"Marco!"
The commanders cried out in terror as a figure slowly emerged from the dust.
Renji slowly approached, holding Kurai. A deep, eerie, and sinister aura emanated from him, appearing to everyone like a grim reaper walking among the living.
The blue flames of resurrection burned, healing the wound on Marco's face caused by the slash, but the intense, incomparable pain was something he would forever remember after experiencing it just once.
A drop of cold sweat seeped from Marco's back.
"It's that kid!"
Marco looked at Renji, who was emerging from the dust, his expression grim, his eyes flashing with deep apprehension.
What's going on?
That kid's technique...
What was that just now? A slash? Why couldn't even I see it clearly?
Seeing that Marco was fine, the commanders all breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Renji, their hearts surging with uncontrollable shock.
"How did you get here?" Vista's gaze was icy.
His twin swords clashed, emitting a scorching aura. The next moment, he flashed forward. A burning flame rose slash erupted into dazzling sparks, thrusting towards Renji.
The immensely powerful slash instantly created a fierce aura on the field. The already shattered ice surface rapidly melted under the high-temperature slash. The roses became even more vibrant and alluring than usual.
Once they contacted the target, the slash contained within would instantly inflict the most fatal damage.
Except for Marco and Jozu, the other three commanders were somewhat surprised.
"Vista used such a powerful move right from the start. It seems he's really fired up."
Marco's gaze was fixed on Renji, and at the same time, he activated his Observation Haki, determined to capture Renji's every move.
Based on the series of exchanges before, Marco judged that this young Marine, Renji, absolutely could not be dealt with by conventional means.
Vista immediately unleashing a powerful technique was the most correct decision.
Jozu, standing nearby, sneered. Although he also thought Renji was very strong, he didn't believe he could withstand Vista's flame slash. That domineering attack was enough to destroy a warship.
Facing Vista's rapid advance, Renji continued to walk slowly. After the commanders entered the range of his domain, he delivered an invisible slash to Marco's face, but the result was not satisfactory.
At that moment, he knew that even with Malevolent Shrine upgraded to Lv. 4, it would be impossible to resolve it by maximizing single-target Cursed Energy output in an instant.
To deal with a special healing Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit user like Marco, he needed to upgrade the King of Curses, for its accompanying healing reduction effect.
However, since Marco couldn't be instantly killed for now, he would start with the others. With so many commanders present, the first priority was to ensure he wasn't entangled by any of their attacks. Otherwise, what he would face next would likely be an endless chain of attacks from them.
Anyone who has played a jungler knows that once caught in the opponent's attack rhythm, the outcome is a slow death.
So...
Renji looked up, his azure eyes swirling with light. He extended one hand, and a massive blue orb of Cursed Energy, mixed with Armament Haki, instantly condensed and was violently flung towards one side of Vista's path.
Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue!
As soon as it formed, the terrifying gravitational pull from Blue spiraled in all the surrounding water, ice, and debris, even causing Vista's speed to slow down considerably.
Renji's lips curved into a smile, and his figure instantly vanished.
"What?!"
Blenheim was shocked. "This speed!"
Curiel also failed to track Renji's movements. For a marksman, losing sight of the opponent meant being in the most dangerous passive state at all times.
Facing such a situation, Blamenco had a pocket appear on his body. He pulled out his favorite large wooden hammer from it, his expression turning serious.
The next moment, Renji's figure appeared above everyone. Red and blue lights flashed alternately around him. The immense fluctuations emanating from them, coupled with the eerie pressure within the domain, appeared to everyone like a judge wielding the power of life and death. It was as if Renji alone could slaughter them all.
Marco watched this scene and quickly recalled the torment that was more painful than death.
Red and blue lights flashing alternately...
Could it be that move?
Marco urgently shouted, "Jozu! Stop him!"
"Alright!"
Boom!
Almost the moment before Marco spoke, Jozu began to gather strength in his feet. He roared, and his figure shot up towards Renji in the sky.
Renji's expression was calm. Jozu's explosive speed was already among the absolute top on this battlefield, but unfortunately, he was not fast enough to break through Renji's pre-judgment.
Under the perception of Heavenly Six Eyes, combined with Innate Fighter, Renji possessed absolute control over the battle situation.
"Got him!"
Seeing Jozu about to collide with Renji, the commanders were already certain of the outcome of this attack, that it would not miss.
However, the next instant.
Whoosh!
Renji's figure once again vanished in mid-air. Jozu's attack missed, and although he gnashed his teeth in frustration, he did not possess Renji's instant movement ability, and thus helplessly shot straight out of the battlefield.
Marco's face was filled with surprise and uncertainty, many questions constantly flashing through his mind.
How could Renji move so quickly and continuously?
And those red and blue lights he just emitted, didn't they require charging up?
How could he interrupt it and escape directly?
Marco naturally didn't know that Renji had no intention of using Purple after instantly moving to high altitude. His purpose in feigning using it was merely to trick Jozu out of the battlefield.
Renji's figure appeared about 2 meters behind Marco, a slight smile on his lips.
At this distance, Marco's kick could not hit Renji in the first instant.
At this moment, Marco was still in shock, but after sensing the aura and killing intent behind him, his foot quickly transformed into a claw, wrapped in advanced Armament Haki, and he kicked backward.
"You want to kill me that badly? You bastard, you're looking down on me too much!"
The yellowish-green flames, carrying strong winds, rapidly magnified in Renji's eyes. From this distance, he had enough time to mobilize his strength, fully unleashing One-Sword Style: Crimson Flash.
Just before he plunged into the commanders' vicinity, he had already used 3000 Bounty Points to upgrade One-Sword Style: Crimson Flash to Lv. 3, 20000 Bounty Points to upgrade Martial Arts and Armament Haki to Lv. 5, and simultaneously used 36000 Bounty Points to upgrade both Reverse Cursed Technique and Infinity to Lv. 5.
Basically—
One-Sword Style: Crimson Flash (Lv. 3)
Martial Arts (Lv. 5)
Armament Haki (Lv. 5)
Reverse Cursed Technique (Lv. 5)
Infinity (Lv. 5)
Clang!
The dark red slash and the green flame claws collided with a roar. The terrifying Haki and slash shattered the ice surface into countless pieces.
Feeling the terrifying force from Renji's blade, Marco was astonished. Although it was a hastily delivered kick, it was enough to instantly suppress most strong opponents.
But Renji was actually able to withstand his pressure in such a short time?
"Captain Marco, we're here to help you."
At this moment, the other three commanders finally found an opportunity.
Blenheim, wielding a cutlass, and Blamenco, swinging a giant hammer, charged towards Renji.
Curiel, skilled in firearms, loaded his bullets and instantly aimed. He only needed to pull the trigger, and the pre-stored Haki bullets would fire.
In such a situation, Marco showed a victorious smile.
"Kid, you certainly have a lot of potential, but... do you want to kill me and make a name for yourself? This will be the biggest mistake you've ever made in your life."
The green flame claws exerted fierce pressure, gradually suppressing Renji while also tightly locking down his Kurai to prevent him from breaking free.
"Pay the price for your arrogance."
However, Marco did not see even the slightest hint of panic on Renji's face. A premonition of ill omen rose in his heart.
"No, don't come any closer!" Marco shouted anxiously.
Renji's face broke into a smile. "Too late."
Swish... Swish... Swish...
In an instant, Curiel's body was covered in bloodstains.
***
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