A blazing figure, wrapped in searing heat, plummeted from the sky like a fireball — it was Owen, diving straight toward the deck.
Vice Admiral Mole's Observation Haki flared instinctively. He shouted, "Everyone, move!"
Without hesitation, he vanished from his position with a flash step, Soru, just as a crater exploded where he'd stood. The impact shattered the deck beneath him, setting it ablaze with roaring flames. Against the backdrop of the open sea, the inferno was particularly striking.
"Mole! I'll kill you today and present your soul to Mother!" Owen roared, his body glowing red with heat.
"Awakening: Heatwave Fist!"
His Devil Fruit had awakened, pushing his heat powers to a new level. With one punch, a suffocating wave of hot air surged forth.
Under his complete control, the heatwave roared toward Vice Admiral Mole like a tidal flame.
"Damn it!"
Mole gritted his teeth. His Observation Haki was failing him — there was nowhere to dodge.
He had no choice but to take it head-on.
With no time to waste, he hardened his body with full-body Armament Haki. The sheer output of Haki drained his stamina rapidly, cold sweat bursting across his skin only to be instantly evaporated by the surrounding heat.
"One-Sword Style: Halberd Echo!"
A powerful wave of sword aura cleaved downward, wrapped in dense Haki, colliding directly with Owen's heatwave.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The shockwave exploded outward. Flames and pressure knocked back both Marines and pirates nearby.
"Evacuate now!"
"Clear out!"
Both sides gave the order. Neither wanted to get caught in a fight beyond their ability to influence.
Vice Admiral Mole spat blood. He could still taste the iron in his mouth, though it immediately evaporated in the dry, sweltering air. The blood that ran from the corner of his lips vanished before it could fall.
"Your death anniversary will be today, Mole!" Owen howled with manic glee. Just moments ago, he had been on the defensive — now, he was completely dominating the fight. The reversal thrilled him to his core.
"Awakening: Superheated Fist! Awakening: Heatwave Fist!"
Owen roared with laughter, fists blazing as he unleashed one after another. Within seconds, the entire military warship was engulfed in flames.
The fire swept across the vessel. It wouldn't be long before it sank.
Pirates were used to such chaos. They evacuated with practiced efficiency. The Marines and civilian youths aboard the ship, however, panicked. With no other choice, they began jumping into the sea to escape the blaze.
Owen grinned coldly. Under his relentless assault, Vice Admiral Mole had been gravely wounded.
He was kneeling on the burning deck, his knees nearly cooked through, and he had no strength left to rise.
"You see that, Mole?" Owen sneered. "All your subordinates have abandoned ship. What do you think will happen to them if I raise the temperature of the sea itself?"
"Stop! Stop it right now!" Mole shouted desperately.
"You're in no position to command anything," Owen spat. "You've lost. You've got no strength left. Your words are worthless! Ha ha ha! Now watch carefully!"
Owen turned and leapt toward his own ship, preparing to unleash Thermal Spring, a technique that would superheat the sea — boiling the Marines and the unaffiliated youths alive.
"No!" Mole cried, voice hoarse and ragged. He reached out weakly, trying to stop him, but he could no longer move.
Just then, from within the lower deck, Jacob Bovan slowly opened his eyes.
In a single fluid motion, he drew the Blazing Warblade, and with a calm stroke in the air, unleashed a line of silver light that danced like moonlit silk.
"Blazing Feast: Serenade."
With that quiet incantation, all nearby flames were consumed by the silver threads of his slash — the fire vanished, replaced by the chill of the darkened night.
"Who's there?!" Owen's heart jumped. A monstrous aura had just descended, one so overwhelming it crushed every ounce of his previous arrogance.
"A Supreme Greatsword Master...!"
His eyes widened. In the direction of the silver slash, a figure stepped into view.
Vice Admiral Mole's eyes lit up. He gritted his teeth and muttered, "That guy... finally decided to show up."
Jacob Bovan rested the Blazing Warblade on his shoulder and lightly hopped from the military vessel to the railing of a nearby ship, just a few meters from Owen.
Looking down at him, his gaze was still heavy with sleep, but the smirk on his face was unmistakable.
"Was it you, weirdo haircut, who woke me up?"
"It's the middle of the night. Why can't you lot just stay on your own turf instead of bothering others?"
Without waiting for a reply, Jacob raised the Blazing Warblade. The sword's aura surged like a beast unchained.
"Blazing Feast: Rhapsody Crescendo!"
A golden-red slash ripped forward, so terrifying that Owen's Observation Haki flared wildly in panic. He bolted sideways.
BOOM!
In the next instant, Jacob's slash tore straight through the warship — cleaving it neatly in two. One half was pulverized into ash under the weight of the blow.
Everyone froze — Owen, Vice Admiral Mole, Marines, pirates — all of them stared in stunned silence.
"That's... that's insane."
"He cut an entire ship in half with a single strike... and reduced the rest to powder."
"Wait... look closely! The half that wasn't destroyed — that's where Vice Admiral Mole was standing!"
"In other words, if he wanted to, he could've erased the entire ship."
Ding!
Owen, shaken by the host's overwhelming strength, awards rating: S. Reward: Tier-3 Armament Haki unlocked.
Vice Admiral Mole, stunned by the host's power, awards rating: S. Reward: Sword Technique — Flying Sword Style unlocked.
On the deck and the surrounding sea, time seemed to stop.
With the fire devoured, the night sky returned. No one noticed the icy smile deepening on Jacob's face. Combined with his chiseled features, it was the kind of expression that would make countless young women cry out in admiration — or fear.
Crash!
Splashhhhh!
Just when everyone thought the terrifying sword strike was over, the sea beneath the ship split open with a roar.
The ocean had been cleaved.
A violent surge of sword energy, laced with freezing wind, exploded beneath the waves and ripped through the sea.
Owen's face twisted in horror. All traces of his earlier confidence vanished as the sword energy tore through him.
"AAAHHHHH!"
His scream echoed across the waters, sharp enough to chill the blood of all who heard it.
Still unable to stand, Vice Admiral Mole suddenly felt himself lifted.
Jacob grabbed him with one hand.
"Vice Admiral," Jacob said with a smile, "You'd best get back to your ship and rest. Otherwise... you'll just be holding me back."
That smile made Mole shiver to his bones.