One Piece: Surrounded at Marineford? Just kidding!

Chapter 339: The Familiar Iron Fist!

The massive plume of smoke from the explosion was like a raging beast.

It tumbled over the ruins of Beehive Island.

It swallowed the bleak sunlight.

The rain of gravel fell softly, striking the crumbling walls with a crisp yet desolate sound.

Zefa stood at the edge of the deep pit.

He did not rush to press his advantage.

The dark energy Chen Ye gave him was alive, coiling and pulsating around him.

He is a demon god who crawled back from hell.

Beneath the mask, crimson eyes glanced sideways.

He was listening.

The bottom of the pit was very quiet.

In the silence, there were subtle and crisp sounds.

"Click. Click."

The sound of solid ice cracking under extreme compression.

Zephyr's Observation Haki spread out like an invisible net in an instant, accurately capturing the changes in the atmosphere at the bottom of the pit.

That aura did not weaken despite the heavy blow.

Instead, it's like a piece of forged steel, more refined, colder, and more dangerous.

"snort."

The corners of Zephyr's mouth curled up beneath the mask, a smile that was both proud and tyrannical.

He muttered to himself, his voice audible only to the wind.

"That's right."

"If you were defeated by an attack of this level, I would be utterly disappointed!"

Before he could finish speaking...

boom!

Extreme cold air erupted from the bottom of the pit, shooting up into the sky like a white dragon, instantly dispersing the dust that obscured the view.

Extreme cold and dark energy collided in the air, producing a hissing sound of annihilation.

The view is clear now.

At the bottom of the pit, a thick, hemispherical ice shield was revealed.

This is not ordinary ice.

It has an extremely high density and refracts sunlight to produce a brilliant and hard luster like a diamond.

At this moment, the ice shield that could withstand a barrage of naval gunfire is cracking inch by inch.

Ultimately, it disintegrated into countless crystalline powders.

Kuzan stood up from the swirling ice shards.

Half of his body was covered in diamond ice armor, and a trail of blood meandered down his left temple, staining half of his sunglasses red.

But the eyes behind the lenses were unusually clear.

There was no fear.

There was no panic.

Only extreme calmness.

Kuzan reached out, his movements even somewhat leisurely, and brushed away the ice shards and dust from his shoulder.

He tilted his head, his gaze passing through dozens of meters to the terrifying figure high above.

"Ah la la la la..."

Kuzan's voice was still his signature languid tone, but this time, the languidness carried a chilling undertone.

"What a terrifying old man..."

"That punch just now almost shattered my bones."

He adjusted his sunglasses, which were askew on his nose, and fixed his gaze on Zefa.

That feeling was all too familiar.

It's not just about power, but also the rhythm of the force exerted, the secondary shock generated at the moment of contact.

"Your attack methods, and that annoying way of lecturing while you're fighting..."

Kuzan exhaled a breath of white, cold air, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet.

"It reminds me of one of my mentors."

"Although he has been dead for many years, I must say, your imitation is very accurate."

Upon hearing this, Zefa's dark energy surged violently.

Emotions are running high.

"Imitation? Hahahaha!"

Zefa laughed loudly, a laugh that was both desolate and insane.

"Whether it's imitation or not, your body will tell you, Kuzan!"

Bang!

The rocks beneath Zefa's feet crumbled into dust.

He transformed into a black cannonball, carrying a destructive force, and charged towards Kusan at the bottom of the pit once again.

Since we've started, there's no need to hold back.

This is Zefa's teaching method.

Let the pain teach your body a lesson!

Kuzan's eyes narrowed.

He no longer relies on Devil Fruit abilities.

Against a monster with such martial arts skills, keeping your distance is suicide.

"ice skates."

Kuzan clenched his fists, and the moisture in the air instantly condensed.

Two sharp ice skates were formed.

The pitch-black Armament Haki instantly covered the ice blade, turning it the color of obsidian.

"Since you want to play close combat, then I'll play with you!"

Kuzan stomped his foot, causing ice flowers to explode on the ground, and charged towards Zephyr.

The two figures collided violently in mid-air.

There are no fancy lights or shadows.

The collision of fist and ice blade produced no earth-shattering sound.

hum!

Visible ripples spread out in concentric circles.

That was the outward leakage of power after it had been compressed to its limit.

The surrounding building ruins were swept by the ripples and instantly turned into dust without a sound.

This was not a physical impact.

It was two domineering forces standing atop the ocean, clashing violently at extremely close range.

"Too slow!"

Zephyr's roar exploded in Kuzan's ears.

In the instant of their confrontation, Zeff demonstrated absolute anticipation of Kuzan's moves, leaving everyone in despair.

Every time Kuzan raises his hand, even if it's just a slight muscle twitch in preparation to unleash "Ice Block - Two-Spiked Spear" to block movement, Zephyr's fist always arrives half a second earlier.

boom!

A punch landed precisely on Kuzan's elbow joint, where he was exerting force.

"Hmm!"

Kuzan groaned, the chilling aura he had just condensed being forcefully dispersed.

The skill's animation was forcibly interrupted.

It felt like someone had stuffed a wad of cotton into my throat just as I was about to speak, making me feel nauseous.

Kuzan attempted to elementalize to create distance.

The body was about to turn into ice shards and scatter.

A large, dark, and domineering hand, seemingly foreseeing the future, directly grabbed at the spot where his physical form was about to solidify.

"Trying to run? Is your Observation Haki only for catching a cold?!"

Zefa's roar was ever-present.

Kuzan was forced to stop his elemental transformation and swung his sword to block, only to find that his opponent stuck to him like a leech, always staying at his most uncomfortable attack range.

At this distance, long weapons cannot be used effectively, and ranged skills cannot be unleashed.

They were forced to engage in the most intense hand-to-hand combat.

Kuzan became increasingly frustrated as the game progressed.

This feeling of having his soul exposed made him extremely uncomfortable.

The other person seemed to know his body better than he did.

I know his power exertion habits.

I know the rhythm of his breathing.

She even knew where his next glance would go.

This is not a matter of suppressing strength.

This is a complete and utter crushing victory in terms of intelligence and experience.

"Damn it..."

Kuzan gritted his teeth, the absurd conjecture in his mind becoming clearer and clearer, making him uneasy.

Just as the two were at an impasse.

In the distance, a group of Blackbeard Pirates' henchmen thought they had an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

"That monster is being held up by Captain Kuzan!"

"Quick! Now!"

Dozens of pirates raised their muskets and rocket launchers, aiming at Zephyr's unsuspecting back.

The trigger was pulled.

A dense hail of bullets and whistling rockets intertwined to form a deadly net, enveloping Zefa.

however.

Zefa didn't even turn his head.

Even when exchanging blows with Kuzan, their rhythm remained perfectly intact.

While he was throwing a right punch to suppress Kuzan, he simultaneously swung his left hand back and delivered a chop to the back without even looking.

The movements were simple and decisive, yet they carried a suffocating sense of oppression.

"Black Wrist - Explosion!"

boom!

A burst of compressed air shot out from the edge of his palm.

It's not a slash.

It is a shock wave formed by the pure force compressing the air.

The air cannon was instantly hit by the rain of bullets.

The bullets were shattered, and the rockets were detonated in mid-air.

The shockwave didn't stop; it pierced through the flames of the explosion, like an invisible giant hand, slamming down on the dozens of pirates who had launched the sneak attack.

"puff!"