Chapter 58: The Teacher and the Flash
Jack's severely injured body was constantly healing. The natural physical superiority of a fishman, amplified by the Ancient Zoan's regenerative power, created a monstrous combination. Ian finally understood how this reckless brawler had dared to attack a fleet carrying an Admiral and a Fleet Marshal—and lived to tell the tale.
The pity for Jack was that the man he faced today was Ian, not anyone else.
"With so many broken bones, you can still maintain your mammoth form?" Ian clapped his hands, a mocking grin on his face. "You freak, your stamina is truly something else."
"Little brat, laugh all you want," Jack growled, forcing the words out. "Don't think I can't see that your strength is waning. I am an Ancient Zoan. You are just a common Zoan. Fight to the end, and we'll see if you can still smile!" He was putting on a brave front, but anxiety churned within him. Ian's strength and Haki were superior, and his stamina was inhuman. How could a user of the Human-Human Fruit possess such terrifying endurance?
"Alright, alright, you want a fight to the finish? I'll grant your wish!" Ian became a blur of light, closing the distance once more.
BOOM!
BOOM!
...
A relentless barrage of "Human Fists" hammered into Jack's body from all angles. The damage from the initial sensory deprivation had crippled Jack's mobility. Now, he could only barely weather the storm, with no chance to counter-attack.
Ian used Jack as a living sandbag, testing every physical attack in his arsenal. The mammoth's thick hide and powerful muscles highlighted a weakness in Ian's own abilities.
Attack power...
My attack power is still insufficient!
In the waters of the New World, there were foes with even greater defenses than Jack. He still lacked a truly decisive, high-lethality combat skill.
The battle raged on. Then, in a flash of inspiration...
Whoosh!
Ian let out a sharp exhale, his heart pounding with sudden, wild excitement.
"Jack!" he exclaimed, a wide grin splitting his face. "You excellent punching bag! I suddenly don't think you're so ugly anymore! Do all you Beasts Pirates have this potential to be teachers? You really deserve the 'Outstanding Teacher of the Year' award!"
"You piece of trash... what... what are you babbling about?" Jack struggled once more to rise from the ruins, this time forced back into his fully human form, unable to sustain his beastly transformation. He had no idea what Ian was shouting about.
In the next moment...
Hiss... Hiss!
A corona of brown-red electrostatic energy erupted around Ian's body. The air itself seemed to freeze solid. An invisible, soul-crushing pressure descended upon the entire battlefield, rolling outwards like a tidal wave. Blood-red atmospheric distortions rippled outwards. The ground trembled violently, wood splinters and stone fragments flying everywhere.
Ian felt explosive power coursing through his every gesture, his heart surging with exhilaration.
Conqueror's Haki Infusion!
The advanced application of advanced Conqueror's Haki!
This time, it wasn't a reward from the system. It was a skill consciously mastered through combat experience and a raw, desperate thirst for power. Since his training with Garp, Ian had begun to understand—he wasn't incapable of self-growth; he just hadn't been in an environment fraught with enough crisis and challenge.
Grueling practice.
Battles with unknown outcomes.
These were the true catalysts for growth!
"Jock Ian!" Jack's pupils trembled as he felt the shift in the battlefield's pressure. For the first time, he felt the chilling touch of imminent death. "You little devil... you actually... mastered Conqueror's Haki Infusion?!"
Not far away, Ian's subordinates watched, their mouths agape in shock.
T. Peng: "This immense aura... Has Major General Ian's Conqueror's Haki evolved again?"
Peacock: "It's finally here! I'm witnessing it... the highest tier of Conqueror's Haki... Infusion!"
Skylark: "The billion-berry pirate, 'Drought' Jack... you truly picked the wrong opponent today."
Nami: "Incredible! I knew it... Major General Ian would never lose!"
Within the Battle Circle.
Whoosh!
Ian's pupils contracted. His enhanced perception, sharpened by his Awakening, was not focused on the scar-covered Jack, but on something else entirely.
Several blocks away, a yellow flash pierced through layers of buildings and rubble, approaching the scene at a speed unattainable by any ordinary man.
He's here?
A jolt of alarm shot through Ian. Simultaneously, he exploded into motion without a moment's hesitation.
Channeling the Conqueror's Haki Infusion, layered over his ultimate Armament Haki, he threw a world-shattering punch at Jack's crumbling head, holding nothing back.
The compressed airflow and mental oppression brought by the Infusion made it impossible for the grievously wounded Jack to dodge. Before the fist even connected, the shockwave alone produced devastating force.
HISS... BOOM!
BOOM!
The annihilating power struck the vulnerable neck of the saddle-carapace grouper fishman. Against the shocking explosive force of the Infused attack, Jack's body became a human cannonball, instantly slammed into the ground.
HISS... CRACK-BOOM!
The fissure created by the impact seemed to split the entire city block in two.
At the exact same moment, a yellow flash touched down. The figure of a tall, lanky man in a yellow striped suit materialized. Even behind his sunglasses, his look of profound shock was unmistakable. Admiral Kizaru had arrived.
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