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Ain wanted to stop it, but there was nothing she could do.
Arton shook his head slightly, his thoughts shifting toward the naked Tashigi inside him.
"Tashigi, watch carefully as I wield Harribel's power. It might prove useful to you."
Hearing this, Tashigi immediately focused. She had already glimpsed some of Harribel's battle experience through the template, but watching was one thing—fusing with Arton and experiencing an actual fight was something else entirely. This was a rare chance to sharpen her combat sense, and she wasn't about to waste it.
Faced with a hail of bullets and cannonfire, Arton didn't dodge. He didn't even raise a guard. He simply let the attacks crash against his body, until smoke and flames shrouded the deck around him.
"He's not dodging? Not even using Armament Haki? No defense at all?" Zephyr's eyes gleamed with Observation Haki, his brow furrowing even tighter. Through his haki, he could clearly see that Arton hadn't taken a single scratch.
The blasts hadn't left so much as a mark on his skin—nor even on his clothes. At the moment, Arton's attire was that of Harribel's form, courtesy of his fusion with Tashigi. It wasn't some legendary armor, but ordinary bullets and shells couldn't possibly pierce it.
When the smoke cleared, Arton emerged completely unscathed, casually brushing the dust off his collar. The Marines who thought they had landed a hit froze in disbelief.
"That's it? So this is all Marine firepower amounts to? It couldn't even scratch my Hierro. And don't forget—my Hierro is far superior to your Iron Body techniques."
Arton smirked coldly, patting his shoulder as though the barrage had been nothing more than a light drizzle.
"Damn it! Keep firing!" The Marines, incensed by his arrogance, raised their weapons again. They knew bullets alone might not harm him, but they believed they could at least drain his stamina and buy Zephyr an opening.
But before they could pull their triggers, an overwhelming pressure slammed down from above. It felt as though a colossal weight had crushed straight into their souls, suffocating them.
In less than a second, every Marine except Ain, Binz, Shuzo, and Zephyr collapsed face-down on the deck, unable to move.
And this was Arton holding back. If he had unleashed his spiritual pressure fully, even Binz, Ain, and Shuzo would have been pinned down alongside the others—not fainting, perhaps, but battered in mind and spirit.
Unlike Conqueror's Haki, spiritual pressure didn't induce unconsciousness. But its effect on the mind was even more insidious. Prolonged exposure could leave lasting damage, even mental illness.
"This… this is Conqueror's Haki?!" Shuzo's eyes bulged in shock, trembling as he looked around. "No… something's off. It doesn't feel like normal Conqueror's Haki. Could it be another form of it? No… this isn't Conqueror's at all. This must be Tashigi's Devil Fruit ability, isn't it, Arton?"
Zephyr, with his vast experience, immediately saw the difference. If Arton had been using true Conqueror's Haki, the air would already be crackling with black and red lightning. The aura pressing down on them was undeniably powerful, but its nature was different.
His mind quickly linked it back to the power Tashigi had displayed in Loguetown. Smoker had reported that she'd awakened Conqueror's Haki, but Zephyr had always harbored doubts. Now, seeing Arton's fusion firsthand, those doubts resurfaced stronger than ever.
After all, awakening Conqueror's Haki required extremely harsh conditions. Sometimes, it even demanded facing death itself.
Although Tashigi had been captured by Arton before, she had never truly stared death in the face. Even if she had potential, the chances of her awakening Conqueror's Haki were slim.
On the other hand, if the power Arton granted her had some ability similar to Conqueror's Haki—a force of raw spiritual pressure—then everything would make sense.
Ain let out a bitter smile. She knew Arton wasn't a Devil Fruit user at all. But there was no way she could explain that to Zephyr. Even if she tried, how could she possibly convince him?
"Fruit ability?" Arton raised an eyebrow, glancing at Zephyr with mild surprise. But he quickly understood.
"How amusing… so the Marines really do mistake my companions' unique powers for Devil Fruit abilities. I suppose, in their eyes, I'm a Devil Fruit user as well. No wonder Zephyr is so confident—he must believe that mechanical arm of his, laced with seastone, can restrain me."
The thought made Arton chuckle inwardly. If the Marines wanted to believe that, so be it. In fact, such a misunderstanding could become an advantage in the future. Imagine the smug look on their faces when they thought they had "captured" him or his crew with seastone restraints—only to realize it had no effect. The expressions they'd wear in that moment would be priceless.
Of course, Arton didn't actually want to see the day when he or his crew were shackled with seastone. If that happened, it would mean they had stumbled into an enemy powerful enough to force them into such a position—and that would be a problem.
"Yes, this is indeed the power of a Devil Fruit," Arton said lightly, playing along. "Well, Zephyr, how does it feel? Should I turn up the pressure a little more—make the other three at your side drop to their knees as well?"
His tone was casual, as though the decision were his alone to make.
Ain could only laugh bitterly again. Arton was deliberately letting Zephyr believe this was a fruit power… and now he seemed ready to press his spiritual pressure harder, enough to pin even her down. If that happened, how would she ever find a chance to slip into his crew?
"Don't underestimate me, Arton!" Shuzo growled, fury blazing in his eyes. "You think a trick like this can control me? Tempest Kick!"
Still seething over the way Arton had dismissed him earlier, Shuzo lashed out. Instead of rushing in with Finger Pistol like before—where he'd been blasted aside—he chose a ranged attack this time.
He spun, his leg slicing through the air, unleashing a razor-sharp flying slash that screamed toward Arton.
Yet Arton didn't move. He simply raised his hand and blocked the slash with the back of his palm.
"What?!" Shuzo's eyes widened. His attack had done nothing.
"I told you already—you're too weak. You can't even pierce my Hierro. With this level of power, how do you think you'll catch me?" Arton shook his head almost in pity, his voice calm but cutting.
"Hot blood alone… won't be enough to catch a man like me."
"Damn it!" Shuzo roared, about to launch another strike. But before he could even raise his leg, Arton's form blurred into a phantom.
Instinct screamed danger—Shuzo clenched his body and activated Tekkai. "Iron Body!"
But it was too late.
Boom!
Arton's fist slammed into his abdomen with crushing force. Shuzo's body flew backward like a cannonball, smashing into what remained of the already-broken mast and shattering it further into splinters.
"Shuzo?!" Binz sprinted to his side, only to see him spitting blood, his limbs twitching uselessly as he struggled to rise. No matter how hard he tried, his body refused to obey.
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