One Piece: Failure’s Road to the Pirate King

"Half a day."

Zefa gripped the black hand of his prosthetic, his fist clenched at his waist, and bared his teeth in a sinister smile at Sage: "Old man has been underestimated!"

"Who dares to underestimate you!"

Sage slightly hunched his body, fists tightened, "But don't underestimate me either, you old fossil!"

"Is that so?"

Whoosh! Bang! Zefa's figure vanished from the spot, his left fist glowing black as he struck Sage's abdomen with a powerful punch, causing his fist to sink into Sage's belly, making him curl up and lift off the ground with just one blow.

"Ugh!!"

Zefa let out a muffled grunt, his fist pressing against Sage's body, forcefully sending him flying away.

"I am still a fighting seventy-two-year-old, not one to admit old age! Show me the strength that can hold me for half a day, brat!"

Sent flying by the punch, Sage coughed up blood, and the Haki on his abdomen slowly dissipated.

This old guy's speed has increased tremendously, and the power of that Haki is unlike before; I can't even counter it with Haki.

In that case, he gritted his teeth, stepping on the air in mid-air, using Moonwalk to leap upward, delivering a flying kick.

"Storm Leg: Cross Slash!"

Swish! A light blue massive slash appeared in a cross shape, rapidly descending towards Zefa.

Sizzle!!

The ground was cut open with a cross-shaped mark in that instant, and Zefa swiftly dodged to the side, glancing at the indentation on the ground, chuckling, "Well done!"

"What's good is yet to come!"

Just as Zefa dodged, Sage's legs surged powerfully in the air, descending like a meteor onto Zefa's head, his black fist covered in Haki striking down rapidly.

Zefa instinctively extended his left fist to collide with Sage, but just as their fists were about to touch, Sage's fist curved away like a snake, his whole body spinning violently in the air, transforming into a brief whirlwind, from which a thick black flame burst forth.

"Ha!"

The whirlwind exploded, revealing Sage's form, as he temporarily withdrew his fist, entangling all his Haki in his left foot, and kicked fiercely towards Zefa's right side.

The right arm is a prosthetic; it shouldn't be that tough!!

The black prosthetic right arm firmly grasped Sage's ankle, and on the wrist wrapped in black cloth, a purple-black mass appeared, resembling a raging wind.

Haki Entanglement!

Bang! Zefa looked up, baring his white teeth, and raised his right hand, pulling Sage's body down with great force.

During this rapid descent, the black flames on Sage's left foot dissipated, while the right foot was entangled with fiery Flow Haki, extending like a sharp sword, directly aiming for Zefa's throat.

"Your intentions are too obvious!"

Zefa's other hand entangled with Haki, also grasping Sage's ankle, pulling with both hands added more force, driving him down even faster.

Boom!!

As Sage's back just touched the ground, the earth quickly cracked, and with a loud bang, the ground sank, forming a massive pit with a radius of about twenty meters.

Countless small stones flew out like bullets, and in the center, a cloud of smoke erupted, rising upwards.

"Sage!"

Lily, who was hastily transporting goods to the Death Star Ship, was startled and voiced her concern.

As the smoke cleared, Zefa looked at Sage, who lay in the center of the pit in a sprawled position, a smirk appearing on his lips, "So you were just boasting, brat."

Saying this, he reached out to grab the person in the pit.

But at that moment, Sage's eyes snapped open, his feet coming together like a giant sword, and with a powerful thrust of his hands, he charged towards Zefa's chest.

Smack! Zefa's eyes widened in surprise, instinctively clenching his left fist to block the impact, but the force was so strong that it pushed his hand away, and Sage quickly flipped over, closing in on him, delivering a fierce hook punch.

Bang! That punch was blocked by Zefa's right prosthetic arm, and Sage seized the opportunity to throw another punch, but it was stopped by Zefa's just-rebounded left hand, both attacks producing heavy thuds.

"You..." Zefa frowned, about to speak, but noticed the young brat grinning at him with bared teeth.

A headbutt struck hard against his forehead, the immense force causing Zefa's head to tilt back, and his body could no longer stop, retreating.

But just as he was retreating, Sage, who had been pushed back, suddenly thrust his feet again, this time directly hitting Zefa's chest, kicking him away!

Bang!!

The circular indentation was now plowed open with a straight line, kicking up dust and debris.

Sage lightly landed, looking at the smoke rising ahead, and grinned maliciously, "What's there to boast about?"

In the smoke, Zefa slowly stood up, the Haki on his forehead and chest dissipating, his gaze fixed on the Haki gradually fading from Sage's forehead and side, a serious expression emerging in his eyes.

No mistake, every move, every shot, every internal and external aspect, all in one go!

Both his back and head had used Haki, especially the Flow Haki on his forehead, indicating a considerable strength.

Haki can only be seen by those who also wield it; otherwise, even if one knows the concept, they cannot see the 'color'.

The amount of Haki this brat used is very unusual.

Although the previous battle was extremely short, Zefa could feel that every punch from this guy carried Entanglement, and the intensity was not low.

Before that, he had used a similar level of Haki to knock down the Mechanical Arm; it wasn't his limit, but it was close.

This kind of full-force consumption would quickly deplete Haki; even if it didn't run out, it should have diminished.

But now, Zefa not only saw no weakening, but the opponent was getting fiercer, and the Haki used was even more refined than before.

Moreover, that fighting style couldn't even be described as talent; it was a perfect presentation.

After teaching for so many years and encountering many gifted students, Zefa found this perfect application of the body in combat only in Sage.

Whether it was his head, hands, feet, or body, he could use them freely, like weapons at his command, truly the most perfect master of physical arts.

So strange. Zefa clenched his fist, making cracking sounds, and said solemnly, "If I let you continue to run amok, the Navy might gain another troublesome enemy; I will arrest you!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Sage laughed heartily, "Then come and try!"

After saying that, his expression darkened, suddenly taking a deep breath, a white aura rising around him, entangling his entire body, surging upwards.

Zefa, although feeling his will weaken, and his Haki not as strong as Garp's, when it came to actual combat, he couldn't break through Zefa's defenses at all!

Almost exhausting all he could, he entangled all his Haki into his fist, but it was resolved by the opponent's even stronger Haki.

Since Haki wasn't effective, then let's change tactics. "Brat, here I come!"

Boom! Zefa's shout echoed in Sage's ears, and he saw Sage's footsteps explode in the air, rapidly charging forward, his left hand surging with the Flow of black wind, and under Entanglement, he slammed down with a powerful punch.

Sizzle! At that moment, a white mist shot out from Sage's nose with his breath, his body rapidly expanding, muscles bulging like armor, transforming from a normal person into a towering figure of three meters, just like Zefa.

Dragon Transformation Breathing Technique! "80%!!"

Sage's neck bulged with veins, and with a roar, the Flow Haki covered his hand like black flames, crashing violently against Zefa's fist, which was engulfed in a raging wind.

Bang!!