Chapter 7: The Sky: Victim of the Strong
The reef shoal Rocks mentioned wasn't exactly close to Hachinosu, but it wasn't hard to find either.
Following the direction Rocks pointed out, Nereus quickly spotted the rocky shoal, exposed by the receding tide, from mid-air and arrived there first.
There is a big difference between staying airborne and true flight. Although Rocks could stay in the air, it wasn't flight in the true sense, so his speed couldn't match Nereus's.
On the entire island of Hachinosu, only Shiki, the user of the Float-Float Fruit, had the aerial agility to barely keep up with Nereus in a sky battle.
"I won't hold back, Nereus!"
Following closely behind, Rocks had already drawn the long sword hanging at his waist. His terrifying Conqueror's Haki wrapped around the sharp blade as if it were a tangible substance.
Although they called it a spar or a contest, in the eyes of outsiders, they were clearly moving with the intent to kill.
A massive slash wave, carrying incredibly dense Haki, cut viciously toward Nereus.
As the slash wave flew forward at breakneck speed, the surrounding air seemed to be torn apart by sheer force. Even the calm sea below was split open by the residual shockwave, forming a giant chasm akin to an abyss.
Faced with such a terrifying attack, Nereus neither dodged nor evaded. He allowed the sharp slash to cut through his body, churning the sea behind him into chaos.
The gruesome wound nearly cleaved Nereus in two, but Rocks showed no pity. Instead, he looked as if this were a common occurrence.
In the very next moment, the horrific wound healed at an extraordinary speed, as if nothing had happened.
"Wahahaha! Still got that terrifying regeneration, I see. Your nickname 'Undying Creature' isn't just for show.
I've seen the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. Throughout history, you're the only one who has developed this fruit to such a level."
Bat-Bat Fruit, Mythical Zoan Model: Vampire. A Devil Fruit located in Sleeping White Town (Old Town). In the game storyline, it was the fruit belonging to Patrick Redfield, the "Red Count."
As a Mythical Zoan, its abilities went beyond enhancing physical fitness; they included draining life force and restoring youth. But that was only part of it.
This terrifying regeneration ability was also one of its powers.
Logia users avoided attacks by transforming their bodies into elements. If damage could be inflicted on their physical form, the wounds would remain.
But Mythical Zoans were different. Nereus's ability was somewhat similar to Marco's Phoenix Fruit. Unless Haki was used, the body couldn't be harmed, and even damage caused by Haki could be healed through the ability.
"Xebec, if this is what you call 'wanting to see me go all out,' then I'm a little disappointed."
Nereus didn't respond to Rocks's praise.
Under the influence of his Devil Fruit, his hands had become elongated, his nails sharp as blades.
The wings on his back grew even broader, and the muscles all over his body appeared more developed and full.
Although in Redfield's hands, the Hybrid Form of the Vampire Fruit had wings connected to the arms like wing membranes, for Nereus, they were independent wings. Zoan transformations had specific wavelengths that could even be influenced by drugs; this variation was the result of Nereus's own mastery over the fruit.
Nereus had no habit of using weapons; his hands were his most accustomed tools.
At this moment, he held one hand flat like a spearhead. A burst of Conqueror's Haki—no less powerful than Rocks's, and perhaps even more refined and concentrated—instantly wrapped around his sharp fingertips.
"Hell Thrust."
Nereus's body seemed to instantly transform into an indestructible spear. Moving at a speed too fast for the naked eye to track, he charged straight toward Rocks.
Clang!
Faced with Nereus's fierce assault, Rocks reacted with lightning speed, bringing his sword across his body to block.
Using the sturdy blade coated in Armament Haki and wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, he steadily parried Nereus's vicious thrust.
"Don't aim for the face, you bastard! I don't have your regeneration! What if it leaves a scar?!"
Blocking with his weapon showed how seriously Rocks was taking this.
For the vast majority of people who merely awakened Conqueror's Haki, this power could typically only be used to intimidate with one's aura or clear out fodder.
However, for top-tier fighters like them who understood the advanced application of Conqueror's Haki—knowing how to infuse and wrap it—it could become both a spear and a shield.
If the opponent's Haki wasn't strong enough to contend, they couldn't even break through the invisible defensive barrier formed by the Conqueror's Haki.
Even if Rocks just stood there motionless, enemies lacking sufficient strength couldn't hope to inflict any effective damage on him.
On this vast sea, the number of strong individuals who could truly achieve this could be counted on one hand. Nereus and Harald were undoubtedly among the best of them.
"Didn't you block it?"
"True enough. Now... here comes the real deal! Abyssal Curse!"
Before his voice faded, Rocks snapped his wrist, using finesse to deflect Nereus's thrust. Immediately following was a powerful downward chop, the blade howling as it slashed forward.
Nereus's body suddenly dissolved into a mist of blood, vanishing from his spot instantly, only to reform at another location nearby.
Twisting his waist for power, although he wielded no true weapon, his arm swung down like the sharpest of blades, carrying the sound of tearing air.
"Crescent Moon!"
BOOM!
Rocks altered his downward chop mid-move, shifting into a swift horizontal slash.
Blade and hand-blade did not make direct contact. When they were still several feet apart, the majestic Haki overflowing from both men clashed violently through the air.
The thick clouds in the sky were forcibly torn apart by this invisible power. The seawater beneath their feet retreated madly into the distance, forming a massive depression.
Countless fish swimming in the sea and seabirds flying in the sky were instantly knocked unconscious by the collision of two top-tier Conqueror's Haki auras, then ruthlessly pushed far away by the shockwaves radiating outward.
The reef beneath their feet crumbled under the impact, cracks spreading rapidly. Even back on Hachinosu, this terrifying aura could be felt.
At Nereus's camp, the subordinates looking toward the sea showed no worry, only admiration.
"Did Big Bro... get stronger again?"
"Isn't that obvious? That's exactly why he's our boss!"
Meanwhile, the young boy from the tavern who wanted to see what a strong person looked like had just run to the seaside. The sky, split in two, seemed to be telling him right now what true power really was.