Chapter 125: Fierce Battle with Gion, Armament Haki Awakening
The sky-filling fine sand interwove into a curtain, and those outside could only see two blurry figures within.
Innumerable sharp needles of varying lengths, condensed from sand grains, glinted with a pitch-black matte finish, all their tips aimed at the pink figure in the center.
Seeing this dense, threatening attack, Gion was instantly alarmed. Her opponent could actually manipulate sand with such fine detail!
"But! I am faster than you!"
Gritting her teeth, Gion pushed the Haki within her body. Facing the berserk assault, she showed no intention of changing her attack.
Her arm bent at her side, palm tightly gripping Konpira, pointed straight at Reiner, she continued to thrust forward forcefully.
"Sakura Lance!"
"Sand Rhombus Mirror!"
Clang!
Three rhombus-shaped sand shields floating around Reiner flew out to position themselves before him. As the sword tip collided, a large shower of sparks erupted.
Zzz! Zzz! Zzz!
The longsword, accompanied by a piercing grating sound, broke through the rhombus mirror, then, at a slower speed, broke through the second one.
Ding! It finally stopped before the third pitch-black rhombus shield, halting after a cluster of sparks.
At the same time, the countless sand needles controlled by Reiner also shot towards her, as if intending to pierce her heart with a thousand arrows!
"Iron Sand Shower!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Armament Haki, like burning flames, quickly coated Gion's body. She tensed forcefully, actually using a familiar technique Reiner had witnessed before.
"Armament: Tekkai: Gou!" (Armament: Iron Mass: Steel!)
This was why she chose to attack forcefully. The flying needles, striking her hardened body, couldn't pierce through, instead ricocheting off rapidly after creating countless sparks.
"Don't think I'm some delicate woman!"
Gion frowned and glared, her entire body wreathed in Armament Haki. This military beauty, with her seductive temperament, possessed a physique that most men couldn't match.
Lifting her other arm, she gripped the sword hilt with both hands and pushed forcefully. The sword tip actually began to slowly pierce through the hardened defense.
A cold glint shot straight towards his heart. Reiner dared not be careless. The tomoe drum on his left shoulder glowed with a scorching red light.
"Serpent's Bite of Fire!"
Just as the sword tip was about to pierce his chest, a terrifying heat wave instantly surged forth, a red serpent's head emerging from within.
The fire serpent opened its maw, revealing ferocious fangs, and carrying terrifying high temperatures, bit down towards Momousagi!
Sensing this berserk energy, Gion knew it was unwise to block it head-on; her Observation Haki could sense the Haki imbued within it.
Her legs pushed off the rhombus sand shield, and after bending slightly, she kicked off hard, simultaneously withdrawing her longsword and flying backward.
This is definitely not ordinary fire! Otherwise, even with Haki mixed in, it shouldn't possess such power!
Wind gathered at Gion's feet as she continuously stepped on the air, her figure flickering through the sky using Geppo. She sheathed her sword and once again began to accumulate sword intent.
"A wise choice."
Reiner controlled the fire serpent, its long body dancing as it rapidly pursued her. Simultaneously, another four condensed lightning beams shot towards the other Vice Admirals.
Just as Enel's lightning had different power levels, the upper and lower limits of an ability, besides the Devil Fruit's own restrictions, were also affected by the user's physical constitution.
Enel's most powerful technique was two hundred million volts, while Nami's current self-generated attacks had a maximum upper limit of only fifty million volts.
Ace's flames were no exception. In this world where powerhouses could sink islands and destroy nations with a whim, if he relied solely on ordinary, ubiquitous fire, he wouldn't have been able to sit as the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Iai Slash: Sakura Shatter!"
Relying on her more agile movement technique, Gion quickly leaped to the midsection of the fire serpent's body, assuming an Iai draw-and-slash stance.
ZING—!
The longsword was drawn with lightning speed. The sky seemed to fill with dancing cherry blossoms. However, these countless falling pink petals were as sharp as blades!
