Chapter 380: The Levels of Pirates Differ
Chapter 380: The Levels of Pirates Differ
Eliminating this old hag was purely because she was getting on my nerves.
Despite limited interaction, it was evident that this person influenced this stubborn fool.
Such individuals, even if forced to join, would never truly commit.
On the contrary, he has a favorable impression of Wibbur, that dumbass.
Strong, obedient, and mindless.
A perfect tool.
If recruited, he would be a decent addition to the crew.
"Mother!!!"
Bargin's sudden death startled Wibbur, causing him to let out a cry as his eyes turned red, and a wave of energy surged around him.
With a loud thud, he jumped high, and a streak of black lightning crackled on his scythe, which he swung down with force.
His Armament Color was pushed to the extreme!
"Sage, he probably won't join, will he?" Hawkins was perplexed.
Sage looked up and saw Wibbur leaping in the air, a smirk forming on his lips, "There are too many ways to get him to join, but..."
That old hag is a spineless person. Whether it's through money or prospects, she can be used to get Wibbur on board.
Then, by having the old hag encounter some unexpected events, Sage can easily recruit the person he desires.
But in that case...
"I think a straightforward approach would be more convenient!"
Bang!!
Sage slightly tilted his body, and a streak of black lightning slashed down, shattering the ground and carving a deep chasm that seemed bottomless.
"The power of Dominance is impressive. You've mastered the ultimate Armament Color."
He nodded, "The strength is immense. At least, in my normal state, I couldn't match you in a strength contest."
"I'll kill you!!!"
Seeing his attack miss, Wibbur immediately lifted his scythe, creating a howling wind as he slashed diagonally towards Sage's head.
Bang!
The immense force shook the surrounding rubble, reaching up to Sage's face, which wore a fiendish grin.
"Thirty Times the Weight."
His foot pressed down on the back of the scythe blade, causing tremors as he made contact with the weapon.
Wibbur's face turned bright red, and his arms bulged with veins, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't lift the scythe.
"I said, this is my normal state!"
Bang!
Wibbur's chest was struck by a powerful fist, sending him flying as if a bomb had exploded nearby. The impact caused him to release his grip on the scythe's handle, and he crashed into the building behind him, causing it to collapse.
"You need to stay calm, or else you won't be able to use Perception Color."
Sage grinned fiendishly and kicked the scythe, sending it spinning into the air.
Thud!
Just as the scythe started spinning, Sage's body vanished and reappeared above the ruins.
Wibbur, who was still inside the building's rubble, had just cleared away some debris and was about to stand up when he heard a whistling sound beside him.
Boom!
Sage stomped down hard, his foot crushing Wibbur's face, causing a wave of energy to ripple and blow away the surrounding debris.
The ground sank under the force of the stomp, shaking the area, and the spot where he stood continued to sink.
Snap.
At that moment, the spinning scythe finally arrived, and Sage reached out to catch it.
Looking down at Wibbur, he smiled and said, "Your physique is impressive."
He planted the scythe in the ground and stepped out of the depression, "Let's see what else you've got."
"Roar!"
A roar echoed from the depression, causing cracks to form around it. Wibbur climbed out of the ground, gripping the scythe's handle, and as he stepped out of the depression, he charged forward.
Despite his massive size, his explosive strength was not lacking. The force of his charge created a gust of wind, and with a vertical slash, he struck down.
Bang!
Sage sidestepped again, avoiding Wibbur's attack. The scythe blade swiftly changed direction and slashed horizontally.
But no matter how Wibbur attacked, Sage dodged swiftly, his movements effortless, almost casual, as he evaded the vertical and horizontal slashes, diagonal strikes, and sweeping blows within that confined space.
The explosive power of Wibbur's strength, combined with the Dominance wrapped around his scythe, made each swing of the blade a heart-stopping spectacle for the observing Hawkins and Ulki.
Compared to when they fought him, this Wibbur was clearly much stronger.
However, for Sage, the outcome remained the same.
After all, what good is strength if you can't land a hit?
One of the ultimate applications of Perception Color is the ability to foresee the future.
"Not bad."
Sage nodded, "He's utilizing his strength advantage without any flashy techniques. The simplest attacks often yield the greatest results."
Techniques are undoubtedly useful, but they depend on the user.
For someone of Wibbur's build, seeking intricate techniques would be putting the cart before the horse.
This is how his strength should be employed.
"I will avenge my mother!"
The more Wibbur missed, the more agitated he became. His scythe strokes began to slightly deform, but in response, the veins on his arms bulged even more, and his arms visibly thickened.
"Weaker than before."
