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The enormous floor-to-ceiling window slid smoothly apart from the center as though guided by invisible hands, forming a spacious exit.

Boer hovered beside the window and gestured, his voice still carrying a hint of provocation. "After you, Rear Admiral."

"Interesting." Rear Admiral Bastille Raymont grinned, pulled off the white cape bearing the word "Justice" on his back, and casually tossed it to his adjutant, Valentine.

He walked to the window, crouched slightly with his three-meter-tall frame, and suddenly tensed his leg muscles. The next second, he leaped like a cannonball from the stands, nearly ten meters above the ground!

This was no simple fall. With terrifying explosive force, he traced a sharp arc and plunged straight toward the center of the riding arena, forty meters away!

Boom!

Yet his landing was unexpectedly light, kicking up only a little dust and leaving two shallow depressions in the ground.

Raymont's precise control over his strength made Boer's pupils contract slightly.

That explosive power... he's a beast in human form! Boer was shaken. Adrenaline surged through him, his heart pounded like a drum, and his muscles trembled faintly with excitement.

He drew a deep breath, and the magnetic field around him quietly stirred.

"Metal Armament: Full Coverage!"

Pitch-black liquid metal surged from beneath Boer's clothes, like a living swarm of nanobots, rapidly enveloping his entire body.

In the blink of an eye, a fully enclosing suit of armor had formed, its sharp contours gleaming with a cold, hard luster.

He unleashed his Extrasensory Vision to its fullest-in his perception, Raymont's life magnetic field resembled a reactor, its violent energy emissions almost enveloping the entire Steel Club!

"I've never faced an opponent like this..." Boer's breathing quickened. He abruptly raised his head, his eyes beneath the armor blazing with fighting spirit.

"Electromagnetic Launch: Activate!"

The magnetic field compressed beneath his feet, then erupted. Boer became a streak of black lightning, instantly breaking the sound barrier!

His right fist gathered power as he accelerated, dazzling electricity flowing over his armor as he blasted straight toward Raymont's face like a heavy cannon shell!

"That's more like it!" Raymont neither dodged nor retreated, instead letting out an excited growl. He stamped both feet against the ground and rose into the air with Geppo. His massive body twisted nimbly in midair, and his right fist, launched later but arriving first, met the attack head-on with an air-rending shriek!

Bang!!

The thunderous collision of their fists exploded like muffled thunder! A ring-shaped shock wave spread outward, sweeping up dust and sand.

Boer felt a brutal force drive through his arm and was knocked three meters through the air. Fine cracks split the armor at his wrist, only to repair instantly under his magnetic control.

Raymont merely swayed slightly in midair and grinned. "Clever brat. You knew to spread the force out!"

Yes, yes, just like that! Now this is an opponent worth going all out against! Boer thought wildly.

Yet the impact from the accelerating magnetic field and his own strength poured into Raymont's arm as though striking some fierce beast's thick hide. The force vanished like a clay ox sinking into the sea. Aside from the burst sleeve of Raymont's Marine uniform, nothing else changed.

"I'm just getting started!" Boer shouted, surging into motion again.

"Electromagnetic Acceleration: Battle-Axe Chop!"

He dove from above like a meteor, his right leg raised high, high-voltage current gathering around his armored foot as he brought it crashing down like a battle-axe!

A sharp gleam flashed through Raymont's eyes. At the last possible instant, he twisted sideways at the waist, avoiding the blow by a hair.

The axe-like kick brushed past his chest and tore a five-meter-long fissure through the ground!

"Too naive!" Raymont sneered, his left hand clamping toward Boer's ankle like an iron pincer.

But Boer forcibly changed direction with a magnetic pull, driving his left fist toward the other man's chin like a venomous snake!

"Trading blows? I'll oblige!" Raymont made no attempt to defend, blasting his right fist toward Boer's abdomen again!

Thud!!

