Witnessing this scene, Echo and the others were deeply shocked.
Just what kind of people were these?!
"Refused, have you..." Kuma said. "In that case... I have no choice but to eliminate you as ordered!"
"Bring it on!!" Meiser said coldly.
"Count us in too!" Lola drew her twin blades and declared, "We barely escaped Moria's clutches—there's no way we'll let you kill us now!"
"Damn right! If you want our lives, be prepared to lose yours!"
"So what if you're one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea? We're not afraid of you!"
Inspired by Meiser's group, Tooth and the others glared fiercely at Kuma, their eyes burning with the desire to tear a chunk of flesh from him.
After struggling so hard to survive, after finally gaining the chance to walk freely in the sunlight—how could they possibly stop here?!
Even if they had to die, they would do so honorably in battle, not cower and wait for death.
At this moment, everyone's ferocity had been fully unleashed!
"Well said!" Sanji laughed heartily. "Let this bastard witness our resolve!"
In the next instant, Sanji began spinning rapidly, his leg heating up until it glowed red-hot.
"Devil Wind Leg!"
"Zzzzt—"
Without giving Kuma another chance to speak, Sanji launched his prepared attack with a devastating kick aimed straight at Tyrant Kuma.
"Special Grade·Teppanyaki!"
"BOOM!!"
The immensely powerful strike slammed into Kuma's arm, forcing him backward and creating distance between him and the group.
Immediately after, Zoro initiated his assault.
"One-Sword Style·Lion Song!!"
"Thunk!"
The iaido slash struck Kuma's shoulder with tremendous force—so much so that it actually cleaved through part of his body!!
"Zzzzt...
"What?!"
Seeing the metallic framework exposed at Kuma's shoulder, everyone's expressions turned to shock. His shoulder... was made of steel?
"A Cyborg like me?" Franky frowned.
If that were the case, taking this guy down wouldn't be easy.
As an expert himself, he knew all too well how terrifying the defensive capabilities of a steel-reinforced frame of that size could be.
"So what if he's a Cyborg?" Meiser shouted. "I refuse to believe he's indestructible!"
With that, Meiser activated the Body Flicker Technique, appearing right in front of Kuma before delivering a crushing blow to his abdomen.
"Super Strength Fist!"
"BOOM!!"
The overwhelming impact sent Kuma skidding backward until he collided with a massive boulder, finally coming to a stop.
"Incredible!"
Echo and the others were stunned to see Kuma being forced back so far.
Even after enduring such a brutal battle, they could still push him this far?
Yet Meiser showed no signs of celebration, his expression remaining grave.
Though he'd managed to repel his opponent, the attack hadn't caused any substantial damage—Kuma hadn't even coughed up a single drop of blood!!
Observing Kuma's completely unchanged demeanor, Meiser thought to himself: 'This is the first time I've encountered someone who can take my Super Strength Fist without flinching...'
With a sweep of his Sharingan, Meiser noticed a strange energy emanating from his opponent's abdomen, but it quickly vanished.
What kind of energy was that?
Could this be the power that allowed them to withstand his attacks?
At that moment, Kuma suddenly spread his arms wide, as if embracing the sky, leaving everyone bewildered.
"What is he doing?"
"Surrendering?"
"No way, a Royal Seven Warlord of the Sea would never surrender!"
"Then what is he—"
The crowd stared at Kuma in confusion, unsure why he had raised his hands.
The next instant, a translucent paw-shaped gas formed between Kuma's palms, shrinking rapidly under the influence of his ability... smaller and smaller...
Seeing this, Meiser's pupils contracted—he immediately realized what was happening.
Compression... release?!
"Everyone, get behind me—now!!"
"Huh?!"
The others shot Meiser puzzled glances, unsure why he had suddenly made such a demand. But trusting him, they quickly rushed over, gathering behind him.
At the same time, Kuma compressed the enormous mass of air down to the size of an ordinary palm, holding it lightly in his grasp.
Using his Devil Fruit powers, Kuma had compressed the air to its absolute limit!
Then, with a flick of his wrist, he sent the tiny paw-shaped gas hurtling toward Meiser and the others in the distance!
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Rampart!"
Without hesitation, Meiser activated his Ninjutsu.
"BOOM!!"
A massive earthen wall erupted from the ground, shielding Meiser and his allies.
Lola gaped at the sudden barrier.
"E-Earth Release?!"
Not just Water Release and Fire Release—now even Earth Release?
