You Can Only Die By My Hand!

Bang! This attack, which came hurtling like Black Fire, was struck by Zefa with a single punch. However, the impact caused a slight delay in his movement, halting his forward momentum.

He stared at the Sage, whose fist still flowed with Black Fire-like Haki, his expression unreadable.

The power of this attack was…off.

It was undoubtedly a technique of External Release.

But External Release is merely a 'flow.' While it can indeed strike from a distance, the range is definitely not very far. It's not that it's impossible to achieve this level of distance.

Borsalino has a subordinate who uses 'Footless Walk,' capable of releasing Haki over long distances. That is achievable.

However, whether it's 'Footless Walk' or the slash of a Great Swordsman's Entanglement Haki, the power will always be significantly weaker compared to close-quarters combat.

Haki is just Haki. While it can enhance power, it still requires human application. Pure long-range release will only become a simple impact, and the further the distance, the more so.

Even a Great Swordsman's long-range Entanglement Haki slash is inferior to fighting with a sword up close.

Attacks that incorporate one's own strength possess true power.

But what's going on now?

That long-range Haki attack wasn't weak; it was even stronger. Furthermore… "Full Power Haki?" Zefa muttered.

That feeling… it seemed like this brat had unleashed all his Haki. Even if his guess was wrong, after such a prolonged Haki-fueled battle, his Haki reserves should have been depleted.

But this brat's hands, with the same Haki Entanglement as before, continued to flow without any change.

Sage didn't care what Zefa thought. After momentarily halting him with a strike, he used the opening to propel himself upward with a kick, his feet pushing against the air. In mid-air, he curled his fingers, the black, fire-like Haki continuously Entangling on his palms.

The extent of Haki External Release… ordinary people can't do what Sage is doing. The further the distance, the weaker the attack becomes; it might just turn into a simple impact. But the Big Dipper Fist can transform this External Release into the most substantial attack power. In terms of precision and range, he surpasses everyone!

Especially… with full-power Haki in every strike! "Heavenly Breaker: Meteor Shower!"

He unleashed a series of palm strikes, the Entangled Haki shooting out with each swing. In Zefa's vision, it was as if countless streams of black fire were descending, covering the sky and earth!

"Brat!!"

Zefa roared, his legs spread wide, his fists blasting towards the falling meteor shower.

Boom boom boom!!

Like numerous cannonballs hitting the ground, Sage's attacks blossomed across the harbor. The Haki's force blasted numerous craters into the ground, sending shattered stones flying in all directions.

Lily, carrying a crate towards a ship, casually swatted away a flying stone and glanced towards the harbor. Her pupils constricted.

She couldn't see the Haki, but that didn't mean she couldn't sense its power. The ground was cracking to this extent; the shockwave ruffled her wavy hair, swaying her skirt and revealing her well-toned legs, accentuating the impressive curves of her upper body.

Had the power reached this level?

"Sage."

She worriedly looked at Sage, who was continuously swinging his arms in the air. This guy must have used all his strength. Although he seemed to have the upper hand, Lily had a feeling… it wasn't that simple.

Boom!

The barrage of Haki ravaged the ground, leaving Zefa's position engulfed in a massive cloud of smoke, which was quickly dispersed.

The Haki bombardment fell before Zefa, constantly shattered by his punches. The resulting tremors sent everything around him flying.

Even though his punching speed wasn't as fast as Sage's relentless barrage, allowing a few streams of fire-like Haki to hit him, Zefa's body, moving like the wind, still neutralized them.

His entire body was activated with Haki, and it wasn't just simple Hardening. The surface of his Entangled flow contained extremely powerful Haki! It was useless! The current Heavenly Breaker: Meteor Shower was in its true, complete form. Relying on Haki to hit someone from a distance could also strike their Secret Acupoints, allowing him to use the Big Dipper Fist.

But the key was that it couldn't break through his defenses! Dong! As Zefa punched, he suddenly took a step forward, creating a dent in the ground. His Haki, moving like the wind, intensified, forming an upward-rising airflow. The resulting tremors reached Sage, causing sweat to bead on his forehead.

