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"Are you planning to just hand me everything?" Ayr asked, slightly puzzled.
John grinned, his teeth bared in a predatory smile. "Stop joking, Ayr. Our battle is just getting started!"
Ayr shook his head. "Forget it, John. You're wasting your time. You already know you can't beat me."
Ayr wasn't even using his Conqueror's Haki infusion—the Conqueror's Coil—or Kurama's power.
Even without those, he was still superior to John.
To be honest, he couldn't figure out what John thought he could win with.
"That's where you're wrong!!!" John suddenly grinned.
In the next instant, he tightened his grip on his Great Grade sword, lifting it with both hands—
—but his target wasn't Ayr.
It was the ship itself.
"Huh?!"
Ayr's expression flickered for a brief moment.
A bright arc of white light flashed as John slashed downward, his blade tearing through the deck beneath their feet.
"KAKAKAKA!!!"
The entire ship groaned and split apart, a gaping chasm forming as the vessel snapped in two.
"What are you—?!"
Ayr narrowed his eyes, watching John destroy his own ship.
They had been fighting midair, clashing blades with enough force to shake the sea—
—so why the hell was John attacking his own footing?!
John laughed. "Ayr, you can't win this fight!"
"You're a Devil Fruit user. I'm not."
"All I have to do is push you into the sea."
John was no fool.
He knew that in pure strength, he wasn't Ayr's equal.
So—he had to fight smart.
If he couldn't overpower Ayr, he would drown him.
By destroying the ship, John was creating a battlefield where Ayr had no foothold.
Now, all John needed to do was keep attacking—relentlessly forcing Ayr to retreat—
—and the moment Ayr's body hit the water, it would be over.
John's men, who had been carrying treasures from the ship's storage, now understood what their captain was doing.
"Captain John has already won this fight!"
"Exactly! No matter how strong Ayr is, if he touches the sea, he's finished!"
"That's why Captain John never ate a Devil Fruit—because this is how you win!"
"I can't wait to see what kind of reward Captain Rocks gives us once we bring back the historical text!"
"Hahaha! I bet it's something amazing!"
Some of the crew had fallen into the sea, but now, seeing John's plan, they were revitalized.
From their perspective, this battle was already decided.
John—who didn't have a Devil Fruit—was about to secure victory.
Ayr just laughed softly, shaking his head.
"I'll give you this much, John… You're pretty smart."
If Ayr actually had a Devil Fruit, this strategy would've been dangerous.
Being forced into the ocean with no solid footing?
That would've been a huge problem.
But there was just one problem.
Ayr never ate a Devil Fruit.
All his power came from the system—not from a cursed fruit.
So this entire strategy…?
Completely useless.
John saw Ayr pause and mistook it for hesitation.
A wild grin spread across his face.
"Haha! You're finally realizing it, huh?" John laughed. "Give me the historical text now, and I might let you live."
Ayr clicked his tongue. "You're really getting full of yourself, huh?"
John's grin twisted into a sneer.
"If you won't surrender, then let's see how long you—the so-called 'strongest monster of the Rocks Pirates'—can last!"
John didn't wait for Ayr's response.
He immediately swung again, his sword tearing through the last intact portion of the ship's deck.
Now, they were both standing on only a thin section of wood, barely enough to balance on.
"TCH!"
John suddenly stomped down hard, using the force to propel himself forward.
With veins bulging in his arms, he swung his blade at Ayr, putting all his swordsmanship into a single attack.
Ayr didn't move.
Then—
"CLANG!!!"
He raised his Demon Slayer blade, meeting John's strike head-on.
The shockwave tore through what remained of the deck beneath them—
"CRACK!!"
—and the last solid footing was gone.
John's grin widened.
This was it.
Now Ayr would fall into the sea.
"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!!!"
The two continued clashing midair, their blades striking dozens of times per second.
Even though the deck was shattered, Ayr's feet still found purchase.
With ridiculous precision, he balanced on the fragments of broken wood, shifting his weight between tiny, floating planks.
John's eyes narrowed.
"What?! His footing…?! He's still standing?!"
Ayr didn't waste his chance.
"SHING!!!"
His blade sliced across John's stomach, leaving a deep, fresh wound.
John grinned savagely through the pain.
"You LOST, Ayr!!!"
Instead of defending, John aimed his next strike downward—
—toward the last plank supporting Ayr's weight.
"SHING!!!"
The two struck simultaneously.
Ayr's blade sank into John's flesh—
—while John's attack obliterated the plank below Ayr's feet.
"BOOOOM!!!"
John was sent flying backward, his body crashing into the ocean.
A massive wave erupted as he disappeared beneath the surface.
And Ayr—
—also fell.
"Hahaha… HAHAHA!!!"
John resurfaced, clutching his bleeding wound, but laughing uncontrollably.
"I told you, Ayr…! No matter how strong you are…!"
"The moment you touch the sea—you LOSE!"
The remaining crew erupted in cheers.
"CAPTAIN JOHN WINS!!!"
"Even Ayr can't fight once he's in the ocean!"
"We always knew Captain John would find a way!"
"As expected of the man we follow!"
From their perspective, the fight was already over.
Because in the logic of this world—
Devil Fruit users sink.
And Ayr… had just fallen into the sea.
John's laughter echoed across the waves.
But then—
His smile faltered.
Because something was wrong.
Ayr wasn't sinking.
He was standing on the ocean's surface—
—completely unfazed.
John's blood ran cold.
"What…?!"
His crew's celebration came to an abrupt stop.
"Wait… What's going on?!"
"Why isn't he sinking?!
Ayr just smirked.
"You didn't expect this, did you, John?"
He took a step forward—walking on the water as if it were solid ground.
"I'm not afraid of seawater."
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