Bang—
Wilton staggered back uncontrollably, his face flushed as he gritted his teeth. His mind and will felt as though they had sunk into a swamp, while endless darkness assailed him from all sides.
Kneel.
Sleep.
You were nothing but an ordinary person. Your life should have been ordinary. You should have been chaff, an ant, submissive. Just lie down, and you would feel comfortable.
Denial, temptation, collapse.
Wilton's will was being destroyed. He seemed to see a lofty emperor demanding that he kneel and submit.
To rule his life and enslave his soul.
Involuntarily.
Under that suffocating pressure that reached into his soul, Wilton dropped to one knee, bracing both hands against the ground as sweat poured down his back and he panted heavily.
This was powerful.
His consciousness was gradually blurring.
"Major General Wilton."
"What happened?"
To the outside world, Wilton had suddenly dropped to one knee without warning. He was drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, as if he were suffering some horrific torture.
Cold sweat covered his entire body.
His face was filled with terror and fear.
"Conqueror's Haki."
When it came to experience and knowledge, Buggy was still the best. At a glance, he recognized that Wilton was suffering an assault of will from the World's Most Evil Man.
And it was a one-on-one assault.
He had not expected this guy called Wilton to not only remain conscious instead of passing out immediately, but to resist so stubbornly.
"Fuck you. Even in my past life, I had guts. We all have one head on our shoulders. Push me too far, and we'll die together."
"I finally got transmigrated and had the chance to become someone above others, yet you still want to oppress me."
"You've gone too far."
Wilton felt as if his chest were about to explode. Defiance surged violently within him as he roared inwardly. Just as his other leg was about to buckle, something exploded in his mind.
It was as though some kind of shackle had opened a crack.
His ambition was to become the lord of the world, someone whose words became law, whose command none dared defy, someone who would unify the world. How could he be intimidated into submission by mere Conqueror's Haki?
A transmigrator with a Golden Finger—he had the absolute template of a chosen one. He possessed absolute confidence and absolute superiority.
"Fuck you."
"One word: fight!"
Where there was oppression, there was resistance.
A cornered rabbit would bite, and when an ordinary man flew into a rage, blood would be spilled within five steps.
They were both human. They both had one life. Why should he submit?
Humiliated into fury, Wilton's curse weakened the pressure weighing on him.
"Explosive Double Axes."
The entire warship sank downward as Wilton clenched his dumbbell and launched himself forward, charging fearlessly at Dragon. From the very start, he went all out.
Unlike when he had dealt with Luffy, Buggy, and Bartholomew, he no longer held anything back.
Visible to the naked eye.
Wilton raised his dumbbell high, and two enormous phantom dumbbells appeared above his head. Each was estimated to be a hundred meters tall, covered in dark bluish-black Armament Haki.
Even the air seemed to explode from the compression.
Bang—
Dragon raised his right arm, coating it in Armament Haki, and firmly blocked Wilton's dumbbell. His fierce expression shifted slightly before he shot like a cannonball toward the harbor.
Explosions rang out one after another, and billowing smoke soared into the sky.
He had not expected Wilton to withstand his Conqueror's Haki, nor for his strength to be so great. It far surpassed what a Marine Headquarters major general should possess.
"Dumbbell Charge."
The air tore apart.
Wilton swung out a hundred-meter dumbbell shockwave, sending it straight at Dragon as he emerged from the dust. That guy had taken Wilton's all-out Explosive Double Axes head-on without a scratch.
His hands were not even red or swollen.
"Your strength far exceeds that of a major general."
Dragon vanished from where he stood. When he reappeared, he was already behind Wilton, while a massive crater formed where he had been standing and rubble and gravel shot through the air.
Fortunately, there were not many people nearby.
During the earlier standoff, Smoker had already ordered the Marines to evacuate the civilians. Now, he frowned tightly as he puffed on the three cigars in his mouth. He had never expected Dragon to appear here.
"Feverish Spin."
Wilton did not answer Dragon. Instead, he spun rapidly on the spot, instantly sending two massive area-of-effect slashing shockwaves spreading in all directions without blind spots, their power like a tsunami.
