In the distance, aboard the massive Byrnndi World ship, the blazing streak of Rowen's Super Electromagnetic Cannon lit up the night sky, impossible to ignore.
Kizaru glanced back toward the spectacle, smirked, and muttered with a hint of amusement,
"Oi oi... Hang in there, Rowen! I'm still a bit tied up over here."
"You're still distracted while fighting me? Who do you think you're looking down on, brat?!" Came the sharp retort.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a projectile, looking like a bullet but as large as a cannonball, blazed toward him at a speed so fast it defied tracking. Kizaru's brow furrowed. In an instant, he dissolved into shimmering golden light, vanishing from his spot.
BOOM!
A chunk of metal was struck violently, and the screech of twisting steel echoed as a slab over 20 centimeters thick buckled inward, leaving a basketball-sized crater. The raw destructive force was undeniable.
With a sudden flash, Kizaru reappeared behind Byrnndi World, golden particles swirling at his feet as he launched a ferocious kick.
Thunk!
Byrnndi World wasn't to be underestimated; he spun skillfully, punching Kizaru's shin and sending the golden light tearing skyward. With the power of the Moa Moa no Mi (Accelerate-Accelerate Fruit) fueling him, even Kizaru's lightning-fast Light-Speed Kick couldn't gain the upper hand.
Kizaru's usual lazy, lecherous grin spread across his face as he drawled, "What a terrifying opponent… You can actually match the speed of light. But pushing your own body with your fruit's power must be quite the strain, old man."
Byrnndi World snorted coldly, shrugging Kizaru off before pulling a handful of black bullets from his coat.
"Moa: 50x Shotgun!"
Whoosh Whoosh!
Bang Bang Bang!
Dozens of bullets, accelerated fifty times faster than normal, turned Kizaru's previous position into a cratered wasteland, impact holes as wide as a meter peppered the ground, resembling a miniature moon landscape, despite each bullet being smaller than a thumb.
A flash of light sparked as Kizaru reappeared at Byrnndi World's side again, that same sly grin firmly in place.
"50x speed? Still not fast enough, old man!"
"Wicked brat!" Byrnndi World's eyes burned red with fury as he roared and launched a punch.
"Moa: 100x Speed!!"
BOOM!
The devastating blow shattered Kizaru's stance mid-attack, sending him crashing through a wall and leaving a gaping hole behind. Panting heavily, Byrnndi World planted his feet firmly, exhaustion threatening to take hold.
"Yes... keep pushing yourself to the limit," he muttered.
Clatter!
From the rubble, Kizaru brushed dust from his clothes, the unmistakable pervy grin still etched on his face, but beneath it burned cold, ruthless intent.
"The sooner I wear you down, the sooner I can rest."
"Arrogant bastard!" Byrnndi World bellowed and raised his gun.
"Moa: 100x Bullet!!"
Bang!
...
On Kizaru's side, the advantage was clear. As long as he stayed careful, slowly wearing Byrnndi World out was only a matter of time.
But on Rowen's side… things weren't looking good.
SPLASH!
With a violent crash of waves, Rowen burst from the ocean into the night air. The electromagnetic barrier around him flickered and began to dissipate, revealing his chest, where the punctured lung was already rapidly regenerating.
From his shoulder to his right chest, his dark gray suit clung, soaked with sticky, uncomfortable blood. With a grunt, Rowen tore the suit off, baring a powerful, sculpted torso that looked as if forged from molten iron.
"Hmph!"
Shaking off droplets of water, Rowen raised his Thunder Dragon crescent-sided halberd, hovering mid-air with a grim expression.
"This is troublesome…"
Unlike Kaido, Red's other solo-fighting rival, Rowen was his complete opposite. Apart from a somewhat weaker defense, Red had no visible weakness, no easy opening.
Even Red's one defensive weak point was neutralized by his unique mind-reading Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), which let him anticipate and avoid even the most lethal strikes.
In short… he was damn near perfect.
That claw attack just now, if it had landed on anyone else, it would have torn through their trachea and arteries. Yet against Red's strike, Rowen was left with only a shallow wound.
The only real limitation Red had was his age. Aging was a pain nobody escaped, and when he broke free from imprisonment, he was already a decrepit old man, no longer a serious threat.
But then he found the Vampire Fruit… and with it, reclaimed his youth.
Along with this came the eerie, shadowy Black Mist that cloaked him. Even if Chief Commander Kong fought him with his own restorative powers… the odds would be seventy-thirty, Rowen thought.
Compared to their last exhausting battle, their strengths were now Byrnndi Worlds apart. Redfield's current power was on a whole new level.
It had been a long time since Rowen had felt such pressure from an opponent.
"Besides figuring out how to break through his concealment in the darkness, I also need to counter his ability to read my thoughts... Even at a distance, I must be wary of his speed."
The key to beating him was right here. But breaking this stalemate? That was hard. Hard. Hard.
Patrick Redfield is truly worthy of the legend surrounding him.
"Have you rested enough, brat?" At that moment, Red descended slowly, flapping his bat wings, appearing before Rowen. Without hesitation, Rowen stepped back and blinked a hundred meters away.
"So, plotting something again, I see."
Red's eyes narrowed, clearly reading Rowen's intention.
"I'll admit it, you're troublesome. Even though I can see your thoughts, you've still managed to catch me off guard twice. Garp… didn't die in vain."
"Heh, getting sentimental again?"
Red sighed deeply. "Maybe I am."
"Ever since I was a child, I heard the thoughts of others. I became numb to the ugliness in people's hearts, so I withdrew from the crowd and walked the path of solitude."
"But..."
Thick Black Mist swirled out again. Unlike the devouring, oppressive nature of the Dark-Dark Fruit, this Black Mist carried a wickedness, eerily unsettling. A putrid, bloody stench even seemed to ooze from it.
Red vanished into the darkness once more, leaving only his glowing crimson eyes afloat in the air.
Quietly, he said, "Since I chose this path, why should I regret it?"
"You reminded me, brat… The thing I should care about isn't loneliness, but whether I've lost my way on the path I chose."
"The answer… is that I once was."
'Blood Mist Assault!'
Shua! Shua! Shua!
As his voice fell, those crimson eyes flared fiercely. Streams of Black Mist twisted into sharp spikes, stabbing toward Rowen. But to Rowen's Heavenly Network Observation Haki, just like Red hiding in the mist, these attacks were fully visible, almost as if they weren't there.
Only when the moonlight's flickering shadows crossed his sight could he detect that something tangible was attacking.
'Kami-e: Thunder!'
Electricity sparked all around him. Using the electrical light, Rowen's body moved limber and smooth like a willow in the breeze, dodging the mist's spikes with ease.
"Naive!"
Red showed no sign of anxiety. He merely controlled the Black Mist to keep assaulting relentlessly.
Slash…
Puchi!
Thin streaks of blood started appearing across Rowen's flesh.
It was unbelievable, someone with Rowen's mastery of Rokushiki should have dodged these slow Black Mist strikes effortlessly.
Yet only Rowen himself understood why it was happening.
His eyes widened in shock, disbelief painted across his face.
"Not even the airflow was disturbed?!"
(End of Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 90 chapters on my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395