Sage tilted his head, dodging a diagonal slash, then quickly jumped as the scythe blade changed direction and swung towards him. He leaped over the attack, landing his feet on the blade.
He took two steps forward, using the length of the scythe's handle as a guide, and with a sword-like kick, he stabbed Wibbur in the chest.
Bang!
A powerful force erupted, sending Wibbur flying through the air, and he continued to roll for several meters after landing.
"Damn, that hurts!" Wibbur exclaimed, clutching his chest as blood spewed from his mouth.
Sage landed steadily and sneered at him, "Meaningless increase in strength. Your physique can't keep up, and forcing it will only make your movements uncoordinated."
"You may seem powerful, but you're also more vulnerable. You're no match for me. If you surrender, follow me. It's a waste to have this power and follow that dead old hag."
The Seven Warlords of the Sea also have their strengths and weaknesses. Some are on the level of the Empress and Tyrant, or Doflamingo, with little difference between them, but there are still some distinctions.
However, there are exceptions, like Moriah, who hadn't fully recovered during Thriller Bark, so in Sage's eyes, he was at the bottom of the Seven Warlords.
But even this bottom-ranked member, in the eyes of others, is a formidable force.
Even in his unrecovered state, he could easily handle his current top executives, except for Lily, who would struggle against him.
After recovering, he would definitely be on par with Doflamingo's level.
In Sage's eyes, Wibbur belonged to this level.
There's also another exception, Hawk-Eye.
Sage only met this man once during the war at the Summit War, but from his observations, he was undoubtedly stronger than the Seven Warlords.
As for Old Shark, it's hard to evaluate.
The last time Sage saw him, he seemed to have recovered well and could probably reach the level of the Empress and Tyrant.
But this is just a fine distinction; the Seven Warlords are still the pinnacle of the New World.
Among those Sage has encountered, Catley, Silo, and Marco are all at this level.
Even when facing the Pirate King, they can hold their own.
However, for Sage, this back-and-forth is meaningless.
His Dominance is not a match for Sage's Infinite Dominance.
Sage can easily overpower him in terms of strength.
Physique
The one thing Sage fears the least is physique.
When faced with someone stronger, Sage, with his Infinite Dominance, can simply crush them!
"Shut up! I just want to avenge my mother!"
Wibbur shouted, "If you didn't jump around like a monkey, I would have definitely hit you!"
"Hmph, fine. Then I won't move."
Sage chuckled and stood still, "Come at me."
Without saying much, Wibbur leaped forward again, and this time, his scythe didn't have any fancy spinning or charging moves. He relied purely on brute strength, swinging the scythe down with all his might.
As expected, Sage didn't dodge; he didn't even lift his head but merely extended his hand.
In that instant, his originally 1.9-meter-tall body swelled to eight meters, towering over Wibbur.
"Four times the size, fifty times the weight!"
Bang!!
The blade and his palm were separated by a small gap as their Dominance clashed and compressed the air between them.
The ground beneath Sage's feet cracked, forming a massive dent.
Sage released a small amount of Dominance, not the kind used for long-range attacks, but one that could be amplified through strength.
But even with this strength, it wasn't enough to shake Sage!
"No matter how strong you are, can you match Big Mom?" Sage grinned fiendishly and pushed his palm forward, "Five times the size, sixty times the weight!"
His body expanded again, reaching around ten meters, and the increased weight drove his strength, pushing the scythe upwards. At the same time, he kicked out, stabbing Wibbur again.
Bang!
Wibbur flew backward and landed on the ground.
"Damn you!"
He stood up and roared, but his eyes shifted, and he said, "Hmm, you're just relying on your hands. If you're so capable, don't use your hands."
Hearing this, Sage burst into laughter, "Is that all your brain can come up with? Fine, I'll make you submit. I won't use my hands!"
He placed his hands behind his back, "Come again."
Wibbur charged forward again, his eyes now glowing with a fierce red light. As he rushed in, he even tilted his body, swinging the scythe horizontally.
Bang!!
A blast of air exploded.
This time, Sage used his feet, and his black and red Dominance, like flowing flames, covered his lower leg. As he bent his leg, he blocked Wibbur's attack.
"So, which is stronger, the hand that wields the weapon, or the blade that cuts?"
He lifted the blade he was blocking, and as it brushed past the scythe, he stomped his foot hard on the blade's surface, pushing it down forcefully.
"The answer is the leg has more power!"
Bang!
His other leg shot out like a whip, striking Wibbur's side and sending him flying again.
"Damn it! Damn you!"
Wibbur rolled on the ground like a bouncing ball, but when he stood up, there was a noticeable bend at his waist.
"You—"
"Were you about to say that my legs are just a bit stronger, and if I don't use my legs, I'll beat you?" Sage interrupted Wibbur.
