56. Hobi vs. Vista. On the Battlefield’s Edge.
│3rd Person POV│
[Grand Line, New World, Beehive Island…]
Noji parried Thatch's attack easily.
"Heh! I felt nothing!"
Thatch didn't say anything in response to Noji's taunt. He just kept relentlessly attacking.
The two figures engaged in close-quarter combat and their intense battle with just Haki and Martial Arts caused the ground in the entire area to continuously explode.
However, in comparison to Sherzii and Ace on the side, their fight fell significantly short.
Every move in their Logia confrontation was destructive, with sky-covering flames and rolling waves of swamp.
Ace and Sherzi's figures intersected continuously, spreading terrifying power.
The members of both the Whitebeard Pirates and Ochoku Pirates in the surrounding area couldn't bear the impact, retreating in panic to avoid getting caught.
=+=+=+=< Scene Change >=+=+=+=
"Vista! I finally found you."
Simultaneously, Hobi arrived at the area where Vista was.
Observing the figure of a robust man wielding two swords among the crowd, his eyes filled with strong resentment.
"Hobi! You finally came."
Vista was unsurprised by Hobi's arrival.
Armed with two swords, he swiftly eliminated several elite members of the Ochoku Pirates beside him.
Moving in front of Hobi with his swords ready, he calmly said, "Last time, I didn't expect that you could survive the fall."
"I did!"
With red eyes, Hobi fixed his gaze on Vista, gritted his teeth, and continued, "If it weren't for my good fortune back then, I'm afraid I would have truly died at your hands.
"But you didn't anticipate that after being driven into jumping the cliff, I wasn't consumed by the Sea Kings in the sea. Instead, I stumbled upon a sunken ship and a cave.
"Do you know how I spent those three years?"
As Hobi spoke, a surge of killing intent emanated from him.
Combined with his own sword intent, the violent killing intent transformed into a deadly aura, making him appear like a figure emerging from hell, akin to a demon in human skin.
"How did it go?"
Vista raised a brow, maintaining a rather indifferent expression.
"Haha~"
With a cold smile, Hobi said, "Corpses—countless rotting corpses of Sea Kings. In pursuit of revenge against you, I endured hell for three full years."
"Over those years, I consumed numerous rotting Sea Kings corpses, teetering on the brink of death. Yet, I harbored no fear because my only thought was to kill you.
"Fortune favored me. I discovered a Devil Fruit inside the Sea Kings' bodies—a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit. My swordsmanship also progressed in those three years.
"Vista, I crawled out of hell, and now it's time for you to pay the price."
At this moment, Hobi was completely unhinged.
His body trembled, and scales began to emerge on his skin, shredding his clothes in the process.
Following that, even when his body became covered in scales, it was filled with numerous deep wounds, venom sacs, and even infestations of maggots.
Particularly his face, one side transformed into a snake shape, while the other half turned into a white bone state; a visage revealing an extremely horrifying sight.
"Very good."
Vista, without any hint of fear, declared, "This is the price you should bear.
"On that island with 3,800 innocent people, you led your former crew, not just to plunder them, but to massacre them all. Limbs and broken arms filled the entire island.
"You look pretty good now. At least three years seem to have acquainted you with the pain experienced by those who perished on that island."
"Cut the nonsense!"
Upon hearing this, he retorted shrilly.
How could he not comprehend what Vista was alluding to? Yet, as a pirate, killing, burning, and looting constituted his profession, and he harbored no regrets.
Advancing a step, Hobi declared coldly, "Vista, it's your turn to suffer now.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you; I'll maim you and throw you into the same area I was in. Six years, Six full years; I'll make you pay double the price for your past actions. Come and die!"
After finishing, Hobi initiated his move. Holding a sword with both hands, he leaped and slashed directly toward Bista.
"One Sword Style: Mountain-Cutting!"
"Just a fancy move."
Observing this, Vista scoffed in disdain.
Despite Hobi's potent aura and his formidable strength, Vista wasn't the least bit impressed by his so-called One Sword Style.
This beast-like sword waving, in his view, wasn't even worthy of being considered a genuine swordsmanship.
"Die!"
Without hesitation, Vista used both of his swords and attacked resolutely.
Zheng—!
Clang—!
Instantly, sparks erupted continuously as the clashes between Vista and Hobi escalated.
The initial move of both of them was a killing strike, devoid of any mercy.
This was a battle of swordsmen, a duel between great swordsmen.
Although it may appear to be a competition solely focused on swordsmanship without much destructive power, the maneuvers were lethal, capable of claiming a life with a single careless move.
Similar engagements unfolded continuously.
The fifteen Division Commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates, along with Ace, engaged in combat with the senior officers of the Ochoku Pirates.
Roars echoed throughout Beehive Island, showcasing powerful and destructive battles between the senior cadres and the Division Commanders.
However, overall, the Ochoku Pirates found themselves at a disadvantage.
The powerful tsunami caused by Whitebeard's opening move had left them on the back foot from the start, demoralizing some to the point of refusing to fight.
In such circumstances, the more than 5,000 members of the Whitebeard Pirates found it considerably easier to engage in battles on the island.
They often faced two-on-one or even three-on-one scenarios.
"Die!"
Within the crowd of low-level members, Ron maneuvered around the battlefield's periphery, brandishing a sword.
Following Thatch's earlier advice, Ron refrained from recklessly engaging with the senior cadres.
While his strength was indeed formidable for someone his age, within the New World, he was merely a cannon fodder.
Even so, Ron had already dispatched dozens of Ochoku Pirates crooks.
Blood splattered as the sword flashed, and the neck of a pirate in front of Ron explosively burst.
The head flew across, traveling more than ten meters before coming to a halt on the ground.
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
A/N: Power Stones and Review please. Also, don't forget to add this to your library!
Shameless P@treon & Coffee plug...;
👉 patreon.com/ChaosWriter;
👉 buymeacoffee.com/ChaosWriter;
You can read up to 20 chapters ahead of Webnovel. Your support would be appreciated, but don't feel pressured to join. I'll upload stuff outside it and not keep it behind a paywall forever.