Chapter 173: Two Against One, Iron Sand Sword
Marshall D. Teach, also known as Blackbeard, was a pirate who had his name registered at Marine Headquarters.
However, it was merely registered. Whether to actually capture him when encountering him was still up for debate.
The reason was simple: Teach was a member of the Whitebeard Pirates! That was enough.
With the arrival of the Great Pirate Era, the power of the Four Emperors continued to expand, and both the World Government and the Marines were deeply wary of them, constantly seeking to eliminate their influence.
Yet, wanting something and being able to achieve it were two different matters. If the Marines were truly that powerful, they wouldn't have introduced the Seven Warlords of the Sea to help them counter the Four Emperors.
Among the Four Emperors, the most troublesome was likely Whitebeard.
Because the creed of the Whitebeard Pirates was to never abandon any comrade. The fact that Vice Admirals Momonga and Fighting Dog had received orders to attack Whitebeard's territory had already provoked him. If they were to capture Blackbeard Teach as well, war would undoubtedly break out.
Teach had not yet severed ties with the Whitebeard Pirates; he was still their comrade. Vice Admirals Momonga and Fighting Dog simply didn't dare—or rather, lacked the authority—to make the decision to capture him.
They would have to seek instructions from the World Government and Marine Headquarters first.
Blackbeard Teach was well aware of this, which was why he acted with complete impunity, laughing heartily at Momonga and Fighting Dog. "So, what are you two Marine Vice Admirals planning to do now? Are you thinking of capturing me too?"
Momonga and Fighting Dog's faces darkened, but they couldn't utter a word.
However, leaving empty-handed was not something they could accept. After causing such a commotion, only to end up capturing a fake, the immense psychological gap made them want to do something to fill the void in their hearts.
Thus, the two exchanged a glance and turned their gaze toward Ian's position.
If they couldn't arrest someone from the Whitebeard Pirates, then arresting someone else would do, wouldn't it? Besides, this Dragon Hunter Pirates had sunk one of their warships. By all logic, they should be apprehended here.
Ian wasn't stupid either. The moment he saw their looks, he understood what they intended to do.
"Oh? Is this what they call misplaced anger?" Ian said with a half-smile.
This was undoubtedly a taunt. Momonga and Fighting Dog felt their faces burn with shame. Yes, they didn't dare to arrest someone from the Whitebeard Pirates and only dared to go after others. Didn't that mean the Marines were just a bunch of bullies who feared the strong?
Fighting Dog Doberman, in particular, had always believed in absolute justice. But the current reality forced him to compromise with the Whitebeard Pirates, leaving him feeling deeply conflicted. Hearing Ian's mockery pushed him over the edge.
"Shut up!" Doberman roared, vanishing from his spot in an instant. When he reappeared, he was behind Ian, swinging his blade down at him.
Ian reacted quickly, drawing Enma in a flash to block Doberman's strike.
A tremendous force came down, causing Ian's knees to bend slightly. Doberman's strength was immense, and combined with the downward momentum of his slash, Ian nearly couldn't withstand it.
Among the Marines, there were quite a few Vice Admirals at headquarters. While their strength varied, anyone who reached the rank of Vice Admiral was generally no pushover.
When Ian had fought Boa Hancock earlier, he hadn't dared to block her attacks with Enma. But against Doberman, he wasn't flustered. Steadying himself, he coated Enma with Armament Haki and engaged Doberman in battle.
He also wanted to gauge the difference in strength between himself and a Marine Vice Admiral.
Doberman naturally knew how to use Haki as well, and the two exchanged over a dozen rounds in an instant, both relying on swordsmanship.
In terms of age, Ian couldn't compare to Doberman, who was in his forties and had practiced swordsmanship for decades. After a few exchanges, Ian realized that purely in swordsmanship, he was struggling to defeat Doberman. He was only barely holding on thanks to his speed.
But then, Momonga joined the fray!
He used Moon Step to ascend into the air, then suddenly propelled himself downward at incredible speed, gripping his sword with both hands as he slashed at Ian.
Ian blocked Momonga's attack with his blade, but Doberman seized the opportunity to land a Rankyaku kick on Ian. The heavy impact was followed by the cutting force of the Rankyaku striking Ian's chest.
Ian was sent flying, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
In his haste, he hadn't managed to protect his body with Haki, resulting in injury.
"Damn it! Two Vice Admirals ganging up on me? That's shameless!" Ian gritted his teeth, glaring at the two.
Seeing them charge at him from left and right, Ian flicked Enma and unleashed a whirlwind toward Fighting Dog.
Perhaps emboldened by their earlier success against Ian, Fighting Dog grew careless. Instead of dodging the incoming whirlwind, he swung his sword to disperse it.
However, the whirlwind was stronger than he anticipated. When it hit, it momentarily halted his advance!