"Huh? Is this really possible?"
Wibbur tilted his head, "Then you're just standing there, waiting for me to kill you?"
"Hahaha, the one who could kill me no longer exists."
Sage burst into laughter, and with his feet firmly planted, he said, "Wibbur, I don't even need to move, try again."
"Ahh!!"
Wibbur roared and charged again, swinging his scythe with equal force. But this time, he transformed it into a direct stab aimed at Sage's heart.
"I need to match your size, otherwise, it'll seem like I'm bullying you."
Sage watched Wibbur rush towards him, shaking his head with a smile. His nearly ten-meter-tall body began to shrink, transforming into a size of around four meters.
He had only used twice his own size.
Hiss! At that moment, a white vapor shot out from his nose, dispersing and creating a white wave of energy that burst outward. His body suddenly inflated within the wave.
His three-meter-eight, nearly four-meter-tall body, instantly expanded to ten meters.
But unlike his previous enlargement, this time, the inflated body transformed into a muscle-bound form, with a terrifying appearance like armor, and two air vents emerged at his shoulder blades.
"100% of 100%!"
The power of the Momomomo Fruit could be combined with his Dragon Breath.
Unlike the amplification used on objects, Sage's maximum amplification for objects was double hundred plus thirty times.
Any two of the three amplifications could reach a hundredfold, while the other could reach thirty times.
This was the 'Double Hundred and Thirty' technique.
However, for himself, his current limit was 'Hundred and Sixty-Three', and he couldn't choose freely.
A hundredfold speed amplification, sixty times weight amplification, and thirty times size amplification.
The full form was named based on the size amplification standard for the number of times.
Although that technique used all three amplifications, it was actually determined by the size.
By compressing his massive physique with Dragon Breath to a normal size, the density of his physique would increase, perfectly matching the amplified strength and speed.
It was undoubtedly a significant boost, but it didn't mean that single amplifications were useless.
Standing at one meter and nine, Dragon Breath could amplify his size to five meters, and from there, he could continue to amplify with the fruit's power.
In a sense, Sage could, if he wished, use Dragon Breath to inflate his body to one hundred and fifty meters, just a little shorter than the San Juan Wolf's one hundred and eighty meters.
While there was a noticeable difference between one meter and eight and one meter and five, both one hundred and eighty and one hundred and fifty were colossal! The power of the Momomomo Fruit was truly remarkable!
For top-tier experts, being giant might not be very useful, but against lower-level opponents, Sage could easily crush Wibbur.
"Let me show you how to block it."
His body became rigid, and a gleam of light seemed to surround him, "Iron Block·Iron King!"
Dominance enveloped his chest as the iron block appeared.
Clang!!
The blade pierced his chest, creating a shower of sparks, but that was it. No matter how hard Wibbur pushed, the scythe couldn't penetrate any further.
"Now, let's change the approach."
Sage lifted the corners of his mouth, releasing his Dominance, and relaxing his body.
Whoosh!
The scythe slid completely into Sage's chest, the entire blade penetrating, and the tip even protruded from his back.
"Captain!"
Ulki cried out, about to rush forward, but Hawkins stopped him.
"It's fine."
Hawkins said calmly, "I told you, the probability of victory is infinitely close to 100%. Edward Wibbur is strong, but his chances of winning are infinitely close to 0."
Although he now believed that fate could be defied, he couldn't see any signs of defying fate in Wibbur.
Aside from the Pirate King, no one was Sage's match.
"I hit him!"
Wibbur exclaimed joyfully, "Mother, I've avenged you!"
"Is that so?"
Sage, with a stab wound in his chest, smiled. As Wibbur's smile was still forming, Sage reached out and grabbed the hilt of the blade, pulling it out bit by bit, despite Wibbur's futile attempts to resist.
As the blade came free, the wound on Sage's chest, from which white vapor was constantly emerging, quickly closed as flesh buds grew along the edges, and the wound healed completely.
The terrifying scene left even the not-so-bright Wibbur stunned.
Wibbur, who was known as a monster by others, couldn't help but exclaim, "Monster!"
Compared to him, Sage now seemed more like the monster!
That was a piercing injury through the body!
"Without using Dominance, you can't harm me."
Crackle!
Dominance penetrated the blade, striking the pressure points. As Sage clenched his five fingers, the scythe crumbled and twisted into a mess."
"Our levels as pirates are different, Wibbur."
Bang!
Sage swung his fist, and the Dominance shredded Wibbur's long handle, punching him in the face and sending him flying, crashing to the ground.
Sage grinned menacingly, "Now, it's time for you to make a choice."
(End of Chapter)
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