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The battleship carried only one person.
At the bow, adorned with a golden scepter emblem, stood a towering figure with his arms crossed. He gazed forward with a faint smile on his face.
Even without doing anything, he made the distant Eight Treasures Navy tremble with fear.
“Why is that guy here?”
“We’ve never interfered with the Marines!”
“I heard from the Leader that he had a massive conflict with Marine Headquarters some time ago because of Ohara.”
With tense expressions and pounding hearts, the pirates saw the fear reflected on each other’s faces.
In recent years, if there was anyone within the Marines who possessed such overwhelming fame, it was undoubtedly the man before them:
‘Equal justice.’
‘Growing stronger so that no one in the world would stand above others.’
Such ideals had stirred waves across the entire world. Countless civilians worshiped this Marine, and even many pirates had become his admirers.
However, what ordinary people did not know was the terrifying power hidden behind him.
His horrifying battle record made pirates across the world tremble.
In a sense, he was the natural nemesis of all pirates.
Everything he stood for was built upon justice, and pirates were the existence that most directly opposed it.
“He’s only three kilometers away!”
“That battleship is too fast!”
The pirates cried out in alarm.
Upon closer inspection, they realized that the battleship could move faster than ordinary ships because its entire hull was wrapped in dense blue lightning arcs infused with Haoshoku Haki.
Suddenly, a pirate who had been staring closely at Kojin changed his expression.
“He smiled!”
Even from three kilometers away, it seemed as if the man were looking directly at him.
At that moment, a brilliant arc of lightning burst from the bow of the battleship and shot straight into the sky.
After reaching a certain height, it turned ninety degrees abruptly and shot toward their location.
“He’s coming!” The pirate shouted in panic.
Before he could finish speaking, lightning exploded in the air in front of them.
The next instant, that tall, imposing figure appeared.
Crackle!
Electric light surged outward. The surrounding pirates were instantly struck by arcs of lightning. They groaned as smoke rose from their bodies before they collapsed.
“Where is Chinjao?” A calm voice asked as Kojin looked down from above.
“The Leader is…” The pirate trembled violently. Just being stared at made his very soul quake.
He pointed shakily in a direction, feeling as though he could barely breathe.
“Thanks.”
His casual words of gratitude sounded, and in the next flash of lightning, Kojin vanished again.
The pirate collapsed limply to the ground, his heart pounding wildly. Only after a long while did he begin to gasp for air, his entire body soaked in sweat.
“The pressure…it’s overwhelming!”
“Is this the world’s strongest Marine?”
Meanwhile, the battleship slowly approached the coast. Strangely, it docked steadily despite having no one aboard.
—
Kojin moved quickly through the air.
Above Kano Country, thunder roared, and a streak of lightning crossed the sky at unbelievable speed toward a certain destination.
—
At the Eight Treasures Navy’s stronghold…
“What?”
“You mean Kojin?”
“Garp’s disciple?”
The Eight Treasures Navy’s current Pillar of State, Chinjao, suddenly stood up, his eyes instantly turning cold.
“I hadn’t gone to settle the score with him yet, and he dares to come to me first!”
“What arrogance!”
He waved his hand sharply.
“Gather all the brothers. I want to see if this Marine, praised so highly by the outside world, is as powerful as the legends say! He’s nothing more than Garp’s disciple!”
His eyes widened as an invisible aura burst outward.
“Even if Garp himself came, I would no longer fear him!”
Though he spoke boldly, his subordinates could hear the lack of confidence in his voice. Years ago, in that battle, Garp had crushed the Pillar of State’s proud, drill-shaped head with a single punch.
The fight had been decided instantly.
The difference between them had been obvious.
Even so, the Pillar of State remained world-famous because Garp was simply that powerful.
Moments later, large numbers of figures rushed out from the water fortress.
Within a short time, thousands had gathered, and their numbers continued to grow.
Rumble!
Deafening thunder suddenly erupted from the sky. Blue lightning spread downward, striking various parts of the stronghold.
Chinjao raised his head, his eyes filled with seriousness.
“Come out, brat! I know you’re a user of the Goro Goro no Mi!”
In response, a bolt of lightning tore through the sky and crashed onto the ground before the fortress with a thunderous roar.
As the light faded, a figure emerged.
“The Eight Treasures Navy’s current Pillar of State… Chinjao.”
Lightning crackled wildly around Kojin’s body. His eyes instantly locked onto the towering figure ahead, the tall man with the flattened, sunken head.
Chinjao’s physique was enormous; he was more than twice Kojin’s height and reached an astonishing six meters.
“That’s right… it’s me! And you’re Kojin?” Chinjao narrowed his eyes and shouted with his arms crossed.
“Yes.” Kojin nodded. Sweeping his gaze across the thousands staring at him, he suddenly grinned.
“Quite a crowd. But no matter how many lackeys there are… They’re useless in front of me.”
BOOM…!
