Seeing Jerry suddenly materialize directly in front of him, World could feel the violent wind pressure from his opponent's fist roaring like a dragon, while the Armament Haki coating his arm writhed like a serpent—an absolutely terrifying sight.
Alarm bells rang frantically in World's mind. He instinctively accelerated the gathering of his own Armament Haki, channeling it into his fist while combining his raw physical strength with the tremendous inertia from his high-speed movement to launch a devastating counterpunch.
Amid angry roars from both fighters, their fists collided violently once again.
A thunderous explosion and savage shockwaves raged through the air as Jerry and World were sent flying backward in opposite directions.
But in the blink of an eye, Jerry immediately flipped his body and stepped hard against a sudden stream of water that appeared beneath his feet.
A sharp whistling sound cut through the air as Jerry pursued World—who was still flying backward—at absolutely astonishing speed, his hands now coated with dense layers of Armament Haki.
Noticing that his enemy was approaching rapidly and relentlessly, World also forcibly arrested his momentum and roared with fury.
"More-More: Hundred-Times Speed!"
Immediately afterward, explosive air currents erupted beneath World's feet as devastating shockwaves rolled outward. His velocity seemed to break through the sound barrier itself.
Jerry was genuinely surprised by this sudden increase in speed. He quickly crossed both arms defensively in front of his body.
With a bone-jarring impact, Jerry maintained his defensive posture but was still struck solidly in the abdomen by World's crushing blow. He bent at the waist and flew backward rapidly.
"Let's see how you dodge this!" World's voice echoed behind Jerry as the World Destroyer rushed forward with a savage expression.
Seeing his opponent's attacking stance, Jerry stepped through the air, straightened his spine, and sneered with obvious confidence. "Hey, who said anything about dodging?"
Staring at the powerful fist shadows that instantly filled the space around him, Jerry swung his own fists without any trace of fear.
"Raining Fists of the Sea King!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Their fists continued colliding with tremendous violence, creating an endless cacophony of earth-shaking impacts.
As World reached his absolute limit, his fists—wrapped in deep black Armament Haki—smashed toward Jerry's vital points with reaction speed far beyond that of ordinary fighters.
Jerry's own pair of fists, trailing countless streaks of Haki-infused lightning, struck back in perfect retaliation with every exchange.
In just a few intense moments, the entire sky was filled with their fists and rapidly moving figures as the battle reached absolutely ferocious levels.
This thrilling aerial confrontation naturally attracted the attention of everyone below.
Carrot showed a hint of worry for Jerry's safety, while Brook and Cavendish observed the duel with their usual calm expressions, confident in their captain's abilities.
On the World Pirates' side, Byojack had already witnessed the numerous crew members jumping into the sea in desperate attempts to escape, and he could only watch in sorrowful silence.
Seeing Jerry's fist shadows gradually overwhelming World's dark-coated strikes, Byojack sighed quietly with resignation.
The younger brother he had waited for and worked so hard to support for thirty long years had finally become someone completely unrecognizable.
"Your Haki! How is this even possible?!" After countless punches, World felt sharp pain piercing through his hands straight to his heart, and he roared in complete disbelief.
He had been confident in the power of his own Armament Haki, but every time he collided with Jerry's fists—which seemed surrounded by actual thunder and lightning—he could feel agony spreading from his hands throughout his entire body.
Initially, World hadn't taken this too seriously, assuming it was simply a normal phenomenon caused by the recoil force that inevitably occurred when two powerful fighters exchanged blows.
Since he was experiencing pain, his opponent must be feeling the same thing.
However, as their fight continued, his punching speed became increasingly affected by the mounting agony, while Jerry seemed to grow more ferocious with each exchange.
This realization left World stunned as he began seriously doubting his own assessment of the situation.
He knew that Jerry possessed Conqueror's Haki, but he never suspected that with every punch Jerry threw, he was also inflicting water-based internal damage.
Even though Jerry couldn't manipulate the water within other people's bodies at will, he could temporarily exert crushing impact during the instant of contact between both fighters. This meant his attacks contained not only Haki-based damage, but also had water elements temporarily penetrating his opponent's defenses.
Combined with his amazing recovery abilities, Jerry felt no concern about trading blows with his enemy, knowing perfectly well that the damage World would suffer would only be far greater than his own.
"Old man, you can't hold on much longer, can you?" Jerry taunted, realizing his opponent had been completely suppressed. "You're finished, aren't you?"
Hearing this mockery, World gritted his teeth as veins throbbed prominently on his forehead. "I am the World Destroyer! I will not lose until Marineford and Mariejois are reduced to ashes!"
Jerry paused for a moment in surprise, then suddenly understood the situation. "Oh really? Then it seems you're definitely destined to lose to me. I've already torn Marineford to pieces beyond recognition..."
As soon as these words left Jerry's mouth, World's movements faltered for just an instant before immediately resuming.
He widened his eyes in shock and demanded, "So it was YOU who caused such chaos at Marine Headquarters?!"
"You don't read the newspapers?" Jerry blinked with genuine curiosity, secretly wondering if this old man had been found by his older brother and former subordinates after escaping from Level 6. Perhaps they'd reorganized their pirate crew with the sole focus of seeking revenge against the World Government and Celestial Dragons.
At this moment, World suddenly recalled Jerry's various accomplishments that Byojack had mentioned earlier—details he hadn't bothered paying attention to before. He spoke with growing excitement, "In that case, we're kindred spirits! Cooperate with me, and let's conquer and destroy this corrupt world together!"
As he grew more animated, his attacks became even more desperate and fierce.
Byojack, still watching the battle from below, heard this proposal and shook his head silently. He understood that World's obsession might be completely blinding his judgment.
Seeing World's reaction, Jerry had no intention of allowing him any opportunity to turn the tables.
After suppressing World's latest assault, Jerry curled his lips dismissively. "Haha, who wants to be partners with you? We're nothing alike—you're just being delusional."
"Damn brat!" Sensing the naked contempt in Jerry's tone, World felt rage burning in his heart.
He endured the mounting pain and threw another desperate punch, hoping to make one final attempt at reversing the battle's outcome.
After their prolonged and fierce confrontation, World found himself completely overwhelmed by Jerry's relentless fist shadows.
At this point, he had no options remaining except to fight with everything he had left.
However, Jerry's attacks were more devastating than any storm, continuously compressing World's space for movement and counterattack.
A moment later, Jerry's figure suddenly flashed forward as terrifying wind pressure erupted around him, accompanied by a deafening roar that echoed in all directions.
"Maelstorm Abyss Breaker!"
In a blur of motion, he swung a crushing punch that struck World's chest with overwhelming force.
Blood erupted from World's body while also spraying from his mouth into the air in a crimson arc.
There was a thunderous crash as World's body plummeted like a falling meteor, smashing heavily into his own pirate ship and causing the island-sized ship to shake continuously from the tremendous impact.
Carrot and the others looked at the pirate ship—which was now half-destroyed—and the numerous crew members who hadn't intended to abandon ship but were now forced to fall into the sea anyway. They realized there was no longer any need for them to continue fighting.
At this critical moment, a distinctly lazy and somewhat peculiar voice suddenly echoed across the battlefield: "Oh my, this looks terrifying. Should I perhaps not have come here?"
"Oh? Is that you?" Jerry responded casually, flexing his knuckles with satisfaction after his decisive victory.