Each fallen pirate represented another calculated blow to the World Destroyer's tactical advantage, and the psychological impact was becoming increasingly evident on Byrnndi World's gigantic features.
"You bastard!" World's amplified voice boomed across the battlefield, his enhanced vocal cords carrying a note of desperate fury that hadn't been present before. "Stop picking off my crew like insects and fight me directly!"
The giant pirate clenched his massive fists, Armament Haki flowing across his enhanced form. His rage had reached a critical mass, his humiliation finally finding an outlet in the casual arrogance of the Admiral who dared to treat him as a minor inconvenience.
"More More, Enhancement: Speed Amplification!"
World's already tremendous size was now complemented by exponentially increased velocity. The giant pirate launched himself across the deck with earth-shaking force, his enhanced speed creating sonic booms that shattered what remained of the ship's windows.
His massive fist, coated in advanced Armament Haki and carrying the momentum of his amplified charge, streaked toward Kizaru with enough force to level city blocks.
But Kizaru's response was as elegant as it was deadly.
"Ama no Murakumo."
Light coalesced in the Admiral's hand, forming a blade of pure energy that hummed with barely contained power. The light sword extended to match World's reach, its edge sharp enough to cut through his skin and bright enough to temporarily blind anyone who looked directly at it.
The collision between World's Haki-enhanced fist and Kizaru's light sword created a spectacular explosion of force that sent shockwaves rippling outward in all directions. The impact point became a sphere of pure energy where armament and light contested for dominance, creating visible distortions in the air itself.
Both ships groaned under the tremendous pressure, their hulls creaking as the shockwaves transferred through wood and metal. Pirates and Marines alike grabbed for handholds as the vessels rocked violently, waves of displaced water creating a miniature tsunami that spread outward from the epicenter of the clash.
On the Marine warship, Lieutenant Commander Hayes struggled to maintain his footing as equipment sparked from the energy discharge. "All crews, secure equipment! Brace for additional shockwaves!"
The Haki collision created secondary effects that rippled through both vessels, metal fixtures vibrated, wooden planks split along their grain, and several of the smaller cannons were knocked from their mountings by the tremendous forces involved.
World pressed his advantage, his enhanced strength allowing him to maintain pressure against Kizaru's light blade even as energy crackled around the point of contact. "Is this all the great Admiral Kizaru can manage? A simple light show?"
But Kizaru's expression remained calm, his lazy smile never wavering even as he matched World's tremendous force with apparent ease. "Such passion, though I must say, your technique could use some refinement."
The Admiral's free hand began to glow with accumulated energy, particles of light dancing around his fingers as he prepared a secondary attack. But before he could unleash it, World disengaged with surprising tactical awareness, his massive form leaping backward to create distance between them.
**************************************
Sebastian's form began to shimmer and fade, his kelpfish heritage helping him camouflage. To the naked eye, he had simply vanished, but Strawberry's own Observation Haki pierced through the deception. The Vice Admiral's eyes tracked movements that weren't there, following the invisible giant's approach.
Steel met iron in a thunderous clash as Strawberry's twin sabers, wreathed in Armament Haki, intercepted Sebastian's descending maces. The force of the collision sent shockwaves through both warriors, but Sebastian's giant-born strength proved overwhelming. Strawberry was driven to one knee, his boots carving trenches in the deck as he fought against the crushing weight above him.
"Impressive," Sebastian's voice rumbled from seemingly everywhere at once, his camouflage making him a ghost with the strength of titans. "But can you handle this?"
Spikes erupted from Sebastian's massive forearms, each one gleaming with a deadly point. He swung his maces in wide arcs, the spiked appendages adding a lethal dimension to his already formidable reach. Strawberry rolled aside, feeling the wind of death whistle past his ear as one mace obliterated the spot where he had knelt.
Rising to his feet, Strawberry wiped blood from his brow and focused his Haki. His opponent might be invisible, but every living thing had a presence, and Sebastian's burned like a bonfire in his enhanced perception. "Your camouflage won't save you from justice!"
The Vice Admiral vanished with Shave, his form blurring beyond normal sight as he reappeared beside the invisible giant. His twin blades moved in perfect harmony, seeking the gaps in Sebastian's defenses. But the blind Wotan was far from helpless, his Observation Haki had painted Strawberry's approach in vivid detail, and his maces rose to meet the attack with crushing force.
"GWAAAHHH!" Sebastian's roar split the air as he materialized fully, his camouflage dropping as he channeled his fury into a devastating counter-attack. His massive frame rippled with power as he drew upon the ancient arts of Fish-Man Karate, but these were no ordinary techniques. His hands moved in complex patterns, gathering moisture from the sea air itself.
"Uchimizu: Titan's Torrent!" Sebastian's voice boomed as he hurled what appeared to be droplets of water, but each one struck with the force of a cannonball. The enlarged water bullets, each the size of a man's fist, flew toward Strawberry.
The Vice Admiral's eyes widened as he realized the scale of the attack, his body moving with desperate grace as he dodged between the projectiles.
Those that missed their target struck the deck with explosive force, punching holes clean through the thick planking and into the ship's hull below. Wood splintered and metal groaned as the Groseade shuddered under the assault.
Without missing a beat, Sebastian's hands moved again, this time gathering the spray from the surrounding sea. "Yabusame: Leviathan's Spears!" The water formed into massive spears, each one as thick as a man's torso and sharp as any blade. They flew toward Strawberry with devastating speed.
