Suddenly, a subtle, strange sound echoed in the air. A figure appeared from nowhere at the port, as if he had instantly moved.
"What insolence!"
A suppressed voice, heavy with anger, rang out.
"Huh?! Who are you?"
World abruptly turned around and saw a young man, apart from himself, wearing a black coat with a white wave pattern on the back, and sporting conspicuous golden hoop earrings.
"Aeridar!" Hancock looked at the suddenly appeared Aeridar with a look of surprise and joy.
"Are you alright, Hancock?" Aeridar turned to look at her, asking with concern.
"Y-yes, I'm fine!" A blush spread across Hancock's beautiful face, and she shook her head shyly.
Crack!
Clatter…
With a cracking sound, several fragments of rock fell from the city wall. Betilla, somewhat disheveled, stood leaning against the wall, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth.
"Looking quite a mess, aren't you? You little scorpion who abandoned her post!"
Aeridar turned his head again. Seeing the blood on Betilla's lip and her injuries, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
"Shut up!"
Betilla was somewhat irritated. Being seen in such a state by Aeridar made her feel extremely embarrassed.
On the sea far away, aboard the massive Groseade.
Byojack and the others on the deck were observing the intense battle on Amazon Lily. Just as they were marveling at World's strength, Aeridar's sudden appearance startled them.
"That man... how is he here?" The skinny old woman, Nightin, took off her glasses, rubbing her eyes, thinking she had mistaken what she saw.
"Is that the rumored instantaneous movement?" Gairam, who carried a square sledgehammer, was shocked.
"There was a rumor that the Kuja Empress would become the queen of Golden Ring Aeridar. It seems that rumor is true!" The withered Byojack leaned on the ship's railing, stating grimly, "And that woman... she is the Seventh Division Commander of the Chris Pirates, Rain Scorpion Smythe Betilla!"
"What should we do? Should we go support him?" The sawfish giant, Sebastian, hurriedly asked upon hearing his comrade's words.
"Not yet. World is not easily defeated! Cough, cough..." Byojack coughed twice and instructed, "Golden Ring Aeridar can fly, Gairam, take control of the ship, be ready to dive underwater at any moment!"
"Sebastian, you dive into the sea now. Be ready to intercept World if he is defeated!"
"Nightin, go prepare wound medicine and poison. If World is injured, treat him immediately, and prepare to cover our retreat."
Seeing Aeridar's arrival, Byojack felt a persistent ominous premonition, leaving him no choice but to prepare for the worst.
Meanwhile, seeing this sudden man ignore him and speak intimately with the two women, World was filled with burning rage. He immediately grabbed a handful of small gravel from the ground and violently flung it forward.
"More-More: 10x Shotgun!"
Pew, pew, pew, pew…
Fragments of pitch-black stone, magnified tenfold, shot forward like buckshot, enveloping Aeridar's entire body.
"Get lost! Impact Wave!!"
Aeridar's expression turned cold. He turned and unleashed a punch.
Rumble!
The air grew turbulent, forming a visible shockwave that surged forth, shattering the ground. The seven or eight black stones only managed to fly forward about ten meters within the shockwave before they were violently swept back.
"Nani?! Impact Wave!"
World was stunned. What a familiar technique. But without time to think further, he quickly dodged before the shockwave hit him.
"More-More: 30x Speed!"
World's speed exploded. He appeared before Aeridar in an instant. His black, metallic-sheened iron fist, carrying a fierce shockwave, smashed directly toward Aeridar's face. The resulting wind howled, cutting like blades.
However, the moment World threw his punch, Aeridar seemed to anticipate it. He tilted his head aside in advance and, with lightning speed, punched back, slamming into the center of World's chest.
Thud!
"Urgh…"
With a dull, heavy sound, World was heavily struck, his chest nearly collapsing inward. He immediately spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward with a swoosh.
Rumble!
After flying dozens of meters and crashing onto the ground, then skidding and rolling another ten meters, World barely managed to stop.
Cough.
"S-such a heavy punch!"
World coughed up blood. He stared at Aeridar in disbelief, gasping, "Future Sight?"
Such a heavy punch reminded him of Garp and Newgate in their prime. Combined with the movement that seemed to anticipate his action, he couldn't help but suspect that the opponent's Observation Haki had reached the level of Future Sight.
"You're nothing but a rabid dog snapping wildly. This is no longer your era!" Aeridar's forehead veins bulged. He stared coldly at World.
"Don't get arrogant, you brat!"
"So what if you injured Newgate and killed Shiki and Redfield? They were old! I'm not old yet!"
To be spoken to this way by a young brat under thirty years old, World, who was singularly focused on revenge against the World Government and achieving freedom, could not help but be enraged.
Furthermore, he had recognized Aeridar's identity. This was a man who had successively defeated powerful figures from World's own generation. Was this brat seeing him as the next meal on his plate?
"More-More: 50x Speed!"
World pushed off the ground, instantly vanishing from his spot. His speed was too fast to be seen by the naked eye; it was extreme.
"Heh heh~ Old-timers are destined to be phased out. Let's see whose speed is faster!"
Aeridar sneered, then immediately vanished from his own position.
Boom!
The next second after Aeridar disappeared, World appeared in Aeridar's former spot. He slammed his fist down. The terrifying force created a large crater, five meters in diameter, with dozens of thick cracks radiating outward from the edges. The shockwave kicked up a great cloud of dust.
"So fast!"
World was surprised. He then felt a sharp gust of wind approaching from his side and quickly retreated violently.
Sshrrt…
Aeridar's hand-chop descended, seemingly ripping the air apart. The invisible air-blade created a crack several meters long in the ground.
"More-More: 10x Shotgun!!!"
Taking advantage of the blinding dust cloud, World blew out a breath. Five or six tiny, invisible dust particles were immediately magnified, turning into steel balls the size of a pinky finger, which shot toward Aeridar with a swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Before World's attack could even reach him, Aeridar's eyes narrowed, and a violent shockwave erupted from his body, expanding in all directions.
"What is this?"
The steel-ball-like dust fragments were shattered into smoke and swept backward. At the same time, World felt an unstoppable force of impact, and his entire body was also sent flying.
Bang, bang, bang...
In mid-air, World flipped over to stabilize himself, using Geppo to stay aloft. He then pulled five black, spherical bullets from his coat.
"More-More: 50x Cannon!"
The five spherical bullets were flung downward. They instantly magnified fiftyfold, forming five massive cannonballs that howled through the air, completely engulfing the area where Aeridar was standing.
———————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]