One Piece: Failure’s Road to the Pirate King

Once it was confirmed that Zefa wasn't just coming for him, Sage felt a bit better. He shifted his stance, positioning himself between Zefa and Lily, and said, "Lily, go notify the crew to speed up."

"Understood."

Lily nodded, realizing her presence here was futile, and started running towards Log Town.

However, as soon as she moved, Zefa raised his mechanical arm and swiftly reached for her.

Bang! A foot landed on the mechanical arm, pinning it to the ground. Sage stomped down hard on the mechanical arm, grinning menacingly at Zefa.

Zefa moved his mechanical arm slightly, a smirk forming on his lips: "I remember you took down Ennio, right? That little girl has a Bounty Notice too, thirty million. So, the surname Bender is indeed related, and White Thunder is in her hands. My foolish disciple's wish has been fulfilled, hasn't it?"

"I don't care about that! All I know is, don't you dare ruin my plans to get rich!"

Sage gritted his teeth, "Old man, you should just enjoy your retirement. You've lost an arm, do you still want to play hero? Be careful of an asthma attack with no one to treat you!"

The large warship that had followed the branch warship was still out of sight, meaning there were no strong fighters around, just Zefa alone.

Just one person, and he didn't care about any admiral status!

"Indeed, a dangerous individual, but I'm not one to back down!"

Zefa's other hand formed a fist and he swung it fiercely at Sage, "I won't admit defeat just because I'm old!"

Bang! The two fists collided with a resounding crash, both enveloped in black, producing a sound like steel clashing.

"Haki?"

Zefa was clearly taken aback for a moment.

Seizing the opportunity, Sage quickly kicked out, his leg whipping towards Zefa's head like a whip.

"Too shallow!"

Boom! Faced with the incoming kick, Zefa remained unfazed, using his arm to push Sage's fist aside with force, sending him stumbling backward, away from the mechanical arm he was standing on.

"Crush Gatling!"

In that instant, Zefa raised his mechanical arm and aimed it at the retreating Sage, unleashing a barrage of bullets.

Tat tat tat! A dense hail of bullets rained down on Sage, and even with Haki, such an attack would still take a toll.

Zefa was surprised that Sage could use Haki, but the kid seemed quite pleased with himself. Against someone like him, there was no need for brute force; there were many experiences to draw from. "Iron Block!"

After retreating, Sage crossed his arms, standing firm as bullets rained down on him, creating bursts of sparks upon impact.

The sudden attack momentarily stunned Zefa, but he quickly reacted, aiming his mechanical arm at Sage and gathering a ball of light.

"Crush Jet!"

Bang! This time, what was fired was a cannon shot!

"Soru."

Sage vanished from his spot, reappearing to Zefa's side, his foot sweeping in a tricky jab towards Zefa's ribs.

Whoosh! But in that instant, Zefa twisted his waist, his massive mechanical arm spinning rapidly, crashing down towards Sage.

"Moonwalk."

Thud! Sage stepped on the air, leaping upward to evade the swinging mechanical arm.

Tat tat tat! Zefa quickly raised his arm again, firing another barrage of bullets.

This time, Sage's body moved like a willow in the wind, gracefully dodging as the dense bullets whizzed past him, not a single one hitting.

Zefa halted his shooting, watching as Sage bounced in the air before landing swiftly. He squinted, his voice hoarse, "Six Styles? Who taught you?"

"Can't it be that I learned it on my own?" Sage flexed his arms, provocatively asking.

"That's truly a pity. A guy like you actually chose to become a Pirate. How degenerate!" Zefa exclaimed.

"Mind your own business, old man!"

Sage stepped forward, instantly closing the distance to Zefa, his darkened fist aimed straight at Zefa's chest.

As long as he landed a hit... Bang! The mechanical arm lifted, causing his fist to strike the hard steel, producing a heavy sound.

Sage narrowed his eyes, suddenly bending his body, slipping under the mechanical arm, and delivering a lightning-fast kick to Zefa's jaw, forcing his head upward.

Hit!

Bang! Just as the kick landed, Zefa heavily pressed down with his mechanical arm. A flash of red appeared in Sage's eyes as he quickly withdrew, evading the heavy attack.

"These young kids are really different from before."

A streak of black was slowly fading from Zefa's jaw. He pondered for a moment and said, "Your attacks have a special force."

"Ah, then you better be careful!" Sage gritted his teeth.

As a former admiral, even in his old age, Sage didn't believe Zefa wouldn't notice the uniqueness of his attacks.

His Haki wasn't just about increasing power; once it hit, it could penetrate the body's Secret Acupoints, causing damage.

"Sage!"

Suddenly, voices rang out from the town as Renetia and Marika approached from either side, one carrying a large bundle, the other dragging a mountain of ingredients.

