pdf-ebookys 43. Norton vs. Karp!
43. Norton vs. Karp!
Meanwhile, at the sea restaurant Barratier, Zeff and his crew were also engaged in a fierce battle.
After boarding the White Pearl, Zeff immediately led his men back to the floating restaurant to prepare for the impending danger.
Four naval officers boarded the ship!
They clearly knew that this ship was one of the fleet's important logistical and command nodes.
Zeff's wooden prosthetic arm clashed with the weapon of a colonel wielding a knife. "Sanji! Paddy! Protect the kitchen and the storeroom! We can't let the food be lost!"
"Understood, you old geezer!"
Sanji was sharp-tongued, but his movements were lightning fast. He engaged in a fierce battle with a naval lieutenant commander wielding a finger gun, deliberately leading the fight to the edge of the ship's side.
"Get away from this, don't make a mess of the table!"
Paddy, carrying the lobster cannon, blocked the other person like a mad tiger. Although the situation was dangerous, he managed to hold on with his brute strength and his obsession with the kitchen.
But the fourth naval lieutenant commander had already broken through the defenses and rushed toward the hatch leading to the galley.
Just as his fingers were about to touch the doorknob, a sharp cat claw knife was silently placed against his neck.
"If I let you ruin this place, and King blames me, I'll be in a real bind." Kro pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a white light, and appeared behind him at some point.
Before he could finish speaking, ten cold lights flashed past! The major's uniform, along with the soft armor underneath, was instantly torn to shreds, leaving deep crisscrossing bloodstains on his chest. He screamed and fell to the ground.
Kro adjusted his glasses, having quietly followed them out of concern for the situation. After all, if the restaurant were damaged, the quality of the food would be affected, something Kro was very worried about.
Looking at the colonel who was fighting Zeff and gradually gaining the upper hand, Kro silently calculated the best angle to attack.
...
The battle was equally fierce in the area where the Black Cat Pirates and the Buggy Pirates' joint fleet clashed.
"Scissors in Disarray - Clown's Throwing Knife!"
Bucky's body was scattered into more than a dozen pieces, his head flying through the air, his hands gripping throwing knives and hurling them from all sorts of bizarre angles, harassing the two naval officers and making them extremely annoyed.
"Hahaha, you can't hit me! I'm immortal!"
"Look at this, one, two..." Zango shook the hypnotic ring, trying to distract the enemy.
"Idiot! Who cares about that during a fight!" A major slashed at him impatiently.
However, the next second, Major and Zango both fell asleep on the ground!
"When are you going to get rid of this habit?!" the cat-men brothers complained from the side.
The ones who truly stabilized the situation were the cat-men, the entertainer Kabaji, the animal trainer Mochi, and his lion Liki.
The two cat-men worked together seamlessly and barely managed to block the frontal attack.
Mochi then directed Liki to pounce and create chaos.
Kabaji swept across the deck on his unicycle, his long sword constantly slicing through the marines' skin.
"This can't go on!" Bucky was panicked, but he could tell that the situation was not good.
He glanced around and saw a small naval assault boat trying to get close to a former Krieg Pirates gunboat not far away. The gunboat only had some ordinary pirates on board, and it looked like it was about to be seized.
"Hey! Demon!" Buggy suddenly shouted at a silent figure on another pirate ship, "Aren't you Krieg's former first mate? Come on, help me!"
On the pirate ship, the demon Akin silently gripped his heavy iron crutch, glanced at his own precarious battle line, and then at Palu, who was also engaged in a fierce battle and setting fires everywhere on another ship not far away.
With Admiral Klick defeated and dead, his remaining forces, now under the protection of the more powerful Admiral Norton, are now ready to prove their worth.
Akin took a deep breath, a resolute glint in his eyes, and slammed his iron crutch onto the deck with a loud bang, attracting the attention of the three naval officers on the assault boat.
"Your opponent," Arkin spoke hoarsely, his body slightly lowered, unleashing a ferocity far exceeding that of ordinary pirates, "is me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Akin rushed out like a ghost, swinging his iron crutch with a heavy whistling sound, and single-handedly confronted the three marines who boarded the ship!
At the heart of the naval battle, Norton did not rush back to the White Pearl.
Instead, he stood on the flagpole of the pirate ship, his gaze sweeping across the chaotic battlefield.
The naval officers' boarding maneuver was indeed effective, with multiple boarding points becoming deadlocked and the fleet's breakout speed being significantly slowed down.
What's more troublesome is that the remaining nine warships are taking advantage of the pirate ship being entangled to accelerate their encirclement and attempt to complete the encirclement.
Nine warships surrounding thirty pirate ships sounds ridiculous, but the reality is astonishing. The coordinated combat skills displayed by the warships were unmatched by the pirate ships.