Just how many elemental Ninjutsu did this man master? No wonder the World Government was interested in him. If Big Mom found out about him, she'd surely set her sights on him too!
The thought sent a flicker of worry through Lola's eyes.
"Interesting..." Kuma mused, watching the rising earth wall with intrigue. He hadn't expected his opponent to wield earth-based abilities.
But... would it really be enough to stop his attack?
With that thought, Kuma murmured, "Let's test it."
"Paw Impact!"
"BOOM!!!"
An overwhelming shockwave erupted from the air-formed paw, instantly carving a massive crater in the ground in the shape of a bear's print!
The earthen wall, as the primary target, bore the brunt of the impact—cracks spiderwebbed across its surface, threatening to collapse!
But miraculously, it held.
"D-Did it block it...?"
"That power is terrifying..."
The group glanced around, realizing that aside from the wall, the surrounding terrain had been obliterated—massive boulders reduced to rubble!
Had that hit them directly, they'd have been pulverized.
"Truly... a fearsome power," Meiser muttered, frowning.
Even his defensive Ninjutsu had nearly shattered. Was this the might of a Royal Seven Warlord of the Sea?
As Meiser withdrew his Chakra, the crumbling earthen wall retracted back into the ground, revealing the scene ahead.
"This?!"
"This is terrifying!"
The ground directly in front of the earthen wall had completely shattered, leaving behind a deep crater as if it had endured a horrifying explosion. Clearly, this area had borne the brunt of the recoil force from the wall.
"Interesting Ninjutsu," Kuma remarked.
"Tch..."
Meiser clicked his tongue. Just 'interesting'?
What an arrogant bastard indeed!
"Hmm?"
"Where's Moria?" Echo suddenly spoke up.
At these words, everyone immediately turned to where Moria had been lying unconscious—only to find the spot now empty.
"What's going on?" Nami frowned.
Had Moria never actually lost consciousness?
Had he faked defeat upon spotting another Royal Seven Warlord of the Sea, deciding not to continue the fight?
But... that didn't make sense. Would he really go that far?
Weren't the Royal Seven Warlords allies?
Yet recalling Kuma's earlier words, another possibility surfaced in Nami's mind.
Could it be... that guy wanted to observe Kuma's true purpose for being here?
Lost in thought, Nami pondered this.
"Probably taken by that invisible guy," Meiser said without turning around.
That unseen figure who'd never shown himself might have regained consciousness long ago but stayed hidden after sensing the situation.
Only when Kuma appeared did he seize the chance to silently spirit Moria away.
Not that Meiser cared. A loser was a loser—let him be taken.
"Doesn't matter either way. Our priority is dealing with this guy," Zoro declared, drawing his other two swords and glaring fixedly at Kuma. "If we don't defeat him, we're not leaving here."
That air-compression technique was far too destructive.
Even if they made it back to their ship, his attacks would still reach them—and then it wouldn't just be their lives at risk, but the ship itself might be lost.
That was unacceptable to Zoro. This had to end here.
With that resolve, Zoro swiftly raised his blades and charged at Kuma at blinding speed. The instant he closed the distance, he leapt high and brought his swords down in a vicious slash.
"Three-Sword Style·Tiger Hunt!!"
Facing Zoro's tiger-like assault, Kuma merely lifted a hand calmly, aiming it at the descending blades.
The sight gave Zoro pause—before his expression twisted into something even fiercer.
"Looking down on me?!"
Then pay the price!!
Yet the moment his strike connected, his face changed.
An overwhelming rebound force erupted from Kuma's body, forcibly repelling his own power back at him.
"Wha—?!" Zoro's pupils contracted in shock.
He could rebound his strength?!
'Damn bastard!To avoid breaking his swords, Zoro had no choice but to shift stance mid-air, opting to endure the rebound force himself.
And then—
"Whoosh~"
Like a cannonball, Zoro was sent flying and crashed hard into a pile of rubble in the distance!
"Boom!!"
"What?!"
"What happened? What's going on?!"
"Why did Zoro get sent flying instead?"
Everyone stared in shock at the scene, completely unable to comprehend what had just occurred.
Could it be that the opponent's attack was too fast for them to react?
"What's going on?" Meiser frowned. "What kind of ability is this?"
His Sharingan had seen it clearly—Zoro's slash had indeed struck the opponent's palm, yet not only did it fail to deal any damage, but Zoro himself was sent flying... Was it related to his hand?
At that moment, Meiser recalled the peculiarity of the opponent's hand, which seemed to have... peculiar paw pads?
