Chapter 137: Xiang Gaowen vs. Zephyr
Smoker, having narrowly escaped disaster by turning into smoke, slowly landed on the gradually sinking warship, the rage and unwillingness in his eyes growing even more intense:
"Damn it!"
"Kid, you are no match for him; this battle... Hm?!"
Zephyr grabbed Smoker and held him down, turning his head just as he was about to spit some fierce words, only to see Xiang Gaowen flap his wings and soar away, speeding into the distance.
Zephyr's old face turned dark, nearly losing his composure on the spot.
So were all those fierce words just farting around?!
Watching the crimson dragon in the sky fly further away, Zephyr, with a blackened face, gritted his teeth and said:
"Ain, you stay behind to handle the rescue; Smoker, Binz, let's give chase!"
"Yes!"
A few minutes later.
A giant dragon roared as it swept across the sea surface; several cannonballs grazed past his scales, plunged into the water, splashing up high columns of spray, only to be immediately shattered by Xiang Gaowen.
He even took a moment to look back at Zephyr on the ship, whose face was as black as charcoal, a faint smile playing on the corner of his mouth.
Since he had decided to fight, the battlefield naturally could not be chosen on the sea; after all, only an island with abundant ley line energy could bring the Crimson Dragon's abilities to their utmost limit!
Very soon.
An island dozens of kilometers in diameter appeared within Xiang Gaowen's line of sight, causing his eyes to brighten slightly.
This was simply because the entire island was covered in lush vegetation, with birds and beasts frequently flying out from the forests, brimming with vigorous vitality.
And the more sufficient the ley line energy, the more suitable the place was for living creatures to survive.
Xiang Gaowen immediately decided to choose this place as the battlefield.
He folded his wings and landed on the island like a meteor.
Feeling the ley line energy flowing beneath the earth, the corner of his mouth gradually curled up into a smile.
"If it is here..."
"As long as he cannot finish me off in one second, then by the end of the battle, the winner can only be me!"
Having said that.
Xiang Gaowen lifted his dragon head and unleashed a scorching breath of dragon fire toward the several warships gradually approaching from the distance, but it was blocked by Zephyr using the Smasher in his hand.
Seizing the opportunity, Zephyr leaped up from the deck and landed steadily on the sandy beach.
Feeling the intense heat transmitting from the Smasher.
Zephyr's gaze gradually turned cold:
"Such ferocious abilities... coming to the East Blue this time was the right move; keeping you alive will surely bring disaster to this world!"
"Pirates are indeed the source of all evil in this world!"
Xiang Gaowen slowly reverted to his human form, one hand resting on the long blade at his waist.
Now, in a direct confrontation, he was still more accustomed to relying on his swordsmanship rather than his Human-Beast Form.
He could not help but retort:
"Then, Mr. Zephyr, who exactly is it that created the pirates?!"
"One Piece!"
"Before One Piece appeared, did pirates not exist in this world?!"
Zephyr paused, momentarily unable to find a suitable reason, yet he refuted Xiang Gaowen's words:
"Talking too much is useless."
"No matter what, we cannot allow you to continue growing!"
In the next instant, Zephyr moved.
Even dragging the heavy Smasher and burdened by an old, sickly body, his speed remained as fast as swift thunder.
In merely a few breaths, he surged forward to appear before Xiang Gaowen, swinging the Smasher on his right arm to strike Xiang Gaowen.
Whoosh!
Merely the air waves triggered by Zephyr's movement blew Xiang Gaowen's head of golden hair.
His momentum was as fierce as a galloping giant beast; with every gesture and movement, he fully displayed the wild power of a top-tier martial arts expert.
Clang!
Xiang Gaowen swung his blade to block Zephyr's attack, yet he was still shaken by that force until his arm went numb.
Borrowing the momentum, he retreated dozens of meters; before he had even stabilized his stance, Zephyr's next wave of assault arrived once again.
This time, Xiang Gaowen even saw a bullet casing ejected from the Smasher, the internal mechanisms spinning wildly inside, emitting a numbing sound, its power now incomparable to before.
"This thing cannot be taken head-on!"
The corner of Xiang Gaowen's mouth twitched; he activated Flash Step, appearing instantly in the distance, and upon looking back, he saw Zephyr's heavy and powerful strike smash heavily onto the ground...
Boom!
The earth instantly cracked, spiderweb-like fissures spreading outward in all directions, and the ground centered on Zephyr sank by several meters at this moment.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
After a series of heavy footsteps, Zephyr walked out of the giant crater, looked at Xiang Gaowen in the distance, and grinned viciously:
"It has been a long time since I went all out; the next strike will finish you!"
"That is exactly what I intend!"
Xiang Gaowen sheathed his blade, and his entire aura became increasingly sharp.
Clack!
The blade sprang out half an inch, emitting a crisp sound.
The next instant.
Zephyr suddenly launched an attack, shattering the floor with a stomp, instinctively using Shave, a technique he had cultivated for many years.
He struck down with another fist, yet Xiang Gaowen's figure had vanished from before his eyes.
Zephyr's brows knitted tightly, yet his heart was stunned by Xiang Gaowen's speed.
The words "extremely fast" seen in Xiang Gaowen's file now had a true reflection in this moment.
Even among the opponents he had fought in his entire life, few could achieve this level, and the vast majority of those relied on Devil Fruit abilities!
"To comprehend such a technique relying solely on oneself?!"
"Then you must not be left alive—!"
A streak of silver light interrupted Zephyr's words; subconsciously, he raised his Crusher to block before him...
