Chapter 174: Heavy Damage to Fighting Dog
In truth, the iron-sand sword Ian had used from the start was an incomplete version.
The true iron-sand sword technique, besides condensing sand into a blade, could also cause the outermost layer of iron sand to vibrate at high frequencies through electromagnetic manipulation, creating a razor-sharp edge akin to an electric chainsaw, capable of easily cutting through objects.
Ian could achieve such an effect, but it wasn’t necessary, as it would lead to a massive consumption of Psychic Power.
Even Ian could now use Armament Haki hardening to protect his body, and Vice Admirals Momonga and Fighting Dog, both in their prime, could naturally do the same. Ian wasn’t sure how much damage such a high-frequency blade could inflict on them.
So, for the iron-sand sword, he only used its aggregation property.
The special abilities Ian could now use were all granted to him by the system through card skills. To be precise, they gave him the ability to manipulate these energies with his Psychic Power!
Since he manipulated energy through his own Psychic Power, it meant he could flexibly apply these card skills!
Starting from when he could release Iori Yagami’s Oni Yaki skill through his blade, Ian had already noticed this. He didn’t need to rigidly follow the methods used by the original characters to unleash card skills.
As always, the key lay in imagination! Just like Devil Fruit users developing their own fruit abilities, there were no limits except what one couldn’t conceive.
Take the current situation, for example. Ian had no coins or bullets at hand, but he could use the iron-sand sword skill to gather iron sand and form a projectile for a railgun!
Originally, this projectile was just loosely aggregated iron sand, but as soon as the electric current on Ian’s arm appeared, the heat effect of the current instantly melted the iron sand, fusing it into a solid, cohesive whole.
This effect was likely similar to Enel’s lightning metallurgy…
Compared to the fingertip-sized bullets he had used before, this projectile was slightly larger and streamlined, shaped like a modern firearm bullet.
When Ian had tested the railgun on the ship, he had already noticed that the power of this skill was related to the mass and size of the projectile used. The larger the projectile’s mass, the greater the attack power at the same speed, and the longer the range.
Of course, a larger projectile required more output to achieve the same triple-speed initial velocity, leading to greater Psychic Power consumption.
Psychic Power could be injected slowly, but it could also be injected instantly.
Ian held the iron-sand projectile between his fingers. This time, he used a snapping gesture with his middle finger and thumb, directly aiming at Fighting Dog, who was charging closest.
Damn it, you were the one who kicked me and made me spit blood earlier! So this time, I’m hitting you!
Humans have an innate fear of fire and lightning, a memory etched into their genetic code since ancient times. So, the moment the electric current erupted from Ian, both Momonga and Fighting Dog’s hearts tightened.
Especially Fighting Dog. When he saw Ian’s right hand aimed in his direction, even though he didn’t know what Ian intended, he instinctively dodged.
That instinctive move likely saved his life…
Ian’s attack this time was incredibly fast. From condensing the iron-sand projectile to injecting Psychic Power and launching it, it took only about two seconds. As soon as he aimed at Fighting Dog, he fired.
Boom! The moment Ian launched the projectile, a thunderous roar echoed, and a fierce wind pressure radiated outward from his body in all directions!
That sound was the sonic boom! The railgun Ian fired this time broke the sound barrier the instant the projectile was launched, turning into a streak of light that shot straight forward.
The streak of light disappeared in an instant, but as it flew forward, the vacuum it created behind it generated immense pressure, causing the ground’s soil to crack and fly up under the strain. It looked as if the streak had carved a path directly through the earth.
This path was the railgun’s trajectory marker!
The railgun’s speed was so fast that it left no time for reaction. If Fighting Dog hadn’t instinctively dodged earlier upon seeing the unusual electric light from Ian, this railgun shot could have directly killed him.
But even though he avoided the fatal hit, his right wrist, which held his sword, happened to be in the line of Ian’s attack during his dodge.
With a soft *puff*, the streak of light passed straight through Fighting Dog’s wrist, blasting a large hole in his arm!
This hole took up more than two-thirds of the cross-section of his upper wrist, leaving only a bit of flesh and skin connecting his arm.
“Ahhh!!!”
Fighting Dog let out a horrifying scream and collapsed to the ground. His hand was essentially crippled by Ian. Strangely, though, no blood flowed from the wound.
