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"Who are you people?" Jason shouted with a grim expression on his face.
During this time, they had known they were being watched, and the Captain had warned them. So when the three figures appeared, Jason wasn't surprised.
The three black-clad men said nothing. Two of them began to walk toward them slowly.
"No need to ask. They're not friendly. Get ready to fight." Crocodile's gaze deepened. He could tell these people were trouble, and his expression grew solemn.
"What a hassle..." Jason dropped the bundle he was carrying onto the ground. His eyes sharpened as he strode forward.
After just three steps, Jason's speed surged. He charged toward the enemy. In ten steps, his speed exploded.
"Boom!"
With a bend of his knees, an enormous force blasted a crater into the ground, dust flying everywhere. Jason's figure vanished on the spot. In a flash, he appeared right in front of one of the two men and threw a heavy punch.
Seeing Jason's explosive speed, the black-clad man was clearly startled.
"You caught me off guard."
He spoke calmly, facing Jason's fierce blow with unshakable composure.
"But it's still not enough."
In the next second, Jason's fist struck the ground, but the two black-clad men had already leapt backward like dried leaves caught in the wind. Suspended midair, they floated back five meters and then gently landed.
Jason's pupils contracted, his gaze sharp and alert.
He realized that these enemies were no pushovers. Their hand-to-hand combat skills were on par with the Marine Rear Admiral he had faced before.
No, judging purely by physical prowess, these two might be even more deadly.
"One each," The man on the left said blandly.
The other nodded and stepped forward. After just three steps, the second man brushed past Jason's shoulder, making Jason tense up all over.
Just then, his face changed. He instinctively raised both arms to guard himself.
"Too slow!"
A flat voice rang out from in front of him, and an enormous force crashed down onto Jason's arms.
"Boom!"
With a loud crash, Jason was sent flying backward.
"Bang!"
He tumbled over a dozen times before finally coming to a halt. In the blink of an eye, he was already covered in dust and dirt.
Looking up, Jason saw that the other black-clad man hadn't even made a move. Now, he stood calmly ten meters in front of Crocodile.
"So strong!"
Jason's pupils shrank as he quickly pulled his focus back to the man in front of him, who was slowly retracting his right leg.
Crocodile's eyes narrowed as he saw the opponent calmly assign targets and approach without hesitation. He lit a cigar.
"Pretty confident, huh?"
"Hey, Jason, you alright?" He called out, the crocodile perched on his shoulder quivering slightly and growling.
He was already poised to strike.
"I'm fine. This level of strength isn't enough to take me down!"
Jason stood up, eyes locked on his opponent.
Other than the Rear Admiral who had once frozen him solid, this man in front of him was the strongest opponent he had ever faced.
"You two ready?" The black-clad man who had attacked Jason asked coldly.
He received no response. Taking a step forward,
With that single step, Jason clearly saw a small whirlwind spiral into life beneath the man's foot, and the ground cracked open.
The black-clad man vanished.
"Whoosh!"
A distorted blur sliced through the air, he appeared right in front of Jason.
Jason's face was filled with shock as he swung his right fist forward with all his might.
"100x Boost, Break!"
With a thunderous roar, his punch was aimed with deadly precision toward the spot where his opponent was about to appear.
When it came to close-quarters combat, Jason had an almost beast-like instinct.
But to his surprise, just as the punch was about to connect, the figure he'd predicted would appear suddenly shuddered, and vanished again.
"I'm behind you."
A calm voice came from behind. Jason's heart immediately pounded faster.
"Not good!"
"Rankyaku!"
Boom!
A powerful slicing attack slammed into Jason's back, launching him forward, tumbling uncontrollably.
From the side, Crocodile's expression changed drastically as he watched the scene unfold.
He had seen it clearly: the black-clad man had launched the attack while standing in midair, as if on empty space, and only landed after the strike was completed.
'How was that possible?!'
Immediately afterward, the black-clad man picked up speed and charged toward Jason again. Crocodile's eyes sharpened. The sand on his shoulder suddenly surged and burst outward with a "boom," forming a swirling sandstorm that extended toward the enemy.
But just then, a sharp gust of wind whispered past his neck.
The expanding sand flow instantly contracted and twisted into a concentrated mass.
Bang!
A whipping kick slammed down hard onto the sand mass. It trembled before shattering into particles, though the force of the kick was dispersed in the process.
"You no longer have the leisure to worry about others."
The cold voice reached his ears as the black-clad man stood five meters away, eyes icy.
"Hmph."
Crocodile slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. Glancing at Jason, who had now stood back up, he gave him a look that said, "You're on your own now."
He turned his full attention to the opponent in front of him.
The man said nothing. His figure flickered, and vanished again.
Bang!
A sand current rose up instinctively, blocking the attack aimed at Crocodile's waist.
Another thunderous blow followed from behind, but the sand again intercepted it.
Strike after strike, five or six in a row, all were blocked by Crocodile's protective sand, leaving him unharmed.
Huff...
Crocodile exhaled calmly, unmoving, his expression unwavering.
The crocodile that had been on his shoulder had now fully dissolved into swirling sand, coiling protectively around him, forming a dense, undulating shield.
"You're not going to attack anymore? Then it's my turn!" Seeing the opponent pause, Crocodile spoke coldly.
The moment he finished, the grains of sand circling him trembled violently, then turned into sharp, sword-like whips that shot forward at incredible speed toward the black-clad man.
Boom!
Like serpents, the sand streams launched a fierce assault. The black-clad man swiftly dodged, but the sand struck the ground, leaving deep craters behind.
In front of a field of blooming rapeseed flowers...
Rojen stood calmly.
Suddenly, a voice called out:
"Quick! She's going into labor!"
Rojen's expression changed at once.
It was the voice of the midwife, accompanied by Rouge's cries of pain.
After all this time... the moment had finally come; Ace was about to be born.
Rojen quickly stepped toward the house, wanting to enter and witness it, but the midwife blocked him firmly. Helpless, he stepped back outside.
"Trens! Stay alert, watch for any movement!"
"Understood!" Trens nodded seriously.
Not far from them, six figures appeared one by one on the road.
"Everyone except for His Highness..."
"Leave no one alive."
(End of Chapter)