The thirty pirate ships were mostly former members of Krieg's fleet. Compared to the elite Marine Headquarters, they were nothing more than weaklings. Their equipment was inadequate, their teamwork was poor, and their overall strength was insufficient.
"To catch the thief, first catch the king... The navy understands this principle very well."
Norton muttered to himself, his gaze fixed on the largest command ship at the rear of the naval fleet. Although Momousagi Gion had been temporarily repelled, the navy's command system had not collapsed.
However, he has other problems to deal with right now.
"Silver hair... Don't even think about taking another step forward!" With a roar, two powerful officers at the level of major generals from headquarters, clearly experts left behind to hold the line, rushed over from the left and right sides of the warships using the Moonwalk technique!
One man wielded a two-handed greatsword, his strikes fierce and powerful; the other man's fists were covered in heavy armor paint, exuding a majestic aura.
They witnessed what happened to Garp and Gion and knew they had no chance of winning, but they were determined to die, just to delay Norton for a moment!
Norton looked at them, his face expressionless.
"Commendable courage."
The next moment, Norton disappeared.
The sword-wielding major general only saw a blur before his eyes, and a fist rapidly enlarged in his vision. He roared and swung his sword down with all his might!
The moment the sword made contact with his fist, he felt as if he had struck not flesh and blood, but sea stone! The greatsword, crafted by a master craftsman, let out a mournful cry of unbearable strain, and its blade exploded into countless fragments!
The fist, still brimming with force, struck his chest. His Armament Haki shattered like paper!
The major general coughed up blood and flew back at an even faster speed than he had come, crashing through two decks of the warship before finally stopping.
At almost the same time, another boxing major general attacked from behind, aiming for Norton's back.
"Iron Body - Heavy Cannon Fist!"
Norton didn't turn around, but waved the back of his hand behind his back.
"Bang!"
It was as if a heavy hammer had struck the leather.
The Major General of Fist Techniques channeled all his strength and Armament Haki into a punch, which struck Norton's hand, but it couldn't even make the hand sway an inch! Instead, an indescribable force rebounded back at him.
The major general's arm cracked with a sickening sound, and he was thrown back with a scream, falling into the surging waves.
With a mere gesture, the fate of two major generals from headquarters was already unknown.
This scene was witnessed by many marines and pirates who were engaged in battle. The pirates' morale was boosted as if injected with a stimulant, and they burst into a frenzied roar.
On the naval side, however, this inevitably caused a stagnation.
Norton did not continue to pursue the command ship, but instead looked past the chaotic battlefield toward the port of Loguetown.
Within the ruins, a familiar yet powerful aura was rapidly rising, like a wounded beast about to unleash an even more ferocious counterattack.
Meanwhile, aboard the White Pearl, Zoro, having just repelled the third wave of marines attempting to board, was slightly out of breath.
Catching his breath, Zoro suddenly spotted a medium-sized ship in the naval fleet that was precisely issuing commands and directing the surrounding warships.
"That's the flagship's second-in-command ship... Sanosuke! Cover me!"
Upon hearing this, Sanosuke, who was on another ship not far away, immediately understood Zoro's intention. He instantly dealt with his opponent, and the sound of his ninja sword slicing across the deck attracted the attention of the remaining naval officers on the two nearby ships.
"If you don't stop me, I'll kill all the marines!" Sanosuke said coldly.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zoro took a deep breath, gathered his three swords into one hand, and gripped the scabbard with his other hand, assuming a peculiar iaido stance.
"One-Sword Style: Flying Dragon!"
Zoro unleashed his strongest slash to date, aimed at the vice-command ship hundreds of meters away!
The flying strike tore through the air, emitting a roar like a dragon's cry, precisely traversing the chaotic battlefield, and slamming into the junction of the mainmast and the command platform of the deputy command ship!
Boom!
Wood chips and metal fragments flew everywhere, the command function of the deputy command ship was instantly paralyzed, the communication flags were tilted, and the coordination with the surrounding warships was disrupted.
This strike became the key factor in breaking the deadlock.
The pirate fleet's breakout speed, which had been slowed down, suddenly accelerated by a fraction!
"Well done, mosshead!" Sanji couldn't help but shout as he caught a glimpse of it from Baratie.
Norton also saw this scene, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
His subordinates are growing rapidly through the tempering of blood and fire.
However, the real crisis is only now arriving, accompanied by maniacal laughter.
"Norton brat—!!"
A thunderous roar erupted from the direction of the port, and a figure, using moonwalking, crossed the sea at an astonishing speed!
