A figure was hurled from the smoke and smashed into the ship's prow with such force that his body embedded itself into the wood, leaving behind a human-shaped crater.
"Whoa, whoa—Arlan, you're still not quite there yet."
Chris T. Aeridar chuckled as he watched Gilbert Arlan's earlier fight with Captain Mori unfold. By now, Aeridar had a solid grasp of the difference between their strengths. Arlan was strong, sure—but up against someone like Captain Mori of Marine Headquarters? He was clearly outmatched. The whole fight, Arlan had been getting pushed back, taking hit after hit from that heavy iron staff.
"Ugh— damn, that hurts..."
Grimacing, Arlan pulled himself from the wreckage, his suit torn and dusty. Though reluctant to admit it, he wasn't delusional. With a self-deprecating smile, he muttered, "Captain... The world's a hell of a lot bigger than I thought. He's all yours."
"Don't worry. We've still got a long road ahead," Aeridar replied with a calm grin.
With a soft thud, he dropped down in front of Arlan.
This time, Aeridar's appearance had changed slightly. His outfit remained similar, but now he was wearing a pair of dark, metallic gauntlets—finger-linked black steel handguards that covered his entire hands.
The craftsmanship was top-notch. Each gauntlet stretched thirty-four centimeters long, covering the fingers, knuckles, backs of the hands, and wrists. Inside, they were lined with beast hide Aeridar had brought from Kukos Island—stitched like a second glove to cushion his hands and reduce the recoil from heavy blows.
But the real strength of these gauntlets came from their construction—made by a renowned weaponsmith who forged them using a blend of refined steel and volcanic black-iron sand. Blades would bounce off. Even axes would only leave scratches.
Of course, Aeridar had opted not to incorporate Seastone into the design—because, well, he was the one wearing them. Seastone would sap his own strength the moment he touched it. What was he supposed to do? Ask his crew to gear him up every time he went into battle?
Besides, he had Armament Haki. He didn't need Seastone to deal with Devil Fruit users.
"Swapping in someone new?" Captain Mori said, resting his bronze staff on his shoulder. His tone grew colder as he watched Arlan step back and Aeridar step forward. "Doesn't matter. I'll bring you all in."
Aeridar cracked a grin. "Hah! Big talk for someone who's about to get stomped. Come on, let's see what you've got."
He clenched his fists, fully alert. Aeridar knew all too well: villains die because they talk too much, underestimate their opponents, or let arrogance get the better of them.
He'd seen that movie play out way too many times.
And since he wasn't the protagonist in this world—in fact, he was playing the villain right now—he'd better go all-out. No room for mistakes. No holding back.
Especially against someone like Mori.
Both vanished from sight.
It was like the air itself exploded. The entire battleship suddenly lurched downward with a thunderous creak. Two figures clashed on the deck, sending a shockwave out in all directions. The raw wind howled as debris flew everywhere, creating a wide-open zone in the middle of the deck.
"MONSTER! That's a freakin' monster!!"
"They're both monsters!!"
"RUN! Get the hell outta there!"
Panic exploded across the deck as pirates and Marines alike dove for cover. No one wanted to be anywhere near the two monsters going at it.
Aeridar's fists, clad in black steel, locked with Mori's bronze staff. The corners of his mouth pulled into a savage grin.
"Now it's a fair fight."
"Hmph. The result won't change."
Captain Mori scoffed and didn't bother replying to Aeridar's provocation. He let go of the clash and swung his staff directly at Aeridar's skull with brutal force.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!—CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
They moved too fast to follow—two blurs locked in high-speed combat. Fists clashed with staff, iron struck iron, and every collision sent out another shockwave that rocked the air itself.
The wooden deck couldn't handle their sheer power. Cracks webbed outward from every impact. Each time one of them stomped or shifted positions, chunks of the floor gave way beneath their feet.
Aeridar unleashed a barrage of Impact Guns, each strike puncturing the air and ripping tiny holes through steel-grade surfaces. Anything in their path—even swords—were blown straight through.
Captain Mori countered with Rankyaku—crescent-shaped air slashes that shredded the deck, guardrails, and everything else in their way. Nothing was spared. Not even steel.
At times, Aeridar's Impact Waves blasted through the top deck and nearly punched through to the second level below—threatening to cleave the whole ship apart.
Other times, Mori's Rankyaku scythed from the bow to the stern, slicing through everything in their path before dissipating far out over the ocean.
Their clash made the entire battleship rock and groan under the pressure, as if it could break apart at any moment.
Aeridar snapped a roundhouse kick forward. His leg slammed into Mori's staff, held defensively in front of his chest, and sent the Captain skidding backward nearly ten meters, gouging twin trenches across the deck.
"Raaahh!! Impact Cannon!"
Aeridar roared, eyes blazing. His right arm shot up, five fingers clenched into a tight fist. Muscles bulged beneath his sleeve like coiled serpents as he punched forward.
The moment his fist sliced through the air—
A wild gust exploded outward. The very air twisted, warped, and roared around his punch. A translucent white cylindrical shockwave blasted forward, like a giant ring of compressed wind surging toward its target.
"Wait—he's really pulling out that move?! On the ship?!"
Arlan threw an arm up to shield himself from the blast wind, his eyes wide. He knew the destructive power of that technique. On land, it would leave a crater like a collapsed well. On a ship?
The whole damn vessel might get cut in half.
"Shit—too close! No time to dodge!"
Captain Mori's expression shifted. The shockwave—strange in shape but unmistakably deadly—was screaming toward him faster than he could move.
But in that moment, Mori made a decision. If there was no way to avoid it—
He wouldn't avoid it.
Planting his feet firmly on the deck, he tensed every muscle in his body. His skin shimmered faintly—almost metallic.
Rokushiki – Tekkai Supreme: Steel Form!
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