The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

"But!!" Barrett suddenly roared, slamming his right fist into the ground.

"Boom!!" Centered on him, jet-black Armament Haki surged outwards like a tsunami.

The ground crumbled the moment it made contact, and the gravel was crushed into dust before it could even fly.

This torrent of pure Armament Haki even distorted the light, making the distant warship wreckage appear as if it were being kneaded by an invisible giant hand.

[Demon Form]

He unleashed his Armament Haki to its fullest potential, significantly boosting his speed and strength, while his entire body turned pitch black, making him resemble a "devil from hell."

This is one of the reasons why he is called the "Devil's Heir".

"This...is this something Armament Haki can do?" Looking at Barrett, who had transformed into a demon, Ribo's rabbit ears stood up straight.

“It’s just like…” Tesoro’s pupils dilated, and his Adam’s apple bobbed with difficulty: “Like a demon!!”

"Armament Haki release and fusion? No wonder he's called the 'Descendant of the Devil'!"

Gern's black hair flew wildly as he slowly raised his black sword, Eight Desolations, the high-frequency vibration echoing across the battlefield.

He then reversed his hand and plunged the Black Blade Eight Desolations into the ground, the blade disappearing into the rock layer in an instant.

"Om-"

The pale shockwave rippled outwards from the sword, and wherever it passed, Barrett's outward-emitting Armament Haki was diverted as if it were a tide encountering a reef.

Amidst the high-frequency vibration and buzzing sound, Gern released the hilt of his sword, leaving Bahuang standing on the trembling battlefield.

"Using vibration to counter Haki? Interesting." Barrett licked his teeth.

The next second, both of them disappeared at the same time.

"But choosing to abandon your weapon in front of me is just too arrogant, isn't it! Heavenquake." Barrett's fist was filled with Armament Haki.

There are no fancy techniques, just pure power and speed at their peak.

With enough force to shatter a mountain, it hurtled straight at Gern's face!

"Arrogant?" Gern's pupils contracted slightly. The moment his Observation Haki predicted the trajectory, his body reacted instinctively.

Instead of taking the hit head-on, he stepped to the side, wrapped his left arm in black flashing Haki, and used his elbow as a shield to precisely intercept the inside of Barrett's wrist.

"Black Shock - Interception!"

With a dull thud, Barrett's punch was forcibly deflected, grazing past Gern's ear.

The shockwave from the punch shattered all the rubble within a hundred meters behind into dust.

Meanwhile, Gern's counterattack was even faster. He instantly spun around with one hand on the ground, his legs whipping out like whips, his heels wrapped in high-frequency shockwaves, sweeping straight at Barrett's waist and abdomen!

"Black Shock - Kagura Dance!"

Barrett grinned maliciously, neither dodging nor avoiding, his abdominal muscles suddenly tensing, and his Armament Haki covering and gathering like steel for defense.

With a dull thud, Barrett remained motionless, instead using the force of Gern's kick to unleash his left fist like a cannonball!

At the critical moment, Gern sprang up with his arms and crossed them to block.

"Boom!" The force of the punch pierced through his defense, making his arms go numb. He slid backward, his feet carving two furrows in the ground.

Before he could even get his footing, Barrett pounced like a wild beast, his fists flashing like afterimages as he unleashed a storm of attacks!

Each punch generated air pressure, creating countless visible vacuum ripples.

Meanwhile, Gern's figure flickered amidst the shadows of fists, using his unique "micro-vibration level" Observation Haki to evade attacks with minimal effort.

When it is occasionally impossible to completely dodge, the fist, which is wrapped with shockwaves, is used to interrupt the punch.

But it has to be said that Barrett's growth rate is indeed terrifying. He is completely different now from the time when he was showing off and getting killed in one move!

"What's wrong? All you can do is dodge?!" Barrett laughed wildly, then suddenly changed his move, throwing an uppercut at Gern's chin from below!

"No, I like you even more now, Barrett." Gern's eyes sharpened, and he finally stopped holding back.