Thunder roared across the heavens. Bolts of lightning crashed downwards. At the same time, a violent, domineering, overwhelming aura burst outward and swept across the entire area.
“Crack!”
The ships docked nearby, and the surrounding buildings rapidly began to split open.
Those standing in the front row didn’t have time to react before they collapsed to the ground with dull thuds, their eyes rolling back.
Like wheat being harvested, people fell one after another in rows.
“Chinjao! I’ve come to subdue you! West Blue is my territory now. I won’t allow a pirate force as powerful as yours to roam freely!” Kojin stepped forward while speaking.
With each step, the violent Haoshoku aura surrounding him grew more terrifying.
Subordinates standing before, beside, and behind Chinjao collapsed one after another.
The overwhelming pressure of Conqueror’s Haki felt like the descent of a god or demon, something ordinary people could not resist.
‘What a terrifying Haki!’
Chinjao was deeply shaken.
From the oppressive Haoshoku alone, he could sense his opponent’s strength clearly. It even surpassed the aura he had once felt when facing Garp.
“I acknowledge your Haki. I’ve also heard the rumors that you drew your blade against the Marines for the innocent people of Ohara.”
“Kojin, you are a rare hero, different from other Marines.”
“But!”
Chinjao took a deep breath and shouted in a heavy voice:
“If you want me to submit and become your subordinate… That depends on whether you have the strength!”
As his words fell, his eyes widened.
Buzz!
Another surge of Haoshoku erupted from him and crashed toward Kojin. Those still able to stand could clearly see the terrifying gap between the two forces.
Their leader’s Conqueror’s Haki barely spread before it was suppressed and confined to a small area under Kojin’s overwhelming pressure.
“Surpass you?”
“That’s far too easy!”
Kojin laughed loudly.
He bent his legs slightly, then launched forward explosively.
Chinjao roared as well, his Haoshoku Haki surging around his body. His gaze was sharp and resolute.
“It’s fine if I couldn’t defeat Garp. But if I can’t even surpass someone like you… Then my fifty years of life would have been meaningless!”
In the blink of an eye, the two figures rushed toward each other like cannonballs fired with full force.
As they closed in, their momentum rose rapidly, and rings of aura swirled like smoke around their bodies under the infusion of Conqueror’s Haki.
“Fist Bone – Collapse!”
“Drill Dragon Nail!”
The two met face-to-face instantly and shouted at the same time. Kojin threw a punch, and black-and-red Conqueror’s Haki wrapped around his fist.
A radiant glow gathered on Chinjao’s flattened head, condensing immense energy.
Then…
“Bang!”
…their collision exploded with a deafening roar.
The violent wind that burst outward forced the remaining members of the Eight Treasures Navy to shut their eyes, and their clothes whipped wildly in the gale.
“Who won?!”
“Was it Leader Chinjao? That was his strongest move!”
As the wind faded and the shockwave swept overhead, the Navy members nervously opened their eyes. What they saw made their pupils contract and their hearts race.
“Crack!”
As if something had shattered, Chinjao’s massive body trembled in midair. His head was locked in a stalemate against Kojin’s fist.
After two or three breaths… Chinjao suddenly spat out blood and was blasted backward at incredible speed.
Rumble!
He smashed through more than a dozen buildings, rolling across the ground for three to four kilometers before coming to a heavy stop, motionless.
“Leader!”
The remaining members cried out in shock.
Kojin hovered in the air, lightning and Haki energy crackling around his fist.
He slowly clenched his hand and withdrew his right arm.
“Chinjao, make your decision.”
Lying on the ground, Chinjao heard him. He suddenly flipped over, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth and his clothes torn in many places.
“Ha… ha… ha…”
He gasped heavily, his head buzzing.
Instinctively, he reached up and touched his head.
The moment of impact made him feel as if his head had exploded and disappeared from his neck.
But the moment his hand touched it… his entire body trembled.
“Wait…my head?!”
He suddenly jumped to his feet, joy flooding his face. At that moment, the pain throughout his body seemed to disappear. Chinjao ran quickly to a nearby lake and looked at his reflection on the water’s surface.
“Hahahahaha! My drill head is back!”
He burst into loud laughter.
The surrounding pirates rushed over, excitedly celebrating their old boss. Nearly all of Chinjao’s strength was concentrated in his drill-shaped head.
Years ago, Garp had dented it with a single punch, greatly weakening the power of his Drill Dragon Nail technique.
But now, after clashing with Kojin, it had been restored.
After a while, Chinjao calmed down. Thinking back to that strike, his expression became complicated.
“You win,” he said.
“I never expected someone so young to possess such terrifying strength.”
“I will keep my word! From today onward, the Eight Treasures Navy will follow your command!”
After speaking, Chinjao dropped to one knee.
The pirates behind him collapsed to their knees in unison.
Kojin grinned.
He liked people who were straightforward like this.
(End of Chapter)
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