Chapter 92: Defeat You in One Strike

Are you fucking cheating?

In mid-air.

Gao Wen looked at the white smoke filling the distant sky and the fist coated in Armament Haki, unable to stop the corner of his mouth from twitching.

Several months had passed.

Gao Wen had cheated, even gambling his life fighting Hawkeye, just to master Armament Haki, yet Smoker had immediately caught up.

You make this damn system look like an idiot!

Despite the complaint, in the very next instant, Gao Wen's gaze turned sharp.

Smoker had awakened his Haki, causing his combat power to skyrocket far beyond his debut in the original story, but Gao Wen knew clearly that his own rate of progress far surpassed Smoker's.

You have Armament Haki, and so do I, and it's not just Armament Haki!

Hiss—!

Whoosh!

Gao Wen took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Immediately, his charging momentum subsided; his body gradually descended toward the sea surface, but just before plunging into the ocean, he stomped heavily upon the water...

Boom!

A pillar of water shot skyward, reaching dozens of meters high.

Borrowing this force, Gao Wen's already slowed speed suddenly skyrocketed.

The two branch abilities, God Speed and Flash Step, activated simultaneously, combined with his physique that had multiplied several times over and the absolute control over his body granted by Harmony.

Gao Wen's explosive speed was pushed to a terrifying level in an instant.

A sonic boom even rang in his ears; a layer of white water vapor condensed in the air before him, a sign that his speed had touched the sound barrier!

At the same time, a layer of pitch-black Haki coiled around Guanshi Zhengzong, while the silver light symbolizing an ultimate blade slowly ignited.

One capability bypassed the Logia user's elemental intangibility to strike the true body, while the other vastly amplified Gao Wen's slash power; such a configuration was sufficient to pierce the defenses of most Vice Admirals known for defense, and even Warlords of the Sea!

Smoker...

... cannot possibly block this!

"I'll defeat you in one strike!"

Gao Wen's voice reached Smoker's ears.

The look of shock on the latter's face hadn't even fully formed before the white smoke surrounding him, coated in Armament Haki, was torn apart by the edge of Guanshi Zhengzong.

As for the Observation Haki he regarded as his secret weapon, it only transmitted a bone-chilling sense of crisis when Gao Wen had already rushed right in front of him.

Flee! Flee! Flee!

But all of this was ultimately one step too late; the moment Smoker realized something was wrong, a chill had already pierced through his body.

Slash!

A mist of blood erupted from Smoker's chest; a ferocious slash mark cut all the way from his right shoulder down to his lower abdomen, severely damaging every bone, muscle, and internal organ it touched, causing blood to flow everywhere.

Immediately, the white smoke filling the sky dispersed, and Smoker's body fell powerlessly from mid-air.

His vision, however, remained fixed on Gao Wen behind him.

Over the past few months, following Zephyr's guidance, he had gambled his life on training, even mastering Haki, of which he had previously only scratched the surface.

He had thought that even if his strength couldn't crush Gao Wen, he could at least achieve victory, yet in the end, he received such a result...

At this moment, Smoker's heart was filled with nothing but endless frustration.

Splash!

The severely injured Smoker plunged into the surging sea, his life or death unknown.

Gao Wen's figure, however, landed steadily on the deck of the warship.

Ignoring the fear and vigilance on the faces of the marines, he swung his blade to sever the mast, then destroyed the warship's propulsion system before drifting away.

When he finished all this, no one dared to step forward and stop him.

Even Tashigi was shaken by the crimson blood on Gao Wen's blade, unable to speak a single word for a long time.

It was only when that pirate ship in the distance vanished into the vast sea...

... that everyone finally came to their senses; Tashigi looked at her hand gripping the sword, only to discover that both the hilt and the scabbard were trembling continuously.

No.

It isn't the sword trembling.

It's my hand!

Realizing this, Tashigi tightly pressed her lips together.

Even though I gave my all, I couldn't even draw my sword in front of that man?

How can the East Blue have, how is it allowed to have, such a monster?!

It was only when the anxious calls of the surrounding marines reached her ears one after another...

... that Tashigi finally snapped back to reality; looking at the blood slowly rising on the distant sea surface, she immediately became frantic with worry.

"Quick!"

"Divers, get in the water to save people!"

When Smoker regained consciousness...

... night had already fallen.

The wound on his chest had been stitched by the ship's surgeon, but it now emitted waves of burning pain, a sign of infection.

In this era, for most people, an infected wound at sea was practically a death sentence.

Even with Smoker's constitution, he couldn't help but feel his mind grow dull.

"Cough, cough, cough—!"

Glancing at the surroundings and at Tashigi standing beside him, Smoker breathed a sigh of relief:

"Knight Gao Wen, did that fellow not make a move against the people on the warship?"

Tashigi, guarding Smoker's side, looked somewhat dazed and nodded indifferently:

"After you were defeated, Officer, he destroyed the warship's propulsion system and then departed."

"So should I be thanking him for sparing my life?"

Smoker laughed self-mockingly.

This battle began in an unexpected way, yet ended in an even more unexpected manner.

Looking back now, Smoker felt nothing but an indescribable sense of powerlessness in his heart.

He turned his head to gaze out the porthole.

All that met his eyes was the undulating sea and sea beasts occasionally leaping from the water.

Smoker gritted his teeth and said:

"After mastering Haki, my combat strength was no inferior to a Vice Admiral from Headquarters, yet I couldn't even withstand a single move from that fellow."

"Though it's hard to accept, that fellow has now thoroughly established his momentum!"

"The East Blue cannot confine him; even Paradise cannot keep him. The New World is the stage for such a monster."

As he spoke, Smoker instinctively reached into his chest pocket, only to grasp empty air.

Only then did he realize his damaged clothes had been removed and replaced with a set of patient's garments.

The cigars he always carried were placed on the table beside the sickbed, but having been soaked by seawater, they were now unusable.

Smoker顺势 extended his palm to his chest, slowly clenching it into a fist; he exerted force so violently that the veins on his arm bulged, and a creaking sound came from between his fingers.

"Tashigi, this was our mistake, so we must be the ones to personally correct him!"

"But at present, we no longer possess the qualification to engage such a monster..."

"I need power—stronger, invincible power sufficient to crush all pirates and uphold justice!"

"Report this matter to Headquarters, simultaneously request reinforcements from nearby branch bases, and report the incidents involving Labut and Rachet."

Tashigi gripped the long sword in her hand, feeling a surge of power from the hilt, and her gaze gradually grew resolute:

"Yes!"

At the same time.

A small pirate ship was advancing at full speed toward the Red Line.

Gao Wen stood on the deck.

Beside him was Xiang Keluo, the corners of his mouth twitching incessantly:

"That power which turns the blade black and can even directly strike the true body of a Logia user—is that definitely Armament Haki?"

The more he spoke,

the more agitated Xiang Keluo became:

"I was wondering why you were so familiar with Haki."

"Even I, following your method, was able to successfully awaken Observation Haki."

"So you had already mastered it all along, is that it?"

"Then that battle on Para Island before, that fight where I thought I was about to surpass you... were you just toying with me?!"

(End of Chapter)