Sengoku had no regard for this kind of attack—he disdained it entirely. But what he didn't anticipate was just how insane Esdeath's tactics would become moments later.
As more and more stones were hurled his way, he was forced to dodge the larger ones to avoid being hit directly. When necessary, he resorted to covering his body with Armament Haki. In an instant, the radiant golden Buddha form transformed into a black giant Buddha.
The sight was eerily bizarre.
Esdeath couldn't help but laugh as she waved her palm, taunting, "The big black Buddha suits you much better."
Sengoku's blood pressure spiked at the provocation, but he didn't take the bait. Instead, his fists began launching even more air cannons, smashing the oncoming stones into dust.
The entire island trembled under the pressure of their clash. Around Sengoku, countless boulders had shattered and piled up into a mountain of debris.
As the pile grew, Sengoku noticed something unusual. A thick, expansive layer of rocky terrain had formed around him, and his feet were already half-buried. That's when he finally realized Esdeath's real strategy—she wasn't simply attacking him with stones.
She was burying him.
If the rocks reached above his chest, his arm movements would be heavily restricted. Soon after, he would be struck hard, unable to defend himself properly.
It was a bad situation.
For the first time, Sengoku shifted his stance. He leapt into the air, intending to relocate the battlefield. But suddenly, he felt as if he were trapped in a swamp.
That's when he realized something was very wrong—his legs were bound. He wasn't just being overwhelmed—he had been targeted, thoroughly.
How could this woman possess such a sophisticated battle strategy?
Only now did Sengoku see her clearly. She was no longer the reckless figure he'd perceived earlier. He hadn't expected her to lay traps mid-fight.
Back on the cruise ship, Kaos was in his cabin fucking Rika Minami. Although he'd sensed the powerful shockwaves from outside, he didn't even look up. He knew that the one responsible had to be Sengoku.
He didn't care to check what was happening. After all, he was having a good time with Rika Minami.
He had no interest in anything else, and whether Esdeath would lose to Sengoku—it didn't concern him in the slightest.
After all, Esdeath was a battle-hardened admiral.
Even when facing someone like Sengoku, she wasn't likely to go down easily.
So Kaos remained in the room. Meanwhile, outside on the battleship, many Marines stood at the railings, watching the battle unfold on the island through binoculars.
Despite the distance of thousands of meters, the telescopes gave them a clear view. But what they saw left them utterly stunned.
Countless massive rocks were floating above the island and then suddenly rained down upon Sengoku. Yet Sengoku just stood there—motionless, making no effort to dodge. It made them anxious.
If he kept standing there, no matter how powerful he was, he would eventually be buried under the avalanche. That would be catastrophic.
Vice Admiral Onigumo was beginning to panic. He hadn't expected Sengoku to make such a careless mistake.
To just stand there and clash with the opponent like that—it was obvious he was being used as a live target.
Unless he had some hidden plan?
But that seemed unlikely.
Faced with the grim situation, the Marines aboard the ship could only watch helplessly. But as Sengoku's predicament worsened, Onigumo gritted his teeth and stormed into the command post.
"Fire a Tomahawk missile at the rocky terrain!"
Onigumo had finally made up his mind to intervene in this duel. How could he just stand by and watch the pride of the Marines fall to a woman?
However, when the staff heard the order, they hesitated. When Sengoku had boarded earlier, he'd made it very clear—this warship was here for Kaos. And the Marine standing before Onigumo was a devoted follower of Kaos.
After all, Kaos hadn't just saved slaves—he had rescued their hometown, which had once been overrun by pirates.
Since Kaos's rise, those pirates had been wiped out one after another.
Peace had finally returned to their land. For that, this Marine was deeply grateful to Kaos.
He didn't want to get involved in the fight. And he firmly believed that Kaos's woman would never truly harm the Fleet Admiral.
There was nothing to worry about—yet.
"Vice Admiral Onigumo," the man said, "the Fleet Admiral has clearly ordered that no weapons on this ship are to be used without his explicit command."
Hearing that, Onigumo exploded in fury. He grabbed the man by the collar and pulled him close.
"What the hell is wrong with you?! Can't you see what's happening?! The Fleet Admiral is being humiliated! He is the symbol of our Marine's pride!"
"If he's defeated by one of Lord Kaos's women—how shameful would that be?!"
Onigumo was livid—utterly frustrated by this man's stubbornness.
Refusing to launch missiles now? Was he out of his mind?
But the Marine only shook his head and refused again.
That pushed Onigumo over the edge. He flung the man aside and took control of the system himself, ready to act.