"Boom!"
A sharp explosive sound erupted from the back of Hanks.
"What?"
Hanks' expression changed. His tall body lurched forward five or six meters before he could stop himself by plunging his Tianlong Halberd into the ground.
"Pfft."
He spat out a mouthful of blood, his face darkening as he turned around, only to see a petite Navy girl withdrawing her seemingly delicate yet dangerous fist.
"You didn't even use Armament Haki, yet you managed to break through my Haki defense? What kind of technique is this?"
Hanks furrowed his brows, staring intently at Hibari.
"Hand over Rorschach's weapon and surrender quietly, or your crimes will only increase!"
Hibari remained unfazed, closing her eyes as she assumed a battle stance.
She had not awakened Armament Haki.
But she had awakened Observation Haki earlier than Law.
Rorschach, despite his reluctance to admit it, knew that bloodline advantages existed in this world.
As the daughter of Fleet Admiral Akainu, even without extreme training, Hibari had managed to awaken Observation Haki a year ago.
Hanks looked at Law behind him, then at Hibari in front of him. His frown deepened.
In this small Water 7, there were two Navy officers proficient in Observation Haki?
Since when did a small town like this have Haki users all over the place?
"Hahaha, interesting. Navy, do you really think you've got me cornered? Let me tell you, I haven't even used ten percent of my strength yet."
Hanks suddenly grinned.
"Oh? Then you'd better show us. I'm quite curious to see how strong a Six-Star Bounty Hunter really is."
Suddenly, a calm voice sounded from the rooftop to the right, startling Hanks.
He retracted his glowing aura and turned his head, only to see a silver-haired man, shirtless, wearing knee-length shorts and slippers, lounging lazily on the slanted rooftop, watching him with great interest.
"Who are you?"
Hanks frowned.
But his heart was already on high alert.
When had this man arrived?
Why hadn't his Observation Haki detected anything?
And this man, despite his harmless appearance, was setting off intense alarm bells in Hanks' instincts.
Danger!
Extreme danger!
Lethal danger!
This suffocating sense of crisis was something Hanks had only felt before in the presence of Vice President Gulliver.
At that moment, Hanks realized things were going south.
This silver-haired man was far more terrifying than the two Navy officers beside him!
"Heh, you're holding my weapon and asking who I am?"
Rorschach chuckled, shaking his head. He suddenly sat up, his gaze locking onto Hanks.
"Boom!"
A domineering, volcanic force surged into Hanks' mind like an eruption, making him stagger backward as blood dripped from his nose. His eyes glazed over.
For three whole seconds, his mind was blank before he suddenly snapped back to reality, his face filled with horror.
"Co… Conqueror's Haki?! Who… Who the hell are you?!"
"Hmph! He's the owner of the weapon in your hands—Brigadier General Rorschach of the Navy Headquarters!"
Hibari snorted, answering with pride.
"Brigadier General Rorschach?! What a joke… A mere brigadier general possessing such terrifying Conqueror's Haki?"
Hanks gritted his teeth, his face turning uglier by the second.
What was going on with Water 7?!
Two Navy officers with Observation Haki were already shocking enough.
Now there was another one with Conqueror's Haki.
And not just that—he could release Conqueror's Haki at will.
If he could control his Conqueror's Haki this precisely, then there was no doubt that he had also mastered Observation and Armament Haki.
A person like this would be a top-tier powerhouse even in the New World!
"Listen up, Six-Star Bounty Hunter William Hanks, right?"
Rorschach gazed down at the grim-faced Hanks.
"Don't say I didn't give you a chance."
He pointed at Law, Hibari, Pamela, Bepo, and the newly arrived Penn.
"If you can defeat the five of them together, I'll let you leave."
"If you can't, then your Bounty Hunter Guild's president can come visit you in Impel Down."
"Also… using someone else's weapon without permission is pretty rude. Give it back."
Rorschach smiled and gestured at Hanks with his hand
Hearing Rorschach's lighthearted tone, Hanks' anger boiled over. His face turned red as he gritted his teeth and pointed the halberd at Rorschach.
"Who do you think you are?! Why should I listen to you?! You think you're a Navy Admiral or something? Stop pretending! If you want it, come take it yourself!"
The smile on Rorschach's face gradually faded, his gaze turning cold.
From over ten meters away, he opened and clenched his fingers.
"I gave you a choice, but you refused. Did you really think I was negotiating with you?"
"You injured my soldiers, destroyed the town, and tried to steal my weapon. Who gave you the courage?"
"Wind Mastery—Wind Coffin!"
"Whoosh!"
As Rorschach clenched his fingers, the airflow within a thousand-meter radius roared, compressing and surging onto Hanks.
In an instant, it felt as if Hanks had been thrown into the depths of the ocean.
An overwhelming force pressed in from all directions, squeezing his body, making it impossible to breathe. Every muscle and bone in his body groaned under the immense pressure.
Blood seeped from his eyes, ears, and nostrils.
His vision blurred, his ears rang.
Then, in his Observation Haki's perception, an invisible chain of wind descended from the air, wrapping around the black halberd in his hands.
With a light pull, the halberd was wrenched from his grip, floating in the air before landing softly beside the silver-haired man.
Having retrieved his Tianlong Halberd, Rorschach reclined on the rooftop once more, propping his chin on one hand as he smiled at Hibari.
"Hibari, I won't interfere from now on. This guy is all yours. Be careful—he might be three times stronger than Drake."
"Mhm! I'll do my best!"
Hibari nodded firmly.
In the distance, the two giants, Oimo and Kashi, blocked the incoming shipwrights and sailors.
Penn unsheathed his sword, took a deep breath, and stood beside Law.
"Commander Law, be careful. The enemy is extremely dangerous. A Six-Star Bounty Hunter is someone who has captured pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million berries."
Bepo looked serious. He was a little scared, but with Law, Penn, and Hibari beside him, he felt somewhat reassured.
More importantly, Pamela stood her ground with a massive wooden club, showing no sign of retreat. If Pamela wasn't backing down, then Bepo couldn't either. So, he forced himself to step forward.
In front of the five of them, Hanks suddenly felt the crushing air pressure lift.
His body, drenched in sweat, felt as if it had been fished out of the sea.
He was completely drained, his legs buckling as he fell to his knees with a dull thud.
His body trembled as he slowly raised his head to look at Rorschach, who was lounging on the rooftop.
At this moment, in Hanks' eyes, the seemingly harmless man was no different from a devil.
Escape?Impossible.
There was no way to escape from someone as strong as a vice president-level fighter.
If running wasn't an option, then there was only one way forward—fight to the death.
Forcing himself to stay calm, Hanks scanned Law, Hibari, Penn, Pamela, and Bepo.
He still had a chance.
As long as he didn't slip up, victory wouldn't be impossible.
With this thought, Hanks steeled himself, and a dazzling light burst forth from his body.
At that instant, a hemispherical dome enclosed him—
The ground beneath his feet was suddenly sliced apart and flipped upside down, sending him crashing downward!
"ROOM! Baton!"
(End of Chapter)
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