Chapter 195: The Strength of an Elite Vice Admiral
“Are you serious?” Ian asked Verge with some disbelief.
Verge shook his head and said, “I don’t know who you are, but there’s no need to lie to you about this. The G5 branch never keeps prisoners!”
Ian’s expression darkened. He never imagined things would turn out like this.
When he first set foot on Gramber Island, Ian’s original intention was just to resupply. It was only after hearing from Zeke and the others that there was a casino on the island that he thought of making some money.
If Fujitora hadn’t shown up, Ian might have just roughed up Old K without asking questions, grabbed some cash, and left, avoiding all the subsequent trouble.
But life is always full of surprises. Fujitora appeared, and by some twist of fate, Ian ended up cooperating with him.
Facing a high-end combatant like Fujitora, Ian naturally had his thoughts, but having thoughts also meant paying a price. In front of Fujitora, he couldn’t lay a hand on Old K, because Fujitora’s sense of justice was even stronger than Ian’s. If Ian had beaten up Old K and taken the casino’s money, Fujitora might have turned on him instead.
Fujitora planned to help Old K, and Ian had no choice but to tag along. But even Ian didn’t expect that this trip would be in vain.
Old K’s pirate companions had already been executed…
Ian didn’t feel much for Old K’s companions, but there was a sense of shared sorrow. He felt a bit of injustice for them. Though they were pirates, it didn’t mean they had necessarily done anything truly heinous. Being captured was understandable, but being killed by the G5 branch marines without a trial was really unfair.
If Fujitora learned of this, he might be very disappointed. He had come with good intentions, even risking offending the navy to get here, only to find nothing. How would that old man feel?
Since setting sail, Ian had seen many dark sides. Whether it was the Celestial Dragons, the World Government, or the navy, there seemed to be signs of power spiraling out of control.
The Celestial Dragons needed no further explanation—the privileges granted to them by the World Government were far too excessive.
The World Government itself was the same. The Judicial Island with its absolute guilt policy, the Buster Call, and so on, all highlighted their corrupt side.
The navy was a bit better, with people like Tina, Smoker, Garp, and Aokiji who truly harbored justice. But they alone couldn’t represent the entire navy.
Eight hundred years is a long time. The World Government had controlled this world for so long without any institution to check their power. Due to this lack of effective oversight, they had become dangerous, with a clear tendency toward dictatorship.
The situation at the G5 branch was just one example for now, but if things continued like this, more and more G5 branches would emerge. Their actions might be no different from pirates, yet they still waved the banner of justice.
“This is deception! A deception of the people!” Thinking this, Ian couldn’t help but sigh and blurt it out.
Verge didn’t understand Ian’s thoughts, so hearing him suddenly say this left him confused.
“What are you talking about?” Verge asked him.
Ian looked at him. Knowing Verge’s true identity, Ian even suspected that the G5 branch’s current style of operation might be the result of Verge’s secret indulgence.
But none of this had anything to do with him. Since he had learned from Verge that there was no prison holding prisoners here, Ian didn’t plan to stay any longer.
He needed to get to the main gate and inform Fujitora of this.
However, Verge seemed to see through Ian’s intention to leave. Just as Ian was about to turn and go, Verge’s figure suddenly vanished from where he stood and reappeared, blocking Ian’s path.
“You’re a pirate too, aren’t you?” Verge said, tapping the green bamboo in his hand against his palm. “Since you’ve come to a marine base, do you think you can leave so easily?”
“Move aside! I don’t have time to waste with you!” Ian shook his head.
“Looking for your companion? Don’t bother. Neither of you is getting away!” Verge said.
Ian looked at him with a strange expression and said, “Is that so?”
It seemed Verge had come straight to the base’s interior without checking the main gate where Fujitora was. If he had, he wouldn’t be saying that.
To detain a monster like Fujitora, a mere marine vice admiral couldn’t do it. So hearing this, Ian found it quite amusing.
“…!” Perhaps Verge caught the mockery in Ian’s eyes. He was silent for a moment, then suddenly thrust his green bamboo straight at Ian.
He made his move!
Verge was using the green bamboo as a staff. This thrust was fast and urgent, aimed directly at Ian’s heart.
But he might have underestimated Ian as a mere intruder, because the bamboo wasn’t even coated with Haki for the attack.
Seeing this, Ian instantly drew the Enma sword, intending to cut through Verge’s weapon.
When he saw the black coating on Ian’s blade, Verge was startled, realizing he had been careless—this guy could use Haki! But his attack was already in motion, and it was too late to pull back.
