As Ortoren arrogantly issued his threats, Ochoku had already reappeared beside Silver Axe.
The massive Silver Axe wasn't built like that for nothing. Though he grimaced after taking Ortoren's elbow strike, he rubbed his stomach and scrambled back to his feet.
"That was something. Really something. That guy won't be easy to deal with..." Silver Axe rubbed his stomach, then wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth before speaking.
Ochoku's voice was deep and measured. "He must have inherited Linlin's steel body. Combined with that inexplicable Lightning Armor and his formidable Haki, breaking through his defenses is going to be tricky..."
"Leave it to me!" Silver Axe declared immediately. "I'll handle his defenses. You just focus on creating an opening for me!"
As the words fell, Silver Axe seized his battle axe. This time, he gripped the handle with both hands instead of one, lowering his stance slightly as he drew a deep breath.
As the breath filled his abdomen, Silver Axe's already imposing frame swelled even further. His skin tightened like steel, flushed crimson, and began emitting warm steam!
Now, looking at Silver Axe's face, his pupils had narrowed considerably. The whites of his eyes were now stained with crimson bloodshot veins, and even his hair stood on end. Clearly, he had entered a new state.
As Silver Axe's longtime partner, Ochoku knew exactly what this meant: Silver Axe had channeled his strength into an explosive phase, a terrifying force. With his immense strength, breaking through that Ortoren fellow's defenses should pose no problem!
In the distance, Ortoren showed no sign of pursuit. Instead, he stood shouldering his warhammer, watching the scene with keen interest. He smacked his lips. "Oh my, oh my. Getting serious, are we?"
Speed is power, and conversely, when power is sufficient, speed need not lag behind!
Just then, Silver Axe's Observation Haki locked onto Ortoren. With a surge of force from his feet, the ground shattered instantly. As the first cracked stone bounced upward, his figure charged toward Ortoren like a high-speed train.
The explosive force was so fierce that in the blink of an eye, he appeared before Ortoren. Holding the axe with both hands, he swung it down with all his might!
Ortoren swung his warhammer horizontally, blocking upward as if gauging the force of Silver Axe.
The next instant, the battleaxe slammed into Ortoren's warhammer. The impact sent Ortoren's legs instantly piercing the ground, instantly collapsing a large pit. Then, the brutal force surged through the warhammer into his arms. The sudden, monstrous power sent a shockwave through Ortoren's arms, numbing them and nearly causing him to drop the warhammer!
The Riki Riki no Mi's effects were truly terrifying. From this single strike, Ortoren could confirm that Silver Axe hadn't been boasting earlier. This explosive strength surpassed even Charlotte Linlin's innate divine power!
As Silver Axe pinned Ortoren down, Ochoku's figure materialized behind him in the same instant. His long sword, radiating Conqueror's Haki, swung down toward Ortoren's nape, as if aiming to decapitate him.
This time, Ortoren couldn't afford any flashy showmanship. The moment Ochoku appeared, Ortoren abandoned his struggle against Silver Axe. A flash of lightning erupted from his body, and with a whoosh, he vanished from his original position.
The next instant, Ochoku's strike missed its mark. Silver Axe's massive battle-axe slammed down with brutal force, cleaving the earth.
The blow was devastatingly powerful. A single swing carved a deep fissure hundreds of meters long into the ground, as if Silver Axe had split the earth itself in two. The entire Hachinosu trembled.
With no time to revel in his own power, Silver Axe swiftly pulled the battle-axe from the ground and held it horizontally before him.
True to form, the dazzling lightning bolt instantly transformed into a pillar of energy, crashing directly onto Silver Axe's blade. The searing energy seemed intent on melting the axe into molten iron, but Silver Axe's Haki shielded the weapon, thwarting Ortoren's attempt.
Simultaneously, in the instant the lightning flashed, Ochoku had already relocked onto Ortoren's position. With a teleportation, he matched his speed, reappearing behind Ortoren once more to deliver another slashing blow.
Yet the two seemed to shift and blur like phantoms. The instant Ochoku's blade struck out, a crackling arc of lightning flashed through the air. Ortoren's figure flickered behind Ochoku, his hand shooting out to grab at the warrior's shoulder.
Against such a teleporting powerhouse, the simplest countermeasure was to seize his body—thus neutralizing his greatest advantage.
