"Newgate's ability…"
World half-knelt on the ground, the area in front of him stained red with his blood, staring at Aeridar in disbelief.
"I actually intended to show you some other interesting things, but since this is Kuja, I shouldn't cause too much of a ruckus," Aeridar grinned, throwing his hands up. "Otherwise, I won't be able to explain myself to my wife."
As he spoke, Aeridar strolled forward.
"W-wife! Is he talking about me?"
From a distance, Hancock, hearing Aeridar's words, immediately cupped her face, her cheeks blushing even deeper.
"This woman…"
Betilla's mouth twitched, utterly speechless. After all these years, she was still acting like such a lovesick fool.
"You bastard! Where does that confidence come from?!"
Being so openly underestimated, even World, who didn't particularly care about reputation, couldn't help but be furious, his temperament turning even more volatile.
"More-More: 100x Speed!!!"
A crazed glint flashed in World's eyes. He suddenly leaped up from the ground, his entire body hardened with Armament Haki, and his fists flew out in a frenzied, torrential barrage. The air thundered and roared, and multiple afterimages appeared.
"Heh heh heh…"
"You are the guy my ability counters most severely!"
"Impact Fist: Consecutive Dance!"
Aeridar laughed heartily, hardening both his arms with Armament Haki and delivering a relentless, continuous barrage of punches. His fists whistled, leaving numerous afterimages. His momentum was in no way weaker than World's.
Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!
Fist met fist in a rapid, dense collision. The clash of terrifying force created intense air pressure that spread out in rings, causing the air to oscillate violently as it radiated the power of their fierce exchange.
In just three or four seconds, their fists had collided no less than two hundred times.
"Hoo… Hoo…"
In the hyper-speed exchange, World felt excruciating pain in his knuckles and began to feel short of breath.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Sensing the gradual weakening of his opponent's force and speed, Aeridar seized an opening, put his hands together, and an incredibly powerful shock force erupted from his entire body.
Bang!
Caught completely off guard, World was sent flying by the powerful shock force, as if hit by a Sea Train. He immediately spat out three liters of blood and flew dozens of meters away.
"Weak. Too weak!" Aeridar's face showed disdain and mockery. "Your offense and defense are completely asymmetrical!"
The opponent's attack was indeed powerful, and this was in close combat. If it were long-range, there was no need to even mention it.
However, World's defense, durability, and stamina were simply too lacking.
In terms of speed and attack, Aeridar was not inferior to World, and perhaps even a notch stronger. As for all other aspects—physical fitness, physical resilience, raw strength—World was completely countered by Aeridar.
"You… Puargh…"
World struggled to raise his head, his face ashen with fury as he glared at Aeridar. Just as he was about to speak, blood surged up and he choked on it.
"Hmm?! A Fish-Giant?"
Suddenly, Aeridar stopped in his tracks, a scene flashing quickly through his mind, causing him to mutter to himself.
"Fish-Giant? Sebastian!"
Hearing Aeridar's mumbling, World's face changed drastically. Did he foresee something again?
Aeridar suddenly turned and threw an airborne punch towards a seemingly empty stretch of coastline.
Splash!
At that moment, the seawater suddenly erupted. A huge, muscular, blue-skinned Fish-man leaped out of the sea and onto the shore.
Voom!
Rumble…
The intense air pressure erupted into a visible, annular shockwave. Under this pale-white halo, the earth shattered inch by inch, creating a semicircular trench.
"Nani!"
Instantly, seeing the overwhelming shockwave surging toward him, Sebastian, who was directly in its path, looked utterly shocked. He immediately tried to turn and dive back into the ocean, but it was too late.
"Ahhh!"
The massive shockwave, like a hurricane, completely engulfed Sebastian, sending the quite capable fighter flying without even allowing him to land a single move. The immense power contained within the shockwave even caused him to cough up blood in mid-air.
"Sebastian!"
Both World and the remaining members of the Ward Pirates on the Groseade were utterly shocked.
"I'm truly curious, how does a Fish-man father a Giant offspring?" Aeridar wondered aloud, stroking his chin as he looked at the Fish-Giant he had sent flying.
"You… you bastard!"
World struggled to his feet and picked up a stone fragment from the ground.
Pop~
Boom!
Aeridar glanced sideways at World, instantly vanished from his spot, and reappeared behind World, delivering a flying kick to his body.
Rumble!
World felt a flash before his eyes, followed by agonizing pain in his waist. He was sent flying horizontally with a swoosh, slamming heavily into a section of the Kuja city wall that hadn't collapsed. This immediately kicked up a cloud of dust and air current, burying most of his body under bricks and stones.
"Bind that guy with Seastone chains! I still have use for him." Aeridar ordered the Kuja female warriors nearby.
"Yes! Aeridar-sama!"
Seeing Aeridar defeat World, whom none of them could defeat even with a group attack, so easily, the Kuja female warriors happily complied.
After giving the order, Aeridar turned his attention toward the sea. He was quite curious about the massive ship of the Ward Pirates, the Groseade.
Of course, the most valuable person aboard was the World Pirates' female doctor, Nightin. Her medical skill, which could reverse aging with medicine, was extremely formidable.
If Redfield had known about this, he might not have risked his life going to the Clifford Kingdom to steal the Bat-Bat Fruit (Mythical Zoan: Vampire Model), only to lose his life in the end.
"It looks like I'll be getting a huge haul!"
A smile spread across Aeridar's face. He instantly vanished from his spot with a Soru-like movement.
At this moment, the Groseade on the sea was moving at high speed.
Byojack, the skinny first mate on the deck, had been watching the battle at Kuja Port through his telescope. When World was defeated and Sebastian, who was responsible for the rendezvous, was sent flying, he knew that if they didn't leave immediately, the complete annihilation of the World Pirates would happen today.
"Quick! Gairam, dive first! Golden Ring Aeridar is a Devil Fruit user, he can't enter the seabed!"
"Dive beneath the sea first, save Sebastian, and then figure out a way to rescue World!"
The skinny Byojack anxiously spoke into a small Den Den Mushi.
Gurgle... Gurgle...
A string of bubbles appeared, and the massive Groseade slowly began to submerge.
"Such a huge ship can dive. That's really impressive!"
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice rang out behind Byojack.
Byojack's body froze. He slowly turned his head.
"G-Golden Ring, Aeridar!"
When he saw Aeridar casually looking around, Byojack felt a chill run through him, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
"Hello there! First Mate Byojack of the World Pirates. It's truly rude of me to meet you like this!"
Aeridar's smile was bright and sunny, like an exceptionally cheerful young man.