The cheers in the G-5 live broadcast plaza had not yet faded when the sudden change on the screen strangled them in everyone's throats.
"What… what is that monster?!"
Everyone stared upward at the fifty-meter-tall mech, whose every step triggered miniature earthquakes, their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.
'How was this still a martial arts tournament?'
'This had turned into a full-blown sci-fi war movie!'
The mech wasn't some crudely assembled pile of scrap. It carried the sleek technological beauty of Germa science mixed with the brutal industrial style of Punk Hazard heavy engineering.
Its entire body was covered in jet-black armor. Massive cannons capable of flattening mountains rested on its shoulders. A reactor in its chest glowed with eerie blue light, while its gigantic mechanical eyes flashed scarlet targeting rings.
"Hahahahaha! Tremble, peasants!"
Standing atop the mech outside the cockpit (purely for dramatic effect), Zack held a glass of wine and laughed arrogantly.
"This is the power of money! The crystallization of technology!"
"Blake! That slash just now looked cool, didn't it? Well now, I'm going to stomp you into meat paste!!"
"ROOOOAR!!"
At the same time, beneath the giant machine, "Iron Fist" Balger , after drinking the enhanced version of the energy steroid , had completely lost his human form.
His height had swelled to eight meters. Muscles bulged across his body like exploding boulders. His skin was blood-red, and his rolled-back white eyes contained nothing but primitive killing instinct.
Every breath he exhaled released scorching white steam from his nostrils, melting the frost on the ground.
And the most sinister of all was Garon, already hidden within the purple poisonous fog.
The mist did more than obscure vision. Everywhere it passed, even rocks hissed with corrosive sounds, while nearby dead trees instantly dissolved into black sludge.
"A trinity… now this is a true killing formation!"
Rehn had already put his necktie back on and was holding a calculator. Though he continued commentating, a trace of worry flashed through his eyes.
"With this lineup… even a top-tier Headquarters Vice Admiral would probably lose a layer of skin here."
He secretly glanced toward Renzo on the high platform.
Renzo still hadn't moved. The only change was that the hand previously holding his cola now rested lightly on his knee, fingers tapping rhythmically.
…
At the center of the battlefield, Blake stood alone beneath the shadow of the mech, gripping his blade Black Fang.
Facing this apocalyptic lineup, he did not retreat a single step.
Instead, he closed his eyes.
"Inhale… exhale…"
A long, deep breath.
"Lord Renzo once said…"
That lazy voice echoed in Blake's mind.
"'If you're facing a bunch of enemies that look troublesome, the best method isn't getting tangled up with them… it's finding the weakest point and ending it in one strike.'"
"The weakest point…"
Blake suddenly opened his eyes. His Observation Haki swept across the battlefield like radar.
'The mech?'
'Its shell was too durable. Hard-cutting it would waste too much effort.
'The red monster?'
'Pure meat shield. Hitting him would hurt my own hands.'
'The poison fog?'
'Just hold my breath.'
His gaze instantly locked onto Zack, who was still standing atop the mech loudly boasting.
"As long as the controller is dealt with… that pile of scrap is just scrap."
"And that red brute… once he's lost his reason, all he needs is a little baiting…"
Blake moved but instead of charging toward Zack, he turned and rushed directly at the berserk Balger!
"WRONG MOVE!!"
Though Balger had lost his mind, his instincts remained.
Seeing his "prey" charging toward him, he roared and smashed down with a fist larger than a millstone, carrying enough force to shatter city walls!
BOOM!!
The ground exploded into a crater.
But Blake had already vanished.
Using the high-speed movement of Soru, he lightly stepped off Balger's arm for momentum, shooting upward through the air like a black swallow!
His target, Zack atop the mech!
"You think you can sneak attack this young master?! Dream on!"
Though arrogant, Zack's survival instincts were top-tier.
He instantly dove into the cockpit, locking the hatch with a CLANK while simultaneously controlling the mech.
"All weapons fire!!"
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH,
Missile ports opened across the giant's shoulders, chest, and knees. Countless missiles flooded the sky, sealing every path Blake could possibly take!
There was no foothold in the air!
An absolute death trap!
"Hehehe… die, die!"
Within the poison fog, Garon sneered darkly, ready to finish Blake off at any moment.
However, midair, facing the endless rain of missiles, Blake instead curled his lips into a cold smile.
"Borrow force… redirect force."
His black blade did not slash at the missiles.
Instead, he lightly tapped the side of the leading missile with the back of his blade.
The strike contained only soft force.
Like plucking a string.
BZZZT
The missile didn't explode.
Instead, it bizarrely changed trajectory and slammed into another missile nearby!
Then Blake began dancing through the missile storm.
His sword was no longer a killing weapon.
It became a conductor's baton.
Deflect. Flick. Redirect. Guide.
Under the stunned gazes of the audience, the missiles originally aimed at him began colliding with each other or veering off course under his guidance!
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Brilliant fireworks exploded across the sky.
And Blake passed unharmed through the gaps between the explosions and flames.
"T-This… this is swordsmanship?!"
One swordsman in the broadcast plaza nearly dropped his jaw.
"This is practically divine-level control!!"
"Damn it! Damn it!!"
Inside the cockpit, Zack panicked.
"Smash him! Hurry and smash him!!"
The mech's gigantic mechanical hand swatted toward Blake like it was crushing a fly.