With Fighting Dog delayed, only Momonga was left charging at Ian. Ian blocked his slash with his blade but didn't brace himself. Instead, he used the force of the strike to leap back, creating some distance.
Just as Momonga prepared to pursue, he noticed Ian suddenly sheathe his sword and release the hilt.
"Trying to be clever," Momonga snorted.
But at that moment, Ian extended his right hand.
Before Momonga could figure out what he was doing, everyone watching noticed the ground around them beginning to tremble slightly.
This trembling wasn't an earthquake. It was as if something beneath the surface was breaking through.
One by one, countless black grains of sand slowly rose from the ground, as if summoned, gathering into a dark vortex that twisted toward Ian's right hand!
These black grains of sand all converged in Ian's hand. He gripped them and flicked his wrist, forming a black iron sword!
The Iron Sand Sword!
Among the three cards Ian currently had equipped, he had replaced the Iori card with the Misaka Mikoto card. Iori's purple flames were too conspicuous, and Ian didn't want Momonga and Fighting Dog to recognize him.
Although the Misaka Mikoto card only allowed him to use two skills due to the requirements of the Nen Training skill, that was enough.
The Iron Sand Sword was a skill that used electromagnetic force to gather iron sand from the soil, forming a weapon for combat.
The scene was quite spectacular. Iron sand from all directions converged and took shape in Ian's hand, surprising not only Momonga and Fighting Dog but also Blackbeard and Boa Hancock, who were watching from behind.
"Careful! He's a Devil Fruit User!" Fighting Dog warned.
But Ian had already struck at Momonga. Gripping the base of the Iron Sand Sword with both hands, he thrust it forward in a Flash Slash.
Despite the considerable distance between them, the Iron Sand Sword suddenly extended the moment it was thrust!
The Iron Sand Sword wasn't a real sword. As long as Ian controlled it with electromagnetic force, the iron sand could gather or disperse at will. Momonga hadn't anticipated this. When the sword shot toward him, he was startled, but it was too late to dodge.
Swish! The Iron Sand Sword grazed his face, leaving a deep gash.
"Damn it!" Momonga stepped to the left, dodging the sword, and lunged at Ian.
But Ian gave him a cold smile and swung the hilt in his hand.
With the motion, the Iron Sand Sword lashed out like an iron whip, striking at Momonga.
Momonga raised his sword to block, but the whip still slammed into him. Because it wasn't a real whip, the part blocked by his sword was stopped, but the rest of the iron sand remained unaffected. The grains were loosely connected, appearing solid only due to their density.
Where the whip struck, Momonga felt a burning pain. More importantly, it was a blow to his pride!
Seeing Momonga at a disadvantage, Fighting Dog charged at Ian again.
But Ian quickly retracted the Iron Sand Sword, re-forming it at lightning speed. By the time Fighting Dog reached him, Ian had already thrust the condensed sword at him.
Seeing the blade-like shape, Fighting Dog raised his sword to block. However, to his surprise, the tip of the Iron Sand Sword split apart just before hitting his blade!
This time, the tip divided into several iron spikes, bypassing Fighting Dog's sword and stabbing directly into him.
Fighting Dog's body was riddled with bloody holes. Although the Iron Sand Sword had split, it was still imbued with Ian's Armament Haki, making it just as hard.
By exploiting the Iron Sand Sword's ability to change shape at will, Ian caught Fighting Dog off guard and wounded him!
Watching Fighting Dog collapse to the ground, clutching his blade, Momonga grew furious. Even though he knew such injuries were minor for Fighting Dog, the fact that two Vice Admirals had been wounded by a single pirate was a disgrace!
He kicked out a Rankyaku, sending a blade of wind howling toward Ian.
Ian didn't dare take it lightly. He leaped to dodge, and the wind blade flew past him, forcing nearby Marine soldiers to hit the deck.
Meanwhile, Fighting Dog got back up and also unleashed a Rankyaku at Ian, though this one was aimed at the air.
It was a coordinated attack. Ian, mid-air, couldn't evade and had to use the Iron Sand Sword to form a shield, blocking the strike.
Although he blocked it, Ian realized he couldn't afford to drag this out against two Vice Admirals. The Iron Sand Sword skill consumed a lot of energy. While Ian had plenty of stamina and fast Psychic Power recovery, the consumption rate still exceeded his recovery, meaning he couldn't sustain it for long.
Gritting his teeth, Ian retracted the Iron Sand Sword. This time, instead of maintaining its blade form, he condensed the iron sand into a small, solid pellet.
As Ian descended to the ground, Momonga and Fighting Dog charged at him, planning to strike him down the moment he landed.
But just as they were about to attack, they noticed Ian's right arm suddenly crackle with dazzling arcs of electricity...