Ian swung a horizontal slash at the tip of the incoming bamboo, hoping to cut the weapon in two. Just as he was about to succeed, the bamboo suddenly dipped downward, dodging his slash.
This caught Ian off guard, but he quickly realized that Verge’s green bamboo was different from normal weapons—it was very flexible!
Though his move was already committed, Verge could use the bamboo’s flexibility by twisting his wrist to flick the weapon.
Lately, Ian had faced many opponents using swords and blades. Suddenly encountering someone like Verge with a special weapon was a bit jarring.
After dodging Ian’s slash, Verge seized the chance to close in on him.
He had been holding the bottom of the bamboo, but by relaxing his grip slightly and reaching forward, he grabbed the middle section, shortening the weapon’s length!
Now they were almost face to face. Ian’s Enma sword was too long to retract quickly!
“An inch longer is an inch stronger; an inch shorter is an inch riskier”—that saying held true. By shortening his weapon, Verge could strike before Ian.
The bamboo, now coated in black Armament Haki, spun rapidly as it thrust toward Ian’s chest again.
“Ghost Bamboo: Gun!”
This technique combined the Six Powers’ Finger Gun with Verge’s bamboo weapon. By the time Ian had retracted his sword halfway, Verge’s attack had already hit him.
A powerful force traveled through the bamboo’s tip and struck Ian’s chest hard.
With a “wah,” Ian couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of blood. He was sent flying dozens of meters, crashing into the wall of a building behind him and punching a large hole through it.
Rubble clattered down, covering Ian as he lay there. Amid the dust, his coughing could be heard.
Careless. Staff techniques were very different from swordsmanship. Caught off guard, Ian had taken Verge’s blow head-on. Now, lying on the ground, his chest ached terribly, as if Verge had drilled a hole through it. It was unbearable, and he could barely breathe.
Using the breathing method Rayleigh had taught him, Ian took a deep breath and finally felt better. He stood up, jumped out of the hole in the wall, and looked down. The spot where Verge had hit him was torn, with the fabric showing a spiral pattern of tearing. Beneath the damaged clothes, a dark bruise was visible.
His bones weren’t broken, but the force of that blow had penetrated his body, damaging his lungs a bit.
Ian was annoyed. These vice admirals were indeed formidable. In his earlier fight with Momonga and Fighting Dog, he had taken a Rankyaku hit. Now, facing Verge, he was injured again.
No matter what, these marine vice admirals all had their skills.
While Ian was checking his injuries, Verge had already charged again. Holding his bamboo with both hands, he swung it down at Ian’s head.
Ian dodged hastily, and Verge’s bamboo struck the ground, cracking the concrete floor with immense force.
A flash of the Enma sword’s blade, Ian slashed at Verge from the side. But Verge raised his right arm and blocked the strike with his wrist, producing a clang.
His clothes were cut, but Ian’s blade didn’t harm him. Beneath the torn fabric, Verge’s wrist showed blackened skin.
Another Armament Haki hardening. Even with the Enma sword’s sharpness and Ian’s own Armament Haki coating the blade, he couldn’t cut through Verge’s body.
Ian refused to believe it. He raised his sword for another horizontal slash aimed at Verge’s ribs, usually a weak point on the human body.
But Verge’s left hand swung the bamboo fiercely at Ian at that moment.
Verge could attack with his left hand using the bamboo, but Ian couldn’t use his left hand for the sword. He had to change his slash’s trajectory to block Verge’s strike, then jump back a few steps.
Verge straightened up, looked at the torn clothes on his right arm, and tore them off completely, revealing his muscular torso.
His upper body was fully coated in Armament Haki, making him look like he was covered in a black sheen—quite intimidating.
With a powerful stomp, the ground cracked under the force of his explosive strength. Using this momentum, Verge appeared before Ian in an instant, swinging the bamboo down at him.
Ian raised his sword to block, but Verge suddenly pulled back, releasing his grip and punching Ian hard in the stomach.
The punch made Ian’s stomach spasm, nearly making him vomit. But he gritted his teeth, stood his ground, and swung the Enma sword, slashing at Verge’s abdomen.
The sound that came was like metal grinding against metal—a grating, teeth-clenching noise.
Iron Body!? The term flashed through Ian’s mind.
Damn it! Armament Haki hardening plus the Six Powers’ Iron Body! No wonder he couldn’t be hurt! Was this the strength of an elite vice admiral?