It was then that Kuma calmly spoke: "Repel..."
"Re... Repel?!"
Hearing such childish words, everyone wore expressions of disbelief. Wasn't this a bit too ridiculous?
This wasn't some game between kids where they could just say "repel" and call it a day. Did an ability like "repel" truly exist in this world?
"A Repel Fruit user?" Sanji speculated.
"Then what about him compressing air earlier? Can that be explained by 'repel' too?"
"How should I know, damn it?!"
He was just making educated guesses based on observation. Without an explanation from the opponent, he had no way of knowing.
Damn it, these tight-lipped enemies were the hardest to deal with.
"Let me test him."
Franky raised his arm, aiming at Kuma. "Weapon Left!"
"I'll join in too!" Usopp said.
The two immediately launched their attacks—both explosive, gunpowder-based weapons.
"Boom!!"
The explosions rang out as their attacks struck Kuma directly, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Huh?!" Frankiy blinked in surprise. "Why didn't he repel it?"
That repelling force had even sent Zoro flying. There was no way it couldn't repel his cannonballs, yet the opponent...
A gust of wind blew away the dust around Kuma, revealing his unharmed figure—completely unscathed!!
Seeing this, Franky's expression darkened. Now he understood why Kuma hadn't repelled the attack—because he didn't need to!
Was my attack too weak...?
Well, it made sense. A Sword Master like Zoro undoubtedly had stronger offensive power than him... Damn it, this was so frustrating.
"What a terrifying guy..." Usopp gulped.
His attack couldn't even break through the opponent's defense. Just how strong was this guy?
At that moment, Nico Robin launched her attack.
"Twelve Wheels of Flowers!"
Multiple arms sprouted from Kuma's body, attempting to twist his neck—but unfortunately, her strength was far from enough.
"So strong..." Nico Robin gritted her teeth.
She had given it her all, but the opponent's neck was like an immovable mountain!
"Is this guy really invincible...?"
Observing their reactions, Kuma spoke indifferently: "With your current strength, you stand no chance against me."
"Kid, I'll give you one chance. Agree to my terms now, and I'll stop."
Those final words were directed at Meiser by Kuma.
"My answer remains the same—I refuse!!"
As his voice faded, Meiser swiftly initiated a combined Ninjutsu.
"Try this one on for size!!"
"BOOM!!"
Following Meiser's words, countless water droplets materialized around him, rapidly coalescing into a swirling vortex!
In the next instant, an enormous Water Dragon surged forth from the vortex, its body crackling with electricity!
"ROAR!!"
After roaring toward the distant Kuma, the Water Dragon charged straight at him.
"Thunder Water Dragon Bullet Technique!!!"
"BOOM!!"
The colossal Water Dragon descended from the sky, hurtling toward Kuma with tremendous force.
"Is this seawater... or freshwater?" Kuma murmured to himself.
Having observed Meiser's Ninjutsu by the shore earlier, he was well aware of the boy's ability to manipulate seawater.
But whether the water summoned on land was saltwater or freshwater remained unclear.
Still... whatever it was, he had no intention of letting the attack reach him.
With that thought, Kuma raised his hand without hesitation and declared, "Repel!"
"Rep—"
Hearing Kuma's words, Meiser's pupils contracted. Could this man really deflect his Ninjutsu?
The next moment confirmed his fears—Kuma could indeed repel his technique!
"What a broken ability—"
"WHOOSH~"
Under the power of the Paw-Paw Fruit, the massive Water Dragon was forcibly redirected, soaring off into the distance. Faintly visible on its surface was the translucent imprint of a bear's paw.
"He... actually did it..." Sanji muttered, stunned.
Even Meiser's Ninjutsu could be sent flying?
Did that mean this guy's ability... was invincible?
The power to repel anything... Was he some kind of Bounce-Bounce Fruit user?
This was beyond ridiculous!!
Sanji's expression darkened as he realized something—this Royal Seven Warlord named Kuma might be far stronger than Moria!
"What the hell is this guy's ability?!" Usopp exclaimed frantically. "Why is even Meiser's Ninjutsu useless against him?!"
The others watched Kuma warily, refraining from reckless attacks.
Noticing something, Meiser fixed his gaze on Kuma's hands—specifically, the paw pads on his palms.
From what he'd observed, every repelling action involved those hands. That might be the limitation of his ability!!
This realization sparked new ideas in Meiser's mind.
In that case... maybe a large-scale attack would work!
At the very least... they had to find a way to neutralize his repelling power!