"Can I take on both of them? I want to test my limits." Hathaway's words angered the Evil Governor and World, who had been somewhat considering retreat.
This was outright contempt, or rather, provocation.
"Are you serious?" Rosen looked at Hathaway in surprise. He had to consider that if either of these two decided to flee, Rosen wasn't confident he could stop them.
Both of them were likely around the level of an Admiral, perhaps just a hair weaker. But in the less competitive era of the past, with their strength, they could have become Marine Admirals.
Of course, if Rosen was truly provoked, even if an enemy ran, if he persisted in the pursuit, it was possible to kill them. After all, the full power of a true Admiral was stronger and more terrifying than theirs.
"Yes."
"Alright then, don't overdo it." Seeing Hathaway so serious, Rosen let her be. Since she wanted to challenge herself, she could challenge herself.
Even if she couldn't handle it, he was there, so there was no real danger.
"Are youngsters today so arrogant? The key is right here with me. Come and take it if you can." Waldo's face was as dark as water. He pulled a Seastone key from his clothes.
"Good." Hathaway struck immediately. A vertical slash sent an astonishing, majestic crimson sword energy cleaving through the air with a sharp whistle, striking towards World like thunder.
This Hell Prison Slash was much stronger than before, but it wasn't just one. After the vertical slash, Hathaway turned her blade and swept out a horizontal slash, unleashing another Hell Prison Slash.
The two sword slashes, like a crimson cross of judgment, carrying the power to destroy everything, stamped towards the World.
"Multiply! Seventy!" World produced many metal spheres. They weren't large, only the size of a thumb, but they were heavy, with extremely high density. Instantly accelerating, the spheres' speed reached a terrifying level, not inferior to Kizaru's light speed.
And when these spheres reached peak speed, their volume suddenly multiplied seventy times, looking like concentrated cannonballs, but far more terrifying.
Any single one was enough to sink a medium-sized warship, and he had just scattered dozens of them.
"Demon Sword Shadow!" But before the attacks could even meet, Hathaway suddenly gripped her sword with both hands, raising the Sun Blade high, pulling it back. She leaned her body slightly back until the tip hung behind her, pointing at the ground. She had pulled her power taut.
Voom! The very void seemed to scream. A sword-energy demonic shadow let out a piercing shriek. This shriek, like a sonic wave, rolled outwards, at the same time carrying the force of Conqueror's Haki.
"My god, what is that? My head hurts so much! What's wrong with all of you?" The pirates watching from a distance saw their companions collapsing one after another, blood seeping from their ears, and were filled with terror.
What kind of attack was this? They were just watching the excitement from afar. Though they had thoughts of maybe scavenging, they were hit by this attack before they could even start?
"Such powerful Conqueror's Haki!" The Empress was also extremely shocked. It hadn't been that long since she'd seen Hathaway, and her strength hadn't just increased by a lot, her Conqueror's Haki had advanced even further.
"Damn it!" World had held back in his attack. He hadn't expected the enemy to go all out from the very first exchange.
He had thought those two astonishing sword slashes were probing attacks, and he had countered with full force. As expected, when the multiplied metal spheres violently collided with the sword energy...
As he anticipated, most of the sword energy was blocked. A small part was shattered, and the dissipated energy that fell on his body, covered in Armament Haki, couldn't cause any real injury.
But this sudden, incredibly powerful Demon Sword Shadow slash caught him completely off guard.
This woman's fighting style was insane.
Normally, few people would go all out at the start of a battle. Unless they were sure they had a significant advantage, unleashing their strongest moves too early could put them in a dangerous position if they missed.
And in that instant, the astonishing Conqueror's Haki caused even World a momentary lapse in concentration. For a master, this shouldn't have happened.. World had trained in Haki for a long time and was very strong.
Few powerful Conqueror's Haki users could intimidate him. Take the Pirate Empress earlier, for example; her intimidating force was useless against him.
But this was different.
This momentary lapse also put him in danger.
"Hmph!" Seeing this, the Evil Governor snorted coldly, then rushed forward. He covered his entire body in Armament Haki, pitch black, showcasing the depth of his Haki.
