Looking at the silver-haired Marine youth in front of him, his entire body covered in deep blue Haki, Lucci felt an overwhelming unwillingness in his heart. However, he already knew—no matter how much he refused to accept it—that Rorschach's strength was far beyond what he could match.
But still.
Lucci could not believe that the power he had gained through hellish, brutal training—his strength that secured him the top position in CP9—would be completely unable to break through his opponent's defense!
"AAAAHHHHH!!"
"Life Return!"
Lucci's bloodshot eyes gleamed as his already tall body swelled even further.
A fierce and brutal aura exploded from him.
It wasn't Conqueror's Haki.
But for an ordinary person, being this close to such a presence would be enough to make them lose control of their senses in fear!
At this moment, Rob Lucci was like a ferocious leopard, his eyes radiating a bloodthirsty gleam. Clenching his massive fist, he launched a punch straight at Rorschach's face.
"Iron Fist Gun!"
"Iron Fist Gun, huh?"
Rorschach's lips curved into a slight smile as he recalled the Rokushiki training manual Akainu had given him back in the North Blue, at Branch 177.
With that, he dispersed the deep blue Haki covering his entire body and threw a punch of his own to meet Lucci's head-on.
Both used the same technique.
"Iron Fist Gun!"
Clang!
The instant their fists clashed, a metallic roar erupted, like the tolling of a giant bell, echoing far and wide across Enies Lobby.
Their intense battle had long since drawn the attention of the people on the island. A crowd had gathered in front of the courthouse square, craning their necks to watch.
Even the two giants guarding the faraway gate curiously leaned over the fortress wall to get a better look.
"Hiss… That Marine is strong! Kashii, he might be even stronger than we thought! That stone-faced Rob Lucci is getting completely overwhelmed!"
Oimo exclaimed in astonishment.
Kashii, gripping his massive club, was just as shocked.
"I don't like that pigeon guy, but I have to admit—he's a strong man. But… Rear Admiral Rorschach's strength is just terrifying."
Up in midair, Lucci's thick right arm let out an unbearable cracking sound, his bones groaning under the pressure. His skin tore in places, and blood mist sprayed from his pores.
Yet, his burly figure only staggered back one step before he forcefully planted his foot into the air, stabilizing himself and charging toward Rorschach once more.
"At least… at least…"
Gritting his teeth, eyes blazing with determination, Lucci unleashed both fists, his entire body steaming, skin flushed red-hot.
In a flash, he closed the distance between them and drove both fists toward Rorschach's chest!
"At the very least, I have to make you bleed!"
"Rokushiki Ultimate Technique!"
"Six King Gun!!"
Boom!
His massive fists roared like twin cannons, shaking the air as they blasted toward Rorschach's chest.
"You're really fired up, huh?"
Rorschach grinned, scratching his head.
"But…"
"This is making me look like the villain here."
A wild gust of wind surged as he slid backward over a meter. Clenching both fists, he met Lucci's attack head-on.
"Six King Gun!"
Four fists collided.
In an instant, a violent shockwave erupted over the abyss between the Judiciary Tower and the courthouse.
By some strange coincidence, the impact sent a tremendous force rippling outward, shattering the towering World Government flag in the distance. The massive flag broke apart into countless fluttering fragments, scattering like butterflies in the wind, filling the hearts of the watching crowd with dread.
That flag represented the World Government itself. If the higher-ups learned it had been destroyed, everyone on Enies Lobby would face severe punishment.
And Rorschach and Rob Lucci—the two combatants—would undoubtedly suffer the harshest consequences.
Boom!
A visible shockwave rippled through the air.
Rob Lucci's massive figure was blasted away like a cannonball, crashing through the courthouse's thick walls and slamming heavily into the ground.
His towering, muscular leopard form gradually shrank back to his human shape.
Lying face-up in the massive crater of rubble, Lucci hadn't lost consciousness. In truth, his injuries weren't even that severe.
Rorschach hadn't gone for the kill—he had simply counterattacked with equal force, sending Lucci flying.
But this casual, effortless way of handling the fight was something that the proud Lucci could not accept.
He couldn't believe it. He had lost so miserably.
In front of that silver-haired Marine youth, the so-called greatest genius in CP9's 800-year history was nothing more than a joke.
The sheer strength of that young man was suffocating. It was despair-inducing.
Because from what Lucci had seen in the intelligence reports on his opponent—
That man was a Mythical Zoan user!
A Mythical Zoan-type!
Compared to his own regular Zoan-type, the difference in base strength alone was immeasurable.
"So… what the hell is this supposed to be?"