Strawberry's response was immediate. Coating his skull in Armament Haki, he launched himself forward in a headbutt. The impact met the leading water spear head-on, the collision producing a sound like thunder as Haki-enhanced bone met liquid.
The spear exploded into mist, but Strawberry's momentum carried him through the spray and directly toward Sebastian. The blind giant's Observation Haki screamed warnings, but the Vice Admiral was already too close. Strawberry's skull connected with Sebastian's solar plexus, the impact driving the air from the Wotan's lungs and lifting his massive frame clear off the deck.
Spikes erupted from his chest and shoulders, forcing Strawberry to twist away or be impaled. The Vice Admiral's coat was shredded by the protruding bone, but his Haki-enhanced skin turned aside the worst of the damage. He rolled across the deck, coming up with his twin swords ready.
Sebastian's maces began to glow with Armament Haki as he spun them in complex patterns. Despite his blindness, his enhanced hearing and Observation Haki allowed him to fight with perfect precision.
Strawberry found himself pressed to his limits, his own Haki the only thing keeping him alive against the relentless assault. His twin blades worked in perfect synchronization, deflecting strikes that would have pulverized normal steel. Sparks flew as iron met steel, each collision sending shockwaves through both warriors.
Using Geppo, Strawberry launched himself skyward. From his elevated position, he could see Sebastian's outline more clearly, the giant's camouflage less effective when viewed from above. He dove downward, both swords extended, seeking to end the battle with one decisive strike.
But Sebastian had tracked his movement perfectly. The blind giant's maces rose to meet the attack, catching Strawberry's blades in a crushing grip. For a moment, they were locked in a contest of pure strength, human determination against giant-born power.
Sebastian suddenly freed his hand and moved it in a familiar pattern, and Strawberry's eyes widened in recognition. "Uchimizu!" The water bullets that erupted from Sebastian's palm were even larger than before, each one capable of punching through solid steel. At point-blank range, they would be impossible to dodge.
Strawberry's response was as unexpected as it was effective. His large head snapped forward in another devastating headbutt, this one aimed directly at Sebastian's wrist. The impact disrupted the Fish-Man Karate technique, sending the enlarged water bullets flying harmlessly into the sky.
"My turn," Strawberry growled, his twin blades beginning to glow with an ominous light. His Armament Haki flowed along the steel, each sword becoming a weapon capable of cutting through anything. He began to move in a pattern that spoke of years of training, his blades tracing complex arcs through the air.
Sebastian's camouflage flickered and failed as pain lanced through his system. One of Strawberry's enhanced blades had found its mark, carving a deep gash across his ribs.
"Impossible," Sebastian snarled, his massive frame swaying as exhaustion began to take its toll. "I am the strength of giants! I am the fury of the deep!"
Spikes erupted from every surface of his body, turning him into a living pincushion of deadly bone. He charged forward with a roar that seemed to call upon the power of tsunamis, his twin maces trailing streams of Haki-enhanced destruction.
Strawberry met the charge head-on, his distinctive skull leading the way. The impact of his headbutt against Sebastian's spiked chest produced a sound like breaking stone, but the Vice Admiral's superior Haki proved triumphant. Sebastian's spikes shattered against Strawberry's enhanced skull, and the giant stumbled backward, his defenses finally crumbling.
Seizing his opportunity, Strawberry spun his twin blades in a devastating combination attack. The first sword carved through Sebastian's left side, while the second found the gap in his defenses and drove deep into his stomach. The giant's massive frame shuddered as steel found its mark, his strength finally failing him.
Sebastian's maces fell from nerveless fingers, clattering to the deck with the sound of defeat. His milky eyes, so long adapted to darkness, began to dim as his strength slowly ebbed from his massive frame. Despite his blindness, he seemed to look directly at Strawberry, a grudging respect in his expression.
"Strong... for a Marine," he wheezed, each word a monumental effort. "But the seas... will remember..."
With those final words, Sebastian collapsed to the blood-slicked deck, his camouflage failing completely.
Strawberry stood over his fallen opponent, his own chest heaving with exhaustion. Blood and sweat mixed on his weathered features as he fought to catch his breath, his twin sabers still dripping with the evidence of victory. Despite his wounds and fatigue, he managed to straighten his shoulders and stand tall, his large head held high with pride.
"Justice prevails," he panted, his voice carrying across the suddenly quiet deck with the weight of absolute conviction. The words were not boastful but a simple statement of fact, a truth as immutable as the tides themselves.
**************************************
The battle's intensity was taking its toll on World's remaining crew, but not in the way their captain expected. Rather than rallying to support their leader, several pirates began exchanging nervous glances and edging toward the ship's boats. World's harsh leadership style, combined with his current disregard for their safety, was causing cracks in their loyalty.
"The captain's lost his mind," one crew member whispered to another as they crouched behind an overturned cannon. "He's going to get us all killed for his revenge."
"I didn't sign up to die fighting Marines," another replied, his eyes fixed on the ship's escape routes. "World doesn't care if we live or die, we're just tools to him."
Several pirates began making their way toward the Groseade's stern, where emergency boats waited. Their desertion went unnoticed by World, whose attention remained fixated on his personal duel with Kizaru, but the psychological impact of his crew's abandonment would soon compound his tactical disadvantages.