The pinnacle of pirates begins with deceiving fate!

To be honest, Redfield, cornered and driven to even greater ferocity, was not confident he could take him down.

In this situation, the G-10 marines who received the interception order were just a bunch of expendable resources.

John turned around, looked at the spirited sailors behind him, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.

Humans are ultimately social creatures, and to embrace the group, one must make concessions, which may mean sacrificing one's own life.

Ultimately, humans, like cats, are pitiful creatures trapped by their genetic code.

"Major General John, suspicious target spotted ahead!"

A voice came from the observation deck. John reached out and took the binoculars from the marine, looking towards the horizon.

A warship covered in battle marks was speeding toward him, with a figure wearing a red cloak standing on its bow.

The target of the mission is Redfield!

Behind him, the deck was covered in blood and littered with severed limbs; it was a bloody slaughterhouse.

"So the Mind Network didn't work on him after all."

John frowned, a series of combat methods flashing through his mind.

This is his habit; whenever he encounters a formidable enemy, he always mentally rehearses the battle process first.

The conclusion was that he had no advantage.

He can only reveal his Devil Fruit ability without any scruples if all the marines present are dead.

Otherwise, there is no chance of winning!

Clang

The clang of swords clashing echoed through the clouds and sea, and a scarlet slash burst forth from the bow of the distant ship, cleaving through the rolling waves as it hurtled towards them.

The strike seemed to be imbued with Redfield's inner rage, staining the sky blood red and causing the sea to boil and surge.

"This is a monster! Is this what happens after being poisoned?!"

John gritted his teeth, drew his sailor's knife from his waist, and covered the blade with both Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki. He lowered his body to steady himself and threw the knife.

Driven by electromagnetic propulsion, the sailor's knife traced a dark purple arc on the sea surface, colliding directly with the scarlet slash.

boom

The sea surface where the two met exploded with towering waves, and the clash of their overwhelming power caused the clouds in the sky to crack.

Immediately afterwards, the shockwave swept in, causing John's hair to fall backward along his scalp.

The sailors on deck fared even worse, flying off the warship and into the sea like leaves swept away by a whirlwind.

Clang clang clang

The sound of swords rang out one after another, and behind the rising giant waves, the world turned blood red.

A series of magnificent slashes tore through the giant waves, transforming into crimson waning moons that fell as if the sky were collapsing.

John drew his revolver with his right hand and quickly flicked the firing pin with his left. Bullets flew with dark purple arcs of electricity as the muzzle moved, striking the slashing attacks.

clang

Like metal clashing, each strike shattered, transforming into a shower of crimson light that rained down, generating fierce winds that riddled the fleet's warships with holes.

The screams of the marines were deafening, but John paid them no heed.

Redfield's strength has exceeded his expectations, and he has been on the defensive since the start of the collision.

"Without using my Devil Fruit powers, I have almost no ranged attack methods. I'll have to fight him in close combat!"

John bent his knees to gather strength, then leaped high into the air, his movements in mid-air leaving afterimages as he hurtled towards the warship.

As it landed on the crimson deck that resembled a slaughterhouse, the entire wrecked warship suddenly sank heavily, the surrounding seawater being squeezed high and almost overflowing the mast.

As Redfield, standing at the bow, turned around, John saw what seemed like a lone wolf weeping blood, its eyes cold and devoid of any human emotion.

Neither of them spoke, but instead brandished their swords and raised their fists, decisively charging at each other.

Just as his fist was about to make contact with the rapier, John suddenly bent down and charged forward in a second thrust, passing under the rapier as it was swung high, and crashed into Redfield, his fist landing on that cold face.

Redfield's head was smashed to the side, his shattered gums causing him to spit blood, and astonishment flickered in his lifeless pupils.

He didn't understand how the navy could achieve a second acceleration.

If you don't understand, then find out and seize the weakness!

Redfield tried to jump back to create distance, but John took the initiative and charged forward, staying close to Redfield as he jumped back.

Then, he lowered his raised right arm and punched out with his forearm at an upward angle, striking Redfield below his left ribs.

This is where the stomach is located!

This blow caused Redfield, whose stomach was already damaged by poisoning, unbearable pain, which made his facial expression uncontrollably contort.

