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Chapter 176: Chapter 176: Axel in a State of Chaos

Chapter 176: Axel in a State of Chaos

How could a brat like that possess such terrifying power?

Jabra could not accept it.

Influencing the surrounding air, converting the environment itself into force, turning every swing into a storm of blades—judging from what he had seen, Axel had likely pushed his Devil Fruit ability to an advanced stage. Perhaps even further than that.

But there was no time to stand around marveling.

As much as Jabra hated admitting it, he knew he was not a match for this kid. If things continued as they were, Lucci would be worn down before he fully recovered from his injuries. Once that happened, both of them would fall.

He had to buy time.

Jabra crossed his arms in front of his chest. His claws rubbed against each other with a sharp scrape as he adjusted his breathing and hardened his stance.

”Tekkai!”

If his normal defense could not withstand those air blades, then he would strengthen himself with Tekkai.

That was one of Jabra’s advantages. Ordinary users of Tekkai became rigid after activating the technique, trading movement for defense. Jabra was different. By accelerating the flow of blood through his body and forcing his muscles to move faster, he could maintain mobility even while using Tekkai.

He tested it.

The blades that had cut through him earlier no longer bit deep. They scraped across his hardened body, leaving only thin red marks.

Good.

Jabra’s foot slammed into the broken floor.

”Tekkai: Ranba!”

Using the explosive force of his kicks, he bounded forward in rapid, short bursts, skimming across the battlefield like a dragonfly over water. His eyes remained sharp and calculating, tracking the gaps between the scattered air blades and choosing the safest path through them.

In an instant, he reached Axel’s side.

He did not hold back.

”Tekkai: Donpo!”

His claws stretched out, his arms blurring as he struck at extreme speed. To the naked eye, it looked as though dozens of arms had surrounded Axel from every direction.

Jabra had confidence in this move.

By combining Tekkai’s hardness with rapid claw strikes, each blow carried power no weaker than an ordinary Rankyaku.

That brat would have to stop and defend.

And if he did not, even better.

If Jabra defeated the monster even Lucci was struggling against, he would have enough bragging rights within CP9 to last a lifetime.

His claws accelerated.

Axel did not even look at him.

He continued attacking Lucci, as if Jabra’s assault did not exist.

Delight flashed across Jabra’s face.

He had not expected the kid to be this careless.

Then Lucci’s voice cut through the room.

”That kid can reflect attacks.”

His voice was calm, but to Jabra, it sounded like a death knell.

Why the hell didn’t you say that earlier?!

Jabra wanted to shout, but it was too late. A full-power attack could not simply be stopped halfway. He could only watch as his iron-hard claws struck Axel’s body.

The impact landed.

The next instant, a stronger force snapped back.

Jabra’s eyes widened as his own attack tore across his chest. Blood sprayed from a deep red gash.

The force was not merely equal to what he had unleashed.

It was stronger.

Several times stronger.

Jabra knew his own body well. Even if his full-power strike landed on himself while using Tekkai, it should have left only a minor wound. His defense was far greater than his offensive power.

Yet the gash across his chest proved otherwise.

Before he could recover, the surrounding air blades swept over him like salt poured into an open wound. Burning pain exploded across his body.

Jabra immediately used Ranba and leaped backward.

But Axel did not intend to let him leave.

Chaos was not merely disorder in technique.

It was disorder in emotion.

In this state, Axel no longer maintained the deliberate rationality and restraint he usually forced upon himself. His reflection had become sharper for the same reason. There was no hesitation, no measured control, no instinctive mercy.

When ordinary people attacked, they could never fully release their strength. The body protected itself. The mind restrained it. Even rage had limits.

Axel had cast those restraints aside.

He converted every possible ounce of strength into force, unbound by the emotional chains that normally held him back.

He still possessed logic.

But that logic could no longer interfere with his body’s actions.

It was like he had artificially destroyed the human part of himself and switched into another personality.

The price of this power was himself.

Once he entered this state, he would not return to normal until his spirit was exhausted—or until the enemies before him were defeated.

That was why he had told Tom to leave.

Without emotional restraint, Axel could not guarantee what he might do.

To him, strength had never meant the right to bully the weak. Strength meant responsibility. Even if he was still far from the monsters who stood at the summit of the sea, he was already too dangerous compared to ordinary people.

His ability was simply too powerful.

A moment of impatience, a flicker of anger, a careless emotional fluctuation—any of it could manifest in the world and take someone’s life.

That was why he liked joking around.

Humor softened his temper. It gave his emotions somewhere harmless to go. It made him less likely to become irritable, less likely to slip toward the kind of darkness he wanted to avoid.

He did not want to become someone who committed evil first and sought redemption later.

From the beginning, he had never intended to enter that darkness.

Perhaps it was the remnants of some childish sense of justice.

Perhaps it was merely the natural kindness of a human being.

Either way, Axel disliked this state.

Once a person grew accustomed to losing restraint, they would eventually stop seeing restraint as necessary. Issho had warned him of that the first time he created this technique.

Axel lightly swung his wooden blade.

It was a casual motion, almost like a child idly swatting grass with a stick.

Then several slashes appeared around the room.

They carved through the air and rushed toward everyone still inside.

At the same time, the slashes grew faster and stronger.

Cloud Slash.

A slash that absorbed surrounding energy and strengthened on its own.

Under the storm of cuts, the room no longer merely trembled.

It began to collapse.

The floor was torn apart. Supporting pillars were severed. Walls split open one after another, groaning under the accumulated damage.

Jabra cursed under his breath. He grabbed Blueno, who was still unconscious nearby, and used Ranba to smash through the wall, escaping outside with him.

He felt a chill of relief.

He had only been a short distance away from Blueno. Any farther, and he would not have had the chance to save him.

Lucci, still in his Kami-e state, also crashed out through the window, escaping the area moments before it was swallowed by destruction.

The commotion immediately drew the attention of the Marines below.

The enormous sword slashes tearing through the upper floor left the battling soldiers frozen in shock. Even in the middle of their own exercise, no one could ignore something of that scale.

Then the collapsing section of the building was revealed.

The faces of the Marines from San Faldo changed at once.

That was where Captaub Axel’s office was.

The realization hit them hard.

The enemy had used the exercise as cover and launched a sneak attack on their commander without them even noticing.

The figure that dropped down from above was still in leopard form, but the Enies Lobby Marines recognized him immediately by his unique hairstyle.

Lucci.

Their temporary commander for this mission.

Which meant the destruction above had been caused by his battle with someone.

The Enies Lobby Marines stared at the ruined office, unable to hide their unease.

This was supposed to be an exercise.

Destroying someone else’s base to this extent was going far beyond the rules.

.....

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