As he spoke, Diarmuid's ability surged. Stussy, in mid-air, suddenly felt her body become incredibly heavy, as if an invisible force was pressing down on her. Geppo was completely ineffective against this force, and she was slammed to the ground.
The moment her feet hit, the ground shattered. If Stussy hadn't been so strong, she would have been flattened.
Gritting her teeth against the unseen gravity, Stussy's eyes widened in shock. "What ability is that?" she asked.
Diarmuid had no intention of hiding his power. As he became more active on the seas, it would be exposed sooner or later anyway. He spoke openly, "As a member of an intelligence agency, Stussy-san, your skills seem a little rusty. My move is called Gravity Blade…"
"A Gravity-Gravity Fruit?!" Stussy exclaimed, shocked.
The CP agencies have an encyclopedia of Devil Fruits, so they were very knowledgeable about them. Stussy was well aware of the Gravity-Gravity Fruit. It was undoubtedly one of the strongest Paramecia-type abilities, a top-tier power. With this ability alone, this Marine Rear Admiral was well on his way to becoming a top-tier fighter.
With that thought, Stussy no longer hesitated. She pushed off the ground, her body disappearing as she used Soru. In the next instant, she appeared behind Diarmuid and aimed a kick at his neck.
"Perhaps the CP agencies have forgotten that the prefix for Rokushiki is Marine…" Diarmuid said softly. Just as Stussy's kick was about to land on his neck, Diarmuid's body vanished from her sight as well.
"Shigan: Black Powder!" Diarmuid whispered. He reappeared behind Stussy, his finger wrapped in black Armament Haki, and he jabbed it straight at her back.
"Tekkai!" Stussy said in a low voice. Haki instantly wrapped around her back, and her body hardened as she used Tekkai. Diarmuid's Shigan felt like it hit a solid piece of steel, and a ringing clang echoed out, as if metal was striking metal.
Although she managed to block it, Stussy still felt a jolt of pain. But before she could counterattack, she felt the finger against her back flick. A moment later, a powerful burst of gravity erupted, and she was sent flying like a cannonball.
To be honest, Diarmuid was a little surprised. They had exchanged a few blows, but he felt that Stussy was too weak. She lacked the power he had seen her display at Whole Cake Island two decades later, where she killed the Loan Shark King from miles away with a single Tobu Shigan.
"Maybe she's still in her growth phase?" Diarmuid thought to himself.
He didn't know that all CP agents suffered from a similar problem, even Lucci, who would one day be hailed as the most talented CP9 agent in eight hundred years. Because CP agents often went on long-term missions, sometimes staying undercover for years to gather vital intelligence, they were almost unable to train during that time. Their strength would stagnate, and they couldn't fully develop their potential.
Stussy was the same. She only truly began to develop her strength when she was promoted to CP0 and left the CP agencies to create the underground intelligence organization in the World Government's underworld. Now, even though she was a CP9 Chief, her strength was nothing special.
But despite this, Stussy was shocked. She knew her strength was enough to make her a decent Marine Vice Admiral. In a general sense, she had the power of an average Marine Vice Admiral. Although she hadn't gone all out yet, she was still completely powerless against Diarmuid!
"He really is a monster on par with Kuzan and the others," she thought.
In fact, Diarmuid's assessment of his own strength wasn't as accurate as Stussy's. Perhaps because he was in the thick of it, he only compared himself to people like Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Borsalino at headquarters. While they were only Vice Admirals, their strength was far beyond that.
In a few years, they would be Admiral-level fighters. Maybe because he was always focused on them and had never fought other Vice Admirals, Diarmuid naturally forgot how unique they were, thinking all Vice Admirals at headquarters were at their level. Coupled with his feeling that he didn't have a truly outstanding skill, he had consistently underestimated himself.
He may not have a standout skill, but his skills were solid in every aspect. And that solidity, when combined into his overall strength, made him incredibly powerful. With his recent development and focus on his Devil Fruit ability, he had a standout skill now, but he subconsciously compared himself to Admiral Fujitora and still felt he had a long way to go.
Both of them were lost in their thoughts, but Stussy quickly came back to her senses. She powered up, not daring to hold back anymore.
"Rokushiki Secret Technique: Extreme Rush!" Stussy said in a low voice. As she spoke, an aura of air burst from her body, her skin turned red, and her pupils shrunk.
Diarmuid didn't know what this was. After all, when Rokushiki was developed to its limit, everyone's extensions were different, and the secret techniques they created were also different. But on the surface, this looked like a power-up technique.
