All Bark and No Bite, Smacked Down with One Blow

The Woodman Technique was easily destroyed, but Jon didn't get angry. In this world, there was no such thing as a perfect ability or technique. Just as he could crush others with his Woodman Technique, others could crush it in turn.

What surprised him, though, was how powerful the Sand-Sand Fruit really was. It absorbed moisture incredibly quickly—those huge wooden figures had been dried into brittle trunks in just a few seconds.

Crocodile had used his ability to destroy two of the wooden constructs but didn't continue his attack. Instead, he allowed the remaining wooden figures to keep attacking the pirates of the John Pirates.

He had been ganged up on by this group earlier—he was more than happy to see them suffer now, so helping them was out of the question.

Crocodile's eyes kept darting around, particularly pausing on Jon. His stamina was nearly exhausted, and he couldn't afford a prolonged battle. This Marine who had suddenly appeared clearly wasn't someone easy to deal with, based on the ability he had just used.

Even though he had destroyed two of the wooden giants with ease, Crocodile didn't believe that was the Marine's only trick. He suspected Jon was a Devil Fruit user like himself, possibly with more dangerous moves up his sleeve. He couldn't take that risk.

He was already thinking of retreating but didn't dare make a move, afraid that if he did, Jon would shift his attention to him.

Crocodile wasn't a fool. The fact that Jon dared to appear alone clearly showed his absolute confidence. Crocodile wasn't interested in fighting him and figured he'd let the John Pirates take the lead.

"To think we're being pushed this far by a single Marine…"

The thought left a bitter taste in Crocodile's mouth. He was new to the seas but had already made a name for himself thanks to his strength. Ambitious and proud, he aimed to become Pirate King.

Even when faced with the entire John Pirates alone earlier, he hadn't backed down. But now, without even clashing, this one Marine had backed him into a corner.

Compared to Crocodile's dilemma, John was simply seething with rage.

Being ignored by a rookie pirate was already infuriating, and now this arrogant Marine had shown up and injured him, then slaughtered his subordinates mercilessly.

If he didn't stop Jon now, all his men would be wiped out.

The Woodman Technique Jon displayed was certainly powerful, but John wasn't intimidated. He'd faced strong ability users before, and he knew that having a powerful fruit didn't mean one's physical combat skills were equally strong.

A flash of killing intent appeared in John's eyes. Ignoring his injuries, he drew his longsword and charged at Jon.

"Slash!"

A fierce blade of energy flew at Jon, packed with destructive power.

Jon's expression didn't change. Suddenly, a two-meter-long staff appeared in his hand. It was made of iron birchwood, which he'd created using his ability—several times stronger and tougher than steel.

Clang!

Jon used the iron birchwood staff to block the blade, then gave a low shout and swung it forward with force, instantly shattering the energy slash.

John's swift figure appeared before Jon, his twin blades slashing toward Jon's head and chest.

Clang! Clang!

Jon stepped back, his staff deflecting the two blades. Then he suddenly extended the staff toward John's chest.

Surprised that the staff could extend, John narrowly dodged thanks to his seasoned battle experience.

His twin swords didn't stop, in fact, they slashed even more fiercely than before—more bloodthirsty than during his fight with Crocodile.

He assumed that since Jon's ability was strong, his physical combat must be weak.

What he didn't know was that Jon had spent far more time training his body than honing his Devil Fruit powers. He had been taught by masters like Zephyr and Garp. His physical strength couldn't possibly be weak.

The fight between the two was lightning fast. But for top-level fighters, it usually didn't take long to gauge the other's strength.

From Jon's speed, power, and reaction time, John could tell that this Marine was even harder to deal with than Crocodile. Not only did he have a powerful Devil Fruit, but his physical skills were top-notch. Both of his lethal attacks had been dodged with ease.

Jon, too, was assessing John's strength. Objectively, John's swordsmanship was excellent—if Jon didn't have extremely powerful Observation Haki, he might've been in danger.

Still, John's skills hadn't quite reached the level of a "Great Swordsman." He was more skilled than most but lacked the razor-sharp edge and killing intent of someone like Hawkeye, whom Jon had met years ago.

Every one of John's attacks held back a little. As a swordsman, that was a fatal flaw.

What made swordsmen terrifying was their insane commitment to kill. Every strike was meant to be lethal, merciless. Even when facing someone stronger, they'd draw their sword without hesitation. That's what made a true swordsman.

But John lacked that kind of madness. He wasn't even fighting Jon with everything he had.

No wonder he had been outshined by others in the Rocks Pirates, like Whitebeard, and hadn't made much of a name for himself. In the end, he was even killed by his own crew.

A pirate past his prime, who had lost the will to fight with everything he had, was destined never to become a great swordsman.

As Jon fought John, his focus on controlling the wooden giants slightly weakened—he couldn't split his attention like before.

Still, a dozen or so giant wooden figures remained and continued wreaking havoc among the pirates, who were now in utter disarray.

"Willow Leaf Daggers!"

Having more or less gauged John's level—roughly equivalent to a Marine Vice Admiral, maybe less—Jon decided not to waste any more time. The average Vice Admiral wasn't even a match for him anymore.

Jon suddenly backed off and unleashed his power. Hundreds, then thousands, of razor-sharp leaf-shaped projectiles formed around him and shot toward John like daggers.

John's expression changed. He slashed rapidly with both swords, trying to deflect the barrage.

Clang clang clang clang...

When the wave of attacks ended, John was left with numerous wounds on his face and body. He wiped the blood off his cheek—if he hadn't used Armament Haki, he might've been torn to shreds.

"You little—"

He didn't even finish his sentence when a massive wooden hand suddenly erupted from the ground behind him and slapped him flat into the earth.

"You talk too much during a fight," Jon muttered.

He crouched down, both hands on the ground, looking at the fallen John with a disappointed expression.

"It's hard to believe you were part of the Rocks Pirates, in the same era as Whitebeard. What a letdown."

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