With four heavy, muffled bangs, four gigantic, almost transparent bear paws rose one after another, spanning over a thousand meters of sea in the blink of an eye.
Kuma no Shogeki (Bear Paw Impact) used the elastic repulsion of his paw pads to compress the air into massive blocks, then turned the rebound of the atmosphere into a terrifying shockwave. Each release possessed overwhelming destructive power—and those shockwaves could be stored indefinitely on the paw pads. Whenever he needed them, Kuma could unleash them all at once!
The power of five Bear Paw Impacts stacked together had already surpassed SSS+ level, even exceeding what most ordinary SSSS-level powerhouses could muster!
In the face of such a shockwave, not to mention Law, who immediately expanded his ROOM sphere at the first moment, even a top great swordsman like Redfield gripped his umbrella-sword and braced himself, terrified that the leftover force might surge through and obliterate the Creed in an instant.
"Boom!"
The five terrifying shockwaves fused together, blooming into a heaven-shaking explosion. Blazing white light speared into their eyes, radiance flooding over more than ten li in every direction in an instant.
The pirate ships that had managed to survive in the distance were immediately flung away by that horrific force. Their huge hulls were like tiny leaves in a storm.
And yet, the Creed stubbornly remained at the very center of the gigantic Bear Paw Impact, utterly unmoved.
What faced off against the fivefold Bear Paw Impact was, of course, Creed's Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki)!
No—secretly, Creed was also using Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki)!
His formless, intangible yet overwhelmingly real Haoshoku Haki layered over his Busoshoku Haki, forming a second barrier of protection.
He had considered this idea before, and today was the perfect chance to test it, so he couldn't help but try.
With the ROOM sphere guarding the ship, he had no worries at all and could experiment as much as he liked.
But you never know until you try—once he did, Creed felt a little disappointed.
Even the fivefold Bear Paw Impact, before his SSSS-level Busoshoku Haki combined with SSSS-level Haoshoku Haki in a blend of tangible and intangible power, was like butter encountering a red-hot knife—easily sliced apart by him.
"Boom!!"
The blazing white light formed a majestic pillar of energy that pierced the heavens, then blossomed into a huge mushroom cloud of violent explosions. Heat fierce enough to melt metal boiled and roiled, instantly evaporating several meters of seawater across an area of more than ten li!
Yet even so, the Creed, shrouded within the ROOM sphere, did not budge an inch.
At that moment, Creed drew his sword.
In just an instant, his longsword left its sheath and returned. At a speed the naked eye could not follow, he unleashed an invisible, intangible slash.
Shizen no Ittou (Perfect Blade) + Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) attack!
Relying on SSSS-level Haoshoku Haki alone still wasn't enough to completely overwhelm Kuma—but once Shizen no Ittou (Perfect Blade) was added, it became a different story!
At SSSS-level, Haoshoku Haki could massively amplify Shizen no Ittou (Perfect Blade), turning it into a mental attack that was almost impossible to guard against!
"Ugh!"
Kuma had just seen him draw his sword and was about to defend when his mind felt as if it had been smashed by a sledgehammer. In his perception, he could even "see" a pale white sword-light cleaving down straight at him, leaving no room to evade!
In the next instant, his head sagged and he collapsed, falling into unconsciousness.
"What just happened?"
Law, who had just ducked into a safe spot, saw Creed merely draw his sword—without even releasing any visible sword-qi—and Kuma toppled over in a faint. His jaw dropped.
What kind of swordsmanship was that?!
"ROOM!"
Creed raised his hand and made a grasping motion. Kuma's body was instantly transferred onto the deck of the Creed. Only then did Creed turn his head and look toward the far distance.
"Teacher Zephyr, it's been a while!"
Being ignored twice in a row by Creed was a heavy blow to the somewhat aloof Law. He ground his teeth in frustration.
Creed, don't go too far. I'm one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea now too!
"Hahaha! Creed, you've grown stronger and stronger. As someone who used to be your teacher, I don't even know whether I should feel more gratified… or more heartbroken."
Under Creed's locking gaze, a Marine battleship sailed swiftly out from its hiding spot. Along with it came Zephyr's familiar, hearty laugh.
At the highest point of the bow, Zephyr stood straight and spirited, draped in a Marine "Justice" coat. He seemed to be in a pretty good mood.
"...Teacher Zephyr!"
Behind Creed, Ain's expression tensed.
Ever since she chose to follow Creed, the person she felt most guilty toward was not the Marines, but the teacher who had painstakingly trained her—Zephyr.
Running into him under these circumstances was far too awkward!
"To see your student become this outstanding—even if it's a former student—you should be happy, shouldn't you? 'The student surpasses the master' is the ultimate wish of every teacher, no?"
Creed answered with a smile, giving Ain's fragrant shoulder a light squeeze.
Why Zephyr had brought so many Warlords and candidates here today—Creed could more or less guess. But on this matter, he couldn't compromise.
Maybe in the future he wouldn't actively attack the Marines… but as for the World Government, he absolutely would not let them off!
Seeing that although Creed wore a smile, his eyes had not wavered in the slightest at his appearance—still just as firm and steady as ever—Zephyr couldn't help sighing inwardly.
Maybe things really couldn't go back to the way they were. Maybe they were beyond saving.
But putting himself in Creed's place, if the World Government had schemed against him like that, Zephyr suspected he might have acted even more ruthlessly than Creed.
Noticing Zephyr's silence, Creed continued, "Admiral Zephyr, your arrival in the New World this time is for the inauguration of the new Marine Headquarters, isn't it? Allow me to offer my congratulations here and now."
Zephyr waved his hand, brushing the subject aside. "If your grandpa sees the message I left for him, he should be on his way. The three of us need to have a proper talk."
You old fox…
The moment he heard that Garp would also be coming, Creed's smile froze on his face.
(End of Chapter)
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