With Zefa's step, his figure moved like a gale, rising into the air. He no longer used his fists to block but clenched his fist tightly, gathering power.

The Haki impact from Sage only caused ripples of shockwaves on his body, not even slowing him down.

Within a few breaths, Zefa was getting closer and closer to Sage. The power gathering in his fist was evident even to a fool.

He couldn't be hit! Sage gritted his teeth, stopping his swinging palms. His fingers spread, then came together, the fire-like Haki detaching from his hands, all converging at the center of his palms before bursting forward.

"Heavenly General: Rushing Flame!!"

Boom!!

A ball of black fire, larger than any before, shot towards Zefa's body. Using his Haki at full power for the first time caused Sage's hands to be devoid of Haki. Compared to the previous half-power Haki, this combined attack was naturally twice as powerful.

The strike hit, creating a thunderous sound on Zefa's body. The airflow-like steam rising from his body was broken. The Haki striking his body caused his upward charge to momentarily halt.

"Pfft!"

The Haki struck, piercing a Secret Acupoint, causing Zefa to subconsciously spit out a mouthful of blood.

He broke through!

The old man's Haki was all concentrated in his hands, leaving his body less protected!

Sage's expression brightened. His rapidly recovering Haki, after a brief pause, once again Entangled on his hands. He was about to attack again when the sudden red glow in his eyes startled him. Instinctively, he quickly fell from the air.

Zefa, meanwhile, had reached Sage's original position and was about to punch.

As Sage fell, facing Zefa, he brought his hands together again, his Haki gathering. One was below, the other above, their eyes meeting.

"Heavenly…"

"Brat, let me tell you, I can also do Haki External Release!"

Zefa, with blood on his lips, grinned ferociously. His clenched fist reached its peak, completely ignoring the distance between them, and he slammed his fist down.

"Don't underestimate the 'Black Arm'!"

A pillar-like airflow descended directly onto Sage's body.

Boom!! In the stormy weather, a bolt of lightning suddenly exploded, momentarily illuminating the dark sky. The earth collapsed with the thunder, causing the harbor ground to heave and seawater to seep out.

In the center, a huge crater appeared, kicking up a massive cloud of smoke.

"Cough cough cough!"

Zefa violently coughed in mid-air, his breathing becoming more erratic. He gasped for breath, gritted his teeth, and gathered his dissipating Haki back into his hand. He landed heavily, a hand-knife like a black blade slicing through space, striking downwards.

"It's over!!"

Buzz! As the hand-knife fell, a strange pressure emanated from the smoke, causing Zefa to momentarily falter.

Conqueror's Haki! Bang!!

The fierce hand-knife was blocked by two hands emerging from the smoke.

The smoke dispersed, revealing Sage's hands covered in black, fire-like Haki. His body, lying on the ground, became contorted and swollen. His hands firmly gripped Zefa's wrist, his teeth gritted, his eyes bloodshot.

"Oh cough cough cough! So that's it, you can recover Haki so quickly. You brat, your will is truly extraordinary." Zefa grinned.

"You old geezer!!"

Sage roared, his hands shifting sideways, forcibly moving Zefa's hand. His contorted body quickly rose, and he headbutted Zefa, causing him to stumble.

"Hmm!!"

As Zefa's head tilted back, he let out a muffled grunt, kicking Sage in the chest, sending him flying into the air, his body involuntarily bending.

"Die!"

Sage's eyes were filled with ferocity. Enduring the pain, he roared, punching Zefa in the face, sending him flying. But at the same time, Zefa's fist also struck Sage's face, sending him flying backward. Both fell to the ground.

Dong! As they fell, they quickly sprang back up, charging towards each other.

Sage swung his arm, his forearm Entangled with Haki, slamming it into Zefa's temple. Zefa landed a straight punch, the wind of his Haki embedding itself in Sage's chest.

"Pfft!"

"Cough!"

Both spat out blood. As Zefa's head was knocked to the side, his body lunged forward, his head colliding with Sage's forehead.

Bang! This impact sent him staggering back, his shoulders trembling, his face contorted in pain. He gritted his teeth and fiercely kicked Zefa in the abdomen, sending him bouncing and rolling forward.

