Between Two Worlds: Nen and Haki

"I'll kill you all!!!"

The churning sea looked as if it were being sliced apart by a giant blade.

As their Conqueror's Haki clashed, a white line of surging waves rose rapidly from the surface.

His arms moved so fast they left afterimages.

His eyes bloodshot, Chinjao stubbornly resisted Zane's Conqueror's Haki while swimming frantically toward the New Riding the Wind and Waves.

Failing to block the enemy's attack had led to the near-total annihilation of those on the main flagship; Chinjao's rage and agony far surpassed even Sai's.

"Grandfather!!!"

Nearby, Sai and Boo, having withstood the aftershocks of the Conqueror's Haki, were jolted out of their grief.

Seeing the old man charge toward the enemy, the two shouted and hurried to follow.

"Don't stop! Keep firing!"

"Full speed ahead! I'm going to kill these bastards with my own hands!"

"Charge!!!"

Led by Chinjao, Sai, and Boo, those of the Happo Navy who remained conscious let out roar after roar.

Manning the remaining warships, the Happo Navy continued their bombardment of the New Riding the Wind and Waves while pushing forward at full speed.

"I'll leave things here to you!"

Watching Chinjao swim rapidly toward him, Zane called out to Manlong and Baby 5, who were busy intercepting incoming shells.

*CRACK!*

He transformed into a bolt of lightning.

Having finished his instructions, Zane struck the sea ahead like a bolt of thunder.

In an instant, Chinjao's expression shifted as he swam.

He looked down hurriedly.

*BOOM!!!*

A massive force surged from beneath him.

Chinjao barely had time to coat himself in Armament Haki before he was blasted out of the water.

A pillar of water, like a giant fountain, shot dozens of meters into the air.

Splashing seawater fell like a torrential downpour.

Chinjao spat blood as he was sent flying high.

From within the exploding pillar of water, Zane stepped on lightning to pursue.

"Lightning Kick!"

He caught up to Chinjao in a heartbeat, his right leg erupting with thunder as he aimed a lightning-fast kick at the old man's head.

'Damn it!'

Being blasted out of the sea only turned his pain into even greater fury.

But anger could not change the tide of battle.

With his Observation Haki tracking Zane's attack, all Chinjao could do was frantically adjust his posture and cross his arms to block.

*BOOM!!!*

The thunder-infused roundhouse kick slammed violently into Chinjao's arms.

Even though his concentrated Armament Haki formed a powerful defense, the heavy impact backed by extreme speed sent Chinjao hurtling toward the shore like a meteor.

He streaked across the sky above the coast and crashed straight into an iceberg hundreds of meters away.

*RUMBLE!!!*

The entire iceberg shuddered violently, and countless cracks spiderwebbed across its smooth icy surface.

Chinjao was embedded deep within it.

Lightning flashed across the scene.

In the blink of an eye, Zane caught up once more, appearing right in front of Chinjao.

*BOOM!!!*

A heavy, thunderous fist struck the ice crater, causing the surrounding ice to melt and shatter, collapsing into an even larger hole.

Zane's gaze shifted downward toward Chinjao, who had managed to evade the attack and was now falling toward the ground.

*THUD!!*

He bent his legs upon landing, absorbing the impact.

Chinjao snapped his head up, his bloodshot eyes locking onto Zane in the air.

"Eight Impact Fist Secret Technique: Drillless Dragon—Drillless Nail!"

His bent legs straightened, generating a powerful burst of propulsion.

Chinjao rocketed upward even faster, roaring as he lunged to headbutt Zane.

"Aggressive as Fire: Ripper Incineration Cannon!"

He didn't dodge.

Facing Chinjao's rage-filled counterattack, Zane maintained his dominant stance. He dove down and met the attack head-on, throwing a punch that unleashed a crimson shockwave.

*BOOM!!!*

Zane's fist and Chinjao's flat head collided in mid-air with staggering force.

It was like two titans clashing.

The impact instantly generated a massive shockwave.

The surrounding space was thrown into absolute chaos by the blast.

The nearby iceberg could not withstand the pressure either, its surface quickly covered in cracks.

"AAAAAHHHH!!!"

Chinjao roared incessantly, frantically focusing his flowing Armament Haki into his head, trying to knock Zane away.

But the force descending upon him from above was beyond imagination.

The crimson shockwave continuously broke through his concentrated Armament Haki, eventually pressing down hard against his flat head.

*WHOOSH!*

*BOOM!!!*

After a brief stalemate, Chinjao was turned into a shooting star, smashed down by Zane's punch into the ice below.

Shards of ice sprayed everywhere.

The solid ice collapsed inward, forming a massive crater.

The intense shock reverberated all the way to the coast, sending ripples through the ocean that grew into massive waves.

*CRACK!*

A bolt of lightning descended.

Zane stepped out from the lightning, looking down at Chinjao inside the crater.

"So, how does it feel to have your drill-head back?"

With his arms crossed, Zane looked at the man's head. He was a bit surprised, but he let out a calm chuckle.

The violent impact left Chinjao in agony. Not only was he spitting blood, but his entire body felt as if it were being torn apart.

But when Zane's words reached him, he reacted as if struck by lightning. He scrambled out of the crater and hurriedly felt his own head.

"My drill... my drill-head is back?"

That long-lost pointed sensation made Chinjao's expression turn into one of pure disbelief.

A drill-head?

His drill-head was back?

Years ago, his drill-head had been flattened by Garp's iron fist.

Now, in his fight with Zane, the flat head had been deformed again under a heavy blow, unexpectedly returning to its pointed shape.

This hadn't been Zane's intention.

Rather, the man's head structure was simply peculiar.

It only required a sufficiently powerful blow to pop back from its flattened state.

His drill-head was restored.

This filled Chinjao with joy.

But his murderous intent did not vanish; instead, it became even more arrogant.

"Hahaha... My drill-head is back! Let's see how you block me now!!"

His white beard and eyebrows dancing wildly, Chinjao looked up with a sneer at Zane, who stood at the edge of the crater.

"Eight Impact Fist Secret Technique: Drill Dragon—Drill Nail!"

He bent his legs.

With a loud thump, Chinjao launched himself, aiming his pointed head straight at Zane.

Changing from a flat head back to a drill-head truly gave Chinjao a boost in strength.

Both his Armament Haki and the unique shockwaves of the Eight Impact Fist were affected.

With the aid of the pointed head, both were now concentrated into a single point, creating even more devastating destructive power.

'He's certainly getting ahead of himself.'

Facing Chinjao's renewed assault, a faint light flickered in Zane's eyes.

"Door-Door: Absolute Defense!"

He raised his right hand.

With his palm upright, a massive spatial door manifested.

*BOOM!!!*

Almost instantly, Chinjao's pointed head slammed into the closed spatial door.

Ripples of air radiated from the edges of the door, churning the air and cracking the ice below.

Yet Zane remained completely unaffected.

A left hook.

Having calmly blocked Chinjao's supposedly unstoppable strike...

Zane immediately dispersed the spatial door and lunged forward. His left fist, bolstered by two types of energy, crashed into Chinjao's cheek.

*THUD!!!*

The fierce force of the punch sent Chinjao spinning through the air, blood and saliva spraying from his mouth.

Stepping on lightning...

Zane caught up in a single stride and lashed out with a roundhouse kick.

Startled and enraged, Chinjao tried to regain his balance and grabbed for Zane's leg.

But he didn't realize Zane had already anticipated this; it was a feint.

The kick dipped, its momentum shifting into a backhand strike that smashed into Chinjao's jaw with even greater force.

Teeth went flying.

Chinjao screamed as he plummeted onto the ice nearby.