Baroque Redfield, blessed with innate Kenbunshoku Haki, perpetually endured its torment. Yet, this very ability, combined with his formidable swordsmanship and physical prowess, made him the equal of the great pirates like Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and Roger in his prime.
The moment Kong and Garp's warship docked, Redfield sensed their immensely powerful auras. He merely frowned slightly, not stirring from his seat, and took another slow sip of his coffee. It was pure arrogance and confidence befitting a peak-level fighter. He cast a languid gaze towards the port, awaiting the Marines' arrival.
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At the port, Kong and Garp stood on the deck, observing the towering mountain. Behind them, rows of soldiers disembarked and entered the town, dispersing the crowd. Marshal Kong looked at the mountain. "No action yet," he mused. "That saves some trouble."
Garp, munching on a donut, laughed heartily. "Hahahaha, he's underestimating us!"
Marshal Kong's expression was grave. "Garp, you and Tsuru keep the town below secure. I'll handle him."
Garp chuckled. "Don't worry."
Vice Admiral Tsuru nodded gently. "Mhm."
The three descended the deck. Marshal Kong and Vice Admiral Tsuru wore serious expressions, while Garp followed Kong with a nonchalant, swaggering air.
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In the small town, Marine soldiers lined the streets, guns at the ready. Countless residents peered cautiously from windows and door cracks at the soldiers. Vice Admiral Tsuru stood in the center of the town square. "There's no need to worry, everyone," she announced. "This is a Marine apprehension operation. Our target is the great pirate, Baroque Redfield. Please remain indoors and stay calm. Do not panic."
Upon hearing it was an apprehension operation, the residents breathed a sigh of relief. Then, hearing Redfield's name, they became tense again. "What!" "The Crimson Earl, who's as famous as Gol D. Roger!" "This..." "Will it be dangerous?" "Don't worry, the Marines said so." "As long as we stay inside, it'll be fine." "Let's hope so..."
Countless residents whispered amongst themselves at home with family and friends. Garp sat on the roof of the town's tallest church, watching the mountain. He spoke with his mouth full of donuts, his words slurred, "It's started."
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High on the mountain, Redfield placed his cup down and looked towards Marshal Kong, who had appeared not far away. "I see, seeking to assert authority." He scoffed. "I am truly being looked down upon."
He rose, picked up the bat-handled umbrella sword beside him, and executed a flourish. Marshal Kong observed Redfield, clad in a crimson shirt, blood-red trousers, and a flowing, vast blood-red cape. "You already know my intentions."
"As the rumors say, your Kenbunshoku Haki can see into people's hearts." Kong's voice was grave. "Such terrifying Kenbunshoku. It is indeed too dangerous to be left unchecked."
Redfield flicked the umbrella sword in his hand towards a distant peak. *Shwing!* A streak of light cut through the sky. The massive mountain peak was cleanly bisected, tumbling down with a roar of falling rocks. "You could have acted directly, yet you found such a high-sounding excuse. Such ugly humanity."
Marshal Kong's arms darkened with armament Haki, flowing like currents. "High-sounding?" he retorted. "No. It's merely giving you a reason to confess your crimes. Pirate."
Redfield and Marshal Kong locked eyes. "Heh..."
The ground beneath them suddenly erupted with violent air currents, spreading outwards like a cyclone. Their distance was barely a hundred meters. The clashing winds raged and canceled each other out. In less than two seconds, Kong and Redfield vanished from their positions.
*BOOM—!!!!* A deafening impact rang out. The ground cracked and spread endlessly, kicking up dust hundreds of meters high. A mushroom cloud of smoke billowed upwards, surrounded by expanding rings of shockwaves.
At the center of the explosion, Redfield's thrusting umbrella sword was parried by Kong's left arm. Kong's right arm, radiating armament Haki, formed a cone and jabbed towards Redfield. Redfield leaned back, retracting his umbrella sword. *Swish!* With a sound like tearing cloth, Kong's right arm pierced through Redfield, yet felt no substance. Kong's eyes narrowed. Such speed...
Kong's arm continued to thrust forward as Redfield's afterimage began to dissipate. Another Redfield suddenly appeared behind Kong, his umbrella sword slashing down with incredible speed. Kong turned slightly, his entire arm covered in armament Haki. The umbrella sword collided with his shoulder. A piercing sound, like grinding rusty iron, echoed.
*BOOM!* They separated. Kong's shoulder was cut half an inch deep by the sword energy, drawing a trickle of blood. He looked at Redfield, who stood at a distance. "Such swordsmanship could indeed be called the world's greatest swordsman."
The reason Kong said this was that, like Golden Lion, Redfield was typically high in offense but low in defense. However, unlike Golden Lion, he hadn't developed comprehensively in abilities, swordsmanship, Conqueror's Haki, or influence. Redfield's renown stemmed solely from his incredibly potent swordsmanship and the speed gained by seizing the initiative through Kenbunshoku Haki that perceived intentions. In terms of pure swordsmanship, there was currently no one on the seas who could match him.
Redfield spoke indifferently, "Truly terrifying." He paused. "Indeed, I cannot allow this to continue." Redfield had read Kong's mind and voiced what Kong intended to say. Marshal Kong's eyes sharpened. Redfield continued with a detached tone, "Reading minds, is it?" He paused again. "Truly..." "I cannot let you go on." He had completely articulated Kong's innermost thoughts.
The ground beneath Kong shattered, and he vanished instantly. Redfield, reading Kong's momentary thought, thrust his sword behind him towards a specific spot. The sword was aimed directly at Kong's eye. However, Kong slightly shifted his position, redirecting the trajectory to his brow, then coated his head with armament Haki. He directly withstood the sword thrust aimed at his brow and slammed both arms towards Redfield.
Redfield looked slightly taken aback, his brow furrowed. Kong's arms directly struck Redfield's temples. Retracting his umbrella sword, he lunged forward. *BOOM—!!!* Kong's fists passed through afterimages and met. A furious blast of air erupted from the impact, dispersing the surrounding dust.
"Even if you seize the initiative, what of it?" Kong stated. "You have no room for error. Otherwise, the price you pay will be your life." Redfield's physical abilities were only relatively strong; compared to a powerhouse, he was still lacking. Golden Lion had lost an arm to escape Garp's grasp. Kong's muscles were several times thicker than Garp's. The troublesome aspects were his speed and his Kenbunshoku Haki that read minds.
Redfield's expression grew serious. Though he hated to admit it, Kong was telling the truth. Raising his sword-wielding right hand, he slowly extended his left hand, pulled out the umbrella from the umbrella sword, and threw it to the ground. He casually performed a flourish, and his entire aura became much sharper, Haki surging into the sword's tip.
Afterimages flickered, and a dazzling sword light shot out. Kong tilted his head slightly, and it grazed past his ear. The sword energy carved a wound on Kong's ear and embedded itself into a mountain peak behind him. *BOOM—!* The mountain peak was directly severed from its midsection. Countless boulders flew towards various parts of the island under the impact's force.
The figures of the two vanished. Sword energy and mushroom clouds continuously erupted and exploded.