But more than the pain, Redfield wanted to know how the other person knew his next move in advance.

He maintained his "seeing and hearing kill" technique throughout, so it was impossible for him to "predict the future" or even glimpse his next move.

How did this man know?

Could it be fighting experience?

Chapter 96 Fierce Battle!

A thought flashed through his mind, and Redfield suddenly lifted his waist and leg, delivering a knee strike to John's lower abdomen.

This move will surely force the opponent to retreat!

As long as he creates distance, he can unleash his full swordsmanship!

John had already withdrawn his fist, interlaced his fingers, and pressed his palms down on the knee that was coming at him.

With his arms outstretched and using the momentum, John's body was lifted up, and as he was suspended in mid-air, his left leg swung out in a whip kick, striking Redfield's right wrist, which was holding a sword.

With his tendons kicked, Redfield's fingers spread uncontrollably, causing the rapier he was gripping to fly out of his hand.

Oops!

Redfield's expression changed drastically, and then he gritted his teeth fiercely, reaching with his left hand towards John's crotch as he did the splits in mid-air.

Redfield, a former nobleman of the kingdom, was unwilling to resort to such a despicable tactic, but he had been forced into a corner.

The opponent's physical skills are simply too amazing!

John was startled by Redfield's underhanded tactics and quickly pretended to use Moonwalk, but actually used the Rumble-Rumble Fruit ability to dodge with a backflip.

But in doing so, the distance that had been narrowed so painstakingly was widened again.

However, Redfield's rapier had been kicked away, so the situation wasn't too bad.

The two men stood facing each other on the deck, five meters apart, Redfield's gaze serious.

"I've never seen anyone like you on the high seas before. State your name."

With exceptional physical prowess and mastery of all three types of Haki, such a person should not remain unknown.

John glanced at the rapier that had struck the ship's side; his anger at the loss of his men was replaced by reason.

"I'm giving you a chance to become my partner."

"Ha! Hahaha!"

Redfield laughed dismissively.

Although he acknowledged the other party's strength, he would never trust any human again...

No! It's any living thing!

They were all the same, so ugly!

"Is this a rejection?"

John squinted and began to mentally estimate the probability of killing Redfield.

Don't be fooled by the fact that their previous exchanges looked like ordinary people fighting; in reality, it was a clash of domineering aura, physique, and martial arts skills.

If it were someone with weaker Armament Haki, just being hit by the force of their punch would leave them with lacerations.

After the previous fight, he had already discovered Redfield's weakness: the old man was completely incapable of any physical combat skills without his sword.

It's important to understand that being hit takes more energy than hitting someone. If he can continue to use physical techniques to keep striking Redfield, he can exhaust Redfield's energy first.

Dominance is based on physical strength; whoever runs out of physical strength first will lose!

But if Redfield gets the rapier, the chances of John losing will be greatly increased.

Ultimately, it all comes down to poor physical condition.

That old guy could withstand dozens or even hundreds of heavy punches from him, but he couldn't withstand three or four attacks from the opponent.

The margin for error is too low!

"I put aside my emotions and prioritized my interests to invite you, but you refuse me like this. I can only let you know the price of arrogance."

John had to admit that if he could get Redfield on board, everything would go much more smoothly from there.

Unfortunately, that old fellow didn't know what was good for him.

Then I'll have to use you to test my limits!

John leaned forward and pounced on Redfield like a cheetah, while Redfield quickly moved sideways toward the rapier that had fallen to the side of the ship.

Just as Redfield was about to grab the rapier, lightning flashed in John's eyes. Suddenly, the rapier seemed to be grabbed by an invisible hand, sliding across the deck and hurtling toward the stern.

"You're an ability user?!"

Redfield was startled when he realized his hand was empty, but out of the corner of his eye he saw that the other person was rapidly approaching.

In his anxiety, he could only cross his arms to protect himself.

John strode forward, and as his right foot slammed down, the jet-black armor color instantly spread along the deck, covering the ship's hull behind Redfield.

Then, he punched Redfield's crossed arms.

Redfield was thrown backward by the impact, his body slamming heavily against the ship's side, which was covered in Armament Haki, before bouncing back towards John with a thud.

John spread his legs apart, bent his knees slightly, lowered his center of gravity, and drew his fists with both arms in a horse stance.