He appeared instantly before World and let out a roar. His already robust physique suddenly tightened. It wasn't a muscle increase; it was more like all his muscles contracted and solidified, making him look leaner and more ferocious!
Boom! The Demon Sword Shadow slammed into the Evil Governor's body. The Evil Governor roared, his voice tinged with pain. Yet, despite this, relying on his current strength and body, he briefly managed to withstand the Demon Sword Shadow.
It looked as if he were wrestling with the demonic shadow itself, pushing and shoving against each other. Boundless energy poured out, destroying everything. The ground first shattered into blocks, then, under the wanton churning of sword energy and bodily energy discharge, turned to dust...
"Such terrifying power!" Everyone present felt this overwhelming impact. It was truly terrifying. If they were at the center of that power, they probably wouldn't even leave a corpse behind.
"This attack?!" Rosen was also surprised. He knew Hathaway was strong, but during the siege of Akainu, he remembered that the Demon Sword Shadow hadn't been accompanied by a Conqueror's Haki intimidation attack.
This move even gave Rosen a strong sense of danger. And the fact that the Evil Governor could withstand it made Rosen slightly put aside a shred of any previous disregard he might have had.
Once a powerful individual starts fighting for their life, even if one is significantly stronger, there's considerable danger.
But Rosen could see that if the Evil Governor kept enduring, he would probably be at a disadvantage.
However, it was at this moment that World snapped back to reality. With a Hundred Times Speed Punch, he created an air wave, helping the Evil Governor, and finally shattering the Demon Sword Shadow. But the powerful impact still repelled the two, stirring their blood and energy.
After this exchange, the way the two looked at Hathaway was completely different. If before they were angry at being belittled by her, now they felt a sense of urgency, as if facing a formidable enemy.
The situation was very unfavorable for them.
But if it really came down to a fight to the death, they weren't afraid. Their reputations were built on killing. They had killed people stronger than themselves. It just depended on whether it was worth it.
"Give them the key. Let's go. Kid, we'll meet again." After some thought, the Evil Governor suddenly spoke to World.
World frowned. Although they had just suffered a setback, he still had many moves left unused. "Are you scared?"
"No, don't forget our goal. Taking revenge on the Marines is our purpose. Fighting them has no benefit. Besides, your body can't withstand too intense a fight for long. Don't die easily before we've made the Marines suffer. Take good care of your body so we can display our true strength. Let's call it a day here." The Evil Governor said calmly.
World fell silent. The Evil Governor was right. They hadn't been out of prison long. In prison, World couldn't even move, let alone train. He had been frozen the entire time.
And while the Evil Governor was strong, he wasn't a freak like Douglas Bullet who could persist in training in that environment.
So neither of them was at their peak. The previous fight had made them fully aware of this. That's why the Evil Governor backed down.
"Fine." World took out the key and tossed it over. They didn't see anything wrong with the Empress's predicament.
It was just survival of the fittest. Now, because Rosen and Hathaway were strong, and their own goal unfulfilled, they showed weakness.
However, their willingness to let things slide didn't mean Rosen and the others felt the same. "What do you think? Just let them go, or should they leave something behind?"
The Empress was stunned for a moment, then her beautiful eyes stared straight at Rosen. Was he serious?
Logically, as the one being rescued, the Empress had no right to make any demands. Otherwise, she would seem too incompetent, useless, and ungrateful.
But unexpectedly, this man was genuinely asking for her opinion.
She believed that if she nodded, he would definitely fight with all his might. She could guess why. But teaching them Haki was mainly because she wanted to get close to Hathaway. However, it seemed he regarded it as a favor to be repaid.
World and the Evil Governor frowned, feeling very displeased. Their measured show of weakness was not fear. Now Rosen's words made them feel unhappy, even that their dignity was damaged. And the strong often have their pride.
Despite Rosen and Hathaway not being weak, if they pushed too far, it wasn't certain who would end up dead.
And now, one word from Empress Hancock could decide whether a fierce battle would erupt!
(End of Chapter)