Chapter 307
Once he let loose and attacked, Ian realized that Kuina's swordsmanship seemed to have improved again!
The reason he said "seemed" was because Ian had forgotten what Kuina's skill level was like before. But in this exchange, he noticed that although Kuina struggled hard to block his crisscrossing sword slashes, she managed to hold her defensive ground without losing it!
In swordsmanship, defense is crucial. When fighting an opponent, if they break through your defensive line, you're likely to get hit!
Every slash Ian made now, because of the integration and application of his aura, was extremely difficult to block. Yet Kuina, relying on her astonishing strength, tightly guarded her position and occasionally used that power to deflect Ian's blade and counterattack.
Ian was initially a bit surprised by Kuina's strength, but after a moment's thought, he understood. It was probably related to the Devil Fruit she had eaten. He wondered what fruit Uncle Kuma had sent back that could make Kuina's power so formidable. From the looks of it, she didn't seem to be going all out yet.
Of course, Ian also knew that Kuina was putting on an act. Realizing this, Ian let his sword energy fly wildly in all directions.
Since they were putting on a show, they might as well make it flashy! Fortunately, Ian's sword energy now came with a cheap special effect, making their battle look spectacular. At least, the ordinary Marine soldiers couldn't see through it.
However, the Baratie Restaurant would have to suffer this time. If they kept fighting like this, the third floor of the restaurant would really be demolished.
Sanji understood this too. Even though he knew he was no match for Ian, he still got up from the ground, leaped into the air above Ian, and slammed his heel down toward Ian's head.
"Secret Sword: Swallow Return!"
Seeing him intervene, Ian took a slight backward jump. While still in midair, he suddenly swung his blade, sending a flash of light cutting through the space in front of him.
Ian held back with this strike, using the back of the blade. But even so, Sanji was hit on the shoulder by the sudden slash and crashed to the ground.
However, just as Sanji fell, a whistling sound came from Ian's side. Ian raised his sword to block, and his entire arm trembled from the impact. Turning his head, he saw that his blade had stopped a crutch.
It was none other than Red-Leg Zeff who had stepped in. He had actually arrived while Ian and Kuina were fighting. Although he hadn't wanted to get involved in the conflict, Sanji's impulsive charge had forced his hand.
Ian's sword strike had been too fast, and Zeff hadn't seen that it was the back of the blade that hit Sanji. Thinking that Sanji had been cut by Ian, Zeff grew anxious and, without thinking twice, attacked Ian directly!
Red-Leg Zeff's leg techniques hadn't diminished much even after losing his right leg. Using his crutch prosthetic, he swung his leg with rapid, forceful kicks, sending a series of whooshing attacks at Ian, forcing him to divert his attention to defend.
Seeing this, Kuina knew that her duel with Ian couldn't continue. But since they were just putting on an act anyway, she said nothing and joined Zeff in attacking Ian.
Meanwhile, Sanji, whose shoulder still ached, gritted his teeth, got up, and joined the assault on Ian as well.
Now it was three against one.
Ian wasn't annoyed. With a slight smile, he called out, "Watch out!"
Then he suddenly sheathed his sword to his waist and, in a flash, unleashed countless slashes at the three of them with incredible speed!
"Secret Sword: Light Snow!"
Ian slashed out countless sword flashes in three directions—high, mid, and low—in front of him. Because he had warned them earlier, Sanji, Zeff, and Kuina were on guard and managed to leap to the side just as Ian launched his attack.
A continuous swishing sound filled the air, the noise of Ian's blade cutting through the atmosphere. Each of the countless sword flashes he unleashed carried immense sword energy. From where he stood, the area covered by the slashes turned the restaurant's tables and chairs into countless fragments in an instant. The floor, walls, and ceiling—everything within the range of the sword light—was shattered like dry twigs!
Boom! From the outside, it looked as if a bomb had exploded inside the restaurant. The Baratie was suddenly blown open with a massive hole.
When Ian finally stopped and sheathed his sword, not a single intact object remained within a hundred-meter fan-shaped area in front of him. Seeing this, Sanji couldn't help but shiver, and the cigarette dangling from his mouth fell to the ground.
"D-Damn it! If I hadn't dodged, I'd have been chopped into pieces!" Sanji thought.
After sheathing his sword, Ian clicked his tongue, straightened up, and waved at Zeff. "Sorry about wrecking your restaurant, but the Marines should compensate you for it!"
With that, Ian turned and left without another word.
The destroyed Baratie would make the act look more realistic, so Ian had no choice but to do it. But since the performance was about over, and Zeff was a decent guy, Ian didn't want to cause him further losses, so he left cleanly.
"..." Zeff said nothing, just watched Ian leave.
"Old man, what now?" Sanji walked over to Zeff, lit another cigarette, and asked.
Zeff glanced at Kuina beside him. Kuina let out a breath and said, "We admit the Marines' fault!"
"Then that's settled!" Zeff nodded.
Seeing Kuina, Sanji immediately reverted to his old self, putting his hands to his cheeks and staring with heart-shaped eyes. "Ah, beautiful lady, this isn't your fault! That guy should be the one to pay compensation!"
Kuina shot him a glare, ignoring the lecherous cook completely. She waved her hand and ordered her Marine soldiers, "Let's go!"
The Marine soldiers, who had witnessed Ian's sword energy blowing up the Baratie, were also terrified. Knowing that Lieutenant Kuina couldn't do anything about him, they immediately snapped to attention, saluted, and withdrew.
No one knew about the relationship between Ian and Kuina. To those present, it was just a fight where three people together had only managed to let their opponent leave calmly.
Back on the warship, Kuina saw Ian rowing a small boat away in the distance and couldn't help but smile to herself.
Although Zeff and Sanji had joined in later, during her one-on-one exchange with Ian, Kuina realized that she was no match for her senior brother now. She possessed astonishing strength, but every time she tried to counterattack, Ian easily dodged. She didn't know this was the use of Observation Haki, so she was quite shocked.
Still, knowing that Ian was growing stronger, Kuina felt relieved. She said to her soldiers, "When we get back, send the compensation for the Baratie to them."
..................
Inside the restaurant, business naturally couldn't continue. Zeff led the chef pirates in cleaning up the mess. Patty, seeing the devastation of the battle scene, didn't dare to run his mouth anymore and only muttered, "Damn it, next time that guy comes, we're definitely not serving him!"
Zeff smacked Patty on the head and said, "Stop blabbing and get to work. That guy held back—at least the restaurant is still standing!"
Hearing this, Sanji remained silent but knew Zeff was right. If that earlier slash hadn't been with the back of the blade, he might have been seriously injured.
"Hmph, that guy still owes one hundred thirty thousand Berries for his meal here!" Sanji said. "Hey, old man, why don't we just take his meal money as compensation?"
"No need!" Zeff was old and shrewd. He had also noticed that there seemed to be some secret between Ian and the female Marine lieutenant, but he didn't intend to pry. He just said, "Since the Marines are willing to pay, let them pay! If that guy comes back, we'll still sell him food as usual!"