At the same time, he himself fell to the ground.

"Ha, ha…"

Zefa lay on the ground, clutching his chest, gasping heavily. He staggered to his feet.

Sage writhed on the ground, spitting out a stream of thick blood before crawling up. His arms hung limply. His arms had been broken since he blocked Zefa's hand-knife, but it didn't diminish the ferocity on his face.

Whoosh! The wind whipped the rain onto them, an old man, frail but impossibly strong, and a young man, battered but unyielding, facing each other in the storm.

"Sage brat! How does it feel to be an old man!" Zefa suppressed his breathing, shouting at Sage.

"Pretty average!"

Sage glared at him, "It smells like dirt. You're about to be buried, so stop struggling!"

"Is that so…"

Zefa chuckled, clenching his fist, "Arrogant brat, I'll teach you what respect for your elders means!"

Sage's body turned pitch-black, Haki covering his entire body. He snarled, "I only respect the dead! Once you're dead, I'll build you a grave!"

Zefa shook his head and smiled, about to take a step when a loud 'bang' echoed. He instinctively struck to the side, an explosion erupting on his fist.

A cannonball?

Whoosh! Before Zefa could react, a gust of wind came from the side, a massive stone hurtling towards him.

Boom! Before the stone got close, a red glow flashed in Zefa's eyes, shattering the stone.

In the distance, Renetia deployed her Hammer Cannon, aiming at Zefa, while Marika maintained her throwing stance. A large chunk was missing from the harbor ground in front of her, with seawater gushing out.

Zing! As he shattered the stone, a flash of cold light appeared from the darkening sky, aimed at Zefa's throat.

"Cough cough cough!"

Zefa saw the approaching cold light and was about to react when his expression changed, his breathing becoming extremely rapid, and he began to cough violently.

No matter how strong Haki is, humans are still humans, still flesh and blood.

Except for certain Monsters with steel-like bodies impervious to blades and guns, even the strongest normal humans will be injured by swords if they let their guard down.

Zefa, after all, was just an ordinary person, an old man with asthma.

From the beginning, he had been suppressing his asthma attack. Several times, his asthma had weakened him, giving Sage opportunities. With such a fierce battle, his asthma was completely out of control.

The cold light approached, transforming into a fine sword blade, about to pierce Zefa's throat.

"Lily!!"

Buzz! A sudden roar stopped the sword. The intense Conqueror's Haki even stirred the sky, turning the clouds into a vortex.

Lily stopped, turning to stare at Sage.

Sage's eyes glowed crimson, "Stop."

Lily pursed her lips, looking at Zefa, who was coughing incessantly and stooping, and nodded, "Understood."

The crimson in Sage's eyes dissipated. His body shrunk back to its normal size.

Lily moved to Sage's side, still keeping an eye on Zefa, saying, "Sage, we're ready."

On the Death Star Ship, everyone was already on board.

Sage glanced at the stooped Zefa and said slowly, "I lost… old man, hold onto your life. You can only die by my hand!"

He turned and walked towards the Death Star Ship.

Lily sheathed her fine sword and looked at Zefa again, "Bai Lei, I will be worthy of this sword."

Then, she quickly ran to Sage, following him onto the Death Star Ship.

"Activate propulsion!"

With a delicate voice from within the black ship, the black ship quickly turned in the storm, sailing away from the harbor at a speed far exceeding that of ordinary ships. In a short time, it became a silhouette, then disappeared below the horizon.

The storm swirling over Log Town also disappeared, the dark sky clearing to reveal a slightly golden sunset. The sunlight shone on the town, adding a touch of brightness to the dampness and gloom left by the harsh weather.

The storm had stopped.

"Cough cough cough!"

Zefa tremblingly pulled out an oxygen mask from his waist, covering his mouth and nose and taking several deep breaths. His violently heaving chest finally calmed down.

After a while, he lowered the mask, sat down heavily, and stared at the horizon for a long time before sighing softly:

"I'm old…"

To be continued. Tonight's update will be at least 10,000 words, with more to come during the day. Presenting a better plot does take longer, please understand.

Fish Head thanks you.