Drop Some power stones! If you like the chapter! It helps to keep me motivated to upload more!đź’Žđź’Žđź’ŽÂ
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Soldier vs. soldier, commander vs. commander — once the battle began, most of Aaron's attention was focused entirely on Argus. As for the other fights raging around them, he had no intention of interfering as long as no fool dared to attack him directly.
Aaron knew full well how brutal battles could be. He wasn't anyone's babysitter. On the battlefield, his only job was to ensure that the enemy's strongest fighters didn't target his men. Whether his subordinates lived or died after that depended entirely on their own strength.
There was no room for dead weight in his crew. If someone couldn't handle an opponent of roughly equal strength, then they were nothing but useless trash.
In a place like the slums — where violence erupted constantly — only power could keep you alive. Even if someone survived this battle by sheer luck, if they were weak, they'd eventually die in some sudden conflict. After all, not everyone was a "Great Buggy."
When it came to manpower, the Regis Gang clearly had the advantage. Even though District B was just a small section of the slums, it still spanned over a dozen square kilometers and contained more than thirty streets. Managing a territory that large required at least a hundred men.
Argus had entrenched himself in District B many times before and had plenty of informants. Long before Aaron's forces arrived, he had already learned of Aaron's plan and gathered all his men to defend the turf.
Now, over a hundred Regis Gang members filled their stronghold — most of them seasoned fighters who had survived countless clashes with rival gangs.
But the people led by Victor and Lombarton were no pushovers either. Victor was a Akio Gang member from the docks, a battle-hardened fighter who had undergone Aaron's special training, making him far stronger than the average Akio Gang thug.
Lombarton's unit was a disciplined, elite guard force he personally trained. They were experts in formation tactics and coordinated assaults, well-armed and highly skilled in group combat.
Now, as the two sides clashed, the battle remained surprisingly even. Neither could gain a decisive edge, and the fight quickly devolved into a bloody stalemate.
It was obvious that the outcome would ultimately hinge on the duel between the leaders. Whichever commander prevailed would tip the scales of victory decisively to their side.
On the battlefield, Argus noticed that Aaron wasn't interfering with anyone else and was focused solely on him. Realizing this, he immediately abandoned any thought of assisting his subordinates.
Argus, age 32 — a minor boss of the Regis Gang, a close-combat specialist, and master of a martial art known as Mountain-Splitting Fist. His weapons were a pair of spiked knuckle dusters, and his most notable feat was defeating Doran, a sub-boss of the Dars Gang.
Aaron had obtained this information about Argus from Shuma after learning he was being sent to seize control of District B.
From the man's aura alone, Aaron could tell Argus was no weakling — no weaker than the "Swift Blade" Clark he had faced before. It was no surprise that someone of Argus's caliber had been entrusted with overseeing such a volatile territory.
"We have no personal grudge," Aaron said calmly as he walked toward Argus, Ghost Cry in hand, cutting down a few reckless Regis gangsters who stood in his way. "But you're in my path. If possible, step aside. Surrender now, and I'll let you and your men walk away."
"Don't think killing Harrett and Clark makes you strong, brat!" Argus snarled, his face — already covered in tattoos that made him look like a demon — twisting even more viciously. "This is the slums, far more dangerous than the docks you're used to. Now die!"
The moment Aaron demanded his surrender, Argus burst into mocking laughter. Then, in a flash, he lunged forward, spiked fists swinging straight for Aaron's head.
A sharp clang! rang out as Aaron's Ghost Cry precisely intercepted Argus's punch.
"Mountain-Splitting Fist: Rock-Crushing Strike!"
Seeing his attack blocked, Argus wasn't dismayed — he was delighted. His left arm bulged with explosive muscle, and he drove a devastating punch toward Aaron's abdomen — the first and strongest move of his style. A single blow could shatter a massive boulder. If it hit Aaron directly, it would cripple him, if not kill him outright.
But to his utter shock, Aaron's abdomen suddenly contracted to half its size, twisting into an exaggerated curve that narrowly evaded the full force of the blow.
And then — a fist appeared before his eyes.
At the same moment, Aaron's voice rang in Argus's ear:
"Nine-Serpent Body Refinement: Strength Amplification."
Just like Argus, Aaron had no intention of holding back. His left arm bulged with power as he unleashed a lethal punch. Empowered by the Nine-Serpent Body Refinement technique and backed by 40 points of raw strength, his fist smashed into Argus's tattooed face — shattering bone and flesh alike.
Argus's body shot backward like a cannonball, his mangled head slamming into a wall hard enough to shatter it.
In just a few seconds, the duel between Aaron and Argus was over.
Aaron didn't smile, nor did he look proud. His face remained expressionless, as if he had done something utterly mundane. Killing a minor gang boss no longer filled him with any sense of satisfaction.
After witnessing the towering strength of Horton that morning, there was no way defeating someone like Argus could make him feel pride again.
Now that his Observation Haki had reached a basic level — granting him the ability to anticipate an enemy's next move — handling small-time bosses like Argus, whose strength was comparable to Clark's, was no longer difficult. With Observation Haki activated, taking them down was almost effortless.
His true targets now were figures like Horton — the cadre-level elites of the major gangs. These were gifted fighters, often Devil Fruit users, whose strength, honed over years of training, was far beyond his current reach.
Without some extraordinary opportunity, Aaron estimated it might take one to two more years of relentless training — just like he'd been doing these past few months — before he could hope to surpass them.
"I'm getting there… Next, I need to build my power base, grow stronger, and seize the Munch Munch Fruit."
Aaron didn't belittle himself. He steadied his thoughts and turned his gaze back to the soldier-on-soldier battlefield around him.
Unsurprisingly, news of Argus's instant defeat shattered the Regis Gang's morale. Fear gripped them so completely that they lost all will to fight. The moment they noticed Aaron looking their way, terror overwhelmed them, and they fled without hesitation.
In contrast, the Akio Gang and the Merchant Guard's morale soared. Eager to prove themselves before their leader, they fought with renewed ferocity, relentlessly pursuing and crushing their fleeing enemies.
Within moments, the battle turned one-sided. The Regis Gang suffered a devastating defeat, their stronghold overrun and their territory seized by Aaron's forces.
The clash between Aaron and Argus — two minor bosses — in District B couldn't stay hidden. Even before the dust settled, news was already spreading swiftly among the city's major powers.
However, compared to Reggie's killing of Willard, Aaron's seizure of District B was seen as a minor affair, barely worth the attention of high-ranking figures.
If there was anything about the incident that piqued their interest, it was the fact that Aaron was Reggie's disciple.
For the first time, the upper echelons of the city's major factions took note of Aaron — the prodigious student of Reggie.
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