Ding!
After the deafening clash, the blade of Guanshi Zhengzong embedded directly into the Crusher.
Zephyr's pupils contracted sharply, and his wariness toward Xiang Gaowen soared to an unparalleled height!
It must be known that during the forging of the Crusher, a large amount of Seastone was mixed in; its hardness could nearly compare to diamond, and it even possessed toughness far exceeding that of diamond. Even top-tier sword masters would find it difficult to destroy!
"The next strike will finish you!"
Xiang Gaowen's voice was indifferent; atop the Guanshi Zhengzong in his hand, a faint fluorescent glow emanated, the symbol of an Extreme Weapon activating.
The slashing ability of the Sword God was raised to its utmost limit!
"Arrogant brat!"
Zephyr smiled faintly, the corners of his mouth splitting into a ferocious arc; Armament Haki, cultivated to perfection, suddenly activated, dyeing the Crusher pitch-black, whereupon he surged against Xiang Gaowen's slash.
Xiang Gaowen likewise feared not in the slightest; wielding the long blade in his hand, his fighting spirit surged, and within an instant, he exchanged several hundred moves with Zephyr!
One was wild and domineering, having cultivated Armament Haki to perfection; though aged, his power remained overwhelmingly strong!
The other wielded a sharp blade, cutting through everything in sight; though still young, his momentum lost nothing in comparison!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Amidst the continuous sounds of collision, the entire island shook.
From time to time, streaks of sword qi shot outward, shocking the Marines present immensely.
"He actually... he actually can fight Instructor Zephyr to this degree?!"
!
"East Blue..."
"East Blue..."
Binz slurred his words.
Having followed Zephyr for many years, he had witnessed countless pirates with bounties over a hundred million, even over a billion, easily crushed by Zephyr.
But a man who did not fall short in momentum like the one before him, even searching through all the memories in his mind, there was only this single one.
At this very moment.
He finally understood why Knight Xiang Gaowen, this rookie with a bounty of merely two hundred million, would attract such great attention from the Marines!
A bounty could often represent a pirate's combat strength, yet it was not accurate every time!
At least for the Xiang Gaowen before his eyes, even adding a zero to this figure would not be excessive!
"This cannot continue!"
Smoker's face was solemn.
Simply because for Zephyr at this moment, being evenly matched was equivalent to being at a disadvantage.
Even more, if he could not defeat his opponent within a short time, the only path awaiting Zephyr was failure.
He was old.
That aged body could no longer support him in conducting high-intensity combat for long periods.
"At the very least, that fellow must be kept here!"
Smoker's gaze fell upon Xiang Gaowen.
Originally in his eyes, Xiang Gaowen was a different kind of pirate, but once the matters of the Goa Kingdom were investigated, he abandoned such thoughts.
To drag an entire nation into the abyss merely for a few guards who had offended the king.
Such a person...
Such a person...
"I cannot approve!"
The next instant.
Smoker leaped up from the deck, transforming into rolling white smoke, and killed his way toward the distant Xiang Gaowen.
The Seastone jitte in his hand thrust out, filling the sky with black shadows, yet all that met the eye was a single white blade!
"Get lost!"
Xiang Gaowen roared in anger, directly slashing toward Smoker with one cut.
Hiss!
A line of blood burst open from Smoker's chest, and the Seastone jitte in Smoker's hand was also sliced in two by Xiang Gaowen!
"Gah!"
"The gap... the gap... how can the gap be so enormous!"
Accompanied by a voice filled with unwillingness, Smoker collapsed dejectedly to the ground, blood flowing along his body and seeping through the cracks in the earth into the seawater.
"Smoker!"
Zephyr's heart burned with anxiety; after manipulating his Crusher to send Xiang Gaowen flying, he rushed forward to check Smoker's injuries, and upon confirming a faint breath remained, he turned his gaze toward Xiang Gaowen.
At this moment, he felt the fury in his chest was nearly enough to set him ablaze.
Watching his disciple fall before his eyes once again, he could not suppress the memory of that nightmare-like night several years ago, and of that pirate who wielded a long blade, possessed deficient intellect, yet boasted strength monstrous enough to rival a beast.
That opponent had, right before his eyes, killed the students on the ship one by one.
That sense of powerlessness and despair had once even made him doubt whether his brand of non-lethal justice held any meaning at all.
As two shadows overlapped before his eyes, Zephyr lost his reason in that instant:
"As expected, pirates are the culprits bringing disaster to this world, the arch-criminals creating countless tragedies!"
He let out a hysterical roar; his Armament Haki, cultivated to the extreme, twisted into streams of energy that enveloped his entire body like armor clad from head to toe.
The Crusher operated at full capacity, ejecting three casings in succession, while its interior, due to the excessive strain on performance, spewed scalding steam from the pressure relief valve.
All of this exchanged for terrifyingly extreme power!
"I will kill you!"
Before the sound of his voice had even faded.
Zephyr's figure had already appeared beside Xiang Gaowen, the exaggeratedly shaped Crusher in his hand smashing heavily down upon Xiang Gaowen!
Boom!
One strike landed.
The earth surrounding Zephyr sank violently at this moment, even causing underground springs to gush forth; like a series of fountains, the cracked ground extended all the way to the limit of vision!
Even Binz and the others standing on the ship felt the ground beneath them shake at this moment, their hearts already stunned by this strike of Zephyr.
"That guy is dead for sure!"
Having spoken, Binz suddenly thought of Smoker and urgently shouted:
"Quick!"
"Go save him!"
(End of Chapter)
End of Chapter
