Chapter 124 I Seem to Be a Bit Strong
"God's Judgment!"
Looking at Gion, whom he had just kicked away, Zane gave her no room to breathe.
He raised his hand, and several pillars of lightning descended from the sky, beaming down upon Gion like rays of light.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
The lightning danced wildly.
Gion, flying into the distance, was instantly engulfed by the violent lightning.
The ground where she landed was pulverized by the terrifying electricity and impact, forming a deep pit that looked like a meteorite strike.
Amidst the lingering currents, Gion rushed out of the crater in a wretched state, her clothes heavily damaged and her body charred in several places.
Clang! Clang! Clang!!!
In the world of pirates, the stronger a person was, the more of a beating they could take.
This held true even for women.
Like Gion at this moment.
Even after sustaining heavy hits, she showed no signs of falling, instead searching for opportunities to counterattack again and again.
As she emerged from the lightning-filled crater, several flying slashes erupted from Gion's strike, sweeping toward Zane in an intersecting pattern.
"Rumble: Slash!"
He leaped and slashed horizontally.
Lightning and the slashing wave merged, forming an even more violent Rumble: Slash that tore through the incoming attacks like flying wings.
Having neutralized Gion's counter with a single blow, Zane turned into a bolt of lightning and streaked through the air.
He appeared above her in an instant, his Three-pointed double-edged glaive swinging down fiercely toward the top of Gion's head.
"Hah!!"
With a sharp cry, Gion refused to back down, gripping Konpira with both hands to meet the descending glaive.
BOOM!!!!
The blades collided with an earth-shattering impact even before they made contact.
The terrifying shock stirred the surrounding void, sending layers of airwaves radiating out like a tide.
In a single breath, the earth around Zane and Gion shattered and tore apart, turning into a massive hollow.
Scattered slashes even shot into the distance, carving long fissures into the ground.
After a brief stalemate, the lightning-clad Three-pointed double-edged glaive pressed down dominantly, forcing Gion into a position where she could no longer resist, slamming one knee heavily onto the ground.
As Konpira sank, the continuously pressing glaive landed on the kneeling Gion's left shoulder.
BOOM!!!
A brilliant slashing wave tore through the earth. Amidst a spray of blood, Gion retreated to the side.
However...
A blood-splattered arm spun through the air.
The impact of the slash had sent the arm Gion left behind flying in another direction.
Sacrificing her left arm for a chance to escape.
This was the choice Gion made in that critical moment.
It was decisive, but ultimately useless.
Glancing at the severed arm flying away, Zane turned his indifferent gaze back toward Gion, who had retreated into the distance.
There was no escape within the Equality Space.
Only the winner could leave alive.
No one knew how much time had passed.
Within the vast Equality Space, the smooth ground that refreshed with every activation of the Nen ability was now a total wreck, littered with long cracks and deep pits.
'I seem to be a bit strong...'
His Body of Steel bore several slash wounds, and his clothes were tattered.
But these injuries were nothing compared to Gion, who was currently impaled by the Three-pointed double-edged glaive in Zane's right hand, dangling in mid-air.
The blood from her severed arm had already run dry.
Her once elegant body was covered in burns and slashes.
Her beautiful face was hidden in shadow as her head hung low.
Zane looked at the lifeless corpse hanging from the glaive, sounding reflective as if confirming his current strength.
Admiral Candidate, Momousagi Gion, met her end here.
Regardless of the impact Gion's death would have on the Marines, for Zane, this battle undoubtedly held significant meaning.
Because it represented a new milestone in his current level of strength.
From Mock Town, where he had to fight with everything to narrowly kill Doflamingo, to his effortless defeat of Crocodile.
And now, even an Admiral Candidate qualified to compete for the highest rank had been defeated.
This growth proved that Zane's hard work during this time had not been in vain.
Similarly, using Gion as a benchmark, he was no longer just qualified to reach the top; he was already standing at the summit.
Gion's corpse didn't remain for long. Under Zane's gaze, it soon turned into points of light, coalescing into three attribute light orbs.
The appearance of the light orbs brought Zane back from his reflection.
His gaze swept across the three attribute light orbs one by one.
After a slight pause, he reached out and grabbed the Spirit attribute.
During the battle just now.
All of Gion's power had been thoroughly seen through by him.
Her strongest and most valuable asset was undoubtedly her swordsmanship, which fell under the category of techniques.
However, technique-based skills held no more secrets before his God's Eye.
The reason he fought until the end using the Three-pointed double-edged glaive, which he wasn't proficient in, was naturally not just to look cool or to mimic the Erlang Shen.
Well... okay, maybe he had a tiny bit of that thought.
But the most important reason was to steal her techniques.
Using God's Eye to perceive Gion's swordsmanship during the fight.
Zane's swordsmanship level had progressed from barely entering the Swordmaster level to approaching the Great Swordmaster level by the end of the battle.
Furthermore, all of Gion's swordsmanship had been etched into his mind by God's Eye.
This allowed Zane to continue learning rapidly through the reflections of God's Eye afterward until he reached Gion's level of swordsmanship.
The most valuable swordsmanship.
Zane had effectively already obtained it.
That was why he chose the secondary Spirit attribute.
He grabbed it and refined it instantly!
Gion's Spirit attribute was naturally powerful.
When it was completely absorbed, Zane's spiritual energy and its related aspects all received another significant boost.
*
As an Admiral Candidate.
Gion's warship was undoubtedly a top-tier Marine vessel of the highest level.
Similarly, Gion's subordinates on that ship were all elite-level.
When Zane emerged from the Equality Space, the battle outside had only just concluded.
Several corpses were visible just on the deck of the New Riding the Wind and Waves.
Among them were Marine officers and members of the Hunting Team.
Clearly, even though Zane had knocked out most of them with Conqueror's Haki before taking Gion away, the remaining Marine officers were still quite difficult to handle.
Or rather, these people were Gion's elite subordinates.
Looking at the situation on the deck, it was easy to see that the Marines hadn't just been passively attacked; they had launched a high-intensity counterattack, even fighting their way onto the New Riding the Wind and Waves.
Looking at the nearby warship.
It was even more engulfed in smoke and flames.
"Boss!"
"Captain!!!"
The moment Zane appeared, the members of the Hunting Team on the deck who were cleaning up corpses and bloodstains or undergoing treatment immediately perked up and hurried to greet him.
"Alright, those who are injured shouldn't move around. Robin, give me a brief summary of the situation."
The moment Zane appeared, he used Observation Haki to scan the area.
After confirming that the battle had ended and that his side had won.
He motioned with his hand for the wounded to continue their treatment and walked toward Robin, who was also being treated by Chopper on the deck.