A fierce wind suddenly rose, and the falling cherry blossom petals, glinting like swords and shadows, spiraled towards the massive fire serpent, strangling it.
BANG!!
The orange-red flames suddenly exploded. The profusion of falling cherry blossoms was mixed within, scattering and slowly drifting down, as if a magnificent firework had bloomed in the sky.
"A guy like you... is actually unknown."
Gion looked down at Reiner, who was handling the situation with ease, and couldn't help but feel puzzled. "Clearly possessing such strength, yet you remain a logistics member in the Straw Hat Pirates."
"And your bounty is a mere five million Beri. You really are low-key!"
Her response was countless, densely packed fire birds, spreading their wings and soaring towards her in attack.
"What else should I be doing then?"
Reiner stated coolly, "Should I go around killing and burning? Or shout justice slogans all day, striking down criminals everywhere? Isn't that what lunatics do?"
"As long as I'm happy on this ship, that's enough. What does it have to do with how strong or weak I am?"
What 'lunatics shouting justice slogans'!? Gion's expression turned slightly angry.
She raised her hand, swung her sword horizontally, and a sudden wind pressure appeared. The Haki-imbued slash extinguished the fire birds flying towards her. Her tone was somewhat dissatisfied as she said:
"Your words... are you implying something about the Navy?"
"Implying? You've truly misunderstood."
Reiner chuckled lightly. "Haven't I already cursed you quite clearly? You're Navy, I'm a pirate. Did you really expect me to praise you?"
"Even if you have no great ambitions, a pirate is still a pirate!"
Sword intent erupted from Gion, her blade tip pointing straight at Reiner. "A bunch of lunatics craving freedom, acting unscrupulously! Once you possess great power, you will inevitably bring disaster to this world!"
Her arm bent before her chest, Haki coating Konpira. The blade seemed to hum and vibrate as if wreathed in airflow, then she swung it down fiercely.
"Half Moon: Flying Rabbit!"
With Momousagi's furious roar, six giant crescent-shaped red moons flew out one after another, rapidly slashing downwards, emitting a humming sound as if tearing through the air.
"You're not very polite when you curse people either, Vice Admiral Gion."
Reiner waved his hand, and a sky full of yellow sand danced, correspondingly condensing into round mirrors to meet each slash.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The crescent red moons smashed down violently. Some directly shattered and dissipated in the air; others broke apart the sand grains but continued flying onwards with undiminished power.
This attack was actually a combination of real and illusory! The tomoe drum above Reiner's head crackled with arcs of electricity, and another five lightning beams shot out.
One blasted apart a slash, heading straight for Gion, while the others shot towards the other four Vice Admirals.
Reiner stood on the hawk's back, continuously maneuvering in mid-air, battling Momousagi. From time to time, he would shoot out several scorching lightning bolts, attacking the other Vice Admirals, appearing to handle the situation with ease.
But was that truly the case?
Swish! A blue beam tore through space. Momonga, standing on the ice surface, his gaze icy, placed his palm on the hilt of the sword at his waist and took a step forward.
A full-power Iai slash, imbued with Haki, instantly drawn, struck the lightning beam, slicing it in two.
Though it was an attack condensed from elemental energy, under the Haki-coated blade, it was cut apart as if it had a physical form.
Momonga didn't pause for a moment, bypassing the fierce battle of the elite troops nearby and charging towards Reiner.
"He's really strong... Reiner is."
Chopper looked up at the figure fighting fiercely in the sky and couldn't help but sigh. "Facing such strong opponents, yet he can still simultaneously pay attention to us on the ground."
"That guy..."
Zoro swung his sword, cutting down a Captain wielding an axe, then glanced towards the sky, a hint of worry in his eyes. "He's probably under immense pressure right now."
"Eh? Is he? Jumping Point!"
Chopper leaped up, dodging a horizontal slash, then somersaulted several times in the air, landing behind Zoro. "Reiner's expression looks pretty relaxed to me."