Garp removed his tattered coat, revealing his bare upper body. Beneath his bronze skin, his muscles resembled the gnarled roots of an old tree. Despite the blood at the corner of his mouth and his numerous wounds, the fighting spirit in his eyes burned even more intensely and frantically than before!
"I haven't been defeated yet!"
Black and red lightning bolts burst and coiled on the knuckles, and the air groaned under the strain.
"Fist Bone Impact!"
A simple and direct punch was thrown, yet it seemed to tear the entire sea apart!
"Well done!" Norton laughed loudly, his silver hair dancing wildly in the raging air currents.
Faced with this punch imbued with domineering power, he neither retreated nor dodged, but clenched his fist as well, his muscles tensing like a dragon!
boom--!!!
Two fists collide in mid-air!
The black and red lightning and the shockwave of pure power exploded in a ring!
The sea surface, spanning hundreds of meters in radius, was instantly compressed into a huge bowl-shaped depression, and the seawater was violently pushed aside, revealing the seabed reefs below.
The surrounding dozen or so warships and pirate ships were tossed about by the giant waves like toys. On the deck, both the navy and the pirates could not stand steadily, and those who were slightly weaker were directly shaken until their mouths and noses bled!
"This...is this a noise that a human could make?!"
Bucky's head tumbled through the air, his jaw nearly falling onto the deck.
Zoro barely managed to steady himself by embedding three swords into the deck, his eyes burning with an unprecedented fervor as he stared intently at the center of the battlefield: "One day... I too will reach that level!"
Sanji kicked his opponent away, his hand trembling slightly as he lit a cigarette: "If this old man's restaurant gets blown up by the aftershocks, I'll definitely not let them get away with it!"
boom!
boom!
boom!
Karp gave Norton absolutely no chance to breathe!
The first punch failed, so the second and third punches were thrown in succession!
"Fist Bone - Star Link!"
"Fist Bone - Fallen!"
Each punch carried a terrifying power capable of sinking a warship, and the black and red lightning illuminated the dim sky as if it were the end of the world!
Norton's eyes blazed with fighting spirit, his fists becoming afterimages as he met the attack head-on in the simplest and most brutal way.
boom!
boom!
boom!
The explosive sounds of fists colliding echoed across the battlefield. Each exchange unleashed an even more violent hurricane and raging wave, shaking the dark clouds in the sky so violently that they seemed to be right above their heads!
The chaotic naval battle came to a complete halt. Everyone was forced to stop, clinging tightly to anything secure on the ship, staring in disbelief at this battle that defied common sense.
"This is no longer a battle between humans..."
Kro adjusted his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses filled with a deep seriousness.
"This is... a clash between two natural disasters!"
Zeff's wooden prosthetic leg was deeply embedded in the deck, desperately protecting the kitchen door behind him, his cloudy eyes reflecting the two figures.
Boom! ...
Garp suddenly pulled back his fist, his entire body muscles tensed to the limit like a bowstring!
Veins bulged beneath his bronze skin, Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki swirled around his right fist, and the density of the black and red lightning reached a level that was tangible to the naked eye!
"Fist Bone Impact!"
A punch was thrown!
The sea below was forced down tens of meters by the force of the fist, creating a huge crater with a diameter of 100 meters! The seawater on both sides was hurled up like walls!
Norton's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he laughed wildly as he threw a punch in return!
Like the metallic roar of two steel mountains colliding, the shockwave spread in a ring, even dispersing the thick, dark clouds in the sky. A ray of sunlight poured down through the hole in the clouds, illuminating the two figures at the center of the battlefield.
In the center of the battlefield, Garp's expression gradually turned as serious as mercury.
The excruciating pain from my fist bone was crystal clear; it felt like my finger bone was breaking!
However, what alarmed Garp even more than the pain of his fractured bone was that he could sense that Norton's power... had actually increased during that series of clashes!
They grow stronger with each battle...
This kid's strength seems to have no upper limit!
Compared to the somewhat disheveled Garp, Norton was radiating heat, his silver hair moving without wind, and every muscle humming with pleasure.
Since breaking through his physical limits, his body has never been "active" to this extent!
Hearty!
Seeing this, Garp knew he couldn't delay any longer!
If we continue this head-on collision, we'll only end up losing!
"Let's end this with the strongest punch!!!"
Garp's roar shook the sky and sea. He brought his fists to his sides and his Haki surged wildly throughout his body!
Norton's smile vanished; he could sense that the next attack would be completely different!
"Just what I wanted!"
Norton took a deep breath, his muscles churning with a low, dragon-like roar. "Fighting like this isn't going to work. We need to end this quickly... or all these ships will sink!"
He glanced at the surrounding pirate fleet.
The warships may have sunk, but these ships... represent the wealth he had painstakingly collected!