Boer's fist struck Raymont's left cheek, but it was like hitting tempered steel, leaving only a faint red mark. Meanwhile, the tremendous force against his abdomen sent him flying backward. A clear fist imprint appeared on his armor, and spiderweb cracks spread across it.

His internal organs felt as though they had been churned together. Boer fought down the surging blood within him and steadied himself with his magnetic field.

"Put some strength into it, brat!" Raymont spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. "You hit like a woman!"

He stamped both feet against the ground, cracking it beneath him. "Six Powers: Shave!"

His figure abruptly blurred. When he appeared again, he was already within three meters of Boer! Both hands formed claws, reaching straight for Boer's neck like a tiger bursting from its cage-he actually intended to overpower magnetic movement through pure martial prowess!

With Boer's Extrasensory Vision fully active, every contraction of Raymont's muscles and every change in his blood flow became data streaming into his mind.

He darted through the claw strikes like a nimble monkey, his magnetic field constantly pulling his body into movements that defied physics: sliding close to the ground one moment, changing direction at right angles the next, narrowly avoiding every grab.

"Slippery little pest!" Unable to catch him despite his repeated attacks, Raymont's gaze gradually chilled. He suddenly stopped and took a deep breath, abruptly drawing in his presence.

Within Boer's Extrasensory Vision, that previously blazing life magnetic field compressed into seemingly solid black armor, covering his entire body-Armament Haki: Full Coverage!

"Titing Tadi!" Raymont stamped his left foot, throwing countless stones into the air.

"Heavy Cross Cannon!" he roared, thrusting both fists forward. His Armament Haki swept up the stones, forming a torrent of impact several meters across that instantly engulfed Boer!

Rumble!!

Boer was hurled into the distant metal warehouse like a kite with a snapped string, smashing through three wooden shelving units in succession and raising clouds of dust.

"Boer!" Prince Locke cried out as he watched, nearly rushing onto the field.

Within the dust, a point of blue light appeared, following the law that smoke meant no damage.

Click...

The sound of twisting metal rang out as Boer slowly floated into view.

He reached up and straightened his dented helmet. Blue light flared in his eyes, and electric arcs crackled around him.

"Round two, Rear Admiral." He raised a hand, and the metal fragments suspended in the air began vibrating at high frequency. "Now... try not to die too easily."

Just as Boer floated out of the dust above the ruins and announced the second round, an uninvited visitor was hurrying toward the Steel Club with heavy, rapid, clomping footsteps.

It was Thatch.

The loyal former pirate captain had dug his old pirate outfit out of the bottom of some chest, where it had long lain folded, and once again gripped the enormous two-handed sword that shared his epithet.

After hearing his subordinate report that the Marines had arrested Boer, he had rushed over in desperate anxiety, intending to fight at Boer's side.

However, the instant he entered the seven-kilometer radius of Boer's Extrasensory Vision, Boer's cold, clear thoughts rang directly inside his head through magnetic field vibrations, carrying an unquestionable command: "Go back and wait. I'll handle the Marines."

Thatch's sprinting feet instantly froze. He looked toward the club and gritted his teeth, but ultimately chose unconditional obedience. With a fierce stamp of his foot, he shouldered his greatsword and turned away, like a loyal hound checked by its master's command.

Meanwhile, the situation in the riding arena changed abruptly!

It was not merely the tiny metal particles nearby that trembled. Across the entire arena, every scattered lump of metal, discarded weapon, and even the metallic slag buried deep underground seemed to have been given a violent life of its own.

They began shaking and humming fiercely! Breaking free of physical restraints, they floated upward, forming a scalp-prickling metal storm in the air!

The sharply contoured black armor covering Boer receded like a tide, returning to flowing liquid metal and silently concealing itself beneath his loose black casual clothes, as though it had never existed.

A smile appeared on his face, utterly different from his earlier solemn expression, carrying absolute confidence, as though everything was under his control.

