"For the sake of my brother's honor… even if I can't do it, I will!"
BOOM—!
"Cough… cough…"
Pushing aside the broken beam pinning him down, Captain Mori rose to his feet despite the searing pain lancing through his body. He shoved open the shattered wooden panel in front of him and strode out, voice unwavering:
"Evil will never triumph over justice."
"Well, well, Captain… quite the speech the moment you show up. Trying to convince yourself of that?"
Chris T. Aeridar sneered, his voice laced with mocking amusement. He wasn't buying the whole 'good versus evil' act—he knew exactly what he was, and what Mori was. This wasn't about morality; just two sides standing on opposite ends of the battlefield.
"Think what you want," Mori growled, teeth clenched. "Only one of us is walking off this ship!"
His eyes swept the blood-soaked deck—Navy corpses lay scattered across the battlefield. The ship had become a graveyard. This man... if he's left alive, he'll become a scourge on the seas. I have to end him— here and now. Determination burned in his gaze.
"Oh? By all means," Aeridar shrugged with a cruel grin. "Hurry up and beat me then. Otherwise… every last one of your poor little Marines dies."
"Then let's finish this!"
Mori's eyes widened, a flash of madness gleaming within. In the next instant—he vanished.
SWISH!
He reappeared directly in front of Aeridar, copper staff in hand, swinging with a shriek of air and metal, aiming straight for Aeridar's face.
Staff Style—Heavy Kill Strike!!!
"You're still swinging that beat-up stick?" Aeridar chuckled, sinister and unbothered. His gauntlet-clad fist shot forward like a thunderbolt.
"Then I'll just knock it into the sea!"
Fist Style—Iron Fist!!!
BOOM—!
A shockwave rippled across the deck, tossing debris into the air. The entire warship shuddered, throwing even seasoned fighters off balance.
"Are these guys even human?" Oliver blinked, stunned. Sure, he could slice through a small warship at full strength—but this? This was beyond his paygrade.
"Hey, hey, Arlan, you've fought guys like this before?" Gorbo muttered, eyes wide.
"Captain… is he even human?" The pirates of the Chris Pirates stared slack-jawed, having never seen Aeridar cut loose like this. For the first time, they realized how tiny they were in this fight.
"I can't believe it… a pirate matching Captain Mori in open combat?!"
On Ship No. 1, the surviving Marines weren't as ignorant. They knew how strong their commanding officer was. And yet—even they hadn't expected this. A pirate—in East Blue, of all places—was pushing Mori back.
THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD—!
Like rolling thunder, metal slammed against metal.
Aeridar's fists and legs blurred, each strike aiming for vital points. Mori swung his copper staff in frantic arcs, desperately defending against the onslaught.
But each blow forced him back—a step, then another. Cracks spiderwebbed across the deck beneath his feet. In mere seconds, he'd been driven back dozens of paces. The staff in his hands trembled violently, the force vibrating through his bones. His palms had split open, blood soaking the handle.
He could barely hold on.
"Damn it all…"
Mori's expression twisted, wild with desperation. He pushed his body past its limits, copper staff leaving afterimages in its wake—but it wasn't enough. Aeridar's attacks kept coming.
Then—suddenly—he felt it.
A strange force surged from deep within, racing down his arms… into the staff.
THUD!
Aeridar's eyes widened as an unseen force slammed into him. His body jerked, flung backward like a ragdoll.
"Wh-what the hell…?!"
His boots screeched across the deck, carving a gouge into the floor—planks splintered in his wake. He stared across the battlefield in disbelief.
"Huff… huff…"
Captain Mori gasped for breath, his body screaming in protest.
"Wait… that's—!"
Aeridar's pupils shrank to pinpoints, staring at Mori's arms and weapon.
They'd turned black. Metallic. Gleaming like iron.
"Armament Haki?!"
Mori himself couldn't believe it. His arms and staff had darkened into hardened steel.
"I… I finally awakened it… after nearly three years of training—"
His voice trembled—not from fear, but from awe.
"Well, this just got interesting."
Even Aeridar was caught off guard. Somehow, this man—in the middle of battle—had unlocked Armament Haki. And for a warrior of Mori's caliber, the difference between having it and not was massive.
"Hah! Pirate… looks like your days are numbered."
Mori laughed, triumphant, convinced the tide had turned. He was going to win. He could already see himself striking the final blow.
"Tch… Don't get cocky."
Aeridar cut him off, his expression darkening.
His arms shifted—coating in the same metallic sheen. He smirked coldly.
"Armament Haki? Yeah, I've got that too."
His Observation Haki told him the truth: nearly all the Marines on this ship were dead. Only a few survivors remained deep below deck. There was no longer any reason to hold back.
"Ugh…"
Mori's face twisted—like he'd just bitten into a rotting fly. His breath hitched. That newfound hope? Snuffed out like a candle.
"Don't tell me… justice can't defeat evil…?" he muttered, heart sinking.
Aeridar laughed—manically.
"Justice? Evil? That's for the victor to decide!"
His grin twisted, eyes wild. It was as if Bloodlust Syndrome had taken hold again.
"Despair, Captain. This warship will be your coffin."
"Everyone, abandon ship!" Oliver roared, sensing what was coming.
"Get out if you want to live!" Arlan added, dread crawling up his spine. This was it—the final clash.
The Chris Pirates didn't need telling twice. They scrambled to escape, along with the stunned Marines below deck—who'd been moments from death, only to watch their executioners flee like madmen.
"You're dreaming if you think you'll win!" Mori bellowed, voice thunderous.
"Justice will have its judgment!—Life Return!!"
His body swelled, muscles bulging, veins pulsing like ropes. Gripping his blackened staff in both hands, he surged forward with a blast of wind, moving faster than the eye could follow. His weapon arced high—ready to strike.
"At the very least—you'll die first!"
Aeridar snorted, scoffing. He slammed his right foot into the deck—BOOM!
The floor beneath him shattered—splintering with a deafening CRACK, then collapsed entirely into a gaping five-meter crater as he launched himself skyward.
-------
Access 40+ chapters in advance on my Patreon: patreon .com / JuanFiction