Chapter 481: The Reverberation Devil Bullet
Clang!
Shockwaves, even more intense than before, began to wreak havoc.
A white fog of water vapor spread outward rapidly, forming a massive fog ring stretching thousands of meters.
It was a spectacular sight.
Onlookers raised their hands to shield themselves from the violent shockwaves.
At the same time, their eyes peered through the gaps between their fingers, fixed on the center of the battlefield.
There, Gabaisho, now in acceleration mode, found himself in an awkward predicament once again.
Aizen's left hand firmly grasped the blade of his scythe.
"What did you want me to prepare for?" Aizen asked, looking at Gabaisho, whose body was covered in a blood-like aura, and spoke slowly.
His words caused Gabaisho's already flushed face to grow even redder.
It was unclear whether it was from anger or shame.
"Let me tell you! The so-called power…" Aizen spoke as he ignored Gabaisho's frantic struggles.
His head tilted slightly, his glasses reflecting a faint glint.
"It probably refers to something like this."
Splash!
Aizen had already released Gabaisho's blade by this point.
But Gabaisho did not retreat.
Instead, he looked down at his own body.
Zing! Zing!
Lines of blood appeared on his skin, the wounds widening rapidly.
Splat!
With an exaggerated sound of blood spurting, a massive gash stretched from Gabaisho's right waist to his left shoulder.
The blood seemed to react belatedly, gushing out freely.
The volume of blood was astonishing.
Gabaisho, speechless, collapsed toward the sea.
Splash!
Water splashed as he fell into the current, sinking slowly toward the ocean floor.
During this descent, Gabaisho's mind replayed the strike from moments ago.
It felt like Aizen's blade had cut deep into his marrow, wounding his very soul.
It was excruciating! Damn it!
On the sea, aboard a pirate ship flying the flag of the Extremely Evil Fleet, Bullet and Crocodile gazed at Aizen standing on the water with solemn expressions.
"That guy Gabaisho always causes trouble for others." Crocodile said, frowning slightly while holding a large cigar in his mouth.
He turned to a fishman on the ship and said, "You, go down and rescue him. I don't want to visit the Marines to save him again."
"Yes!" the fishman replied, visibly excited.
On Fishman Island, some fishmen disregarded Tiger's advice and joined the Extremely Evil Fleet.
Tiger did not wish to take them as direct subordinates.
Accepting them could encourage other fishmen to follow suit.
Thus, he sent away those who sought to join the fleet, hoping they would return to Fishman Island.
Unfortunately, the fishmen's attitude toward humans had become less hostile.
Since Tiger would not accept them, some fishmen joined other high-ranking members of the Extremely Evil Fleet.
Pirates welcomed such fishmen.
Their tendency to roam the deep sea made it easier to locate sea magic mines, which could bring immense wealth.
Crocodile, however, had no particular interest in this.
He treated fishmen as ordinary crew members.
Those with ability could stay; those without could leave for another team. It was that simple.
This egalitarian attitude suited the fishmen well.
Though global information had made people less fearful of outsiders, prejudice lingered.
Thus, the fishmen under Crocodile felt content.
Fair competition and strength as the measure were ideal conditions for these sensitive fishmen.
Naturally, they greatly admired Crocodile.
Splash!
As the fishman dove into the sea, Crocodile turned his attention back to Aizen.
His eyes were filled with apprehension.
He knew well how formidable and terrifying Gabaisho was.
Despite his flaws, Gabaisho's strength was undeniable.
With ultimate speed and a blade that could cut nearly anything, even some demigods tread carefully around him.
Bullet, standing nearby, was a prime example.
Gabaisho had once challenged Sword Master Scarlet over swordsmanship.
He was defeated and sent to the Marines for a bounty.
Bullet and Crocodile had gone to the Marine branch base to rescue him.
There, they encountered three Marine Admirals escorting Gabaisho.
Bullet faced the three Admirals alone and earned the title of demigod.
His moniker, Demon Heir, became Reverberation Devil.
Yet even Bullet was cautious around Gabaisho.
His cuts were extraordinarily potent, paired with his speed.
By targeting an enemy's vital points, Gabaisho could kill with a single lapse in attention.
Given this, Crocodile was naturally wary of Aizen, who had defeated Gabaisho so effortlessly.
In truth, Gabaisho had met his counter.
Though his ability was powerful, Aizen did not block the blade head-on but caught it directly.
By avoiding the blade's frontal edge, the cutting lethality was greatly diminished.
With sufficient speed and strong enough Reiatsu, Aizen could seize one of Gabaisho's bursts.
In such a case, the fragile Gabaisho was easily defeated.
Of course, his fragility was relative.
To Aizen, he was exceedingly vulnerable.
If there were no better opponents here, Aizen might have toyed with him longer.
But for now, reputation was the priority.
Thus, Aizen did not linger on Gabaisho.
He glanced at the ships observing from a distance.
Many averted their eyes when they met his gaze.
Defeating Gabaisho so easily made him seem like a great devil in their eyes.
"Kuwahahaha! What a shocking battle! Gabaisho, the Scythe of Despair of the Evil Fleet, was easily defeated after clashing with Lord Aizen." Morgans exclaimed.
"It's a truly astonishing outcome."
His voice echoed across the sea.
This time, he added the honorific "Lord" to Aizen's title.
Having lived long on Death Island, Morgans understood Gabaisho's abilities and strength well.
He was a figure even the demigod Reverberation Devil Bullet did not underestimate.
Gabaisho's reckless nature had left a shadow over Morgans.
He was prone to killing, and Morgans sometimes had to hide from him.
That such a fearsome figure was defeated so easily was shocking to Morgans.
As Morgans praised Aizen on air, Aizen showed no reaction.
"It seems this is over for now."
He walked toward the Lucky Cat and Treasure Water Crocodile nearby.
Soon, under his gentle persuasion, the two Mythical Beasts followed him obediently.
How could they dare resist when suppressed by his terrifying Reiatsu?
On the Iron Sun ship, the crew watched their new leader effortlessly secure the two Mythical Beasts.
That no one objected filled them with joy.
What they did not know was that, on the way, Aizen had used the Hōgyoku to infuse part of his spirit into these Mythical Beasts.
This move would cause immeasurable losses to the World Government.
( End of this chapter)
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