Chapter 360: Can't You Be More Respectable?
Chapter 360: Can't You Be More Respectable?
Whoosh!
The wind howled even more fiercely than before.
Sarge and Zefa locked eyes, until Zefa moved his right mechanical arm and slowly raised it.
As if triggering something, Sarge broke into a sinister smile, his hands taut, and his body vanished.
As a residual image rushed forward, Zefa's massive mechanical arm suddenly pushed upward.
Bang!
A pitch-black fist slammed into Zefa's mechanical arm, creating a dull impact.
In the instant that the two made contact, Ein also sprang into action. She drew a flintlock pistol, and her other hand glowed as she stomped her unusually long leg on the ground several times, rushing towards Sarge with incredible speed.
Zing!
But just as she set off, a light flashed in front of her, causing Ein's pupils to constrict as she quickly withdrew.
The light grazed past her forehead, slicing off half of her drifting hair.
Bang, bang, bang!
Ein drew another pistol from her thigh with her other hand, and the twin guns fired a barrage of rounds as they moved in unison, driven by her Haki.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!
Just as the bullets flew into the air, silver lights flashed wildly, slicing through the rounds.
Beneath the silver lights, Lily stood tall in a battle skirt, holding the White Thunder. Her striking appearance and beautiful eyes, now glowing, were truly awe-inspiring.
She raised the White Thunder towards Ein and said coldly, "Ability user, your opponent is me."
That glow from Ein's hand earlier truly startled Lily. The sense of danger that Benwick had perceived was no illusion—if struck by that ability, they would be in serious trouble.
However, landing a hit would also be extremely difficult.
"Overgrowth, overgrowth!"
Wearing a ninja outfit, Binz used 'Shave' to quickly rush to the other side. His body twisted continuously, causing the grass on the ground to rise and transform into thick vines that followed his forward charge.
"Oh my, ability user, can you control plants?"
Marika smiled and said, "Being able to control plant growth is quite impressive."
A thick vine whipped towards her like a lash, but just then, a blob of scarlet molten liquid surged past Marika's side and slammed into the vine.
Boom!
The vine was first halved by the scarlet molten liquid, then ignited, setting the twisting vines behind it ablaze.
The intense heat of the molten iron, capable of melting steel, was something plants could not withstand.
While these thick plants might be able to block gunshots and explosions, they would definitely be unable to resist slashes and burns.
"Leave it to me, Marika."
Akin stepped forward, his hand still glowing with the residual heat from the molten steel he had just melted. "I'll defeat him."
For an ability user like this, it would undoubtedly be easiest to leave it to Akin, the one with the most countervailing ability.
"Leave him alive, okay? This is the power that can make plants grow," Marika said with a smile.
Devil Fruits were a unique feature of the Grand Line. Aside from enhancing one's fighting strength, they could also have other uses.
Marika thought that this particular ability would be best used to increase food production.
She wouldn't eat this ability herself, but she could bestow it upon her subordinates.
An ability that could accelerate plant growth would enable them to rapidly cultivate rare ingredients with long growth cycles and even produce more seeds.
They absolutely had to capture this guy alive!
"Oh, so you only have these two people, no, three, under your command?" Sarge said as he gradually exerted more force, causing Zefa's mechanical arm to creak under the pressure.
"There's one more," Sarge continued. "He's currently being flayed, and his ribs will be pried open. He won't die until he completes the 'Blood Eagle.' Sometimes, even I'm astonished by how skilled those Demon Clan people are."
Bang!
"You little brat, Sarge!"
Unable to withstand the immense pressure any longer, Zefa's mechanical arm was pushed away. With a shout, Zefa's other hand turned pitch-black as he unleashed a powerful strike towards Sarge.
Meanwhile, Zefa swung his mechanical arm to bat away Sarge's attack and grabbed his body with the other.
"I'm very disappointed in you for becoming an Ability User!"
This mechanical arm was made of Sea-Prism Stone.
The old Sarge had been menacing, his entire body a weapon, a true master of body enhancement.
But now that he was an Ability User, he had weaknesses! Sea-Prism Stone could suppress an Ability User's power and render them powerless!
Bang!
Sarge's fist slammed into Sarge's face, but it didn't budge his body an inch.
"Disappointed?"
A smirk played on Sarge's lips. "Old man, do you think I'm the kind of person who would rely on my Ability after obtaining it?"
He placed his hands on the massive mechanical arm, veins popping from the exertion as he pried open the three-pronged mechanical fingers restraining him.
The force he exerted was unaffected by the Sea-Prism Stone.
"Can't use my Ability? I don't rely on my Ability to get by!"
With a display of Busoshoku Haki, Sarge's fingers pinched one corner of the mechanical finger and embedded themselves into it, eliciting an ear-piercing shriek as he forcibly tore it open.
"Also, I said you've fallen, and you have fallen! Your Haki—"
Sarge's head lunged forward, brushing off the punch that had landed on his face, and his Haki brushed aside Zefa's, followed by a powerful kick to his chest.
"—compared to the past, it's pathetic!"
Bang!
With just one kick, Zefa went flying and crashed to the ground, coughing violently.
"Look at you now. You're nothing but a decrepit old man with delusions of grandeur, thinking a change in hairstyle and attire would make you superior?"
Sarge kicked away the remnants of the mechanical arm at his feet and said, "Compared to last year, you've fallen far!"
In Sarge's opinion, the reason for Zefa's decline to this rock-bottom state was obvious; he didn't need to analyze or ponder what had happened to the old man.
Willpower revealed everything.
When willpower weakened, Haki would also deteriorate. No matter how imposing or awe-inspiring one's appearance might be, if their Haki was lacking, it was useless. Weak willpower meant weak Haki.
Appearance could deceive, and a show of force could intimidate, but to them, as ordinary humans, Haki didn't lie.
Not only had this old man failed to become stronger, but he had also weakened to the point of being pathetic.
Sarge had noticed something amiss when he arrived earlier.
With Zefa's keen Observation Haki, he should have detected Sarge's presence earlier, instead of only noticing him when he was already there.
His level of relaxation was unacceptable.
And during the earlier attack, if Sarge had wanted to, he could have kicked Zefa to death.
His reaction speed was so lacking that it couldn't keep up with Sarge's attacks!
Weak!
A thorough weakling!
So weak that Sarge had lost all interest!
What irritated him more was the realization that this wasn't the Zefa he knew. This pathetic display didn't even qualify him for a dignified send-off!
"I've never had any interest in weaklings, Zefa."
Sarge sighed softly. "It seems it's impossible to let you die with dignity. Oh well."
He turned his gaze to the group of Neo Marines preparing for battle, spread his five fingers, and waved his hand forward.
"Wind Disaster!"
Whoosh!
The howling wind transformed into razor-sharp wind blades that carved grooves into the ground and sliced through the Neo Marines in front of him, spraying blood everywhere.
"If you can't die with dignity yourself, then I'll grant you that dignity. If dying alone isn't enough, then let these people accompany you in death."
Aside from controlling lightning, Sarge could also manipulate the wind.
Although he couldn't control the rain that came with the storm, he could harness the power of wind and lightning through his Homies.
(End of Chapter)
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