Sure enough, as soon as he had that thought, Stussy moved. This time, she was so fast that Diarmuid couldn't keep up with just Soru. In an instant, she was on his side like a cheetah, with both hands and feet on the ground. She then dug her hands into the ground and spun like a top, unleashing a Rankyaku with both feet.
Diarmuid always kept a half-meter radius around himself under gravitational pressure, but Stussy's powered-up speed seemed to completely negate this force, and her movements were incredibly fast.
Diarmuid already suspected that Stussy might not be as weak as she appeared, so he didn't underestimate her. He loosened his feet, and all the gravity on his body disappeared. In this weightless state, he could also use Soru to its full potential.
Just before Stussy's fierce Rankyaku could hit him, Diarmuid created distance between them and dodged the attack. The two Rankyaku were unstoppable, flying out into the distance and slicing a towering clock tower into three pieces!
"That Rankyaku is comparable to a Great Swordsman's," Diarmuid thought with awe.
"Five-Storm Claws!" Stussy's body caught up to Diarmuid again. Her hands turned into claws, aiming for his shoulders. It was obvious that all ten of her fingers had a sharp aura around them, like blades.
"It's clearly Ten-Storm Claws, isn't it? As expected of a CP agent, even their move names are so underhanded," Diarmuid inwardly mocked. At the same time, his gravity burst outwards, repelling everything in a full, three-hundred-and-sixty-degree radius. It was a lot like Shinra Tensei!
Stussy's slender body was unable to break through. Her movements were suddenly halted by the repelling gravity.
Just then, the cold light of Diarmuid's Nagasone Kotetsu flashed as he slashed forward.
"Gravity Blade: Tiger's Bite!" Diarmuid roared. A faint purple energy aura flowed around his blade. In the blink of an eye, the aura turned into a fierce tiger. As the blade swung, the tiger left the sword and lunged at Stussy.
Facing the tiger-like slash, Stussy was pinned by gravity and couldn't dodge. She blocked with her arms, and her Armament Haki and Tekkai activated at the same time, preparing for the hit. She had no choice but to take it.
In an instant, it was as if a real tiger had pounced on her. Stussy was unable to resist the force and was sent flying. At the same time, her already flushed face turned bright red, her internal energy was in chaos, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Before she could fly too far, Diarmuid slammed his Nagasone Kotetsu downward, saying softly, "Gravity Guard: Tigerfall!"
The gravity on Stussy's body suddenly changed direction, slamming her to the ground with all four limbs splayed. This sudden change in force hurt Stussy again, causing her to spit out another mouthful of blood. She propped herself up with her arms, struggling to get up. But Diarmuid continued to increase the gravity, and Stussy was completely unable to stand. She was pinned to the ground.
He sheathed his sword, but the ability remained active. Diarmuid walked slowly toward Stussy, who was struggling to get up, and said, "Stussy-san, you've lost."
Diarmuid wasn't proud. He had suddenly realized that it was perfectly logical for the CP agencies to be weaker than Marine Headquarters in terms of combat power. After all, each specialized in a different field.
As the main force on the front lines, the Marines' combat power was naturally stronger. And given that the CP agencies specialized in Rokushiki, they were more focused on assassination techniques and weren't used to direct combat.
If Stussy had a chance to assassinate him, he might actually fall for it. So there was nothing to be proud of in a professional beating an amateur. Stussy struggled a few more times, but the gravity pressing down on her held her down, and she couldn't get up. She felt a deep sense of shame as she watched Diarmuid approach.
But she was the chief of CP9, and she didn't lose her composure. After realizing she couldn't fight Diarmuid's raw power, the frantic air and aura around her began to dissipate. Her flushed skin returned to its normal pale color, and her pupils returned to their normal size.
"I lost," Stussy said in a low voice.
As soon as she said that, the gravity on her body suddenly disappeared. For a moment, she wanted to attack again, but seeing Diarmuid's calm expression, she suppressed the urge.
She stood up from the ground, slowly stabilizing her breathing. Stussy wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and said, "The Marines are lucky to have a person like you. As brother agencies, I hope we can have a chance to work together in the future, Rear Admiral Diarmuid."
Diarmuid smiled and said, "I also look forward to working with you, Stussy-san. By the way, have you ever thought about switching jobs? I'd be very happy if you would join our Marine Intelligence Division…"
Stussy stared at him, speechless. Are you crazy?
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