The Sword Strike That Split the Sea, Black Blue: Ashura!

Blood splattered onto the deck with a pattering sound, like the gentle tapping of the Grim Reaper's beat.

The clamor of moments before vanished in an instant. A deathly silence fell over the sea, broken only by the sea breeze carrying the smell of blood past their ears.

Don Krieg's eyes widened, bloodshot as he stared fixedly at Ivan. Only now did he truly see the power of the man before him.

Gin's bounty was a full twelve million Beli, only five million less than his own. He was the most capable fighter under his command.

Even if Don Krieg fought Gin himself, without relying on poison gas, he would have to endure a desperate battle to defeat him.

But before this man, Gin had been utterly unable to fight back and was killed in an instant.

"Damn it, damn it!" Don Krieg gritted his teeth, forcing a low growl from his throat.

Why is this guy so powerful?

Don Krieg's face stiffened. He instinctively took a step back, then suddenly threw his head back and burst into a crazed laugh:

"Ahahaha! Gin was such a useless piece of trash. He couldn't even deal with a Marine brat.

"Listen up, boys! Whoever kills this guy gets a hundred million Beli, and I'll promote him straight to an officer in the Krieg Pirates!"

With such a great reward before them, the pirates charged at Ivan with bloodshot eyes like a pack of starving beasts, even though they knew they were no match for him.

After all, even on the Sabaody Archipelago in the future, two nameless pirates would try to kill Kizaru with handguns.

And now, in the less worldly East Blue, it was only natural that these pirates, blinded by greed, would choose to rush Ivan together.

What they failed to notice was that, as they charged Ivan, Don Krieg had quietly retreated to the rear.

He would use his men as cannon fodder and have them wear Ivan down first.

Once Ivan was exhausted, Don Krieg would step in himself and cut down this formidable enemy in one stroke.

Of course, if Ivan was killed by the pirates under his command, so much the better!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A barrage of gunshots rang out, and bullets whistled through the air toward Ivan, blotting out the sky.

Holding his long sword, Ivan flicked it lightly and sliced every bullet in two.

Immediately afterward, he murmured, "Blue: Sweeping Blade!"

His figure became a blur, moving at extreme speed.

Amid the relentless assault, he easily evaded every attack while slipping past pirate after pirate like a ghost.

Each time he passed one, a spray of blood burst from the pirate, a bewitching red like a cluster amaryllis blooming freely across the deck and opening the gates to the world of the dead!

At first, the pirates paid it no mind and continued charging fearlessly at Ivan.

But gradually, the smarter pirates realized that dozens of their companions were already dead, yet there was not a single spot of blood on the Marine.

This is terrifying! The gap is too big!

With such an enormous gap between them, no matter how desperately they fought, they could not hurt this Marine.

Their charge was nothing but suicide!

"Ahhh! I don't want the reward anymore! He's a monster!"

When the first pirate turned and fled, the others, their fighting spirit already low, scattered in tears and wails, no longer daring to take another step toward Ivan.

Soon, Ivan stepped through the blood and came before Don Krieg. A cold smile on his face, he said casually:

"It seems this is all the overlord of the East Blue is capable of. In that case, please die, Mr. Don Krieg."

Don Krieg shifted his gaze from Ivan to the bloody hell behind him, his whole body trembling.

He was angry at his own fear, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not drive it away.

Anger, fear, resentment, despair... All manner of negative emotions exploded in his mind, making him lose his reason completely. "You bastard, don't underestimate me!"

He raised a hand and pressed a mechanism. Dozens of pitch-black gun barrels instantly sprang out all over his armor, densely packed and aimed at Ivan.

Don Krieg's eyes were red, and he looked like a madman as he roared with all his strength, "Taste this, M.H.5 poison gas bomb!"

But before he could press the firing switch, his vision suddenly began to spin.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the familiar body clad in golden armor, then saw Ivan, who had appeared behind it at some unknown point.

In the last moment before his consciousness faded, Don Krieg finally realized: Ah, so I'm already dead...

After killing Don Krieg, Ivan unleashed several Flying Slashes, separating his body from the golden armor.

He bent down, picked up the armor, and casually tossed it to Tashigi, who had just jumped aboard the warship. Then he slowly turned around.

Facing the many warships, Ivan raised a hand and swept his short hair back, declaring sternly:

"It's time to end all this!"

Hum! Hum! Hum!

A piercing sword hum suddenly rang out, making the surrounding air tremble.

Ivan's long sword was covered in a deep blue-black hue. "One Sword Style: Black Blue: Ashura!"

The blue-black slash cut through the rain, destroyed the warships, and split the sea, filling everyone's vision.

The whole world began to shake as the sea was conquered by the strong.

When the roaring and shaking finally subsided and the sea grew calm again, everyone stared dumbfounded at the scene before them, forgetting even to breathe.

Dozens of warships had been cleaved in two by the Flying Slash, and countless pirate corpses lay across the shattered decks.

The sea had been split apart, and the waves had swept countless warships into the ocean trench cut open by the slash.

Leaning on Wado Ichimonji, Zoro stood at the edge of the railing on Baratie's deck, staring fixedly at the scene. Lost and unwilling to accept it, he said:

"So this is a true powerhouse... How can he be so strong... How can the gap between us be this big?"

Five thousand people had never been a small number.

What was more, all five thousand were battle-hardened pirates.

For the next three hours, Ivan raced nonstop to every corner of the battlefield using Blue: Geppo, killing every pirate he encountered.

Even so, a few pirates still escaped amid the chaos of the battlefield. Ivan did not mind these small fry, though; without the protection of their pirate crew, they would soon be caught by other Marines.

After all that, Ivan lay on a sun lounger, gasping for breath and stuffing himself with cola and roast meat.

After three hours of continuous fighting, even with his current physical condition, he was exhausted.

Of course, the fighting afterward to kill the pirate underlings had not actually taken much stamina. He had spent most of it on the single strike that had completely crushed the pirates' will to fight.

That strike had been well worth it.

If not for that strike, dealing with pirates still capable of fighting back would only have been more troublesome.

After resting for a while and recovering his strength, Ivan simply left Zoro at the Baratie Sea Restaurant, then began the return voyage under everyone's awed gazes.

Come to think of it, when he got back this time, he should be able to meet a legend of the pirate world, Marine Vice Admiral Garp the Hero!