In a flash of time, the dragon surged, roaring, howling, thundering forward.
"BOOM!"
With a deafening explosion, the golden dragon coiled around Jason's right arm suddenly sprang to life. Agile and fierce, it opened its jaws wide and bit down hard on the incoming Rankyaku.
"Ka-cha!"
A sound like shattering glass rang out, the razor-sharp Rankyaku, capable of slicing buildings in half, cracked and crumbled like brittle crystal under Jason's mighty palm. The man in black's face changed drastically. His figure flickered and blurred as he retreated rapidly.
"Impossible!!"
Even No. 2, watching from a distance, narrowed his eyes sharply, staring at Jason in disbelief. As the enemy retreated, the enraged Jason stepped forward, his momentum like a roaring dragon shaking the earth.
He unleashed a second palm strike.
"Flying Dragon in the Sky!"
"ROAR!"
The dragon's cry echoed again. Jason bent his knees slightly, and an invisible force coursed from his spine to his legs. A crackling pi-li-pa-la sound echoed like popcorn bursting as his muscles coiled and released.
And in the blink of an eye, he launched into the air, soaring high above the battlefield.
To the man in black's astonishment, Jason had already closed the distance and now hovered midair directly in front of him.
"RRAAH!!"
The grand dragon form shimmered again. Jason struck with his palm without hesitation.
The man in black barely managed to flicker away once more.
"BOOM!"
The earth shattered from the impact. Dust flew in every direction as a massive crater over ten meters wide formed where Jason's palm landed.
Still airborne, Jason's towering frame twisted like a dragon in flight. His back arched, his body curled, and then he lunged again, his speed reaching its peak as he reappeared before his target.
"Seeing the Dragon in the Fields!"
His aura exploded outward, Jason's presence had become overwhelming, violent, absolute.
The man in black faltered. Overpowered by the crushing force, he stumbled back, and was once again grazed by the residual force of the strike. His clothes tore open, and a long, bleeding gash appeared across his chest.
His pupils contracted in disbelief.
"Damn it, how is this possible?! A mere mortal… with this kind of power?!"
Fury roared inside him. Unable to accept what he was seeing, he gritted his teeth and, after dodging another strike, suddenly charged forward, stomping the air as he dashed straight toward Jason.
Seeing his opponent charge head-on, Jason's eyes ignited with killing intent.
He stepped forward as well. The sheer force of his movement made the ground quake. With the recoil of his step, Jason crossed fifteen meters in a single bound, leaving a violent gale in his wake.
"Dragons Battle in the Wild!"
With a thunderous roar, he slammed both hands onto the ground.
"ROARRR!!"
Five roaring dragons burst from his surroundings, swirling with fury and crashing outward like a tsunami of power.
The charging man in black was caught off guard by the overwhelming power and was struck directly by one of the energy dragons.
"Tekkai!"
In an instant, he shouted, activating Iron Body. His muscles swelled as the density of his flesh increased dramatically.
"BANG!"
The dragon's maw clamped down, hurling him across the ground like a ragdoll, dragging his body over ten meters before he skidded to a stop.
"I'm fine," He gasped, blood trickling from his mouth, but he smirked. He'd managed to defend against it.
But then, he looked up. A shadow loomed over him and his pupils shrank again.
Jason's cold, stone-like face filled his vision, and to his horror, Jason had switched from palm to fist.
"Tekkai!"
He barely had time to shout before,
"BANG!"
Jason's massive fist crashed into his abdomen like a cannonball.
The impact reverberated through the man's entire body. Even the ground beneath him shuddered.
His face twisted in pain, blood again spilling from his lips.
And it wasn't over yet.
Jason, enraged beyond reason, was now like a berserk lion, a beast that would tear everything apart.
"Arhat Fist!"
Jason stepped forward, and suddenly, his entire stance shifted into a bizarre form that seemed strange to all who witnessed it.
"Fierce Tiger Pounces on Its Prey!"
"BANG!"
An overwhelming force crashed down on the man in black again. His whole body shuddered as fresh blood burst from his mouth.
"Connecting Three Pricks!"
"Maitreya Lowers His Brow!"
"Tathagata Picks Flowers!"
Each punch landed squarely on the man in black. Faced with this martial art from another world, combined with Jason's terrifying strength, he felt the very space around him sealing shut.
And Jason… had become something else entirely. Every move was like a divine beast or demon descending. Fierce. Unstoppable.
"PENG! PENG! PENG! PENG!"
A rapid flurry of thunderous blows, seven or eight in a row, rained down like cannon blasts on the man in black. As the final strike landed, Jason drew back his fist and stood tall, staring coldly at his opponent. Then he turned away.
"I don't care what you are. Right now, you just got wrecked."
As the words fell, the man in black let out a groan. Blood spurted from his mouth, and the light faded from his eyes.
"THUMP!"
Three steps later, he crashed face-first into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The terrifying power, fused with martial arts from another universe, had reached a dazzling, destructive peak in Jason's hands. Behind him, blood had already dried into a dark crust, but Jason walked on as if he felt nothing at all.
A few more strides, and he stood face-to-face with No. 2.
"Now… you're my next opponent."
No. 2 raised an eyebrow, then smirked.
"Interesting. As expected of Rojen's second-in-command."
Jason clenched his fist and slowly extended it toward him.
"Just like him… I'll blow you away with a single punch."
"Heh… I look forward to it." No. 2 replied calmly, with a light smile, utterly unshaken.
Meanwhile, Crocodile's fight seemed locked in a stalemate.
"Huff…"
Exhaling deeply as he saw Jason finish off his opponent with ease, Crocodile turned his attention back to the enemy before him.
"That big brute already finished his fight. Looks like I've been dragging my feet…"
He slowly extended a single hand, letting it dip into the swirling stream of sand flowing from his shoulder.
A strange, eerie energy began to radiate outward, spreading through the sand.
"Change into sand."
"WHRRRM!"
In an instant, an invisible wave rippled through the ground and air. Grains of sand began to form rapidly. Within mere moments, a thirty-meter radius was engulfed in yellow sand.
Three seconds later, the sandy current had spread across nearly a hundred meters. Like a flowing river, it devoured everything in its path. Trees touched by even a grain of it instantly dried and cracked, crumbling into more sand.
The scene made everyone present blanch.
The man in black, who was fighting Crocodile leapt and dodged frantically, evading the terrifying wave of sand.
"Huff…"
Exhaling another breath of smoke, Crocodile's gaze remained as indifferent as ever.
"You have nowhere left to run."
Two seconds later, the sand current surged toward Jason and No. 2's battlefield.
"What the hell, Crocodile?!" Jason shouted angrily, leaping to avoid the oncoming sandstorm. "You're covering me too!"
The sand split and twisted, instantly forming an offensive wave that crashed toward No. 2. He dodged swiftly, jumping high into the air.
"Jason, get clear."
"I'm about to go BIG."
Crocodile's voice was hoarse and heavy, but at that moment, he radiated absolute dominance. His Haki surged, oppressive and regal.
(End of Chapter)
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