Even the CP9 agents, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but nod in silent recognition of the boy's grit.
Jabra's eyes darted around, struggling to look away from Damon.
"This brat is a monster, just like Rob Lucci. I can't afford to mess with him... but surely I can handle the other Marines?"
With a sinister smile, Jabra crept away from the ruins. He moved silently, desperate not to attract Damon's attention. The sheer intensity of the clash between Damon and Lucci, which had left both sides heavily bloodied, terrified him. He couldn't imagine himself in Lucci's position—still standing and fighting instead of lying in a coffin.
Slip away, slip away! It wasn't cowardice; he was simply "acting from the heart."
Jabra thought he was being discreet, but none of his movements escaped Damon's Double Tomoe Sharingan. However, Damon was pinned down by Lucci's murderous intent. Any distraction would be a fatal weakness. He had no choice but to trust his friends.
Though his team were mere freshmen with two months of training facing veteran assassins, they were "rough gems" destined for greatness.
Rob Lucci glanced at Jabra's retreating figure and took a deep, controlled breath.
"Life Return!" (Seimei Kikan)
This ultimate Six Powers technique allowed Lucci to infuse his consciousness into every cell, gaining total control over his internal organs and hair. He used it to forcibly suppress his internal hemorrhaging. He bent his knees, cracked the ground beneath him, and vanished.
"Soru!" (Shave)
Lucci closed in with lightning speed. His arms bulged, his fists clenched, and he unleashed a terrifying shockwave that shattered the sound barrier.
"Six Powers Ultimate Technique: Six King Gun!" (Rokuogan)
Damon gripped his hilt. Flames coiled around the blade like a fiery python. His scarlet eyes reflected the approaching titan. Refusing to back down, he roared:
"We have no rivals ahead!"
"Flame Breathing Secret Technique..."
"Ninth Form: Purgatory!"
A massive fiery dragon raised its head from the sea of flames, baring its fangs as it pounced on the enemy.
Smoker and the others, fearing Jabra would interfere with Damon's duel, moved to intercept him.
Jabra grinned maliciously, "You defeated losers... you dare seek death again?"
Smoker's expression hardened, smoke billowing from his arms. "We are Damon's partners. We share life and death. We will stop you!"
Suddenly, a deafening explosion rocked the island. The collision between Damon and Lucci sent a fierce gale sweeping through, stinging faces and filling the air with grit.
Relieved he wasn't in that inferno, Jabra turned his malice toward the group. "Soru!"
But the Marines had learned. Thick smoke obscured Jabra's vision as plumes of smoke silently snaked around his limbs like chains. Before he could use the Sea-Prism Stone on his boots, the others struck.
"Tekkai!" (Iron Body)
Jabra tensed his muscles, but he was already weakened by Damon's earlier slash. The combined fury of Drake, Jonathan, Hina, and Daddy's bullets shattered his defense.
Puff! Jabra spat out blood mixed with organ fragments, collapsing like a cooked lobster. The other CP9 agents were too mesmerized by Lucci's fight to care.
BOOM!
Two figures flew out of the smoke. Rob Lucci slammed into the Tower of Justice, shattering concrete columns and nearly shaking the skyscraper off its foundation. The CP9 rushed in, shocked, to find their leader.
Damon was sent flying toward the abyss of the waterfall. With his last ounce of strength, he slammed his broken longsword into the rock wall. The blade screeched, leaving a ten-meter gouge before he came to a halt, dangling over the three-thousand-foot drop.
He gasped, using Flame Breathing and his Gourmet Cells to recover. His dragon scales were torn, and blood flowed freely. Lucci's Six King Gun was ten times more powerful than a Skypiean Impact Dial. If not for Damon's Dragon Roar ability reducing damage by a third, he would be dead.
"Captain! Are you okay?" Smoker's smoke wrapped around his waist, pulling him up.
Damon smiled wearily. "Don't worry... he's not dead yet."
As he stood on solid ground, a system notification flashed.
"Ding! Congratulations for reciting a classic line from Bleach (Yamamoto Genryusai). Prize wheel activated!"
[Ryujin Jakka]: The strongest and oldest fire-type Zanpakuto. Its flames burn with the heat of the sun's core.
A stream of fire enveloped his shattered blade. The weapon that had followed him through his journey was reborn. A katana, black as ink with a dark purple hilt, appeared in his hand.
"Old friend... do you crave blood too?"
The blade hummed in response. It had developed a Spirit (Klaouterman-like sentience) to repay Damon.
Dragging the Ryujin Jakka, sparks flying from the tip, Damon reappeared before the CP9. They stood frozen. Behind them, Lucci lay buried in rubble, barely breathing.
Damon was exhausted, but the agents didn't know that. He raised his head, blood dripping into his crimson, rotating Double Tomoe Sharingan.
"Step aside!"
The CP9 shuddered. They instinctively backed away, making a wide path. The boy in front of them had nearly killed Rob Lucci.
Leaving a trail of blood, Damon slowly ascended the stairs of the Tower of Justice. Every agent on duty vanished; none dared to face his thunderous rage.