Chapter 1227: Our Ideal Village...
Chapter 1227: Our Ideal Village...
Surrender
Zang Jing froze.
He hadn't expected those words to come from the mouth of the 'Scorching Disaster'.
And yet they'd been spoken so matter-of-factly!
"Justice? What justice does the World Government have!"
Zang Jing tightened his grip on his dual blades, crouched low, then sprang upward, his swords raised high. Infusing them with Haki, he descended like a wisp of black thunder.
"Thunder Arc!!"
He growled, "Lose yourself in my thunderous strike!"
"Swordsman."
Jin narrowed his eyes, raising his Long Blade to block. With a sharp click, the twin blades became lodged in the serrated teeth along the upper half of his weapon, their edges firmly caught.
Jin twisted his blade sideways, unleashing tremendous force that sent Zang Jing flying.
"Oh?"
He glanced sideways, surprised. "You didn't even drop your swords. Not bad."
Rolling backward several times, Zang Jing sprang to his feet, eyes narrowing at the Long Blade in Jin's hands. "You're using such unorthodox methods. You're not a true swordsman!"
Jin lifted his Long Blade. "I never claimed to be one. Winning is all that matters."
The blade slashed downward, releasing a wispy arc straight toward Zang Jing.
"This?" Zang Jing clicked his tongue, crossing his dual blades to block.
"Flame Emperor!"
As Zang Jing prepared to parry the arc, a massive flame suddenly erupted from another direction, nearly engulfing him completely.
Jin extended his left hand, already glowing with flame. The fire originated from his palm.
The Moon Tribe's strength—flame erupting from a human's back—was an acceptable release.
Boom!!
The flame arc exploded before Zang Jing, shrouding his form.
Hiss!
The flames quickly spat out several arcs, their force scattering part of the fire, creating an opening. Zang Jing's arms shielded his face as he shot out of the inferno, rolling twice on the ground before rising—his entire body disheveled.
Few could resist natural strength.
Fewer still possessed the ability to cut through flame. That required a specific technique, not easily countered. Simply breaking through was already impressive.
"Blade Radiance Slash!"
Zang Jing crossed his dual blades mid-rise, releasing a cross-shaped arc.
Jin didn't dodge. He simply covered his Long Blade with Haki, swinging forward to clash with the arc. For a moment, they were evenly matched—then the arc shattered like glass, breaking through both slashes.
But Zang Jing had already lunged forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, launching himself at Jin. His dual blades, like ox horns, aimed straight for Jin's exposed chest after his swing.
"I'm not that easy to deal with!"
Zang Jing roared as he charged, "Come on! I'll avenge the humiliation my Oden officer suffered years ago!"
Bang!
As he neared Jin, a long leg shot upward, slamming into Zang Jing's abdomen. The impact made him grunt, sending him soaring into the sky.
Jin swung his Long Blade inward, like a baseball bat, striking Zang Jing mid-air.
Clang!!
Zang Jing's body was sent flying, crashing into a nearby broken wall that hadn't been repaired yet, collapsing it entirely.
Jin shook his blade, frowning slightly.
That blocked?
"How is that possible!"
From the rubble, Zang Jing erupted in fury, "Impossible! There's no way! You should've been overwhelmed! In Ideal Village, this strike wounded Hawk-Eye himself. How dare you block me!"
"Ideal Village?"
Jin blinked, "I've heard that name somewhere..."
As a Senior Commander of the Beasts Pirates and Kaido's right-hand man, once a pirate crew manager, he was familiar with surrounding influences.
Within their territory, there had been such an influence.
But since it had been inactive before, Kaido hadn't cared to investigate further.
Then came the Top War, Whitebeard's death, and Kaido had turned his attention to bigger plans.
But that wasn't the point. The key question was—
"You defeated Hawk-Eye?"
Jin was stunned, "Didn't Kuro Mr. defeat him?"
Zang Jing ignored Jin's reference to Golden Lion. He remained trapped in disbelief, "It's impossible! Ideal Village might be ideal, but I trained there extensively. That strength wasn't fake! If I could wound him in Ideal Village, I should definitely harm you!"
He moved swiftly, his Haki extending from his blade to cover his entire body like a wisp of black thunder, charging faster.
"Lightning Rush!!"
"This again."
Jin didn't dodge. He gripped his Long Blade, swinging with tremendous force.
Clang!!
The blade's edge met the tips of Zang Jing's dual swords, halting his body mid-air. No matter how hard he pushed, he couldn't advance an inch.
"It's useless!"
Bang!!
The Long Blade swung again, sending Zang Jing flying backward. He crashed hard to the ground, sliding across the earth from the residual force.
"You call that defeating Hawk-Eye?"
Jin frowned, "Don't joke! I don't know what your Ideal Village is, but defeating Hawk-Eye requires far more strength. You're nowhere close."
He didn't consider himself a swordsman, but he understood Dracule Mihawk's strength. That man's swordsmanship was terrifying—like comparing the moon to a firefly. They were incomparable.
"Ideal Village never fails!"
Zang Jing rose, gritting his teeth, "I must've made the mistake, not Ideal Village! I understand now! My contact wasn't strong enough. My personal Ideal Village could only manifest partially, but I've definitely grown stronger—stronger than before!"
"I'm bored."
Jin extended his Long Blade, its Haki-covered edge encircled by flames. The fire coalesced into a dragon's head, aiming at Zang Jing.
The rising heat was palpable even from a distance.
"Flame Dragon King!"
Flames erupted from the Long Blade, forming a fiery dragon roaring toward Zang Jing. The high-speed attack gave him no time to react, engulfing his body completely.
Without looking back, Jin turned to leave.
Such an enemy wasn't worth his attention.
Compared to that, the mission Kaido entrusted him—to persuade others to surrender—was more important.
Especially Quinn. He hadn't expected Quinn to be more stubborn than himself. If persuasion failed, he'd have to use the 'Absolute Justice' plan.
But he feared that even then, Quinn might still refuse. To protect the secret, he'd have to eliminate this former comrade.
Something he truly didn't want to do.
"For this Justice and ideal, Quinn... I really don't want to kill you." Jin sighed.
"W-wait..."
As Jin turned to leave, a voice rang out behind him. Startled, he spun around, seeing Zang Jing still standing where the 'Flame Dragon King' should've reduced him to ashes.
Though his body was battered and burned, he stood firm.
"Our Ideal Village..." Zang Jing trembled, lips quivering, "Won't let you destroy it, Jin!"
(End of Chapter)
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