"Hey, who is this old man?"

Renetia pulled out a tool hammer, twisting it to extend.

"Zefa."

Marika's pupils constricted as she recognized the figure.

As a former Navy admiral, even after thirty years of retirement, some people still recognized him.

"A Pirate?!"

Zefa aimed his mechanical arm at the two, ready to fire bullets, when Sage suddenly lunged forward, his foot enveloped in Haki, kicking the mechanical arm away.

"Don't worry about it! Just put the stuff on the ship and prepare to leave!" Sage shouted.

"Will I let you go?"

Zefa's foot planted firmly, the moved mechanical arm quickly crashed into Sage, while a kick struck Sage's leg, causing him to stumble. At the same time, the heavy mechanical arm knocked him to the ground, capturing him.

"Crush."

Boom!!

Sage's fists shot up, dense Haki gathering in his hands, rapidly expanding under its Flow, igniting like black flames on his fists, crashing into the mechanical arm, leaving two fist imprints on it. One of the three-pronged iron hands loosened, allowing Sage to break free.

"Entanglement?"

Zefa paused, looking at the two fist imprints in the mechanical arm's three-pronged hand. This thing was made of extremely sturdy steel, mixed with Sea-Prism Stone, its hardness incomparable to ordinary materials.

To leave imprints on it... "Kid, do you still have enough Haki?" Zefa asked solemnly.

"Why do you care so much?"

Sage bent his body, charging towards Zefa, his fist engulfed in black flames becoming a blur as he struck out.

Zefa smirked coldly, raising his mechanical arm as a shield, and Sage's fist slammed directly into the mechanical arm.

"Ora ora ora!"

Bang bang bang! The mechanical arm shook violently from the impact, causing Zefa to shake his head, "Not bad, but too impatient to use Haki like this."

He stepped back two paces, his left hand quickly reaching out to grab Sage's wrist after his punch, his eyes widening as he let out a grunt, forcefully slamming Sage's body down to the ground.

"That will run out!"

Thud! The ground caved in from the impact, Sage's body sinking into the depression. Zefa didn't even glance at him, moving the mechanical arm to aim at the two approaching the Black Ship, the gun barrel inside the arm rotating.

"Crush."

Crack! The thick pipe connected to the mechanical arm suddenly disintegrated, as if a chain reaction occurred, continuously breaking apart into pieces, ultimately causing the entire mechanical arm connected to Zefa's right shoulder to collapse, revealing his prosthetic right arm.

Whoosh! The Flow, like black flames of Haki, accompanied by a rapidly approaching kick, made Zefa's eyes narrow as he instinctively used Haki to Entangle and protect his chest.

Bang! Zefa staggered back a few steps, incredulously staring at the scattered mechanical arm parts and Sage, who had quickly leaped up from the depression, "You..."

"Old man, not only swordsmen can use 'The Breath of All Things'," Sage grinned, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, revealing a fierce expression.

From the very beginning, he had aimed for that mechanical arm.

If that thing started firing bullets and cannonballs, his crew wouldn't be able to bring back any spoils; a single burst could kill many.

First, he had to take out that annoying mechanical arm! As for its hardness... Just as swordsmen can easily cut through iron with 'The Breath of All Things', Sage could see the Secret Acupoints of the world's objects; it was just that his fists couldn't move against things that were too hard.

But now that he could use Haki, the enhancement was no small matter.

He didn't have time to learn Garp's pure physical strength to smash mountains, but with Haki and using Entanglement to increase power, he could achieve similar effects.

"Sage!"

From behind, Lily reappeared, followed by a large group of Pirates, each carrying boxes and barrels as they rushed out of the town.

"The Black Market Merchant over there knows who you're fighting! They want to back out!"

"Bullshit!"

Sage's previously confident smile instantly darkened as he shouted, "Since both sides have signed a contract, whether you do it or not, you have to pay! Get the goods outside the town, and if they don't pay, go rob them! Let's get a billion Belly!"

Who dares to cheat him out of his money?

Not a chance!

Zefa swung his prosthetic arm and clenched his left fist, his Haki extending from his fist to his entire forearm.

"You are indeed dangerous. I won't let you leave."

His body seemed to have become much lighter.

The mechanical arm was heavy, and although losing it meant he lost a convenient means of attack, it also freed him from constraints.

"I never intended to leave now."

Sage grinned, "I'm a man of my word. If I say I'm going to rob a billion Belly worth of goods, then I will rob a billion Belly worth of goods. Holding you up for half a day is enough!"

Although Zefa felt strong, Sage could sense that his Haki wasn't as pure and powerful as Garp's.

Instead, it gave off a feeling of confusion... his will was weakening!

It might not be impossible to hold him off for half a day!