"You—you can use Armant Haki too?!"
Evans stared in disbelief at Aeridar's jet-black arms, which shimred faintly with a tallic sheen.
Now it made sense. No wonder that punch had been so powerful. Even with Armant Haki reinforcing his defense, it still hurt like hell. So it wasn't just the guy's Devil Fruit power—he also had Haki.
But the real kicker? This guy hadn't even entered the Grand Line yet. Being a Devil Fruit user as a rookie wasn't exactly rare; there were strong upstarts across the seas. But who the hell has a Devil Fruit power, an overwhelming physical strength and mastery over Haki—sothing even many Rear Admirals and Captains couldn't fully wield?
Was this guy even human?
"Oh, this?"
Aeridar raised his arm and flexed his fingers slightly, the darkened surface glinting like polished steel.
"It's just Armant Haki. Nothing special."
"Damn it!"
Aeridar's expression shifted, and he suddenly twisted his body to the right.
Shhhhk!
A massive slash sliced through the air right next to him, cleaving past with the ease of a hot blade through butter. Behind him, a four-story building split cleanly down the middle.
Boom... boom... boom!
The building groaned and collapsed on both sides. Bricks scattered. Wooden beams snapped like twigs. The cut was unnaturally smooth—no rough edges, no resistance.
"A sneak attack from the so-called righteous Navy?"
Aeridar's gaze darkened as he looked ahead.
If his Observation Haki hadn't been sharp enough, he would've taken that blow straight on. And judging by the force behind it, even with Armant Haki defense, he'd be seriously injured now.
"You showed up just in ti, Farlier-senpai,"
Evans coughed out a bitter laugh from his half-kneeling position.
Following Aeridar and Evans's line of sight, a tall figure stood atop the roof of a nearby three-story building.
He was over two ters tall—lanky but imposing. A sharply angular, expressionless face. Short brown hair. A black suit with silver pinstripes, draped in the Navy's white coat of justice. In his hand glead a bright silver cross-shaped longsword.
"Hmph. When dealing with evil pirates, no tactic is too dirty."
The man leapt from the rooftop, stepped in midair, flipped, and landed silently next to Evans.
He glanced down at the battered officer with a slight frown and muttered coldly,
"Pathetic. You even used your Devil Fruit powers... and still got wrecked like this."
"Cough—cough..."
Evans let out another couple of hacks before the tightness in his chest eased slightly. His left arm was starting to respond again. Slowly, he rose to his feet with a grim face.
"Farlier-senpai, don't underestimate him. That man... he's really strong."
"I know," Farlier said coolly. "Anyone who can kill Mori with ease and nearly cripple you without breaking a sweat—that strength is obvious."
"Uh..."
Evans winced. Co on, can we stop bringing up how badly I got beaten?
"Oi, are you done chatting yet?"
Aeridar's tone was flat but laced with irritation. "Because I'm coming."
"He's moving."
Farlier's eyes sharpened, and he raised his crossblade vertically before his chest.
"Be careful!"
Evans barked, shifting into a combat stance. "He can strike the air to launch powerful shockwaves! He knows so of the techniques from Rokushiki, and he can use both Observation and Armant Haki fluently!"
"...Not much of a rookie, is he?"
Farlier's expression twitched slightly, a rare hint of sarcasm slipping into his usually icy deanor.
"Run—RUN!!"
"Get out of here! Keep your distance!!"
"Don't get caught in the fight between those monsters—you'll die!!"
The pirates near the street entrance scattered in a panic. With a second Rear Admiral joining the fray, they knew the clash was about to escalate. None of them wanted to be collateral damage.
Still, a few of the smarter pirate captains understood the stakes. While the battle at the crossroads raged, they rallied their crews to hold off the Navy's full-scale assault surging from the harbor.
Oliver, seeing his captain blocking the main street in a three-way showdown with two Rear Admirals, turned on his heel and rushed off to rally the larger pirate crews still inside the town. He knew the outer defenses wouldn't last long. They needed reinforcents—more bodies and a hell of a lot more firepower.
BOOM!
The three clashed in an instant. Shockwaves exploded from the impact. The fight instantly reached a fever pitch.
Observation Haki flared wildly as each combatant tried to anticipate the others' moves. Armant Haki clashed with thunderous force, each blow strong enough to shatter steel. The surrounding environnt was obliterated—buildings crumbled under shockwaves or were split cleanly by massive slashes.
All three were masters of Geppo—Moonwalk—so the fight often carried into the sky. When their attacks landed, the ground erupted: craters from shockwave strikes, long fissures from airborne slashes. The entire street was reduced to rubble.
Even excluding Aeridar, the two Rear Admirals alone were at least on par with Luffy's Gear 2 or Zoro's "breath of all things" state—possibly stronger. In terms of endurance and destructive power, they had the edge. These weren't re grunts—they were elite veterans from the New World, their dual Haki mastery rivaling that of most Vice Admirals stationed at Marine fortresses.
CLANG!!!
Aeridar blocked Evans's claw strike with one hand while slamming a punch into Farlier's sword. The resulting shockwave blasted outward with terrifying force, sending vibrations through the ground and air.
"Tch—!"
Farlier's face twisted as he was sent flying through the air.
BOOM!
He smashed into a stone wall, embedding into it with a thunderous crash. The wall caved in around him, spiderweb cracks radiating out from the impact.
What the hell was that force?! I'm a Rear Admiral, for crying out loud! A swordsman and hand-to-hand combat specialist! And he just... punched through a damn wall?!
SMACK!
Evans grabbed Aeridar's wrist, yanked him forward, and launched himself with both feet off the ground, knees aid straight at Aeridar's chest.
"Cheh."
Aeridar's eyes narrowed in surprise, but he recovered quickly. He grabbed Evans's wrist with his other hand, and his chest shimred as Armant Haki coated it like armor.
THUD!
A dull boom rang out as the two collided, a blast of wind surging out from the impact. The ground beneath them cratered. The force shattered nearby tiles and hurled debris outward like shrapnel.
Both n staggered back several steps and released each other.
"Guh!"
Aeridar coughed up blood and dropped to one knee, clutching his chest in pain. His organs had taken a hit.
"D-damn it..."
Evans collapsed onto the ground, barely coherent. His knees were a mangled ss of blood and broken bone. His legs trembled uncontrollably.
The kneecaps had fractured, and the muscles in his thighs were severely torn.
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