Redfield slowly exhaled, the killing intent that had lain dormant for years now fully awakened.
"Then prepare to die in these waters."
As his words fell, his figure shot forward like an arrow released from its bow, vanishing from his original position in an instant.
The next moment, a crimson afterimage closed in around Kane. The elegant Red Umbrella transformed into the deadliest weapon in the world, creating countless sharp whistling sounds as it targeted Kane's throat, heart, and forehead!
His attack style contained no flashy Devil Fruit abilities—it was purely the perfect fusion of physical prowess, Haki, and swordsmanship.
"So fast!" Kane's pupils slightly contracted, but the grin on his face widened even more grotesquely.
His Observation Haki had already been pushed to its limits. Activating his Foresight ability, countless fragmented images of the future flashed before his eyes, allowing him to precisely predict every trajectory of the Red Count's attacks. His body made minimal adjustments to evade.
The Zangetsu in his hand transformed into a black streak of light.
If the Red Count was an elegant vampire, then Kane at this moment was a frenzied god of death.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Zangetsu and the Red Umbrella continuously collided mid-air, sparks flying everywhere.
Their speed was almost impossible to track with the naked eye. Only two blurred afterimages could be seen entangled together, engaging in teleportation-like clashes across the frozen sea surface and through the air! Each collision erupted with a visible ring of white shockwaves!
The trio observing from a distance wore varied expressions.
"Yee~ Such exaggerated speed~" Borsalino adjusted his sunglasses, his tone still lewd but with a drop of cold sweat trickling down his temple. "Only through Elementalization could I keep up with this rhythm... This guy Kane..."
"It's not just speed," Sakazuki stared intently at the battlefield, his fists clenched so tightly they creaked. "It's that reckless madness! He's enjoying the slaughter!"
At the center of the battlefield.
The Red Count grew increasingly alarmed the longer he fought.
He was astonished to discover that Kane could always predict his movements half a step in advance, either blocking with Zangetsu or evading at the last possible moment.
"This Observation Haki... Foresight?" The Red Count's voice carried a trace of gravity.
As this thought emerged, he didn't hesitate any longer, activating his other truly proud ability—Mind Reading!
As long as his opponent formed any intention to attack, he could instantly discern all their motives and trajectories, rendering all predictions useless!
However...
When he attempted to read Kane's mind, what he heard wasn't "slash left," "stab right," or "defend," but a chaotic noise that nearly short-circuited his brain!
『If this strike lands solidly, would it count as excessive enforcement? Could get at least 200 Violation Value points!』
『What material is this guy's umbrella made of? If I snatch it and sell it to Vegapunk, how much funding could I get?』
『No, I still need to damage some public property! And make the commotion bigger! Best if I can alter the underwater terrain too!』
What... what the hell is all this nonsense?!
Just as the Red Count experienced a moment of stunned confusion from these absurd mental noises, Kane's blade had already arrived!
"Fighting me, and you dare to be distracted?!"
Kane let out a wild laugh, Tensa Zangetsu showing no mercy. The blade surged with pitch-black Ryou, a furious slash aimed directly at Red Count's head!
Red Count hastily raised his umbrella to block.
BOOM—!!!
The immense force blasted him straight into the sea's surface, shattering the solid ice and sending up a hundred-meter-high wave along with a sky full of ice shards.
[Ding! Detected host maliciously damaging the marine ecosystem during combat, egregious fish-blasting behavior!]
[Violation Value +500!]
"That's more like it!" Hearing the sweet notification tone in his mind, Kane felt his blood boiling, his fighting spirit soaring to its peak.
"Again!!"
The ice surface exploded violently, transforming into countless sharp arrows shooting in all directions.
Red Count shot skyward, treading on the shattered ice, his pale face now covered in a frosty expression.
Elegance? Composure?
In the face of this mad Navy man, they had long since vanished!
"You bastard..."
This time, Red Count's aura completely changed. A Conqueror's Haki far more terrifying and profound than before erupted into the sky, black-red lightning tearing through the heavens.
"This ends here, brat!"
His speed had actually increased by another third! The tip of his umbrella traced an arc in the air that was impossible to catch with either the naked eye or Observation Haki, instantly breaking through the limits of Kane's "Foresight" perception!
Thud!
Blood sprayed!
Kane's pupils contracted violently. He hadn't even fully seen this strike before the tip of that red umbrella was already deeply embedded in his chest!
