Holding the Sword of Destruction, ready to ignite into flames at any moment, Ian's strength had already surpassed the level of an Emperor of the Sea.
He was confident of this fact.
Unless someone possessed Haki strong enough to withstand the power of his Sword of Destruction, or an ability that could counter it, unless they had mastered Observation Kill to resist his future sight, then they simply had no right to stand against him.
Not even the Four Emperors were exceptions.
Let alone these so-called Five Elders, whose average strength barely reached that of an Emperor.
Weak.
Far too weak.
"This brat!!"
Even Kong couldn't help but click his tongue in disbelief.
Just what kind of monster was this kid?
Even Roger and Whitebeard in their prime could not have done something like this!
The three Elders Ian had casually hacked apart with a few swings had already reformed their bodies in an instant.
Ian was genuinely astonished.
This wasn't mere regeneration. This was true immortality.
Even when the destructive power of his blade erased their very brains, within just a few breaths they were restored as if nothing had happened.
"Tch… even more unreasonable than my flame incarnation," Ian thought, sword in hand.
"Ian! Stop your insolence!"
The Supreme Commander of CP0 roared in fury.
Though the Five Elders were immortal, as their bodyguard he could not stand by and watch them suffer injury before his very eyes.
"Kong! Attack with me!!"
"Understood!"
The Commander-in-Chief gave a firm nod.
And in the very next moment, the two supreme leaders of the World Government's greatest forces launched their assault on Ian together.
The supreme commander of CP0 suddenly shifted form in an instant.
His body transformed into a monstrous beast—its back sprouting wings, its head like that of an eagle, and its body like that of a lion.
"A griffin?"
Ian tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Seems like Mythical Zoans aren't all that rare anymore."
Could it be that even that guy Garling was also a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit user?
He vaguely remembered that in the original manga, Mythical Zoans were introduced as being rarer than even Logias.
But looking at things now, he really couldn't tell what part was supposed to be rare.
At the same time, the attacks of the Five Elders came crashing in together.
Warcury unleashed a massive shockwave of Haki.
Saturn spat out spheres of venom, while Mars spewed blazing flames.
Without his sword, Nusjuro exhaled a chilling frost breath similar to Yamato's.
Even Peter, who had turned into a giant sandworm, swallowed a massive amount of rock and hurled an entire mountain straight toward Ian.
"Ohhh…"
Ian muttered in aMarsement as he allowed all of these attacks to engulf him completely.
In an instant, the sky and earth trembled violently.
Before everything even settled, Ian's body, now engulfed in flames, drifted with the storm winds—only for the griffin to suddenly charge at him head-on.
The beast shifted again into a hybrid form, with the head of an eagle and a pair of razor-sharp talons.
Within those hawk-like eyes flickered a strange, unnatural glow.
"I see you!!"
The supreme commander of CP0 declared.
"Oh?"
Ian raised a brow in mild surprise.
In legends, the eyes of a griffin were said to be unnaturally sharp. Could it be that he could truly perceive something others couldn't?
Before Ian could say another word, the griffin's deadly talons ripped straight through his body.
"Hm?"
Ian immediately sensed something was off.
Those claws weren't ordinary claws—they carried a strange, unique power.
"You noticed, didn't you?"
The griffin slashed again and again, tearing Ian's body into fragments. "My eyes can pierce through all illusions! And my talons can shred through every obstacle!"
"Oh?"
Ian turned in surprise, swinging his sword in a swift backhand strike.
Yet, the opponent slipped away as though he had foreseen it all.
So that's it—those eyes of his must be like Observation Haki that can see into the future.
And not just any kind, but a vision of the future so sharp that even "Observation Kill" couldn't block it.
Interesting.
"Hah!"
At that moment, Commander Kong let out a thunderous roar, throwing a punch that carried overwhelming force.
The shockwave of Haki roared forward, threatening to blast Ian away.
But—
"Stay out of my way."
With a casual swing of his blade, Ian split the raging torrent of Haki right down the middle. It couldn't touch him in the slightest.
"How far into the future can you see?"
With a single beat of his wings, Ian finally launched his own attack.
The griffin's pupils shrank sharply. Such speed! In just an instant, Ian was right in front of him, sword cleaving across.
No time to dodge!
Then—!
The griffin's right claw, wrapped in jet-black Haki, shot forward to catch Ian's destructive blade.
Clang!!
A sharp, ringing blast resounded. Ian lifted his sword, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
The crimson blade bore several claw marks, and along its edge, three small chips had appeared.
"Now that's interesting…"
Ian murmured in admiration, even as Kong's Finger Pistol pierced clean through his chest. "So your power, like my flames, carries a destructive essence of its own?"
A force that tears through all obstacles—truly living up to its name.
"…"
But the CP0 commander's face twisted with horror.
His right claw was gone—vanished completely, leaving only a bare wrist.
How could such a terrifying ability exist?
Ian chuckled lightly. "But from the looks of it… my ability is stronger than yours."
"Get out of the way!"
From behind came Saturn's furious roar.
Venomous spider-like limbs pierced through Ian's body, driving deep into the ground and leaving behind a gaping hole that the toxins quickly corroded into a massive pit.
A looming shadow suddenly fell from the sky.
It was Warcury. The colossal boar plummeted like a meteor, crashing down with devastating force.
The impact crushed both Ian and Saturn in one blow.
Kong and the CP0 commander quickly pulled back.
Yet, their faces showed no relief—not in the slightest.
It was meaningless. No matter what attack he used, it seemed utterly pointless!
And indeed, the next moment, a flash of flames streaked forward.
The CP0 commander instinctively recoiled, but it wasn't enough—his speed was far from sufficient!
"Flame Ashes!"
The crimson blade tore through the air with a sudden force.
Yet strangely, it didn't stir even a whisper of wind, for the air it touched was directly erased.
The gryphon clenched its teeth, swinging its remaining left claw with all its might.
Scrape!
Sparks seemed to erupt from the air itself.
More claw marks appeared on Ian's sword.
**********
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