Hero!

"Oh."

Naito narrowed his eyes slightly. That bombardment had some serious power.

As expected of top-tier warships capable of carrying out a Buster Call, the firepower of those five ships alone was enough to flatten the island.

On the distant island.

In the civilian district far from the bay, pale, emaciated people stared blankly at the fireworks blooming in the distance, their expressions numb.

Meanwhile, in the most magnificent palace beside the harbor covered by artillery fire, a figure hurriedly pushed open the palace doors.

"Captain! A Marine fleet is attacking! The whole harbor's already been blown to pieces!"

"Marines?"

Inside the brightly lit palace, the man seated on the lavish throne slowly rose to his feet. He pulled a gigantic two-handed battle-axe from where it stood embedded in the floor beside the throne.

"What are the Marines doing in this godforsaken place?"

He was a remarkably tall man, over five meters in height, with bulging muscles, a beefy face, and a full beard.

He was none other than the captain of the Leonard Pirates, Black Axe Leonard!

"Who cares what the Marines are here for, Captain?!"

The man who had rushed over to warn him felt like crying but had no tears. "The point is, all our ships have been blown up! We have nowhere to run!"

"Run?"

Dragging his battle-axe behind him, Leonard strode out through the palace doors. He raised his head and gazed at the sky dyed red. "Who the hell do you think I am?! Those Marines who don't know when to quit are the ones who'll be running for their lives!"

"Gather everyone!"

He tightened his grip on his battle-axe and swung it hard. A long, narrow crescent slash tore through the air, turning a cannonball falling toward them into fireworks blooming in the sky.

"Get ready for battle!"

"...Yes, Captain!"

The pirate who had brought the warning could do nothing about it. His captain was just too stubborn!

But now they really had nowhere to run. All they could do was fight!

He hurried away.

As he left, figures began approaching from all directions. The officers had arrived.

"I've been bored out of my mind lately anyway."

The corners of Leonard's mouth rose high. His thick beard was as stiff as steel needles, making his smile look even more savage.

"Come on, Marines! Come and fight me to the-"

"What's the rush? I'm here, aren't I?"

A lazy voice came from above.

A figure landed lightly in the courtyard ahead.

His Justice Coat fluttered in the wind, the handsome youth wore a languid expression. "Are you really that eager to die?"

Leonard's expression went from surprise to astonishment. He sized Naito up, and after noticing the epaulets on his coat, he gave a mocking smile. "A major? Hahaha, is your kind all the Marines sent to their deaths?"

"You don't know how lucky you are."

The corners of Naito's mouth curled up as he said leisurely, "Dying by my hand will be the greatest honor of your life."

The other pirate officers couldn't get here. Instructor Zephyr and the others had gone to intercept them.

This was a one-on-one fight between him and the bearded man before him.

"Hahahaha! When I chop you in half, I hope you're still talking that tough!"

The fierce, burly man laughed wildly. The next instant, the ground exploded beneath his feet, and his massive body shot through the air like a cannonball. His battle-axe, coated in pitch-black Haki, was already sweeping toward Naito's waist.

Fast.

But not too fast to react to.

Naito jumped lightly, and the battle-axe swept beneath his feet.

He clenched his right fist and drew it back, pitch-black Haki wrapping around it.

"Serious Punch."

The utterly sincere fist slammed into Leonard's forehead in an instant.

No, Leonard had deliberately met Naito's fist with his forehead, which was pitch-black.

Crackle!

As tiny bolts of Haki lightning danced between them, Naito felt an enormous force travel up from his fist.

"Ugh!"

Naito was sent flying by the impact.

His Haki was at a high level, and his physical strength was quite astonishing too.

He was worthy of his bounty of over 500 million. It seemed Vice Admiral Simon had misjudged himself somewhat; his strength couldn't compare to the man before Naito at all.

Yes, about Tobi Roppo level.

Enough to stand alongside Anthony and Salt.

As Naito pondered, the enormous battle-axe came chopping down from above.

"Die, brat!"

Leonard laughed maniacally.

Naito didn't dodge. Activating Life Return, he twisted his body in midair, finding leverage out of nowhere, and lashed his right leg against the side of the battle-axe like a steel whip.

Serious Kick!

Clang!

A tremendous crash shook the palace, and the resulting blast of air swept the courtyard spotless.

Naito was sent flying again like a struck baseball. He spun through the air several times before finally landing, looking disheveled. He frowned, seemingly deep in thought.

Leonard's face darkened slightly.

This brat was unusually strong, yet impossibly young. There was no way he was an ordinary Marine major.

Something wasn't right.

Where had this fleet come from?

Just then, Naito suddenly looked up, his expression gradually relaxing. "In that case, I understand completely."

He declared, "Then I've won."

"What?"

A trace of surprise visibly appeared on Leonard's hard face.

"Normally, I should fight you to the bitter end, finally grasping the trick only after being driven into a desperate situation, then make a breakthrough and defeat you in one fell swoop. But..."

Naito raised his right hand, holding his forearm upright before him, and slowly clenched his fist. "That's how the weak think."

"For the strong, this is enough! Now, flow."

He was giving an order.

There was no need to release his Haki anymore, no need to laboriously move it bit by bit.

More than a week of training had finally borne fruit in those two insignificant clashes.

As he'd said, he had only been one step away. All he had to do was lift his foot and step across.

Invisible ripples, tinged a faint icy blue, undulated around Naito's pitch-black fist.

Chapter 25: Hero!

"What... is that?"

Leonard stared at the invisible ripples coiling around Naito's fist, somewhat dumbfounded.

Armament Haki Emission?

But this brat's forearm is pitch-black. He's already using Hardening, so why use Emission too?

"Like I said, a frog at the bottom of a well."

Naito spoke with a hint of pity.

For the vast majority of Haki users, Armament Haki Hardening was already the limit.

Not only was that as far as ordinary people could go, but few people even knew Advanced Armament Haki existed.

"A frog at the bottom of a well?"

Leonard smiled cruelly. "You ignorant brat, you think you can bluff me?"

His legs shattered the ground as he shot into the air like a cannonball. The next moment, he fell like a meteor, gripping his battle-axe with both hands and chopping down with the force of wind and thunder. "Die."

Naito merely raised his left hand casually.

Boom!

The ground beneath their feet shattered in an instant. Rocks of all sizes flew like cannonballs, thick cracks spread out like a spiderweb, and the magnificent palace began to collapse as it shook violently.

"How is that possible?!"

Leonard's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as a scream of disbelief erupted from deep in his throat.

His pitch-black battle-axe, which he had swung down with all his strength, had been caught!

Its sharpest edge had been caught effortlessly by that brat's slender left hand!

How could this happen?!

"That's why I called you a frog at the bottom of a well. How could you know how vast the world is?"

Naito grinned uninhibitedly.

I'm terrifyingly strong now!

Instructor Zephyr had been absolutely right. Naito's Haki reserves had always far exceeded those of ordinary people, and once he'd mastered flowing Armament Haki, his strength had immediately undergone a qualitative leap!

Even mastering the technique of Internal Destruction couldn't possibly give him another increase that dramatic. At most, it would be the icing on the cake.

Once he could freely concentrate all the Haki in his body and put it to use, both his defense and attack power had improved by leaps and bounds in the truest sense!

"What a joke! How could the world possibly be that vast?!"

Overwhelmed by shock and rage, Leonard had nearly lost his mind. He released his battle-axe and came at Naito with his fists swinging.

Haki surged around Naito's right foot, and combined with the Soru technique, propelled his body forward like lightning.

Leonard saw a dark blur flash before his eyes, and Naito had already leaped in front of him.