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Dylan and the others had engaged the enemy, but it was clear now these Marines were no ordinary force.
Despite their strength, Dylan and his team couldn't quickly take them down. Surrounded and pressured, they even risked being overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
And worse the commanding officer aboard the Marine warship hadn't even entered the fight.
Eddie, watching from the stern, clenched his fists. This wasn't a routine chase.
---
High atop the mast, Aero stood silently.
His right arm shimmered and turned transparent, charged with the activation of his unique ability: the [Domain].
It was a high-energy state, one that drained him heavily but it was also the most powerful form he could access.
In a way, this was his version of "Gear Second."
He needed time. Just a few more seconds for the [Domain] to fully activate.
---
But fate didn't give him that time.
Suddenly a massive slash tore through the air toward him.
Aero's instincts screamed. This wasn't an ordinary cut. It radiated danger.
He dodged instantly.
CRACK!
The mast was sliced clean in half.
But it was enough.
The [Domain] expanded in all directions an invisible field of controlled wind, saturating the space around the Dove and the enemy ship.
Now he could move like a blur within it.
Now he could fight seriously.
---
With the [Domain] active, Aero vanished from the air only to reappear above the enemy warship.
His right hand faced downward.
Wind condensed in his palm, swirling into a high-pressure spiral that quickly expanded.
A miniature cyclone.
Then—
BOOM!
He fired it.
The swirling vortex burst from his hand and plummeted toward the ship growing in size and intensity midair.
A true tornado, descending from the sky.
---
On the deck below, a Marine officer with a katana stepped forward.
He drew his blade and sliced upward.
The arc of wind collided with the cyclone and—
Shattered like glass.
He had underestimated the force.
Calmly, he sheathed his sword again.
This time, he prepared properly.
As the cyclone neared—
"Ittoryu… Aggregated Slash!" the officer shouted.
A powerful shockwave surged from his blade and cleaved the tornado clean in half.
But it didn't stop there.
The same wave curved midair and launched toward Aero himself.
Aero flickered away using the high-speed wind movement within his [Domain] but the slash followed.
He moved again but not fast enough.
The attack grazed his right arm, drawing blood.
Then it plunged into the ocean behind him, splitting the waves apart with terrifying force.
The ocean itself had been sliced.
---
Aero looked at the deep cut in the sea. His arm stung, but he didn't flinch.
Instead, he snapped his fingers.
The two halves of the cyclone he'd launched earlier, still swirling in place, suddenly broke apart into dozens of [Tempest Orbs], small balls of compressed wind energy.
Each one spun violently around the warship.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!
With another snap, they exploded.
The Marine officer's eyes widened. He couldn't block them all. There were too many.
Flames and wind tore through the deck, sending soldiers flying.
He growled, kicked off the deck, and soared into the air.
Each footstep echoed with a blast of compressed force [Geppo], the Navy's sky-step technique.
Now, he and Aero were face-to-face in the sky.
---
Aero stared him down.
That last attack proved it the man could use Armament Haki. His elemental intangibility as a Logia user wouldn't protect him.
This fight just got real.
---
The man adjusted his green Marine coat.
"I'm Grice, Navy Headquarters Commander," he said with a smirk. "So you really are the Wind-Wind Fruit user, Aero."
"And what of it?" Aero replied. "You're not going to catch me alone."
Grice laughed. "Typical rookie arrogance. You may be a Logia, but without experience, you're just an insect in the Grand Line."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Maybe a Queen Ant, at best."
---
Aero didn't respond. He had no time for insults.
He didn't like fighting the Navy.
But this was different.
His crew was on the line.
He was on the line.
This wasn't the time to hesitate.
He couldn't use intangibility. Not against Armament Haki. His only option now was to outmaneuver.
Inside the [Domain], he could move faster than the eye could follow. He had to strike with precision and speed before this dragged on too long.
Because the longer this fight lasted…
The worse their chances.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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