Chapter 8: The Halberd Revealed, Barret's Shock!

Drew shouted, and the Square sky halberd in his hand crackled with lightning and icy gleam as it shot straight toward Barrett.

This was a brand-new kind of slash—at least, Barrett had never encountered anything like it before!

[Received +20 Dimensional Points from Barrett]

[Received +20 Dimensional Points from Jabba]

[Received +50 Dimensional Points from Buggy]

[Received +50 Dimensional Points from Shanks]

[Received +30 Dimensional Points from Sabel]

…

[Received +1 Dimensional Point from a random passerby] * 215

Drew hadn't noticed the arrival of the others. Last time, he had turned off the system's notification sounds during battle, thinking they interfered with his focus. So unless he checked manually, he wouldn't know his current status.

Lightning surged violently, and cracks echoed through the surrounding space. Though small in stature, Drew swung the massive Square sky halberd—longer than himself—with ferocious might. Thanks to the power potion he had taken earlier, the strength in his body was no less than anyone else's.

"RUMBLE! BOOM!"

The Square sky halberd collided hard with Barrett's muscular arm. The beast-like force behind the blow made Barrett's expression darken. He squinted at Drew, but rather than anger, excitement filled his eyes.

He had thought the kid was just another overconfident brat. He never expected such monstrous strength to be hidden beneath that unassuming exterior. The sheer force alone was enough to leave Barrett utterly shocked.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Their figures flashed repeatedly as explosive shockwaves echoed through the air. Although Drew was slightly slower in pure speed, with the help of the Flying Thunder God Technique, he fought on equal footing with Barrett. In fact, if not for his weak Observation Haki, Drew would've dominated in speed.

"Hmph! I acknowledge you now, brat!"

Barrett cracked his neck with a crisp click, and in the next instant, an overwhelming aura—hellish, powerful, and domineering—came crashing down like a wave.

Demon Form!

"Barrett's getting serious now!"

Somehow, Rayleigh and Roger had also appeared in the crowd, watching the fight. Seeing Barrett activate his demon form, Rayleigh couldn't help but comment.

"Should we step in and stop this fight?"

"No… Let it play out," Roger replied. "I want to see what Drew can really do when he goes all out. Don't worry—as long as I'm here, nothing unexpected will happen! Hahaha!"

Roger patted Rayleigh's shoulder, his bold and confident smile instantly dispelling Rayleigh's concerns. That was Roger's charm.

Though he sometimes acted recklessly or childishly, when it came to serious matters—he was someone you could trust completely.

Because he was Roger—the captain of the Roger Pirates.

"Looks like I'll have to give it my one hundred billion percent now."

"Divine Demon Possession!"

The strongest move among the Three Demon God Techniques.

Drew took a deep breath and opened his eyes, locking his gaze directly on Barrett. In the next second, his aura surged dramatically—multiplying several times over. In that instant, his strength, speed, and defense all received a massive boost.

"Hahaha! Now this is getting interesting!"

Barrett laughed wildly and charged at Drew like a savage beast. His fists, heavy as iron, rained down like a relentless storm.

Drew met Barrett's onslaught head-on, swinging his Square sky halberd to block every strike. While it seemed like they were evenly matched, Drew knew very well—if this battle continued, he would lose without a doubt.

The reason? Barrett still wasn't fighting at full power. He hadn't even used his Conqueror's Haki or his Fusion Devil Fruit abilities yet.

"As expected… I'm still far from the peak of this world."

"Wood Style: Wood Dragon Jutsu!"

"Wood Style: Wood Clone Jutsu!"

Though Drew understood he couldn't defeat Barrett yet, surrendering without a fight wasn't in his nature. In terms of endurance and vitality, Drew lost to no one. If Barrett truly became an enemy to the death, Drew would make sure the price was one he couldn't afford.

With his unique non-hand-seal healing ability from Wood Release, Drew's recovery was even more fearsome than a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user.

A massive hundred-meter-long Wood Dragon roared as it charged at Barrett. At the same time, five wood clones launched attacks using five different Wood Release techniques.

Barrett saw the sudden counterattack and instinctively stepped back—only to find his feet entangled by creeping vines that had appeared from nowhere. The Wood Dragon then wrapped tightly around his entire body, binding him with shocking strength that even he didn't expect. For a moment, he couldn't break free.

The pressure intensified. His body trembled under the force, as if even his bones were being compressed.

"Boom! Crash!"

The five wood clones dropped from the air, their jutsu raining down on Barrett. Just as it seemed they were about to succeed, the ground beneath Barrett suddenly cracked and shattered—he was transforming.

The restrained Barrett began to bulk up, merging more and more with the earth beneath him.

At that moment, his Devil Fruit power awakened.

The mighty Wood Dragon—once so dominant—began to creak and split under growing pressure. It stretched… and then—

"CRACK!"

A crisp snap rang out. The Wood Dragon shattered under sheer force. What had moments ago been a living, snarling dragon turned into a dull pile of broken wood. At the same time, Barrett also blocked all five attacks from the clones with ease.

Just as both sides prepared to clash again—Roger stepped in.

With a single move, he blocked both Drew and Barrett's attacks. At that moment, Drew felt an overwhelming, domineering aura sweep across the battlefield.

Conqueror's Haki.

Ordinary spectators nearby instantly collapsed under the pressure, their eyes rolling back as they fell to the ground. The area cleared in an instant.

"Captain Roger!"

"Enough—stand down," Roger said seriously, looking at both Barrett and Drew.

"A true powerhouse is approaching. We need to leave."

"There'll be plenty of time to spar in the future. Let's go."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Roger turned and led his crew toward the Oro Jackson. At this moment, his word was absolute.

Even the arrogant and battle-hungry Barrett silently followed behind him—saying nothing, but his gaze toward Drew was still blazing with fighting spirit.

"Waaah! Drew, you're way too strong!"

Buggy zipped over to Drew's side, chirping excitedly, his eyes sparkling like stars.

"Eh, I'm alright," Drew replied modestly.