One Piece: Reborn in God's Valley

Twenty minutes later, at the Fernando Club.

Three hundred Marines had surrounded the club completely. Ulysses stood at the front with Abbas by his side.

Behind them were five CP9 agents of various builds, all dressed in black suits, their expressions cold and unreadable.

On the other side, Ashen stood calmly at the entrance of the club, accompanied by his four core crew members and sixteen regular crewmates. 

The two sides faced off in silence. The tense stillness before the storm felt as though the very air was about to freeze solid.

"I'm surprised you didn't run. Should I admire your confidence... or pity your ignorance, Helgrave?" Ulysses finally broke the silence.

"Haha... I thought you'd start spewing some crap about the World Government, but you're more interesting than that." Ashen's eyes locked onto Ulysses, battle spirit surging.

"Hmph… Only useless trash hide behind the banner of the Government. And as for you, remnant scum of the Rocks Pirates, you're not worth wasting words on. Erasure is the only outcome." 

Ulysses growled, his masked face expressionless, his voice growing colder by the second.

"Hahahaha…. Then come try me, lapdog of the Celestial Dragons." Ashen charged forward without hesitation.

Ashen's opening strike was a full-powered punch.

"Soru."

Ulysses vanished, leaving only an afterimage behind. Then, in a blur, he reappeared right in front of Ashen and countered with a punch of his own.

Boom!

The air between them compressed violently, then burst outward in shockwaves like tidal waves crashing in every direction. 

Nearby buildings collapsed with crashing roars, and nearly half of the club's massive first floor crumbled from the impact.

Both fighters were blasted backward nearly a hundred meters before skidding to a halt, each landing on their feet.

"Parnell. Take the others, that side is yours." Ashen didn't pursue. Instead, he shouted toward the club.

"Leave it to me, Captain."

Parnell answered immediately. He saw the Marines regathering after the earlier shockwave and preparing to charge. Without delay, he activated his Devil Fruit power, the Tar-Tar Fruit.

"Black Barrier."

Parnell's arms turned to a fluid state, and with a sweeping motion, he launched a wave of thick, tar-like asphalt.

As it hit the ground, the tar hardened instantly, forming a massive black wall over ten meters wide, shielding the Helgrave Pirates.

Bang.. Bang.. 

A hail of gunfire erupted.

The battle had begun.

...

Elsewhere, Ulysses leapt once again, closing in on Ashen, while Abbas hovered above, having flown into the air earlier to avoid the shockwave.

"You're cornered, yet you're still worrying about those West Blue rats? That filthy pirate camaraderie of yours is sickening." 

Ulysses sneered, clearly understanding why Ashen had brought the fight here.

"Heh... A slaughtering machine of the World Government like you would never understand what's truly worth protecting," Ashen replied with utter disdain.

"Hmph… I abandoned feelings long ago, when that person sold me to the Government. So go ahead and protect your precious bonds... in hell." 

Ulysses' voice turned sharp with buried pain as he launched his next attack.

"Shigan."

His fingers turned black and stabbed the air in rapid succession. The sheer speed compressed the air into sharp projectiles, firing them straight at Ashen.

Whoosh…. Whoosh....

The wall behind Ashen was instantly riddled with holes, turned into a sieve.

Just as he dodged, Ashen's footing barely recovered when a slicing wind attack came from above, it was Abbas's Rankyaku from mid-air.

But before he could marvel at Abbas's acting skills, Ashen's Observation Haki flared, a powerful threat closing in from behind.

Ashen made a split-second decision. Rather than dodging Abbas's attack, he used Armament Haki into his fist, pivoted with all his strength, and threw a devastating counter strike.

"Netherstrike: Eightfold Break."

"Rokuougan."

As their fists collided, an icy cold surge of Nether energy spread from Ashen's fist up Ulysses' arms and into his body.

Though the massive recoil forced them apart again, Ashen's Ghost Aura, channeled through the penetrative force of the Eightfold Break, had already seeped deep into Ulysses' body. 

It was a technique Ashen had recently developed: a deadly combo move.

And it worked.

The chilling energy was eating away at Ulysses' muscle tissue from the inside. Even worse, the soul-numbing cold dulled his mind, slowing his thoughts.

Ashen, however, hadn't come out unscathed. The sheer impact of Ulysses' strength felt like it had shifted his internal organs.

His back had also been slashed open by Abbas's Rankyaku, leaving a long, bloody gash.

"Ha...."

Breathing heavily, Ashen looked up at Ulysses.

Though Ulysses lacked a Devil Fruit, his overwhelming physique, combat experience, mastery of high-level Haki, and cold, calculated mind made him the strongest opponent Ashen had faced since arriving in this world.

"Hahaha. That was amazing. One more." Fired up, Ashen launched himself back into battle.

...

In front of the club, the fight had reached a fever pitch. Dozens of Marines and over a hundred mafia members lay bloodied on the ground. The rest were injured to varying degrees.

Even though the Marines were elites from Navy Headquarters, this was Gangster Island, home turf for the Mafia. 

And once their ammunition ran out, the Marines were forced into close combat against well-equipped enemies and Ashen's sixteen crewmen. Their numbers were thinning fast.

Meanwhile, the five CP9 agents were also caught in deadlocks.

Two of them faced Parnell. Despite the two on one advantage, Parnell's Logia-type fruit proved difficult to handle. 

Worse, the toxic fumes from his asphalt attacks had already left the agents coughing uncontrollably.

Salles and Lafitte, brothers, fought another CP9 agent. Salles used his abilities to disrupt the enemy, while Lafitte darted through the air, launching ambushes. Together, they held their own.

The most unexpected, however, was Walton. Facing two agents alone, he grew more savage with each passing second.

At one point, one agent tried to sneak past to strike at Salles. Walton's massive honey badger form chose to take a hit in order to strike back, forcing the agent to retreat. 

He fought like a beast with nothing to lose, no retreat, no surrender.

...

Elsewhere, outside the battlefield.

"Boss Feld, I've confirmed it. The World Government's intelligence unit is clashing with the Helgrave Pirates. 

Ashen is currently being double-teamed by two CP0 agents," Jean reported, standing atop a tall rooftop.

"CP0? Don't make a move yet, Jean. Wait until one side wins, then call me." A rushed voice came through the Den Den Mushi.

...

On the other side of the line, Feld ended the call and immediately picked up another Den Den Mushi.

"Heheheh. Morgans, I've got a scoop you're definitely gonna want..."