But Ochoku was well aware of his own weaknesses. The moment Ortoren vanished from his sight, his abilities activated.
Then, those still alive to observe the battlefield witnessed a truly breathtaking spectacle.
Ripples in space and lightning bolts streaked across the sky, exploding rapidly like brushstrokes, instantly dotting the heavens with a dense, intricate pattern.
The naked eye could no longer track Ortoren and Ochoku. Within mere moments, they had shifted positions hundreds of times, neither able to gain the upper hand!
As for Silver Axe, he now resembled a clumsy warrior, standing rooted to the ground with his battle-axe raised. His head bobbed up and down as he stared skyward, his Observation Haki struggling to keep pace with Ortoren.
Intervening was impossible—he couldn't even lock onto a target!
Far away on the warship, Gion watched the scene unfold, cold sweat instantly beading on her brow. A grave expression clouded her eyes as she murmured, "Ochoku is truly terrifying. At this speed, I simply can't keep up..."
And "can't keep up" meant one thing: if she faced Ochoku one-on-one, defeat was certain!
Issho's brow was also furrowed, though he didn't feel quite as 'helpless' as Gion. He murmured softly, "I can't match his speed, but my abilities can slow him down... At the same time, my Observation Haki should be able to lock onto him."
Purely in swordsmanship, Issho wasn't as strong as Gion. In terms of Armament Haki, they were likely evenly matched. But when it came to Observation Haki, Issho was absurdly superior!
As the two spoke, the sky seemed completely saturated by Ortoren and Ochoku. Their battlefield swiftly descended, shifting to the ground of Hachinosu, where a contest of speed unfolded.
Silver Axe instinctively retreated several steps, leaning his body against a thick, undamaged wall. His vigilant gaze darted back and forth across the front. If one were to view the entire Hachinosu from above at that moment, they would see 'explosion points' randomly appearing in all directions—north, south, east, and west. Each explosion point marked the instant Ortoren and Ochoku materialized and clashed.
Often, before the dust from one explosion had settled, dozens more would erupt simultaneously. For a moment, it seemed as if the entire underground of Hachinosu was littered with continuously detonating landmines.
No wonder, in the original story, Ochoku had managed to hold his ground on Hachinosu for decades without being overthrown. He had carved out his own niche under the rule of the Yonkō of the New World.
With such terrifying speed, few across these seas could truly threaten him.
This velocity also reflected Ochoku's acute senses. Merely consuming such a Devil Fruit didn't grant Ochoku's level of power. His ability to push his speed to such extremes demonstrated that his reflexes could keep pace with the fruit's power. Others possessing this ability might not achieve what Ochoku had!
Meanwhile, amidst the ruins of a small two-story building at the edge of the dock, Shanks sat with eyes tightly shut. Yet his stern expression made it clear he wasn't resting—he was channeling a certain power.
It was the Observation Haki, the power to foresee the future!
The next instant, Shanks' eyes snapped open. "Now!"
Before the words had even faded, an overwhelming surge of Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body, hurtling straight toward its target.
At that very instant, Ochoku's figure flashed before Silver Axe. Immediately after, Ortoren transformed into a bolt of lightning, chasing after him. But just as Ochoku vanished again and Ortoren was about to continue the pursuit, Shanks' Conqueror's Haki locked onto Ortoren with pinpoint accuracy. The overwhelming force slammed into Ortoren's body.
For an instant, Ortoren's movements froze. This pause was fleeting—a mere blink of an eye, imperceptible to ordinary observers.
Yet for Silver Axe, ever vigilant, it was more than enough!
This was the opening!
His battle axe whistled upward. In that split second, it seemed the very air before him shattered, space itself torn asunder.
By the time Silver Axe struck, Ortoren had already shaken off the Conqueror's Haki. Yet it was too late to dodge. He could only raise his arm to shield his side, his Haki and thunderous power coalescing into armor, attempting to withstand Silver Axe's blow.
Then, Ortoren's form was sent flying into the air by Silver Axe's strike.
Immediately after, a figure leapt from the ground as if anticipating this very moment. A long sword drew from its scabbard, black lightning crackling alongside its entrance, its Haki radiating with overwhelming force!
"Kamusari!!!"
It was none other than Shanks. The terrifying slash unleashed by that blade did not waver in the slightest, striking with pinpoint accuracy at Ortoren's form mid-air, engulfing him completely.
...
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