"Hmph!"
Kane grunted, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
Yet, not only did he not retreat, a sharp, triumphant glint flashed in his eyes.
"Got you!"
His chest muscles, forged like steel, suddenly contracted, hardened, and were infused with high-density Armament Haki, firmly clamping down on the umbrella tip buried deep within his body!
"What?!"
A flicker of astonishment once again passed through Red Count's eyes.
"You... got careless!"
Kane's free left hand instantly clenched into a fist, Armament Haki covering it instantly. The pitch-black Haki was as thick as ink, entwined with powerful Ryou force, landing solidly on Red Count's stunned face!
BOOM————!!!
The flow of time seemed to slow at this moment.
Red Count's high-bridged nose visibly collapsed in an instant, the handsome muscles of his face distorting in wave-like ripples under the terrifying force, teeth mixed with bloody foam spraying from his mouth.
Immediately after, came an earth-shaking explosive roar!
Red Count's entire body transformed into a wretched red line, hurtling backward at several times the speed of sound!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
His body smashed through over a dozen reefs protruding from the sea surface in succession, finally crashing hard into the mountainside of a medium-sized island five kilometers away.
BOOM!
The entire mountain peak let out a pained groan before collapsing with a thunderous roar, billowing dust obscuring the moonlight.
"Life Return."
With a thought from Kane, the muscles around his wound writhed, stopping the bleeding and forming a scab. In moments, it had mostly healed, leaving only a ferocious scar.
With the dual enhancement of his 90-point monster-level physique and Life Return, his recovery ability had long since surpassed common sense.
In the distance, Red Count slowly emerged from the pile of rubble.
His face grew even paler, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. He worked his jaw, bones cracking audibly—clearly, taking Kane's desperate punch hadn't left him unscathed either.
"Cough…"
Red Count spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, his gaze fixed on the distant figure standing proudly with a blade.
"Impressive physique, clever tactics… It's been a long time since anyone managed to injure me!"
All traces of contempt vanished from Red Count's eyes, replaced by the fierce fighting spirit of meeting a worthy opponent.
"Kid, state your name."
Kane flicked the blood droplets off Zangetsu, pointing the blade toward Red Count. His voice boomed, echoing across the sea:
"Remember this—I'm the G-5 Base Commander, Kane!"
"And as for the bill, it's been updated."
Kane held up four fingers, his expression dead serious:
"Medical fees, toll fees, emotional distress compensation, plus the work injury payout for that umbrella stab you just gave me."
"That's a total of four billion Berry!"
"One coin short, and even if I have to sink G-5 today, you're not leaving!"
"Again!"
Before the words faded, Kane's figure blurred, transforming once more into a black lightning bolt as he lunged at Red Count.
Zangetsu swung, black blade lights weaving into an impenetrable onslaught—each strike carrying enough force to cleave mountains.
Red Count's umbrella danced like the wind, now blocking, now counterattacking, as he clashed wildly with Kane.
Their battlefield spiraled completely out of control.
They fought from the sea's surface to mid-air, then from the skies to the distant cluster of barren islands.
BOOM!!
An uninhabited islet was torn apart by the residual shockwaves of their Conqueror's Haki clash. Half the island trembled violently before collapsing into the sea, sending towering waves surging.
CRACK!!
Kane's downward slash sheared off the peak of another island, leveling it flat. Red Count's umbrella tip retaliated, carving a bone-deep gash across Kane's shoulder.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
Kane grew fiercer with each exchange, his fighting spirit and Haki soaring to their peak. Gripping his blade with both hands, he unleashed a crescent-shaped black slash over a hundred meters long, compressed with extreme Haki, roaring straight toward Red Count!
"Hmph!"
Red Count snorted coldly, neither retreating nor evading. With a sharp spin of his umbrella, he met the attack head-on with an even more condensed crimson crescent slash.
BOOM—!!!
The two terrifying slashes collided mid-air, erupting in an ear-splitting roar! The devastating shockwaves completely flattened a third barren island, reducing it to rubble.
With each collision that pushed beyond limits, Kane's Haki continuously refined itself, and the power of the Storm Fruit unconsciously fused into his every move.
The black blade lights of Zangetsu nearly blotted out half the sky.
"This madman… this monster… Is his stamina truly limitless?!"
Red Count's umbrella trembled faintly from the impact of Kane's slashes. His breathing began to grow slightly labored.