The sky above Hachinosu was shrouded in dark clouds. A sea wind carrying the smell of gunpowder raged across the battlefield.
With the reforging of his conviction, the Armament Haki enveloping Zephyr's entire body suddenly surged to an astonishing level.
The inky light flowed across his body's surface, faintly taking on the form of tangible armor.
"Now that's more like it!" Setsuna's eyes also turned serious. "Let me see the true strength of [Black Arm] Zephyr!"
Before his words fully faded, their figures collided like lightning.
This battle was even more intense than before, every clash shaking the air like thunder.
"Crush: Hammer!"
Zephyr leaped high into the air. His mechanical arm expanded and transformed into a massive warhammer, smashing down towards Setsuna's head. The speed and power of this strike were on a completely different level from before.
Setsuna did not underestimate his opponent, swiftly entering the Seventh Gate state.
Blue steam erupted instantly. His muscles swelled slightly, also covered in Armament Haki. He crossed his arms above his head to block the strike head-on.
Boom!
The moment the two forces collided, a terrifying shockwave spread out in a ring.
The ground within a thousand meters completely collapsed. Pirate ships by the shore were capsized directly.
From within the dust, Setsuna's figure skidded back over ten meters before stabilizing, his arms slightly numb.
He shook his hands, a fierce grin spreading across his face. "Now we're talking!"
He could feel it… even with his conviction reforged, Zephyr's strength still didn't match Akainu's or Kaido's. But he was far stronger than [Emperor Commander] level fighters like Katakuri.
Setsuna's figure abruptly vanished. The sand beneath his feet exploded instantly, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Zephyr's Observation Haki screamed warnings. His mechanical arm immediately morphed into a large shield.
THUMP!
A heavy kick slammed into the shield surface. Zephyr held his ground forcefully, his feet sinking into the earth.
The mechanical arm suddenly morphed again. Three sharp spikes shot out from seams in the shield like venomous snakes.
Setsuna flipped mid-air. Simultaneously, his right hand formed a knife-hand, a chop aiming for Zephyr's neck.
Amidst the metallic clang, Zephyr blocked with his left arm hardened by Armament Haki. His right mechanical arm morphed into a hammer, swinging horizontally.
Another deafening crash. Zephyr failed to break through the defense of Setsuna's Conqueror's Haki, and was instead forced back repeatedly by Setsuna's strikes.
Pressing his advantage, Setsuna's right fist, trailing a sharp sonic boom, shot straight for Zephyr's chest.
Unable to steady himself in time, Zephyr met it with a punch of his own.
The moment their fists collided, a massive storm erupted with the two at its center.
The ground beneath their feet collapsed into the sea. A large chunk of Hachinosu island was sheared off directly.
Witnessing this, Ochoku and Teach felt their hearts bleed: 'My island!'
Setsuna and Zephyr naturally didn't hear their inner cries, engaging in fierce combat once more.
Their battleground shifted from the beach to the sea surface, then from the sea to the cliffs.
Surrounding trees were uprooted, rocks turned to dust. Even the clouds in the sky were twisted and distorted by the aftermath of their clash.
"This shouldn't be your full strength, right?" Zephyr roared. "Didn't you want to subdue me? Then show me your power!"
"Don't misunderstand. I'm not pitying you. I'm just thinking about a question," Setsuna voiced his confusion. "That Weevil's strength is considerable, but it doesn't surpass yours, does it? How did he manage to sever your arm?"
Zephyr fell silent, his offensive even slowing. "He… captured my students to threaten me…"
"I see." Setsuna suddenly understood, 'So it was the [Supreme Human Shield] tactic. That explained it.'
"But… with that guy's intellect, he actually knew how to threaten someone?"
Zephyr shook his head. "Before he became like this… he was actually a normal pirate."
Setsuna nodded slightly, then entered Sage Mode.
Seeing the mysterious patterns appear on Setsuna's face, Zephyr was shocked. "Is this your ability?"
"Be careful."
