"You're still alive?!"
John Giando finally snapped out of his shock and stared at Deidara with disbelief.
That punch he just threw was the strongest he could muster, enough to crush a massive boulder. And yet this guy looked completely unharmed.
"A blow like that killing me? What a joke!" Deidara sneered coldly.
He recalled being blasted into the sea by that punch, his body smashed to pieces. Thankfully, he was revived through Edo Tensei, allowing him to regenerate instantly. Otherwise, he would've suffered severe injuries.
Now, Deidara had shed his earlier carelessness. He looked at his opponent with a bit more seriousness.
Swish!
Deidara slapped his palm, and another clay bird appeared beneath him, carrying him back into the sky.
"Hmph, do you think flying means I can't hit you? If I could land a blow once, I'll do it again!"
The giant John Giando roared and leapt into the air like he was swatting a fly, his palm crashing toward the airborne Deidara.
Deidara's palm mouths spat out a series of small white clay birds, which swarmed toward the giant in a flurry.
Boom! Boom!
A terrifying explosion erupted again, engulfing John Giando in a blazing inferno.
"Hahaha, are you scratching an itch for me or what?!"
The giant's laughter echoed as his arm, now coated in black Armament Haki, burst through the explosion and lunged at Deidara once more.
"What the—what kind of technique is that? It blocked my explosion so easily!" Deidara looked visibly surprised.
He hadn't been briefed by Madara or the others on the powers of this world, so this was his first time witnessing Armament Haki. He couldn't help but be taken aback when he saw the darkened, hardened fists.
However, Deidara had seen many strange jutsu in the ninja world. His own explosive art was rare, not to mention all kinds of bizarre kekkei genkai. So the appearance of Haki only surprised him briefly.
"In that case, I'll let you experience my masterpiece next!"
Deidara's expression hardened as his palm mouths rapidly chewed on clay. He clapped his hands together—and with a puff of white smoke, a massive dragon took shape beneath him.
C2 – Dragon!
At last, he unleashed one of his signature techniques.
C2 Dragon: a massive flying clay beast capable of launching smaller explosive dragons with incredible speed and power.
Without pause, Deidara formed a few hand seals. The dragon's tail suddenly shortened, and from its mouth burst a small clay dragon, flying straight toward John Giando.
Seeing the tiny dragon approach, John Giando sneered coldly.
"Whatever idiotic art you're trying, it's all garbage! DIE!"
He roared and swung his massive fists at the small clay dragon.
Boom!
Suddenly, every small dragon in the air exploded at once. The force was far greater than before and finally pushed the giant back, leaving visible wounds on his massive frame.
"Damn it! You actually hurt me?! You're dead meat!"
John Giando felt a sting in his fist and roared in fury.
With a loud shout, he leapt into the air and charged at Deidara, slashing with his enormous longsword.
Deidara quickly maneuvered the dragon to ascend, narrowly avoiding the blade, though the gust alone nearly knocked him out of the sky.
"This guy's strength really is something else!" Deidara thought with a grimace, then grinned coldly. "But in the face of true art… your defeat is inevitable!"
As he spoke, the dragon's tail once again retracted, and dozens of mini clay dragons were fired like missiles toward the naval fleet.
"Hmph! You're underestimating me? DIE!"
John Giando barked, his sword now imbued with Armament Haki. Both its speed and power increased dramatically.
He still believed Deidara was a Devil Fruit user—and his plan was to crush him with Haki.
Just as he was about to strike, however, he suddenly found his body tightly wrapped in a white clay snake that completely immobilized him.
Explosive Clay – Twin Snakes!
Deidara smirked.
It was a trap he'd set earlier while fighting the other marines—explosive clay that he could remotely detonate.
Just as the small dragons smashed into John Giando's immobilized form, Deidara shouted:
"Detonate!"
BOOOOOM!!!
A tremendous explosion, even more powerful than before, erupted and consumed John Giando entirely.
Meanwhile, on the command ship, Sengoku—who had been monitoring Lin Xuan, Madara, and Hashirama—suddenly turned his attention toward the massive explosion on the battlefield.
BOOM!
A terrifying shockwave burst out in all directions, sending nearby marines flying.
Admiral Aokiji reacted swiftly. He pressed his palms to the sea, and a circular ice wall surged upward, encasing the explosion's center.
Crack!
But the force inside kept breaking through, shattering the ice walls one after another until they finally collapsed entirely.
Fortunately, the explosion began to die down at this moment.
Everyone exhaled in relief, though their pale faces remained etched with fear.
Had Aokiji not acted in time, many of them would have been gravely wounded—or worse.
Even so, many marines who couldn't retreat fast enough were heavily injured in the blast, some completely incapacitated.
Two nearby warships, caught in the explosion's radius, were completely wrecked.
As for John Giando, who had been at the center of the explosion—his body was now mangled, floating half-submerged in the blood-red sea.
Seeing this, many marines gasped.
The giant Vice Admiral John Giando… had actually lost!
What a terrifying man!
When they looked back at Deidara floating in the sky, their expressions had completely changed—no longer casual or mocking, but serious and grim.
This man was far too dangerous. The destructive power of his explosions far surpassed that of naval warships—it was terrifying!
Back on the command ship, Sengoku's face grew darker.
He realized he had still underestimated the enemy.
That blond man, though not as strong as Lin Xuan, Madara, or Hashirama, was shockingly difficult to deal with.
What unsettled him even more was the question he couldn't answer:
Were only a few individuals on that giant wooden ship this powerful?
Or were all of them monsters like this?
If it was the former, the Navy might still stand a chance with precise countermeasures.
But if it was the latter…
Then this war would be unlike anything they had ever faced.
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T/N:
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