Chapter 117: The Gap

Will's face changed drastically, his pupils contracting sharply. He gritted his teeth and charged straight at Sakazuki without the slightest hesitation.

"Shura Avatar Noble War Chariot!"

Will's roar was mixed with the ear-piercing sound of metal grinding.

In an instant, a suit of gleaming silver armor appeared out of thin air, rapidly covering his entire body.

Strange patterns flowed across the armor, emitting an aura that made one's heart palpitate.

Feeling the power surging within his body, a flash of determination crossed Will's eyes.

In the blink of an eye, the two were within arm's reach.

Will stomped hard on the ground, his legs slightly bent, right arm pulled back gathering power, left hand extended forward to guard his face; his whole body was like a fully drawn bow, poised to strike.

"Hah!" Will shouted explosively, his right fist carrying the force of his entire body smashing out; the air let out a sharp shriek under this thunderous blow.

However, facing this astonishingly powerful punch, Sakazuki merely waved his arm lightly, as if casually swatting away a fly.

"Bang!"

The moment fists collided, a visible shockwave spread outward in all directions with the two at its center. The ground cracked instantly, dust flying everywhere.

"Crack!" The sound of bones shattering rang out.

Will's face turned deathly pale in an instant, as if what he had just struck was not a human body but a mountain.

Tremendous recoil force traveled through his arm to his whole body. He clearly felt cracks appear in his bones in an instant under this force; intense pain swept through his whole body like an electric current.

Boom! The next moment, Will flew backward like a kite with its string cut. His body plowed a deep trench across the ground, rubble flying, dust billowing.

Only after smashing through several buildings did he barely manage to stop.

Will struggled to his feet, violent pain wracking his whole body. He lowered his head for a look, and his pupils instantly shrank — a clearly visible crack had appeared on the armor's right fist.

"How... how is this possible?" Will murmured, his eyes full of disbelief.

This is a defensive Teigu forged by a Super Danger Species a thousand years ago; not a single scratch had appeared on it in a thousand years, yet it suddenly... Will came back to his senses, cold sweat instantly soaking his whole body.

He abruptly raised his head and shouted at the two: "Retreat! This is not an opponent we can handle!"

However, upon hearing this, Sailu's expression instantly twisted. Her eyes were bloodshot, the corners of her mouth split to her ears, revealing a hair-raising smile.

"Retreat? What a joke! Justice never retreats!"

"Xiao Ke!" Sailu abruptly thrust out her right arm, issuing a command.

Xiao Ke erupted into motion, viciously biting onto Sailu's mechanical arm. With a fierce yank, Sailu's arm was pulled out, transforming into a giant drill several times her own size amid a chorus of mechanical whirring.

"Justice Enma Gun!" Sailu laughed wildly, the giant drill howling as it rushed at Sakazuki.

At the same time, Heitong raised his great sword high; in an instant, black lightning shot out from the blade in all directions, as if to tear the air apart.

Sakazuki let out a cold snort, about to act, when suddenly the ground beneath his feet trembled violently.

"Boom!"

With a huge roar, the land beneath Sakazuki's feet instantly shattered, and a thick tongue shot out like an arrow from a bow, precisely entangling his body.

Sakazuki frowned; Observation Haki instantly expanded — a gigantic frog was lurking underground at this moment.

No time to think further; Sailu's giant drill tore through the air with a howl, aiming straight for Sakazuki's throat.

In the split second of clashing sparks, Sakazuki's eyes narrowed, his right foot abruptly lifting and stomping heavily on the ground with a "Bang".

"Rumble!"

The earth instantly collapsed under this terrifying force; spiderweb-like cracks spread rapidly with Sakazuki at the center.

The next moment, bright red blood gushed from the ground's cracks like a fountain, instantly dyeing the surrounding land red.

Borrowing this recoil force, Sakazuki swung his right fist violently. In an instant, pitch-black Armament Haki covered his fist like a tide, emitting a heart-palpitating aura.

"Clang!"

The moment fist and spinning drill collided, a deafening metallic impact resounded across the entire battlefield.

Blinding sparks scattered in all directions, lighting up the surrounding air. A sharp, ear-piercing sound followed, as if to pierce the eardrums of everyone present.

The fanatical smile on Sailu's face had not yet faded when suddenly a crisp "Crack" reached her ears.

Her expression froze instantly, pupils contracting sharply.

She saw dense, fine cracks spreading rapidly like a spiderweb across the giant drill.

"How... how is this possible?" Sailu watched the scene before her in disbelief. The weapon she prided herself on had actually developed cracks under a single punch from the opponent.

Sailu's voice had just fallen when a crisp "Crack" rang out; the drill's tip suddenly burst apart. Fragments scattered flying, tracing bright arcs in the air.

Sakazuki's fist was like a moving mountain, advancing irresistibly forward; the entire drill began to shatter inch by inch.

However, faced with this despair-inducing situation, Sailu not only did not retreat in the slightest, but instead widened her eyes, her gaze tearing with intensity.

She gritted her teeth, a near-bestial roar erupting from deep in her throat: "Justice Execution!"

The moment the words left her mouth, a blinding flare suddenly erupted from the rear of her arm.

With a "Hum", tremendous propulsive force instantly exploded, driving the already collapsing drill to crash violently into Sakazuki.

Under the firelight, Sailu's face twisted even more horrifically.

She gritted her teeth, every muscle in her body tensed to the absolute limit, as if pouring every ounce of strength into this final strike.

Alas, this final struggle was merely futile.

Accompanied by an earth-shaking boom, the drill completely shattered into countless fragments scattering in all directions.

Sailu stared wide-eyed, watching Akainu's fist covered in pitch-black Haki smash toward her unstoppably.

At the critical moment, a streak of white light suddenly tore across the sky, shooting straight at Sailu.

Sailu only felt a blur before her eyes; when she came to her senses, she found herself already in midair.

She subconsciously looked up, only to see Lan gripping her tightly with his sole remaining arm.

At this moment his face was pale, bean-sized beads of sweat emerging; clearly the acceleration just now had reached his limit.

The next second, Sakazuki's cold voice came from behind: "Think you can escape just like that?"

Lan abruptly turned his head, only to see his right fist clenched tight, crimson magma instantly covering his entire arm.

"Dog Devouring Crimson Lotus!"

Sakazuki roared in fury, his right fist blasting out violently.

In an instant, a stream of scalding magma sprayed from his fist, coalescing mid-air into a gigantic molten hound that opened its bloody mouth and lunged at Lan and Sailu.

A scorching air wave rushed their faces; Lan's pupils contracted sharply, yet he shouted without hesitation, "God's Feather!"

In an instant, countless pure-white feathers condensed behind him, forming a massive shield in a heartbeat.

However, faced with such a terrifying attack, Lan felt not a shred of luck in his heart.

He shoved Sailu aside violently, himself blocking the attack's direct path.

"Boom!"

A deafening explosion resounded through the heavens; scorching air waves swept the surroundings, and magma like a frenzied torrent instantly devoured the feather-formed barrier.

(Chapter End)