"Reiner... don't you understand him yet?"
Sanji kicked away a charging soldier, then frowned, looking up at the sky and stating coolly:
"If it were really easy, knowing his style, the battle would have ended long ago. It wouldn't have dragged on this long. He probably wouldn't even have gone up to fight personally. He's likely just putting on a show."
"Why would he do that?" Chopper was puzzled.
Although Reiner often acted cool, when facing a threatening opponent, his personality was definitely not one to take risks.
"Probably to draw fire for us."
Sanji saw the situation on the field clearly with one glance. The large number of elite soldiers before them was already difficult enough to handle; it was impossible to simultaneously divide their attention to deal with those powerful Vice Admirals.
"If Reiner didn't put on an act, that Marine powerhouse fighting him would probably choose to tie him down, allowing the other Vice Admirals to pick us off one by one."
"Worrying about this now is useless."
Zoro swung out a flying slash and said gravely, "Quickly deal with the Marines in front of us. When the time comes, help him split off some enemies. He's probably waiting for us too."
BANG!!
Another violent explosion erupted in the sky, the deafening sound reverberating across the endless ice surface.
The intense impact spread outwards, the wind pressure making the cape on Gion's back flap loudly. Several holes were scorched into the pure white cape.
Her body also had several patches of skin charred black from electricity, and she was panting heavily.
She was actually being slightly suppressed!
"What a troublesome man."
Gion took a deep breath to calm herself. Geppo wasn't suitable for prolonged aerial combat. Her gaze couldn't help but lock tightly onto the distant figure.
"By relying on your flight advantage to continuously create distance and harass us, aren't you afraid we'll just turn back and deal with your accomplices?"
Reiner wasn't faring much better at this moment; the threat of four top-tier Vice Admirals together was no less than hers.
Up until now, he had only faced Gion directly, simultaneously using lightning's long-range and rapid attacks to kite the other Vice Admirals.
"No need to threaten me. If you dare, then by all means, try."
Reiner's eyes gradually turned icy. "There are so many Marines present. My killing speed isn't slower than yours. Do you want to compete with a pirate to see whose methods are crueler?"
"Indeed a dangerous fellow!"
Gion stated gravely, anger flashing in her eyes. "I already noticed the techniques you were using during the battle earlier. Those meteorites at the beginning... that was your doing, wasn't it!?"
She swung out several flying slashes, then her long legs pushed hard against the empty air, dragging Konpira as her entire body shot forward.
BANG!!
Reiner coldly swept his gaze below, then a fire fist erupted from the drum on his left shoulder, blasting Gion's slashes apart. "So what if it was? If it wasn't, would you have stopped?"
The other Vice Admirals, in the process of continuously dodging his attacks, had imperceptibly formed an encirclement around him.
With a thought, the hawk began to gain altitude, continuing its kiting tactics.
Dozens, even hundreds, of thick giant pythons coiled and charged out, their heads dyed pitch black, their textures clear and lifelike.
Reiner raised his hand. The sand pythons, as if commanded, their sharp fangs glinting with a dark light, pounced towards their prey.
"Sand Python Banquet!"
He couldn't give those Vice Admirals a chance to close in on him. Otherwise, an Admiral Candidate plus four top-tier Vice Admirals ganging up...
Battle is like that; different choices can lead to completely opposite results!
Relying on his advantage to continuously kite and suppress them wasn't difficult for Reiner. With the recovery speed of a Zoan-type, he was confident he could win a war of attrition this way.
But if he chose to tank their attacks head-on, it would instantly turn into a fatal situation.
Against such a lineup in a direct confrontation, unless one was a powerhouse of Yonko or Admiral level, almost anyone else would face a nine-deaths-one-life scenario. Reiner was no exception.
"Should I release Blue Ogre and Red Ogre?" Reiner hesitated slightly, then abandoned the thought.
