."
"Even while enduring the side effects of some drug, you're still breaking past your limits."
Dragon appeared once more and flung his cape backward into the wind.
"Let's keep going, Shane!"
"The real battle starts now."
"This is what I comprehended through Fair Justice."
"Dragon Claw Fist!"
Shing!
Dragon shaped both hands into dragon claws.
His Haki took on a dark green sheen.
His presence flashed past, leaving Dragon unleashing brutal attacks!
Unlike Garp's free Justice, Dragon leaned more toward Fair Justice.
This was also the code he lived by, different from Garp, Sengoku, and the others.
Shane had noticed Dragon's preparations long ago.
He had been using kicks from the start, but in reality, he was gathering strength to fight with both hands at full power.
"Your Haki is strong."
Shane could anticipate this technique, something like a combination of Tempest Kick and Finger Pistol, incorporating Fish-Man Karate and Iron Fist.
Paired with superb Armament Haki!
They seemed like fists, but were actually dragon claws capable of tearing through anything!
"I can do that too!"
Shane was already a dragon-man in Hybrid Form.
His hands were dragon claws as well, and he immediately coated them with Haki as naturally as could be.
Shing!
This time, both hands underwent complete Armament Haki Hardening!
White vapor poured out even more wildly.
Dragon wasn't wrong. Once the drug wore off, the pain would come in a doubly exhilarating rush.
The damage he had ignored would also flood his body.
Whether Shane would still have the strength to stand here then was a question in itself.
"Mine is the real Dragon Claw Fist!"
Shane smiled at his opponent, some of the pain already surfacing in his body.
"Let this wind be my answer to you."
Dragon didn't care which was real or fake.
Victory or defeat was the answer, and the wind would witness everything.
The sea was vast, and only the wind could reach almost everywhere.
And the places the wind couldn't reach held the Void Century from eight hundred years ago.
They were the Calm Belt, the Red Line, and Fish-Man Island beneath the sea!
"I prefer lightning!"
Shane surged forward a step, his dragon claws thrusting out!
Amid flashing lightning and rolling thunder,
fierce winds and driving rain arrived!
Rumble!
The Marines turned their heads and saw two young men locked in a desperate struggle!
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