He slowly raised his right hand, extending it with his index finger pointing straight at Rear Admiral Raymont in the center of the field. His voice traveled clearly throughout the grounds through the magnetic field, carrying a hint of mockery and an absolute declaration:

"Mr. Marine, the rules have changed. If you can touch even a corner of my clothes from now on... I'll count it as my loss!"

Before his words had fully faded, the attack began!

The suspended chunks of metal shot toward Raymont as though fired from invisible giant ballistae, shrieking through the air!

The metal particles on the ground surged toward the "Iron Man" at the center of the field like countless living venomous snakes, densely packed and overwhelming, instantly sealing off every avenue of escape!

"Stop looking down on me! You infuriating little brat!!" Raymont flew into a rage, the feeling of being utterly belittled nearly bursting his blood vessels!

He roared and prepared to use Shave, intending to flash through the metal tide at maximum speed and smash Boer's hateful face with his Armament Haki-coated iron fist!

However, the moment he moved, countless metal fragments instantly coalesced into an enormous metal palm over five meters across. With crushing force, it slammed into him from the side like a hand swatting a fly, pinning him hard against the ground!

Boom! A shallow crater was smashed into the earth.

"Get the hell off me!!" Raymont roared. The Armament Haki covering his body erupted with astonishing power, his muscles bulging. Through sheer brute strength, he blasted the enormous metal palm apart, scattering fragments in every direction like grenade shrapnel, whistling through the air!

But just as he broke free and prepared to leap up again-

"Magnetic Field Piercing!"

Blue light blazed in Boer's eyes. He transformed his intensely concentrated magnetic perception into an invisible, intangible, yet incomparably sharp blade of thought, driving it hard into a weak seam in his opponent's life magnetic field!

"Argh-!" Raymont abruptly let out a muffled cry of pain. Agony erupted deep within his brain, as though his soul were being torn apart, blackening his vision and inevitably causing a fatal pause in his movements!

Although his furnace-like vitality instantly closed the "cut" in his magnetic field and the agony receded like a tide, that brief pause was already enough!

More liquid metal seized the opening to coil around him like living tentacles, instantly cuffing both ankles, then solidifying and reinforcing itself within a thousandth of a second. It became immensely heavy steel shackles welded to the earth, pinning him firmly in place!

As he roared and tried to unleash his Armament Haki again to shatter his restraints-

The sky darkened.

The many metal blocks Boer had previously drawn into the sky now hovered directly above Raymont's head.

At a breathtaking speed, they disassembled and reshaped themselves into thousands upon thousands of enormous metal arrows, each as thick as an arm, their heads fitted with vicious barbs!

Densely packed, they blotted out the sky. Their cold gleams gathered together, seemingly lowering the temperature throughout the arena by several degrees, while chilling killing intent locked onto the immobile target below.

Seeing the terrifying spectacle of arrows poised like divine judgment, and the battle that had instantly reversed and now held no suspense, the tense Prince Locke finally let out a long breath and recovered his usual devil-may-care manner.

He lightly nudged the grim-faced Adjutant Valentine with his elbow, gestured toward the field with his mouth, and teased in a mocking tone, "Hey, Mr. Adjutant, if those things stick you, I imagine... it'll hurt a little, won't it?" He even gave an exaggerated wink.

Valentine adjusted his glasses, his face ashen. He offered no response, but his tightly clenched fists revealed his inner unrest.

On the field, Raymont stared at the utterly inescapable rain of arrows overhead, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints.

He suddenly gritted his teeth, crossed his arms, and coated them in his thickest Armament Haki to protect the vital areas of his head and chest, letting out a defiant roar. "Come on!!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!!

At a thought from Boer, thousands upon thousands of enormous metal arrows accelerated to the limit through the electromagnetic field, tearing through the air with shrieks like wailing ghosts and howling wolves, pouring down like a rainstorm of destruction!

Clang, clang, clang-boom!!!