His right fist was also wrapped in a purplish-black aura, and the vibration particles collapsed wildly at the knuckles as it met Barrett's fist!

The moment their fists collided, a terrifying shockwave exploded in a spherical shape, causing the ground within a radius of 100 meters to collapse and dust to billow into the sky.

A sharp pain shot through Barrett's fist, and his knuckles cracked softly from the high-frequency vibrations.

Gern's right arm, however, only felt numb, and he shook it.

For a moment, the two retreated simultaneously, but the fighting spirit in their eyes grew even more intense.

"Hahaha, that's more like it!" Barrett, as if he had found his purpose again, also shook his numb hands, just like Gern.

Then Armament Haki covered him again, "You're no worse than Roger!"

Gern did not answer, but slowly assumed an odd starting stance.

With the left palm pushing forward and the right fist retracting to the waist, the overall aura suddenly intensifies, as if calm before a storm.

Barrett's pupils contracted slightly; his beast-like instincts told him something was dangerous.

The next second, Gern's figure vanished!

"Shock Step - Instant Flash!"

Almost simultaneously, Barrett's Observation Haki triggered a frantic warning; he twisted his body sharply and swept a whip kick behind him.

"Bang!" Gern's knee strike collided with his whip kick, and the shockwave exploded.

But Gern's offensive continued relentlessly, his right fist darting out from an unpredictable angle like a venomous snake, aiming straight for Barrett's throat!

Barrett leaned back hastily, the force of the punch grazing his throat, leaving a bloody mark.

"Ah!" he roared, his arms clamping down on Gern's shoulders like iron clamps, trying to subdue him with brute force.

But at that moment, Gern's body vibrated at a high frequency and became elemental, slipping out of his grasp like a fish and slashing at Barrett's neck with a backhand chop!

"Don't even think about it!" Barrett roared, his Conqueror's Haki erupting as he forcefully repelled Guern's attack.

Seizing this brief opening, he charged his right fist to its limit, his Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki intertwining, and slammed it into Gern's chest!

With no way to avoid it, Gern crossed his arms and chose to take the hit head-on.

"Boom!!!" The terrifying force of the punch sent him flying hundreds of meters before he barely managed to stop.

"Whoosh!!" A pale beam of light suddenly shot out from the collapsing dust. Barrett turned his head to avoid it, but a bloody scratch was still left on his cheek.

"I knew it! Barrett." But amidst the smoke and dust, Gern slowly stood up, a wild smile playing on his lips, and dusted himself off.

"Looks like I have another good candidate for my 'natural disaster'!"

Barrett laughed maniacally, clapping his fists together, his muscles bulging like steel: "Is that so!?"

The sea breeze, carrying smoke from the battlefield, swept across the battlefield, and the two's Conqueror's Haki clashed once more.

The sky cracked open.

Chapter 209 Now that's what you call 'strong'.

Barrett spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, but a ferocious grin spread across his face: "That's more like it..."

Before he finished speaking, his right fist had already slammed into the ground!

"COmbined bOXing"

The entire island trembled violently, and countless rocks, warship wreckage, and even metal fragments in the seawater converged on him as if they were living things.

In an instant, a giant steel fist rose from the ground, and Barrett swung it fiercely.

"Boom!" A punch slammed down, the force of the punch compressing the air and creating visible vacuum ripples.

Upon seeing this, Gern vanished instantly, leaving a massive crater hundreds of meters in diameter in his wake. The shockwave sent up waves of earth several meters high around him.

"Heavenly Tremor - Empty Step!" In the next instant, Gern had already stepped onto the node of Barrett's giant fist.

His figure leaped into the air like lightning, his right hand wielding the black blade "Eight Directions," which was wreathed in pale shockwaves, returning to his palm before he unleashed a powerful downward slash.

"Heavenly Tremor - Collapse of the Boundary!!!"

"Clang!" The sound of metal clashing echoed through the sky.

At the critical moment, Barrett used the combined metal to condense a giant shield, and the shield collided with the tip of the blade, bursting out dazzling sparks.