As the words fell, Setsuna's figure vanished directly from Zephyr's field of vision.
"So fast!" Zephyr's pupils contracted sharply. Before he could react, a heavy elbow strike already landed squarely on his chest.
A terrifying force penetrated the Armament Haki defense. Zephyr spat out a mouthful of blood but seized the chance to grab Setsuna's shoulder, his forehead smashing towards Setsuna's face.
But an extra arm suddenly sprouted from Setsuna's back, pressing against Zephyr's forehead. Then, with both hands gripping Zephyr, he executed a devastating shoulder throw, slamming Zephyr heavily into the ground.
"Sensei!" Ain watched the scene with concern.
"Tsk tsk, Zephyr-sensei, famed for his martial arts, being beaten so badly in a martial arts duel?" Kizaru, while dealing with the combined assault of Crocodile and the other two, still had the spare capacity to spare a thought for this. "Martial arts truly cannot escape the erosion of time. It's better to specialize in Devil Fruit abilities like me."
Kizaru shook his head and sighed. However, Crocodile and Moria facing him darkened their expressions, 'This monkey-faced admiral's martial arts were clearly outrageously strong. Was he mocking them?'
Ochoku also noticed the situation on this part of the battlefield, his heart sinking continuously, 'Useless! Just as useless as the Marine Admirals Rocks killed back in the day!'
He was already having a hard enough time dealing with these three. If Zephyr was defeated, once that monster was free to act, he definitely wouldn't be a match.
Thinking this, thoughts of retreat sprouted in his mind.
In the center of the battlefield, Zephyr's figure charged out from the dust.
His entire body was enveloped in Armament Haki so dense it resembled armor. His mechanical arm morphed into a massive spiral drill.
"Black Arm: City-Breaker Drill!"
Setsuna neither dodged nor evaded, crossing his arms to block the strike head-on.
He had foreseen this future, but since he intended to subdue Zephyr through force, he would use absolute strength to crush him.
The immense impact pushed Setsuna back continuously. His feet plowed two deep trenches in the hard ground.
But after retreating only a dozen meters, Setsuna stood firm. No matter how much force Zephyr exerted, he couldn't advance an inch further.
"My turn."
Setsuna's left hand suddenly clamped onto the mechanical arm. His right fist pulled sharply back to his waist.
[Daytime Tiger!]
A visible shockwave, like a tiger bursting from its cage, slammed solidly into Zephyr's chest.
Bam!
Zephyr's figure shot backward like a cannonball, crashing heavily into the sea.
The shockwave's momentum didn't diminish, parting the sea surface and forming two water walls tens of meters high.
Zephyr soon leaped out from the sea, gasping for breath.
His mechanical arm showed obvious damage, but his eyes remained resolute.
"I really have grown old after all. This is my last bit of Haki." After all, Zephyr's conviction had only been reforged for a short time. The Haki within him wasn't plentiful.
He concentrated all his Armament Haki into his mechanical arm. The inky light almost took on tangible form.
"Black Arm Ultimate Secret Technique: Heaven's Collapse, Earth's Shatter!"
Zephyr's mechanical arm expanded to an exaggerated size, its surface covered in vicious metal spikes, like a burning pitch-black meteor.
He leaped high, descending towards Setsuna with an aura intent on annihilating everything.
Setsuna gathered a Kamehameha wave, then fired the energy blast using the Air Cannon technique.
"Kamehameha: Daytime Tiger!"
Two world-shattering forces collided in mid-air… Kabooooooooom!
In the deafening explosion, a blinding flash of light temporarily robbed everyone of their vision.
The shockwave swept across the entire Hachinosu island, flattening one-third of it.
As the light faded, Setsuna still stood firm in place. Zephyr, however, was sitting on the ground, his mechanical arm almost completely destroyed.
"I lost. You were right, after all." Zephyr panted, but a relieved smile appeared on his face. "All NEO Marines, hear my order! From this day forth, we join the Warlord Gluttony King's forces!"