This was because the high temperature accompanying the railgun as it pierced his arm had instantly cauterized the wound, sealing it. But the pain Fighting Dog felt was unavoidable.
Ian maintained his snapping posture, coldly watching Fighting Dog. The bell on his right wrist gently swayed.
The surroundings fell silent. Everyone who saw this stared at Ian in shock. The railgun’s speed was so fast that many hadn’t even realized what had happened.
All that remained were Fighting Dog’s screams and the sound of Ian’s bell…
The railgun’s power was immense, as Ian had anticipated, but he hadn’t expected it to cripple a Vice Admiral’s wrist in one shot.
Still, he felt no pity for Fighting Dog. When Fighting Dog had attacked him earlier, he hadn’t shown any mercy. That Rankyaku kick had left Ian’s blood and energy churning even now, so there was no need to go easy on Fighting Dog.
At this moment, they were enemies. Showing mercy to an enemy was cruelty to oneself.
Fortunately, after piercing Fighting Dog’s arm, the railgun’s streak disappeared behind him, not hitting the crowd behind. Otherwise, who knows how many Marine soldiers Ian would have killed.
Although the triple-speed initial velocity was similar to that of some powerful sniper rifles, the difference was that sniper rifle bullets decelerate after being fired, allowing them to travel long distances. In contrast, the railgun’s projectile continuously accelerated. The higher the initial velocity, the more extreme the acceleration and the stronger the friction with the air.
This was why the railgun’s effective range was only a few dozen meters. If Ian increased his Psychic Power output to give the projectile a five-times or ten-times speed initial velocity, it would likely melt and disappear after flying just a few meters. The triple-speed initial velocity was a balance point, allowing the attack to combine power and range.
Because of this, the railgun’s attack power was incomparable to sniper rifles. A sniper rifle bullet couldn’t plow a trench into the ground…
The power of this strike stunned everyone. After a long pause, it was Blackbeard who first snapped out of it.
“Zehahaha! I didn’t expect I’d misjudge you too!” Blackbeard laughed loudly. “So, Bell Boy, you’re the real tough guy here!”
Awakened by his laughter, Vice Admiral Momonga hurriedly ran to Fighting Dog’s side, crouching down to support him. “Doberman?! How are you!?”
This question was redundant. Anyone with eyes could see that Fighting Dog’s right wrist was beyond saving. The spot hit by Ian’s railgun had its muscles and bones completely blown away.
Unless Fighting Dog Doberman was a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, healing his wrist wouldn’t be easy.
“You!” Momonga suddenly looked up at Ian, gritting his teeth and roaring, “I’ll kill you!”
No matter what, Fighting Dog was his colleague in the Marines, so he naturally wanted to avenge him. However, just as Momonga was about to charge forward, Ian’s right hand was already aimed at him in a snapping gesture.
At that moment, Ian was full of energy, and his Psychic Power was rapidly recovering. Given a few more minutes, he could fire a second railgun. And if truly pushed, he still had a Black Dragon Wave in reserve… though if he used that, he’d have to silence everyone present…
But Momonga stopped immediately upon seeing Ian’s gesture.
No confidence! He had seen that streak of light earlier. Its terrifying speed reminded him of Admiral Kizaru’s laser beams. He felt he probably couldn’t dodge it either.
Seeing him stop, Ian snorted coldly at him. “You attacked me first. Two Marine Vice Admirals ganging up on me—am I not allowed to fight back?”
The implication was clear: if you choose hostility, be prepared for the consequences. Momonga understood Ian’s meaning and felt a deep frustration. Coming to Stripe Island, they had provoked Whitebeard and only caught a fake. Then, trying to arrest the culprit who attacked their warship, they ended up with another Vice Admiral severely wounded. Why were there so many ruthless characters in the New World? Was this really bad luck?
Seeing that Momonga had no intention of continuing the fight, Ian lowered his raised right hand. “Don’t provoke me. Otherwise, I won’t hesitate to sink all your warships!”
With that, Ian walked toward the port. The ring of Marine soldiers surrounding him, seeing him approach, looked as if they’d seen a ghost. They wanted to raise their guns and fire at Ian but lacked the courage.
“Move!” Ian growled at the Marine soldiers, glaring at them.
The soldiers shuddered in fear and quickly cleared a path.
Thus, Ian walked away without looking back…