"Too slow."
Blake stepped on an unexploded missile and used it as a foothold, instantly launching himself higher.
He didn't dodge the giant hand.
Instead,
He landed directly on the back of it!
Then he sprinted up the enormous mechanical arm at full speed,
Straight toward the cockpit!
"GET LOST!!"
Zack frantically controlled the giant, sending the other hand to grab Blake from the arm.
But Blake moved like a nimble flea across the steel giant's body, weaving and leaping effortlessly.
In the blink of an eye, he stood before the cockpit's thick bulletproof glass.
Through the glass, Zack saw Blake's cold, blade-like eyes.
And…
The sword hilt being raised.
"N-No… this is special reinforced glass that can withstand artillery shells…"
Zack comforted himself desperately.
"If you hard-cut it, yes, it would take effort."
Blake's voice seemed to pass directly through the glass.
"But Lord Renzo taught me this."
"Structures… have nodes."
Blake didn't slash the center of the glass.
Instead, he lightly placed the sword tip against an extremely tiny gap where the glass connected to the metal frame.
"Armament Haki: Flowing Sakura: Internal Destruction."
Crack.
An incredibly soft sound rang out.
Then,
CRACK… CRACK CRACK CRACK…
Countless fractures instantly spread across the entire bulletproof window from that single point!
SHATTER, !!
The cockpit glass, advertised as absolute defense, exploded into countless fragments before Zack's despairing eyes!
"Good evening, young master."
Blake leapt into the cockpit, placing the black blade steadily against Zack's throat.
"D-Don't kill me! I have money! I'll give you five billion!!"
Zack instantly raised both hands and burst into tears.
"I'll take the money myself."
Blake replied coldly.
"Now stop this giant pile of scrap."
"Yes yes yes!"
Zack frantically slammed the emergency shutdown button.
The giant War Colossus instantly lost the red glow in its eyes and froze in place, becoming a true mountain of scrap metal.
"One down."
Blake kicked Zack out of the cockpit and stood atop the mech, looking down upon the remaining two nuisances below.
The red monster Balger was roaring madly and destroying everything around him.
Meanwhile, Garon, realizing the situation had turned bad, was already preparing to flee.
"Trying to run?"
Blake leapt down from the mech.
Adjusting his posture midair and accelerating with gravity, he transformed into a black meteor!
"Demon Sword Style: Heavenfall Strike!!"
His target,
The fleeing Garon!
"Damn it!"
Feeling the terrifying pressure descending from above, Garon had no choice but to stop and cross his twin hooks overhead defensively.
"Deadly Poison Barrier!!"
"BOOOOM, !!"
Blake Fang collided with the hooks!
This time, there was no suspense whatsoever.
Using the momentum from a fifty-meter drop combined with Blake's monstrous strength and Haki,
Garon's hooks shattered instantly!
His entire body was smashed directly into the ground, creating a human-shaped crater!
Blood sprayed from his mouth as he fainted on the spot.
"Two down."
Blake landed and flicked the blade.
Now only the out-of-control red monster remained.
Balger seemed to sense danger. Turning around, those white eyes locked directly onto Blake.
"ROOOOAR, !!"
He charged wildly, every step shaking the earth.
"A beast that's lost its mind is the easiest to deal with."
Blake didn't clash head-on.
He simply stood there quietly, waiting for Balger to reach him.
At the exact moment that enormous red fist was about to hit,
Blake suddenly sidestepped and lightly stuck out a foot.
"Clumsy."
Because of inertia, Balger's gigantic body couldn't stop in time and was tripped forward violently!
And the direction he flew…
Just happened to align perfectly with one of the sharpened toes of the deactivated War Colossus.
SCHLICK!
A muffled sound echoed out.
Balger ended up skewered on the giant machine's toe like an enormous meat kebab.
Though his monstrous durability meant he wouldn't die, the pain was enough to knock him unconscious, or at least render him unable to move.
"Three down."
Blake sheathed his sword.
Clean. Efficient. Without a single unnecessary motion.
The entire battlefield instantly fell silent.
Only the mournful wind blowing through the ruins remained.
…
"…"
Everyone, including Rehn, stood frozen with mouths hanging open, unable to speak for a long while.
If the previous battle had been an intense one-versus-three fight…
Then this battle…
Was practically a textbook-level tactical domination.
Using the enemy's strength.
Using the environment.
Using weaknesses.
Not wasting a single ounce of stamina.
Not making one unnecessary movement.
How was this still the same "Demon Sword" who only knew how to slash people?
This was clearly a master who had grasped the true essence of "efficiency"!
Clap. Clap. Clap.
On the high platform, Renzo's applause rang out once again.
This time, he sat up and removed his sunglasses, his eyes full of amusement.
"Not bad."
Renzo commented.
Rehn finally snapped back to reality and immediately roared at the top of his lungs:
"THE WINNER HAS BEEN DECIDED!!!"
"'DEMON SWORD' BLACK ACHIEVES TOTAL VICTORY!!!"
"THIS is the G-5 style! THIS is the kind of powerhouse we want!!"
The entire arena erupted in cheers!
"DEMON SWORD! DEMON SWORD! DEMON SWORD!"
Aboard the Sunny,
Zoro watched the man standing there after sheathing his blade and slowly curled his lips into an excited grin.
"Heh… interesting."
"Looks like things won't get boring in the future."