Chapter 428: Fourth Gear: Snake Man!

Accompanied by Ah Jin's low moan, dense rows of blade-like bone spines erupted from his body, blooming like flowers, appearing ferocious and sinister.

"What... what is this?!"

"A Devil Fruit user?!"

Straw Hat raised his hand, pressing down the brim of his hat, his gaze beneath it remaining fixed on Ah Jin.

Since debuting in the East Blue, he had fought countless strong foes, making a name for himself at the Summit War; even afterward, Gabareli had been a supreme powerhouse who once roamed the seas.

But this was the first time he truly faced an opponent at the Admiral level; the oppressive pressure Ah Jin brought was nearly strong enough to stop him from breathing.

Crack, crack, crack—!

The bone spines enveloping Ah Jin shattered into powder.

Scattering with the wind.

The colossal figure hidden within the bone spines now appeared before everyone.

Three heads and six arms; his upper body resembled a knight clad in pitch-black armor, while his lower body took the form of a horse, his shoulder height exceeding ten meters directly.

"What is this thing?"

"A monster?! Or an unheard-of rare race?!"

"No!"

In the spectator stands.

After the initial shock, the crowd gradually came to their senses.

They widened their eyes, staring at Ah Jin in the center of the arena, yet remained utterly stunned!

Some thought of rare races, but others thought of Devil Fruits.

"No, he's a Devil Fruit user; that fellow is likely a user of some Mythical Zoan type. Only a Mythical Zoan could display such a bizarre form."

"It must be so!"

"To think we could witness this here; as expected of a great general under Knight Gao Wen!"

In the spectator stands.

Kaido's gaze fell upon Ah Jin, his pupils contracting slightly.

Regarding intelligence on Britannias, he knew somewhat; as for intelligence on Ah Jin, Gao Wen's right-hand man, it was a Top Priority.

"I recall that fellow wasn't a Zoan type, but a Paramecia user, the Bone Man who ate the Bone-Bone Fruit."

"Such a bizarre form... Is this a secondary development built upon the foundation of a Paramecia?!"

"No!"

Redfield crossed his arms, his gaze fixed on Ah Jin, seeing more than Kaido did:

"Not only that; although he hasn't displayed the Paramecia's hallmark trait of dominating the environment, there is no doubt that being able to achieve this degree means the fellow has likely awakened."

"And this Armament Haki that dyes every inch of his black hair completely black... I have seen it on only one man."

"Black Arm Zephyr!"

"Using such a trump-card ultimate move right from the start?!"

Redfield's eyes narrowed slightly:

"Straw Hat boy..."

Regarding Straw Hat, Redfield held a measure of goodwill.

After all, he was a man acknowledged by Brook, his former guide, and had risked offending the World Government to liberate him from Impel Down.

Although there was an element of transaction, he acknowledged this debt of gratitude.

Moreover, Redfield had now vaguely perceived that the person the remnants of the Roger Pirates were awaiting was none other than Straw Hat.

Or rather, it was some ability still slumbering within Straw Hat.

"If he lacks a stronger trump card, Straw Hat has no chance in this battle."

The conversation between the two was not concealed.

Kid, standing nearby, heard every word clearly.

Originally, he should not have wished for Straw Hat to win; after all, for someone like him, being subordinate to another was no different from humiliation.

But at this moment, watching Ah Jin stand before Straw Hat, displaying such a domineering posture, Kid did not wish for this battle to end so ingloriously.

"At least..."

"He must live up to the bold words he proclaimed!"

"Straw Hat!"

"Hm?!"

Suddenly.

Kid noticed a faint, almost imperceptible gaze falling upon him.

He turned to look, but saw only Sabo, holding a water pipe in one hand and steadying his hat with the other, hastily turning and departing.

"You..."

Just as Kid was about to speak and inquire, a sudden roar erupted from the arena in the distance!

Boom—!

A spiraling bone spear shot past Straw Hat's face, skidding along the surface of the Colosseum before embedding itself root-deep into the surrounding walls!

The entire arena was shaken by this strike; the ground trembled, causing countless spectators to lose their seats, stirring up immediate unrest!

"Monster!"

"This fellow directly shook the entire arena!"

"The spectator stands... are no longer safe!"

Ah Jin's fighting style was broad and sweeping; relying on the Bone-Bone Fruit's modification of his body, he unleashed his power to the fullest.

In terms of pure physical strength alone, he even surpassed the current Gao Wen.

In his Skeleton Knight form, the thrown bone spears already possessed the power to instantly pierce through several Shanfeng.

Clomp!

Clomp!

Clomp!

The Skeleton Knight's front hooves tapped the ground restlessly as Ah Jin looked down upon Straw Hat from above, fully displaying the domineering presence of a Yonko-level powerhouse.

It was this very strike that completely tore apart the trace of playfulness on Straw Hat's face.

This was not an opponent one could deal with easily, but a legend reigning over the seas, one of the powerhouses closest to becoming a King!

Realizing this, Straw Hat's face lost every hint of a relaxed smile, leaving only Solemn, Solemn, and Solemn:

"This guy... is strong!"

"Unimaginably, invincibly powerful!"

The Ah Jin before his eyes even made Straw Hat recall the oppressive pressure he had faced when confronting a Navy Admiral back at the Sabaody Archipelago.

All because of that identical strength!

Yet the confidence in Straw Hat's eyes had not diminished in the slightest!

"But..."

"I have also been reborn!"

"Hiss—!"

Straw Hat took a deep breath, bit through his fingertip, and then fiercely blew a massive amount of air into his body.

His arms swelled like balloons, expanding to the size of a house within a few breaths, even larger than a giant's arms!

"Gear Third - Bone Balloon!"

Jet-black Haki coiled around them, making them appear even more formidable.

Just a few months ago, he had relied on this very move to blast open the gates of Impel Down with a single punch.

But now, his opponent was Ah Jin!

Ah Jin, a Yonko-level powerhouse!

"If this kind of juggling ability is your trump card, then I'm afraid your journey ends here!"

"Gao Wen... is the savior!"

Crack-crack-crack—!

Bones ground together, emitting a piercing noise.

Ah Jin raised his six arms; bone spikes extended from his palms, intertwining with each other, and in an instant transformed into a full six spiral bone spears!

"Six shots?!"

"This guy is insane!"

From the spectator stands, directly facing Ah Jin's position, came a wave of panicked voices.

Everyone was nearly scared out of their wits!

A single bone spear was enough to shake the entire arena; launching six at once...

"He's going to tear apart the Colosseum!"

Amidst the crowd's panicked cries, the six bone spears in Ah Jin's hands shot forth.

Whoosh—!

Even with four hooves supporting his body, the powerful recoil caused Ah Jin to slide backward for nearly a hundred meters before barely coming to a stop.

Such tremendous kinetic energy resulted in power sufficient to shake heaven and earth.

Straw Hat, standing at the center of the attack, saw his expression change drastically!

This was because the six bone spears shooting straight at him had completely sealed off all his room for evasion.

In other words, this move... could only be met head-on!

This was a collision of raw power!

Ah Jin's dominance, as well as his fighting style, had been laid bare from the very beginning!