Dragon's response to this attack was brutally straightforward. His bulging hands were coated in Armament Haki as he forcibly blocked it, then vanished in the blink of an eye and appeared above Wilton.
"Iron Body."
Wilton's entire body entered Iron Body, Armament Haki spreading over his hands and head as he raised his dumbbell. The next second, Dragon's right foot came crashing down like the collapse of heaven.
The tremendous force knocked the dumbbell from Wilton's hands. It shot like a streak of light down the street without losing momentum, smashing through building after building before finally coming to rest at the end of a broad path it had carved.
Cough, cough, cough.
Climbing out of the dust, Wilton shook his head, feeling dizzy and disoriented. That kick had hurt badly.
Good thing he was tough enough.
Among the countless powerful Marines, half died because of Iron Body, and there was a reason for that. When one was forced to use Iron Body, it meant one could not keep up with the opponent's speed, or that the opponent was simply stronger.
When there was nowhere to evade, activating Iron Body could still save one's life. Without it, death came on the spot.
Moreover, Iron Body and Armament Haki were different.
It could be said that Iron Body strengthened basic defense and improved the body's ability to take hits, using the body itself to absorb attacks. Armament Haki was like a shield: the shield took the attack first, and only when it could not withstand it did the body bear the blow.
Iron Body worked from the inside out, while Armament Haki worked from the outside in.
The two could be combined and stacked.
A boom tore through the air.
Wilton's expression tightened slightly. He rolled away in a sorry state as Dragon appeared, his right foot buried deep in the ground. The surrounding surface rapidly cracked and heaved upward. Seeing Wilton evade the kick, Dragon immediately swept low across the ground.
"Feverish Spin."
Supporting himself with his left hand, Wilton swiftly flipped back onto his feet. He gripped his remaining dumbbell in his right hand and spun once, sending another ring-shaped slashing shockwave expanding outward without blind spots.
Dragon, who was charging in, remained just as overbearing. Both hands were coated in boiling Armament Haki as he forcibly twisted aside the area-of-effect slashing shockwave, then arrived before Wilton like lightning.
Amid an earsplitting tearing sound, Dragon launched a straight kick. It looked plain and unremarkable, but to Wilton, the pressure was overwhelming. The air could visibly be seen warping.
Damn it.
Facing the danger rushing at him, Wilton did not cower. Instead, his blood boiled even hotter. He gripped his remaining dumbbell with both hands and swung it down as though splitting heaven and earth.
In an instant.
The ground within five hundred meters collapsed. A powerful invisible shockwave surged outward like an overturning sea and collapsing mountain. At the moment of collision, the dumbbell flew from his hands, and Wilton felt both arms go numb with piercing pain.
He had been maintaining Iron Body the entire time.
Fortunately, Explosive Double Axes had a slowing effect. Even if it lasted only a second, it gave Wilton a chance to catch his breath. Otherwise, things would have gone badly for him.
"Looks like I underestimated you."
Dragon's fierce eyes were filled with surprise. He had not expected his opponent to withstand his attacks.
Furthermore, the opponent's attacks were somewhat strange. They seemed capable of affecting his speed. It was very peculiar.
Pressing his advantage.
Dragon spun and delivered a side kick. Wilton hurriedly crossed his arms before himself to block, but the force was too immense, like a towering mountain crashing into him.
Unable to deflect the impact, Wilton's arms slammed solidly into his own chest. After a dull thud, he spat out blood and was sent flying sideways.
Building after building collapsed.
Several streets were torn apart and shattered once more.
Not giving Wilton any chance to catch his breath, Dragon rapidly appeared and threw a mighty punch. This time, Wilton did not take it head-on, instead relying on Observation Haki to dodge awkwardly.
He used his second skill again.
Even barehanded, he unleashed two area-of-effect slashing shockwaves.
Dragon was like a humanoid beast. He braced against them with unyielding brutality, then his foot, wrapped in Armament Haki, savagely kicked at Wilton. At the critical moment, Wilton raised his hands to block...
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