Releasing them could alleviate some pressure, but his stamina would also be consumed much faster. When it came time to retreat later, he would still need to stay behind and cover them; he had to conserve some stamina.
After all, he didn't expect to kill these Vice Admirals. At the critical moment, Aokiji would definitely intervene again. As long as he dragged it out until his companions dealt with their enemies, the initiative of whether to run or fight would be in his hands.
Gion flickered continuously through the air at extreme speed, actually using a combination of Soru and Geppo at full power.
"Sakura Fall: Hundred Slashes!"
Her agile figure moved, longsword waving rapidly, unleashing a flurry of sword glints and shadows amidst the dozens, even hundreds, of sand pythons.
One dancing serpent body after another was sliced in two, disintegrating into loose sand that rained down.
"Don't even think of running!"
Gion, in the blink of an eye, charged before him, Konpira, carrying a sharp sword aura, slashing horizontally towards his neck.
Yellow sand condensed into countless small rhombus-shaped mirrors, which appeared, blackened with Haki, protecting the spot where the blade would strike.
Several of them coiled and combined, sticking to Reiner's right fist. He bent his arm and slammed it with all his might towards Gion's abdomen.
"Sakura Lance!" At the same time, Gion's wrist vibrated, and an astonishing red glint shot out from the tip of her sword.
BANG!!
Gion gritted her teeth, her entire body sent flying backward. Feeling the immense force transmitted through her body, she couldn't help but be shocked. Even using Haki defense, she still felt a dull ache.
"This kind of power..."
Her body shuddered, arresting her fall. Gion's expression was wary as she said, "And I thought you were just an ability user who relied on their Devil Fruit."
"You underestimate people too much, Vice Admiral Gion."
A cut appeared on Reiner's face, blood seeping out. He sneered contemptuously, looking down from above.
His body wasn't weak; after all, he trained properly every day—
—An Awakened Zoan User!
"You really are at ease..."
Gion sneered coldly. "Or perhaps... you're just putting on a brave front..."
"Why don't you come up and try, then you'll know."
Reiner stated coolly. "Relying on Geppo to sustain aerial combat with me... how much stamina do you have left?"
"Serpent's Bite of Lightning!"
Arcs of electricity exploded from the thunder drum above his head. A large, ferocious blue serpent danced wildly, then shot downwards with the speed of something that leaves no time to cover one's ears.
"Fighting me while simultaneously attacking the other Vice Admirals... your stamina consumption isn't necessarily slower than mine!"
Gion shouted, her expression solemn. She held her sword with both hands, pointing it downwards, then flew straight up towards him.
"Full Moon: Spinning Rabbit!"
Konpira flicked upwards. A flying slash, like a red light, coiled around the thunder dragon, cutting upwards!
BOOM!!
The powerful energies entwined and then exploded. Specks of blue and red light scattered in all directions. Viewed from below, this extremely beautiful scene was nevertheless filled with a chilling killing intent that made one's hair stand on end.
Whether it was Reiner or Gion, both were actually in similar situations – waiting.
Neither could quickly defeat the other. In a war of attrition, Gion couldn't outlast him.
But exhausting her stamina wasn't something that could be done in a moment. And the encirclement by several Vice Admirals was about to form; the threat Reiner faced was also not small.
Gion was trying to tie him down, waiting for the other Vice Admirals to surround him. Reiner was continuously maneuvering, waiting for Luffy and the others to deal with their enemies.
The two thus exchanged blows continuously in the air, using various techniques. From time to time, Gion would close in, only to be forced back again.
Until a flying slash blasted apart Reiner's fire serpent, causing a violent explosion...
"But it seems now!"
Gion charged out from the explosion, once again rushing towards him. Her eyes narrowed, a sharp glint flashing. "My wait is over first!"
Just as her words fell, Onigumo's figure had already charged to a position not far behind Reiner!
His black hair danced wildly, coiling like arms. Including the swords held in his actual hands, a total of ten blades unleashed a dense barrage of slashes.
