One Piece: Fist of the World

Onigumo was sent flying by Rhodes's punch, his body a mere afterimage as he crashed through several buildings.

He actually mastered the outward expression of Haki so quickly!

As this thought flashed through his mind, and feeling the sharp pain in his chest, Onigumo's expression grew even more sinister.

There's even a hint of internal destruction. Such a guy...

Standing up once more, Onigumo swung the sword in his hand violently, a powerful gust of wind dispersing the rising dust.

"If you continue to grow, you will become an even greater evil! In the name of Justice, I will kill you right here!" Onigumo's eyes, filled with murderous intent, fixed on Rhodes. At such a young age, he had mastered such superb Haki techniques and possessed such powerful strength. In time, he would undoubtedly become a major concern for the Navy. What troubled Onigumo most was Rhodes's terrifying learning ability. After only two battles, he had grasped Armament Haki and was even gradually mastering more advanced Haki usage techniques in combat. Such talent truly made him shudder.

"Tsk, tell me if you can do it, Navy!" Rhodes clenched his fists. Facing Onigumo's harsh words, he felt no worry, only a deeper surge of excitement. In that last attack, he had successfully displayed his outward expression of Haki. He now urgently needed to fight; only an intense battle could allow him to quickly master such skills.

Without waiting for Onigumo to attack, Rhodes took his stance, stomped his feet, and shot towards the Vice Admiral. As he charged, the Armament Haki, like black flames, began to flow through his body again, making him appear engulfed in ominous black fire.

"Don't think you're the only one who has mastered the release of Haki, kid!" The dark Haki covered Onigumo's entire body, and his black hair began to dance once more, but this time, he didn't control his weapon. Instead, it coated Onigumo's body along with the flowing Haki.

"Life Return—Ghost Warrior!" Onigumo's muscles surged, squeezing out more strength. With the help of his hair controlled by Life Return, their combined power was superimposed. He wielded his two-handed sword and lunged fiercely at Rhodes, who was rushing towards him!

Boom!

Before Rhodes's fist even touched Onigumo's sword, the two invisible forces collided violently in the air. A powerful shockwave spread out from their clash, whipping Rhodes's red hair.

"That's the feeling! You're really strong, Marine!" Feeling the impact from the opposite side, the fighting spirit in Rhodes's eyes intensified, his entire being alight with battle.

I didn't expect that he was just a Vice Admiral who didn't appear much in the original novel, but he had such strength.

But, it suits my purpose! Let me use him as my whetstone, and fight!

A Scientific Predicament

"No one should notice me."

Not far from the Polaris, Gray was hiding stealthily in the woods, observing the two battles unfolding. A conflicted look crossed his face. When he had returned from shopping with Nia and the others, he'd decided to stroll along the shore since they hadn't set sail yet. After all, they sailed for many days at a time, and he was tired of looking at the endless sea. It was rare for them to dock, and he was worried about being caught by the Navy, so he had no time to slowly explore the area. He could only stroll in the woods on the shore as a small consolation. Unexpectedly, when he heard the commotion and rushed over, the fight had already begun.

"I didn't expect the Navy to catch up. I always say being a pirate is troublesome. Being chased by the Navy all day, I have no peace for a moment, and no time to research at all." Gray scratched his head, making his already messy hair even more so.

"It seems like I'm no match for you..." Even someone like Gray, who held little combat power, could see the situation on the battlefield. Nia was completely suppressed by her enemy. Her attacks couldn't land, but for some reason, her opponent didn't easily defeat Nia; he just danced around her.

"Hmm... a cat that likes to tease its prey is now being teased by others..." Gray nodded, then turned his gaze to Law. "I told you not to train like that! That guy Rhodes is just messing around! This kid is almost always in a state of severe injury; how can he be a match for the enemy?"

Looking at Law, who was barely coping with the help of Bepo, Gray couldn't help but sigh.

He won't be arrested here, will he?

"Really? I'm just a scientist!"

"A scientist?"

"Yeah...Who!?" Gray turned around abruptly.

"Navy!" A team of Marines in crisp white uniforms stood not far behind Gray, clutching rifles tightly in their hands. Several pairs of wide eyes stared at Gray, strange lights glinting within them.

"You are..." The leading Marine stepped forward, staring intently at Gray.

Oops! Discovered!

Gray's heart tightened, and a few drops of cold sweat quietly trickled down his forehead. Nia and Law were busy with their own fights, Bepo was helping Law, Rhodes and Neru hadn't returned yet, and as for Penguin and Shachi, he'd seen their retreating backs, likely off to find Rhodes.

No one can help me! Am I going to be caught? And spend my life in prison? Is it going to be Impel Down? I heard that all the people imprisoned in Impel Down are extremely vicious criminals. I won't be torn to pieces by those people, right? No! I still have a lot of research to do!

"You are a scientist, right?" Seeing Gray standing there in a daze, the Marine took another step forward, the barrel of his gun almost touching Gray's face.

"That..." Feeling the cold touch on his face, Gray's face suddenly turned pale, and his heart began to pound wildly. Although he was an expert in weapons and had designed guns for Neru that far surpassed standard naval equipment, having someone else's gun pointed at his face was a completely different feeling from pressing his face against a gun barrel during normal research.

I'm going to die!

"Idiot! You're too close! I told you to be respectful to scientists!" Another Marine stepped forward and slapped the Marine who was leaning against Gray on the head. He then extended his hands and pressed them on Gray's shoulders with a serious expression.

"I am Captain Gilbert Garland of Marine Headquarters. I am very sorry that my subordinates were so rude."

Gray only felt that the two hands on his shoulders were like pliers, clamping him tightly, almost lifting him directly from the ground.

This guy is obviously even more rude! Forget it, I'm about to be arrested, so I shouldn't worry about whether it's rude or not.

"Excuse me, are you a scientist?"

Huh?

The pain from his shoulder and the slight feeling of weightlessness from being lifted temporarily restored Gray's IQ.

Come to think of it, they have been using honorifics since just now, right?