Boom! The entire building was smashed apart by Ramirez, a humanoid monster. Rosen and the others leapt away in an instant, landing around the shattered ruins.
"Is this still human?" Rosen thought. He had just crushed a whole building—didn't he feel the impact?
"Enel, Hathaway, Daz Bones, follow me. The rest, fall back and prepare to set sail. Don't let this bastard slow us down," Rosen frowned, surprised by the sudden emergence of such a powerful foe.
"Quick reflexes," Ramirez muttered, rising from the debris.
"Attack together—don't waste time," Rosen called to Enel and the others. If they delayed too long, they could miss the Summit War or fail to seize the right timing.
"Judgment of God!" Enel summoned a massive bolt of lightning, crashing it down onto Ramirez.
"Logia, Rumble, interesting…" Ramirez's eyes gleamed with frenzy. Instead of dodging, he raised his massive cleaver and thrust it skyward. A blade of energy shot from its tip, piercing the lightning column.
Still, fragments of electricity crackled over him, but he seemed unfazed.
"Judging by his speed, he could have dodged but chose to absorb it—a true battle maniac," Rosen noted. Ramirez's strength was astonishing.
"Shadow of the Sword Demon!" Hathaway's attack arrived, a deadly slash like a demonic wail, threatening to split the heavens.
"A sword?" Ramirez swung his cleaver, releasing a dazzling red glow. It seemed alive, almost pulsing like blood inside the blade.
"What a strange weapon," Hathaway muttered. Not a named sword, but perhaps a World Government science product—its eerie, almost living appearance unnerved her.
The Sword Demon's shadow struck hard. Even with Ramirez countering with his cleaver, he was pushed back, his skin tearing slightly. Hathaway unleashed her full power, and he had yet to go all out.
"Good! Only by killing you all will I feel joy!" Ramirez growled, blood spurring his excitement; the more he bled, the stronger he became.
"Godspeed Ten Slashes!" Thin blade cages materialized near Ramirez, limiting his movement. Two thin blades aimed for his head, but he blocked them with his cleaver.
"Blood in the blade? Does it have a special function? Some similarity to Hathaway's attacks," Rosen observed, abandoning further hesitation. The enemy was strong but still within their manageable range. Such a killing frenzy required caution—they sought to kill, not just defeat.
Rosen turned to sand and swept forward, exploiting the moment Hathaway and the others suppressed Ramirez.
"Strong! No wonder Aokiji suffered against you! But your head is mine!" Ramirez roared, focusing sound into a shockwave, shattering Daz Bones' thin blades and throwing up a dust wave.
Hathaway cut through the dust effortlessly. Enel electrified the dirt, blasting it toward Ramirez, while Daz Bones, in full steel, shattered the dust with his distributed blade energy.
"Collapse!" Rosen's palm struck Ramirez's chest, triggering his destructive ability. But Ramirez reacted quickly; his Haki covered his body before the attack landed.
Though it didn't break, the momentary tearing caused Ramirez immense pain, sending him flying through a building.
"Strange… that force shouldn't have broken my defense," Ramirez muttered. Rosen's palm had been powerful but shouldn't have torn through his Haki and internal muscle. Not torn—it was as if disintegrating.
"This isn't looking good," Ramirez said, though his expression showed anticipation.
"A Vice Admiral-level?" Rosen's face darkened. Even a preliminary strike revealed Ramirez's strength—he couldn't afford to underestimate him. An unknown high-level combatant, untested direction, potential abilities—dangerous indeed.
"Come on!" Ramirez, surrounded, didn't retreat. He attacked first.
"Foolish, Lightning Cutting Net!" Enel struck the ground, summoning a lightning net that sped forward like a white phantom.
"I'll handle this." Hathaway charged through the net at Ramirez. He dodged the net, but Hathaway engaged in close combat, swords clashing with thunderous intensity.
They exchanged strikes relentlessly, evenly matched. But Rosen knew over time, Hathaway would tire.
Daz Bones was unafraid. His iron body resisted even Ramirez's massive cleaver. He thrust a palm-blade attack from behind, but Ramirez sidestepped to avoid it.
Rosen struck again. This was no fair one-on-one—the group attack carried no psychological burden. Even against a Vice Admiral-level fighter, combined, they could inflict serious damage.
"Quicksand!" Ramirez tried advancing but found the ground had turned into sinking sand, immobilizing him briefly.
He leapt using his cleaver, but Rosen waited: "Annihilation Black Prison Barrage!"
Rosen unleashed his awakened destructive ability; black bullets flew like countless rainbows across the sky.
Boom! Ramirez's pupils widened. He swung his cleaver rapidly, slicing all the sand particles.
Yet two nearby buildings suddenly transformed into sand bands, entangling his legs.
"Awakening…?!" Ramirez was shocked. Even he didn't expect inanimate structures to become offensive. Combined with their relentless attacks, he was trapped.
"Die." Rosen struck the moment Ramirez lost bodily control, hitting his heart with overwhelming force. Blood sprayed, Haki manifested as solid destruction, and the collapse ability penetrated his body.
"No!" Ramirez activated Moon Step, emitting a shockwave with his cleaver, escaping Rosen's attack just before the destructive power reached his organs.
But dozens of destructive lightning strikes rained from above—he couldn't dodge this time, trembling under the impact, yet remaining standing.
"A tough bone after all," Ramirez muttered, calming. This pirate crew was far stronger than expected. Charging recklessly could mean his death.
Especially that ability capable of penetrating defenses to invade the body—extremely dangerous. In this brief skirmish, he had already taken serious damage.
(End of Chapter)
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