How did he sneak up!? My Observation Haki didn't sense it!
Reiner reacted with extreme speed, pushing off hard. The hawk was kicked into a stagger. He dodged the rapid slashes, and before his figure even began to fall...
Gion had already pressed close, her Haki pushed to its limit, condensing from her wrist onto her blade, determined to seize the opportunity to heavily injure her opponent!
Soaring sword intent erupted from her. Momousagi's eyes were like swords. She viciously brought her longsword up in a diagonal slash, successively breaking through several rhombus-shaped black shields, about to strike her opponent's chest.
Two void cracks instantly opened on Reiner's sides. Pale white greatswords emerged halfway from each. With no time to block properly, he could only position them above and below to catch Konpira.
"What is this thing?!" Gion was instantly shocked!
Zzz! Zzz!
Cold steel met, friction sending sparks flying. The longsword sluggishly tore through his blue shirt, drawing a spray of blood.
"Getting this close! How do you plan to die!?"
Reiner grinned savagely, a ruthless glint in his eyes. His ten fingers tightly clasped her two arms. The three drums – above his head and on his left and right shoulders – simultaneously glowed blue, red, and yellow.
Lightning forced back the sneak-attacking Onigumo! Brown flying sand condensed into a sand wall, blocking Momonga's flying slash from below!
Red light surged out, transforming into a ferocious fire serpent that bit down towards Momousagi before him!
Gion's pupils contracted. Just now, to seize the chance to heavily injure her opponent, she had already condensed all her Haki onto her blade.
WHOOSH!! Flames surged forth!
She had just mobilized her Armament Haki for defense, not yet having time to solidify it, when the massive fire serpent, carrying a terrifying heat wave, instantly engulfed her entire body, slamming her fiercely downwards!
BANG!!
The fire serpent, carrying Gion, smashed into the ice surface. Berserk energy exploded outwards. The blinding light, accompanied by wind pressure, made everyone nearby shield their faces and squint.
"Vice Admiral Gion!!"
"Gion!!" Several Vice Admirals looked frantically towards the sizzling ground.
BOOM!
A fierce wind rose from the ground, blowing aside the thick smoke and flames, revealing a figure swinging a sword within.
"Cough... alright... cough cough... I can still fight."
A hoarse voice sounded. Gion, now half-kneeling on the ground, looked extremely battered, her clothes tattered, revealing patches of skin scorched red, even charred black.
And Reiner, in the sky, wasn't faring much better. A long, diagonal gash ran across his abdomen, stretching up to his right shoulder, continuously seeping scarlet blood.
Although the wound wasn't deep, a Haki-imbued slash was hardly easy to bear; Reiner only felt a searing pain in his chest.
"Such a long wound..."
Chopper couldn't help but be alarmed. The last time he saw such a ghastly wound was the sword scar Hawk-Eyes left on Zoro.
"No time for us to worry. Luffy's side isn't resolved yet either."
Zoro spoke coldly, Yubashiri's tip touching the ground, looking down at Sandai Kitetsu gripped tightly in his hand.
"Huuu~~"
He let out a long breath. His agitated heard on the contrary calmed down at this moment. He said gravely:
"Just as Luffy said, everyone just needs to do their own job; leave the rest to our companions."
"Believe in them. Focusing on completing the task before us now is the greatest help we can give them."
Zoro's arms extended diagonally downwards, Yubashiri and Sandai Kitetsu crossing. With a forceful movement, the blades scraped against each other, creating sparks, until their tips met, a cold glint rising from below.
"Sharpening swords on the battlefield... this is all I can do. Will have to take good care of them later."
With that, Zoro crouched and pushed off, his entire body shooting out, dragging his two longswords, a sharp, blade-like glint in his eyes.
Like a fierce green beast, the aura he emitted made one feel an unconscious chill. The Marines in front involuntarily took half a step back.
