Chapter 203

As the two struck out, gunshots erupted from the surrounding buildings, followed by several screams before gradually settling into silence.

Silence fell over the area once more.

A few breaths later.

The dust and smoke scattered completely.

Gao Wen's figure reappeared in everyone's sight.

Despite having directly withstood that terrifying explosion just now, not a single speck of dust had stained his clothes.

The long blade at his waist hummed, for at the end of Gao Wen's line of sight, a tall figure was slowly approaching.

Clack!

Clack!

Clack!

Even, steady footsteps drew near from the distance.

Jabra and the others, having dealt with the surrounding fodder, all turned their gazes onto the newcomer.

The towering frame, the meticulously groomed black hair, and the vicious hook on his right wrist all spoke of the newcomer's identity.

Warlord of the Sea - Crocodile.

As one of only two Warlords of the Sea in the current generation whose bounty had not exceeded one hundred million, his strength was undoubtedly severely mismatched with his bounty.

At the very least, merely the aura radiating from him now made Jabra and the others feel uneasy, the hairs on their backs standing on end in that very moment.

"This guy... is strong!"

"Completely different from the opponents we faced before... an overwhelming strength!"

Jabra couldn't help but swallow, yet his gaze remained fixed on Gao Wen standing nearby.

Another Warlord of the Sea, one who even climbed to the position of Warlord by stepping on the shoulders of a former Marine Admiral... could this man win?

"Jabra, you all withdraw first."

Gao Wen waved his hand, his tone indifferent.

Yet the words he spoke caused Jabra's unease to climb to its peak at that very moment.

Let us withdraw first?

Is he worried that the fight will involve us endlessly?

Or does even this man have lost confidence at this moment?

Various baseless associations flashed through Jabra's mind, but in that very instant, his body had already made the most correct judgment.

Flee!

Flee to the rear!

Regardless of the outcome, regardless of the combat comparison, this battle is no longer one we can interfere in.

Staying here would not offer Knight Gao Wen even the slightest help; on the contrary, it would become a burden.

At the same time, Kaku and Miss Kalifa also made the same judgment.

If the Emperors represent the top combat power of the New World pirates, then the ones representing the peak combat power of pirates in the Paradise are the Warlords!

And the two Warlords about to begin battle right now!

"Captain, are you alright?"

Miss Kalifa asked with a hint of concern.

Gao Wen's posture was calm, even revealing a touch of casualness; he said lightly:

"Isn't that a given?"

"Indeed."

Seeing the calmness in Gao Wen's eyes, Miss Kalifa breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately withdrew toward the rear without hesitation.

Crocodile's steps had stopped at some unknown point; having observed everything that just happened, he naturally saw the scene where Miss Kalifa, disguised as Nefertari Vivi, killed Mr. 3.

Looking at his subordinate's corpse, Crocodile showed not the slightest emotion, speaking coldly:

"I told you long ago that those little tricks, once they encounter absolute power, will be ruthlessly crushed, dying without even knowing how they died."

"Tch!"

"In the end, you still have to rely on me to act?"

In the midst of his words.

The cloak behind Crocodile was stirred by the sea breeze, a strand of hair swaying uneasily before his forehead, as his entire aura climbed to its peak in that very moment.

Piercing killing intent whistled through the air, like a thousand steel blades scraping bone.

Clearly, this man, who had once contended with Barrett and even once set Whitebeard as his target, had not yet seen his combat power decline to the level it would be years later when fighting the Straw Hats.

The restless Haki in the air far surpassed that of Kaku and Xiang Keluo.

Hum—!

The restlessness of Guanshi Zhengzong grew even more uneasy.

Since the end of the battle with Kaido several months ago, its blade had not felt the taste of blood for quite some time.

Gao Wen placed one hand on the hilt of Guanshi Zhengzong, suppressing its unease, before looking at Crocodile with interest:

"You are a bit stronger than I thought."

"You are just as arrogant as I imagined."

Crocodile raised his hand, took out a cigar, opened his mouth to exhale a puff of white smoke, and then said lightly:

"That ship in the sea doesn't seem to be yours, so even before the operation began, you had already calculated that you didn't intend to let Nefertari Vivi return alive?"

"Besides a monster-like talent, you also possess such a mind?"

