Facing Brian's humiliation, Silver Axe completely descended into madness.
Having roamed the New World for decades, the only time he had been humiliated before was when he lost to Rocks back in the day.
Even later figures like Whitebeard, Shiki, and Big Mom had never humiliated him to this extent.
This was especially true after he formed an alliance with Wang Zhi and John.
Never did he expect that today, he would be humiliated by a young brat in his twenties.
'Damn Brian, damn John, damn Wang Zhi—they all deserve to die, to die!'
Not only Brian, but John and Wang Zhi had also become targets of Silver Axe's hatred.
As allies, at a time like this, the two of them showed no reaction at all.
Silver Axe understood that he had been abandoned by them, which was an even greater humiliation.
Silver Axe went completely berserk, roaring incessantly.
The skin all over his body instantly flushed red as blood rushed to the surface, and intense steam even began to emanate from him.
Immediately after, his aura rapidly surged, growing stronger and stronger.
It faintly seemed to surpass that of a Vice Admiral, but ultimately receded, stabilizing at a level slightly beyond the peak of Vice Admiral.
At this level of strength, he was just a hair's breadth away from the combat power of a candidate for Admiral.
If he fought seriously, even an Admiral candidate would find it difficult to subdue him; at the very least, he could hold his own for a short period.
And all of this was the result of Silver Axe fighting with his life on the line.
"The secret technique of Life Return? This is trading lifespan for combat power."
"But will going all out even be useful?"
Observing Silver Axe's state, Brian murmured softly.
"Indeed, the World Government's Six Styles may seem mysterious, but in the eyes of top-tier experts or major powers, they aren't really any great secret."
"Then again, those who can stand firm in the New World generally have their own outstanding traits—otherwise, they would have died long ago."
Six Styles · Life Return—this was the forbidden technique Silver Axe was using.
As shown in the original storyline, it compresses one's lifespan, rapidly converting it into power.
It is a desperate measure; once the technique is withdrawn, the lifespan used is instantly lost.
Unless absolutely necessary, ordinary people would not casually employ it.
Whoosh~
"Extreme · Mad Axe Dance!"
The massive battle-axe in Silver Axe's hands was now wielded with even more terrifying force. Numerous black slashes appeared, sweeping toward Brian in an onslaught.
"Your level has clearly risen after powering up. It seems you're not entirely useless after all."
"Beast · Tiger Leopard Double Fists!"
Energy converged, taking the form of a tiger and a leopard, both entirely black. With a mighty roar, they charged head-on to meet Silver Axe's slashes.
Boom~
Dust and debris swirled as the already strained battlefield finally reached its end.
Crack~
Crack~
Numerous fissures appeared, breaking the ground into fragments and instantly punching dozens of meters deep.
Although this was a common scene in battles between experts of this world, it still set the pirates watching from the sidelines ablaze with excitement.
Such collisions of ultimate power were far more thrilling and stirring than any flashy Devil Fruit abilities.
A real man must pursue greater strength and resilience!
Brian and Silver Axe clashed once more in a fierce melee, their relentless assaults once again shrouding the entire battlefield in dust.
Whoosh~
Thud~
The second wave of battle concluded far more swiftly than the first, ending in less than ten minutes.
A figure was once again flung out from the dust and smoke, crashing heavily to the ground, completely incapacitated.
"Pfft—"
"Cough, cough, cough—"
"Damn it, damn it!"
Silver Axe lay on the ground, coughing up blood incessantly. The clear imprints of fists were visible all over his bare torso.
He tried to stand up, but despite several attempts, he remained powerless.
By now, Silver Axe had recovered from the overdraft state of Life Return, but he appeared over a decade older than before the fight.
His once jet-black hair had turned mostly white, wrinkles were prominent, and his aura was feeble.
Most strikingly, Silver Axe's right arm had been severed at the forearm, leaving him destined to become left-handed from then on.
As for the severed right hand, it had long been pulverized by Brian during the earlier battle.
Tap
"Had enough, old man?"
Brian's figure appeared before Silver Axe, his right foot lifting to step on him.
A simple action and words, yet they inflicted a humiliation Silver Axe had never experienced before.
"Cough, cough... Get lost! I—I will definitely kill you, you damn bastard."
Silver Axe attempted to raise his hand to resist further, but like a salted fish unable to turn over, he had no strength left.
"Then die."
Brian raised his hand, his fist coated in black Armament Haki, and struck down toward Silver Axe's head as if to send him straight to the afterlife.
Thump
"Wahahaha! Brian, that's enough. Silver Axe is, after all, a cadre. Spare his life."
Brian's fist halted just ten centimeters from Silver Axe's face. The gust of wind from the punch added two fresh wounds to Silver Axe's face, blood streaming down.
'Finally made your move, huh?'
Brian looked at Rocks, who stood before him, effortlessly gripping his right hand and preventing any forward movement. He couldn't help but feel surprised.
In his perception, Rocks' seemingly simple grip demonstrated an extremely powerful control.
For a moment, he even felt the effects of his own Devil Fruit ability and had to employ both Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki to resist and recover.
'As expected, the rumors are true: Rocks, being Blackbeard's father, also consumed the natural-type Dark-Dark Fruit.'
Unfortunately, before Brian's transmigration, the original work had already clarified the relationship between Blackbeard and Rocks.
Both father and son favored the Dark-Dark Fruit, and the intricacies and reasons behind it ran too deep.
These reasons were beyond his current ability to investigate.
Moreover, he never intended to take Silver Axe's life in the first place and had long prepared for Rocks to intervene.
His display was merely to show the other cadres on the ship what kind of person Brian was.
From now on, they'd better behave; crossing him wouldn't be something easily overlooked.
Using Silver Axe to establish authority proved exceptionally effective.
Indeed, the observing cadres above showed slight changes in expression, each lost in their own thoughts.
"Since the captain says so, I'll spare his life."
"Wahahaha! Good, good! Truly worthy of my admiration."
"Today's traditional battle ends here. Men, return to the banquet hall! Let's continue the feast and keep drinking!"
"Ooh ooh ooh~"
With that order, the battle officially concluded. The crowd moved back to the banquet hall, leaving Silver Axe lying on the ground for a long time before his subordinates finally arrived to take him for treatment.
He was no longer of much value, and even Rocks only ensured his survival without taking any further action.
Throughout these events, Silver Axe's heart grew increasingly cold and hardened, becoming twisted.
Of course, all of this would come later.
The banquet lasted until late at night before finally concluding.
After the gathering dispersed, the executives returned to their respective homes, and Brian also brought the Beast Girls back to his residence on Hachinosu.