The arrows struck Raymont's Armament Haki-coated body, producing a dense barrage of loud, clear clangs like a blacksmith hammering iron! Sparks flew everywhere!

Although they could not instantly break through his defenses, the terrifying kinetic energy of each arrow struck his organs and bones like a heavy hammer!

Worse still, the earth beneath his feet could not fully absorb the continuous impacts. Restrained by the specially made shackles, his feet began sinking slowly into the ground!

Amid the thunder of the pouring arrows, Boer had already floated silently back to the top-floor conference room like a ghost.

He even had the leisure to instruct the trembling server in the kitchen downstairs through magnetic field vibrations. "Prepare a pot of fine East Blue black tea, and bring a bottle of your strongest rum."

"Life Return Steel Bones!"

Raymont had finally been utterly enraged. His eyes bloodshot, he let out a roar like a wounded beast! His presence surged again, his muscles swelling beyond reason, his entire frame seemingly growing a size larger!

Violent force exploded outward from his body, instantly overwhelming and shattering the iron shackles around his ankles, while also clearing every arrow within several meters!

"I'm angry now! Get down here! This fight isn't over!!" he roared. Combining Geppo and Shave, he boldly used the still-falling arrows as footholds, charging toward Boer at the conference room window against the dense arrow rain like a black lightning bolt surging upstream! His speed far exceeded anything before!

Yet Boer did not even turn around to face this seemingly suicidal charge.

He merely raised the black tea the server had just delivered with elegance. As he took a gentle sip of the red liquid from East Blue, the thunder long brewing in his icy-blue eyes finally erupted in full.

"Ten Thousand Thunder Prisons."

He spoke the name softly, as though reciting the final line of a poem.

Crackle-hum!!!

The previously invisible magnetic field in the air underwent violent friction and compressed to its limit, giving off a low hum that could make the soul tremble!

In the blink of an eye, just as Raymont was about to break through the arrow rain and approach the window-

One beam! Ten! A hundred!

Dazzling beams filled with an aura of destruction, accompanied by azure lightning, seemed to descend from the highest heavens and erupt from the depths of the earth. With absolute precision, they instantly pierced the sky, the earth, and the man between them-Bastille Raymont!

"Aaaaaaargh!!!"

Even protected by full-body Armament Haki, flesh could never be completely immune to such high-voltage lightning acting directly upon the nerves and muscles!

Raymont screamed in agony, his entire body convulsing violently in midair. Every inch of muscle spasmed uncontrollably, his charge instantly collapsed, and his violent presence drained away like a punctured balloon!

Boom!

Like a puppet with severed strings, he fell stiffly from midair and slammed into the scorched ground of the riding arena, kicking up a ring of dust.

As Boer set his teacup down with composure, as though he had merely finished a simple afternoon tea, lightning continued to descend between heaven and earth. Like spears of punishment cast down by a god, the bolts struck precisely around Raymont, forming an inescapable lightning cage that pinned him firmly to the ground.

When the lightning gradually faded and the dust cleared, the Marine rear admiral known as the "Iron Man of West Blue" lay sprawled on the ground in an extremely undignified pose.

His once-imposing uniform was now scorched and tattered, his exposed skin covered in electrical burns. A wisp of black smoke smelling of scorching escaped uncontrollably from his mouth, while his carefully groomed short hair had become a ridiculous afro, every strand standing on end. His limbs still twitched occasionally from the current lingering in his nerve endings.

A pitch-black metal disc slid silently beneath him and lifted him steadily, slowly carrying him back to the conference room like a piece of cargo.

Controlled by an invisible force, the newly opened bottle of rum, giving off a rich, powerful aroma, floated before Raymont, who lay slumped in a chair with his body still twitching occasionally.

Looking at his condition, Boer raised his black tea toward him in a slight gesture, a meaningful smile appearing on his face:

"Welcome back, Mr. Marine. Now, can we... have a proper talk?"