"I couldn't even force him to reveal his ability before being effortlessly crushed. I..."
Lucci gritted his teeth so hard that his gums began to bleed.
His fingers dug into the rocky ground, crushing the stone beneath him.
His face was filled with deep shame and anger.
"I'm too weak! Too weak!"
In the distance, T. Bone also witnessed the outcome of the battle, and his heart trembled.
The moment he saw Rorschach and Lucci fighting, T. Bone had instinctively gripped his longsword and rushed over, intending to intervene.
No one understood the nature of CP9 on this island better than he did, a Marine lieutenant commander responsible for Enies Lobby's security.
They were a group that appeared human but were, in truth, cold-hearted, ruthless demons who killed without hesitation.
Among them, Rob Lucci was by far the most brutal and cold-blooded.
T. Bone did not want to see Rorschach injured.
Even more so, he did not want to see Rorschach die.
Although their time together had been brief, T. Bone could feel the charisma radiating from this young officer.
This was a Marine commander who upheld true justice!
"No wonder he was able to slay Avenger Aristos. He really is strong. Even CP9's Rob Lucci was no match for him."
T. Bone involuntarily tightened his grip on his sword hilt.
"Only someone as powerful as Rear Admiral Rorschach can defend the justice we believe in!"
Inside the Judiciary Tower, Spandam sat on the ground in a daze, his spirit shattered.
He watched blankly as Rorschach floated in, casually sitting on the balcony railing, completely ignoring the bottomless abyss behind him.
His cold gaze fell upon Spandam.
"Spandam... Chief."
"Did you hear what I just said?"
His voice was calm, without a trace of hostility.
Yet, when Spandam heard it, he felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss, his entire body trembling.
"D-Don't come any closer!"
Instinctively, he drew his longsword, which had eaten the Elephant-Elephant Fruit.
The sword expanded instantly, transforming into a massive white elephant that prepared to roar at Rorschach.
But the moment the beast met Rorschach's gaze, it began trembling uncontrollably. A deep terror filled its eyes as it shrank back into Spandam's hand, returning to its sword form.
"A sword that ate a Devil Fruit? Interesting."
Rorschach raised an eyebrow and made a slight gesture with his right hand.
An invisible force swept the longsword from Spandam's grasp, bringing it to Rorschach, who caught it effortlessly.
"My Funkfreed! You—"
"Shut up."
Rorschach's eyes narrowed slightly, and an unseen pressure surged from him like a towering mountain.
Spandam's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed unconscious on the spot.
Turning his gaze to the pale-faced CP9 agents, Rorschach said coldly, "Go fetch what I asked for. My time is limited, and so is my patience, CP9."
The slightly injured Fukurou was absent, probably out looking for Jabra.
Kumadori had a look of deep respect on his face, his lips tightly zipped shut, not daring to say a word.
Kaku took a deep breath and nodded slightly.
"I'll go prepare it now. Please wait a moment, Rear Admiral Rorschach."
"Much appreciated," Rorschach nodded.
He continued examining the longsword in his hands but found nothing unusual about it.
Without transformation, it was no different from an ordinary blade.
Holding the sword in his left hand, Rorschach pinched its blade with his right fingers and gently bent it.
"Crack... crack..."
As metal strained under pressure, it seemed as if the sword would snap in two at any moment.
Faintly, Rorschach thought he heard the sorrowful wail of an elephant from within the blade.
"It's just an ordinary longsword, made from common steel. This sword isn't even on the level of a Grade Blade. Tsk tsk... How did Vegapunk manage to make a weapon eat a Devil Fruit?"
Rorschach couldn't help but think of his own Heavenly Dragon Halberd.
If he could make it consume a Devil Fruit, he wouldn't have to carry it around all the time.
It could transform into a pet and follow him instead.
Then, when a battle broke out, it could shift back into a halberd.
It might even allow him to use its unique abilities to catch enemies off guard.
Plus, a weapon that ate a Devil Fruit essentially had a will of its own.
That meant even if someone else got their hands on Rorschach's halberd, they wouldn't necessarily be able to wield its full power.
And if the Devil Fruit was strong enough, the weapon's combat potential alone would be terrifying.
However, if his halberd ate a Devil Fruit, would it still be able to evolve into a Black Blade?
"Next time I return, I need to get Kizaru to take me to Egghead Island to meet Vegapunk and discuss this."
Just as Rorschach was thinking about this, his expression subtly changed.
He turned to look toward the ocean in front of Enies Lobby.
"They got here fast... The shipwrights from the Galley-La Company."
(End of Chapter)
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