"Has it already awakened?" Gern's pupils contracted slightly as he watched the shield's surface covered with flowing Armament Haki, its intensity constantly adjusting as if it were alive.

"Have we been discovered?" Barrett's voice came through the metal giant. "My combined Armament Haki can automatically adapt to the attack!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the metal suddenly disintegrated, turning into countless sharp fragments that shot towards Gern from all directions.

At the same time, Barrett's main body charged forward from the rain of fragments, his right fist wrapped in black and red Conqueror's Haki lightning, aiming straight for Gern's face.

"Heavenly Tremor - Mirror Folding!" Gern clenched his hands into claws and clenched them into the void in front of him, then his hands moved in a swift motion.

"Crack!" The resulting tremor shattered the space in front of them, preventing it from maintaining a straight line.

In an instant, the rain of fragments that had been shooting straight at them suddenly cleaved through Gern and flew to both sides!

But Barrett's fist pierced through the smoke and dust.

"Bang!" Gern was sent flying backward by the punch, his back crashing through three rock peaks before he could barely regain his balance.

"Ever since that punch, I've simulated your moves and fighting style countless times in my mind!"

Barrett chased after him with a maniacal laugh, his fists striking out alternately, each blow creating a sonic boom and slightly distorting the space where the wind from his punches passed.

"Is that so?" Gern suddenly closed his eyes, sheathed his sword, and bent over with a bow stance.

The instant the Barrett entered within three meters...

"Heavenly Tremor..." The black blade emitted a high-frequency buzzing sound, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared in the surrounding air.

"Instant Prison!"

The white light from the drawn sword flashed like lightning tearing the heavens and earth apart; Barrett's crossed-arm armor instantly vaporized.

Even the undiminished force of the blade cleaved the sea behind him in two, revealing a vacuum trench hundreds of meters deep!

"Cough!" Barrett spat out a mouthful of blood, but used the impact to quickly retreat, and then sprang out again!

……

In an instant, amidst a deafening explosion, Barrett's iron fist collided fiercely with the Black Blade Eight Desolations.

The shockwave spread in a ring, shattering the ground like fragile glass, and sending debris flying into the air.

Barrett's pupils contracted.

He could clearly feel that with each impact, a strange vibration traveled through the weapon to his arm, tearing the muscle fibers at a microscopic level.

"Heavenly Tremor - Shattering Slash!" Gern suddenly changed his move, his blade swirling as he switched from a slash to a thrust.

Barrett leaned back hastily, the tip of the knife grazing his chin, drawing a string of blood beads.

But Gern's offensive did not stop. His left fist, wreathed in purplish-black domineering energy, aimed straight for Barrett's chest.

"Black Shock - Star Piercing!"

At the critical moment, Barrett crossed his arms to block.

"Boom!" The force of the punch pierced through the defense, and Barrett was knocked back dozens of meters, his feet carving two deep furrows in the ground.

He looked down and saw that the Armament Haki on his forearm had been shaken out with spiderweb-like cracks.

"Interesting!" Barrett laughed instead of getting angry, his Conqueror's Haki erupting suddenly, dark red lightning leaping around him.

"That's more like it!" He stomped his foot, and the ground collapsed with a crash.

Using the recoil, Barrett shot towards Gern like a cannonball, pulling his right fist back to its limit, his Armament Haki condensing into a jet-black sheen.

Gern's eyes narrowed, and the Black Blade Eight Desolations blocked in front of him.

"Clang!" The sound of metal clashing resounded through the sky, the blade trembled violently, and Gern was forced to slide back by the impact of the punch.

But in the instant he retreated, he formed his left hand into a claw and suddenly grabbed at the void, pulling it towards him.

"Heavenly Tremor - Void Shackles!"

"Crack!" Pale white cracks suddenly appeared in the space around Barrett, and an invisible shackle of vibration imprisoned him.

Barrett roared, his muscles bulged, and his Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki erupted simultaneously, shattering the restraints.

But compared to Roger, it took him much longer to break free!