chapter 75

"I'm just getting started, old man," I reply with an eager grin as I activate my Berserker cyber ware, causing my skin to turn red as small clouds of steam begin pouring out of my pores.

That wasn't the extent of the changes occurring because of the berserker, as I felt my blood rushing through my veins with unprecedented speed, and I also felt my organs etch as they began to heal from the damage they suffered at incredible speed.

'I feel faster, stronger, and tougher, but it's still isn't enough to beat this old geezer,' I think to myself as I disappear from where I'm standing, appearing in front of the old pirate without even having to use Soru.

My fist moves incredibly fast even as Chinjao crosses his hand in front of his chest to block my attack, the force of my punch sending him sliding backward, but he did not seem to have suffered any damage.

I disappeared and appeared behind him this time, slashing at his back with my sword, but he managed to coat his back in Haki and turned around for a quick counter-attack.

I saw his attack coming and managed to dodge it this time. Thanks to the boast from activating berserk.

I dodged again and delivered another hit to his abdomen, which was protected by Haki once again, causing me to sigh in annoyance as I disappeared, avoiding another counter-attack.

I make some distance between us as I retrieve my gun, firing three bullets, and rush towards the old pirate again, appearing behind him before the bullets reached him as Chinjao coated his hands in Haki, preparing to deflect the projectiles.

"Zekku (Absolute Void)," I shouted at the top of my lungs, swinging the blade of my sword at the old pirate's open back as he was busy deflecting the bullets, causing him to cover his back with Haki.

The old pirate's Haki that was covering his back wasn't as strong as it should have been because his old age didn't allow him to use so much Haki simultaneously as his fists were covered in Haki as well.

This situation allowed my sword to overcome his Armament Haki and leave a long, red gash on his back. That said, however, the wound was barely deep enough to cause some pain and bleeding and wasn't anything serious.

And if that wasn't enough, then the fact that I couldn't dodge his counterattack because of how much force I've put into the swing should be a good enough testament to how overpowered Haki was.

Chinjao's fist hit me square in the head, pushing me to the ground and creating a crater beneath me, but the old geezer didn't want to give any room to breathe, kicking me on my sides while channeling both Haki and shock wave through his foot, and sending me flying into a pillar.

'I don't know how much more of this beating I can take,' I think to myself as I get up from the rubble. 'But I definitely feel like I'm about to grasp something soon, as long as I grit my teeth and endure for a while longer,' I concluded in my head as I grabbed my dislocated shoulder and returned it to its socket with a sickening pop.

"You should stop before you get yourself killed, brat," Chinjao said with a frown while watching me fix my dislocated shoulder.

"Rehahaha, the hell are you talking about, old man? I only need to endure for a little while longer until you die of old age," I replied with a loud laugh as I threw myself at him again.

-0-

"I can't take this anymore! Kozue and I will take care of Chinjao's grandsons while you help the Captain, Wilson," Laffite said with a frown as he raised his red cane, pointing it towards Sai, preparing to launch an attack.

Wilson reacted quickly, one of his hands holding Laffite's arms while the other grabbed his head from behind as he tripped Laffite and buried the navigator's head into the ground.

"I already told you to shut your mouth and keep watching, Laffite," Wilson said with a grin. "I guess you can keep watching from down here, so do that and stop trying to get in the way of other people's fun," The four-armed Gorilla added, causing Laffite to grit his teeth as he raised his head to watch the fight again, without saying anything else.

"I don't care what you have to say, Wilson. If it looks like the captain is in danger, then I will help him even if I have to get through you first," Kozue said from the side in a warning tone, her expression one of concern.

"There won't be a need for that," Wilson replied with a snort of disdain, his expression one of dismissiveness.

-0-

The stalemate of attacking, dodging, and counterattacking has been going on for what felt like fifteen minutes now.

I've lost count of how many times the old pirates, Haki-infused shock waves, have hit me, causing me to come closer to both grasping armament Haki and the limit of my endurance.

All of this has led me to this very moment as I lay in yet another rubble. 'Just how many damn pillars are in this room,' I think to myself with an internal sigh as I try to get up, my right arm hanging loosely on my side as blood continuously leak from all of my orifices.

I get up and stand on my feet after some struggle, but my berserk mod chooses this very moment to go on cooldown, deactivating and causing me to stagger as I leaned my good hand on my knee, panting as I did.

'Fucking anime protagonists, they make this shit look so easy,' I think to myself with a smile as I force myself to stand upright, looking at Chinjao, who was covered in bruises cuts all over his body, but he was still standing strong, not even nearly as injured as I am.

'Well, this is it. I'm already at my limit. I can only take one more shock wave before I pass out,' I think to myself, but my smile never leaves my face.

'There is only one thing left to try at this point,' I concluded as I began charging towards the old pirate again while chanting in my head.

'Sudden enlightenment is the rooting and flowering of all heavenly wisdom,' I chanted inside my head, feeling the pain from my tattered body disappear from my mind instantly.

'with the root of wisdom as my hilt and its flower as my blade,' I continued charging while chanting in my head, feeling as if Satori's hilt had fused into my hand, becoming one with it as my eyes closed involuntarily.

'There is nothing I can not cut!' My eyes open again as I become close enough to slash the old pirate with my sword, my body moving on its own and dodging his fists.

"Satori no kakyoko (song of sudden enlightenment)," I shouted at the top of my lungs, suddenly feeling enlightened as a force from within me came gushing out, manifesting as a black layer, coating my arm and sword's blade as I slashed at the Chinjao's chest.

Although the old pirate reacted quickly, covering his chest with Haki as well, it did not do him any good as I felt my blade overcome the protective Haku layering, cutting into Don Chinjao's flesh and causing him to collapse on the floor as I moved passed him, almost falling from exhaustion myself.

I planted my sword into the ground and reached into my belt, retrieving a small, cylindrical container filled with concentrated poison, gulping it down as I turned around to look at the collapsed and bleeding form of Don Chinjao.

"Are you okay, captain?" said Laffite as he appeared in front of me with a quick application of the Soru technique, watching with a raised eyebrow as my wounds healed at a visible rate.

"Oh? It looks look I made you guys worry about me. Sorry about that," I remarked with a smile while looking at Kozue as she too made her way towards me after making sure that Sai and Boo wouldn't try something funny.

"Just a little bit," Kozue said with a smile, watching me take out two more Poison vials adown them in one gulp, throwing the containers to the ground after I do so.

"Well, as you can see. I'm perfectly fine," I stated while rotating my right arm that was hanging loosely on my side just a minute earlier.

"If you had that vial, then why didn't you use it from the beginning instead of acting recklessly like that," Kozue asked scoldingly, causing Wilson, who was keeping an eye on Chinjao's two grandsons, to snort in disdain while Laffite merely smiled.

"Rehahaha, now where would be the fun in that?" I replied with a loud laugh. "Besides, it wasn't for nothing, look," I added as I raised my fist in front of my face while coating it with Hardening Haki, causing it to turn black while making the sound of metallic clang as it did.

"It looks like our business here is done. Let's get out of here," I said while watching Sai and Boo kneel in front of their grandfather, checking on his wounds.