"It's Roronoa Zoro coming up!"
"Quick! Stop him!"
"Charge!!"
Several furious roars erupted as the Marines, their faces once again contorting ferociously, surged forward, wielding various weapons – swords, spears, and halberds.
Facing the menacing oncoming force, Zoro, far from being afraid, grinned savagely, waving his hand and sending a flying slash towards them.
Clang!
A two-sword style Marine crossed his swords, blocking the flying slash. From behind him, several figures shot out first.
Their movements agile, they either flickered or stepped on air, all eyes glinting fiercely.
Zoro crossed his arms, his swords held vertically at his sides, tips pointing skyward.
As the Marines reached him, it was as if they saw his swords begin to bend, and behind him, the phantom of a demon inexplicably appeared.
"Enbima Yonezu... Onigiri!" (Charm Demon, Night Sleepless, Demon Slash!)
ZING—!
A sword hummed. Like three green lights streaking across a black curtain, by the time the Marines came to their senses, they all found themselves airborne and tumbling.
In their vision, beads of blood formed lines, and then the figure of the green-haired man continuing past them. Then, their vision went black, and they lost consciousness.
"What happened!? What was that!?"
"Couldn't see clearly at all!"
"Let me!"
An officer wearing opaque red goggles, wielding twin pistols, stepped forward, muzzles aimed straight at Zoro.
Bang! Bang! He had just fired two shots when he saw his opponent sidestep, arriving before him in the blink of an eye!
Just as he raised his muzzles, about to aim at Zoro's head, what met his eyes were his own gun barrels, cut smooth as a mirror, only half remaining.
Puchi!
Another spray of blood, and the twin-pistol officer fell.
Zoro's aura surged as he moved through the enemy ranks as if they weren't there, his body like a swimming dragon, continuously unleashing sword glints. Until...
"It's over, Roronoa!"
A deep voice, accompanied by a flying slash, arrived. A middle-aged swordsman with stubble blocked Zoro's path.
His longsword pointed straight at Zoro, a pitch-black color extending from its tip all the way to his wrist. He said gravely, "Impressive sword skill. Pity you haven't yet learned Haki. Your road ends here!"
Clang!
"Your slash isn't bad either."
Zoro assumed a horse stance, his three swords crossed, receiving the flying slash. His feet slid back several meters on the ice.
Twisting his foot to stop his retreat, he then pushed off hard, continuing to charge forward relentlessly.
"As for what Haki, what not Haki..."
Zoro clenched Wado Ichimonji in his teeth, the hilts of his other two swords clashing together, blades facing outwards as they began to spin. He said coldly:
"Me, without Haki, cannot defeat you, with Haki? No one ever made such a rule."
"Hmph. Commendable courage."
Zzzzz!
The stubbled Marine swordsman let out a low grunt, then, dragging his sword on the ground, charged out to meet Zoro. "Then come and try! Slashing Steel Flash!"
"Three-Sword Style Secret Technique..."
"—Three Thousand Worlds!!!"
CLANG!
PUCHI!
The sound of a steel blade shattering rang out. An arrow of blood, accompanied by blade fragments, splashed onto the ground. A figure slowly collapsed.
"Power that cannot be wielded by me... cannot be called power." Zoro looked at the blade in his hand, a corner of his mouth lifting.
"Not bad."
Amidst the incredulous gazes of the surrounding Marines, he stepped over his opponent's body and stated coolly, "By the way, your Haki, compared to that Pervy Cook's... is not worth mentioning."
The shattered blade... was not his. Because at this moment, the three swords on Zoro... were a deep, profound black.
Thousands of days and nights of diligent, hard training...
Not a single drop of sweat would be in vain!
This scene was also witnessed by Reiner in the sky. He couldn't help but smile faintly.
Good news: another one awakened Armament Haki.
Bad news: Still not me!
(End of this chapter)
♧♧♧
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
♧♧♧
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.patreon.com/c/Segais
(Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you