"I'm almost reluctant to kill you."

"How about considering becoming my assistant? If we join forces, even that monster standing at the pinnacle of the New World might not be impossible to overthrow."

Gao Wen shook his head and slowly drew the long blade from his waist.

Zing!

The blade split the air.

Invisible sword qi surged around Gao Wen.

Nowadays his swordsmanship had approached level fifteen; even relying solely on swordsmanship, he was already no inferior to a Marine Vice Admiral.

In this instant, the wind all around suddenly turned biting.

It whipped the sky-full of wind and sand into a frenzy; even around the port, a small sand tornado had coalesced, connecting heaven and earth, roaring forth.

Amid the sound of the wind,

Gao Wen's indifferent voice entered Xiang Keluo's ears.

"For my part, I believe that by myself alone I can match those monsters!"

"Hmph."

The corner of Xiang Keluo's mouth curled into a ferocious smile; the killing intent in his heart, upon seeing Gao Wen's eyes, directly soared to an uncontrollable degree:

"Alike!"

"Too alike!"

"Back then, I rushed headlong into the New World just like this, only to fall before Whitebeard; you simply have not experienced that kind of despair!"

Zing—!

The resonance of Guanshi Zhengzong, at this moment, even drowned out the roaring wind.

"If you speak of the towering peaks standing at the pinnacle, then I have already seen in the East Blue an absolute summit of the world's swordsmanship, and even endured a crushing defeat; but this is the difference between you and me."

Xiang Keluo froze for a moment, the unwillingness in his eyes suddenly erupting:

"If you had experienced all that, you would be just like me; no one can be a match for that kind of monster."

"Tonight, I shall bestow upon you yet another crushing defeat right here!"

As soon as the words landed,

neither of them had the slightest intention of further exchange.

From this moment on, this battle, beyond being a clash over interests, gained an additional layer—a struggle of beliefs and wills!

The next instant,

Clang!

A sudden explosive report rang out in the air.

The golden hook in Xiang Keluo's hand, wreathed in Haki, collided mid-air with Gao Wen's long blade; even faint sparks of lightning flickered in the air.

Boom!

A sky-shaking explosion suddenly erupted in Rapeseed Flower Port; the entire street cracked apart from this single collision between the two.

Even Rob Lucci and Vivi, far outside the port, noticed the commotion over here.

Both strained their eyes into the distance, yet all they saw was the roaring yellow sand within Rapeseed Flower Port.

Rumbling blasts came from afar, nearly bursting the eardrums of the pair.

"Mr. Gao Wen... will he win?"

Even though her heart held an indescribable confidence in Gao Wen, now that the moment had arrived, Vivi's heart still tightened.

Once this battle began, it meant Gao Wen's speculation was correct: Xiang Keluo had never intended to let her return from the very start.

And in this country, the only one capable of fighting Gao Wen was Xiang Keluo himself.

"He will."

Igaram reached out and patted Vivi on the shoulder.

But just as his heart was about to settle, several figures suddenly shot out from the distant dust cloud and landed steadily on the deck.

Jabura turned to look at the distant dust cloud, unable to help showing an expression of lingering fear;

"That guy is strong..."

"Very strong!"

"Even stronger by countless folds than those top-tier monsters I've seen within the CP organization!"

"Simply..."

"Can Mr. Gao Wen win?"

Vivi once again could not help but ask, yet the only reply she received was the silence of Jabura and the other two.

Vivi also understood the answer.

Yet at this very moment,

from the sky-filling dust cloud in the distance, a streak of silver-white blade light shot forth, sweeping past the pirate ship and nearly slicing the sea itself open.

"Retreat!"

"This place is not yet a safe zone!"

"If those two monsters are allowed to go all out, this entire port won't be saved!"

A trace of panic seeped into Jabura's voice; the crew on the pirate ship had just begun to move when they saw that the battle in the distance had already stopped.

"Is it over?"

"No!"

"Something even stronger is coming!"

The perception of that instant made Jabura's scalp go numb.

The next instant.

"Roar—!"

A sky-shaking dragon roar suddenly erupted from the distant port; a ring of sound waves, as if tangible, spread outward in all directions, dispersing the dust cloud that had nearly obscured the entire harbor.

(End of Chapter)