Bam!!
Kid and Law's heads slammed together under the grip of hands, then bounced off, each showing pain. But before their bodies could return upright, the hands gripping their heads pushed them inward again.
Bam!
Bam-bam-bam!
Several consecutive hits made the pair blink, dizzy from the impact.
During this collision, Law struggles to raise his hand and unleashes the Surgical Domain.
"Ro..."
"Ro your mother!"
Sage claps his hands together, making their heads collide once more, then swiftly jumps up in the air, spinning to throw their heads forward and directly toss them away.
Boom!
Their bodies fly rapidly, crashing into the building ahead, blasting a hole and raising a cloud of smoke.
Amidst the smoke, two stones fell down.
"Ha, ha..."
Law and Kid flash to an open area below, both clutching their heads and panting, but before they can catch their breath, they see Sage snap his fingers.
"Powerful Drum!"
Rumble!
Thunderbolts descend instantly from the overcast sky, striking them.
The thunder dissipates, leaving their bodies charred black, mouths expelling black smoke.
Sage sneers, "Flashing? Instant Teleportation? If your reflexes aren't fast enough, you'll just end up electrocuted."
Clap.
Saying so, he snaps his fingers again, causing the sky to unleash two more thunders.
"Room!"
This time Law reacts, shouting loudly, replacing himself and Kid with stones beside Sage, instantly teleporting. The Long Sword Kikoku points directly at Sage as Kid extends his mechanical arm, quickly gathering a batch of swords, guns, and metal, forming a massive arm.
"Impact Gamma Knife!"
"Magnetic·String!"
Green wave-like beams burst from the long sword, and the enormous mechanical fist launched straight at Sage, reaching him in the blink of an eye and striking fiercely.
Bam!
The gigantic metal fist was held by a hand that seemed like an ant next to an elephant, yet on that hand, the metal fist was as light as a balloon.
Meanwhile, the green beam was blocked by a palm glowing with black flowing fire, maintained briefly in the palm, dispersing as if burned by black flames.
"Let me teach you..."
Bam!
Sage's right hand exerted force, embedding the palm straight into the metal fist, seemingly striking a critical point, the magnetically coated metal arm violently shattered, scattering everywhere.
"As long as your Haki is strong enough, you can ignore most of the attacks in this world, of course, provided..."
Swoosh!
Law's vision blurred, and in the next moment, a leg like a whip slammed into his face.
"Your body is powerful!"
Bam!
Law was kicked flying, but as he just flew up, Kid on the other side saw a flash of a shadow, followed by a sharp pain in his chest, spitting blood as he flew away.
"One after another, powerless abilities, weak Haki, slack reactions, insufficient vigilance. The only commendation is the courage to challenge the Four Emperors, but..."
Sage appeared in Kid's original position, merely twisting his waist, a flame igniting on his fist.
"If you can't guarantee you'll win from the start, and all you're doing is boasting, that's not courage; that's ignorance! Fire Fist!!"
Boom!
A ferocious pillar of fire surged towards the pair as Sage swung his fist, demolishing buildings along its path before igniting them, transforming the area ahead into a sea of fire.
Before the fiery sea, two scattered pieces of metal suddenly disappeared, replaced by Law and Kid.
The former had a twitch in his eye, bleeding, while the latter clutched his chest, gasping heavily.
At this critical moment, Law, the one most proficient in using Fruit Ability, played a crucial role in swapping them out.
"Why not obediently be roasted by the fire? If you're severely injured, seeing that you owe me money, I might spare your lives."
Sage chuckled softly, "Speaking of which, you owe me for such a long time, with what will you repay me? It's been so long, and I haven't seen any territory of yours. What's up with the recent pirates, one after another only following the Log Pose."
"Are you pirates, or is the Log Pose a pirate?"
Being a pirate, taking territories and plundering widely isn't mainstream; instead, sailing around the world like a journey aboard a pirate ship is considered mainstream...
Sage said with some frustration, "You think you're Columbus, able to discover new lands, establish trade routes in the future, and become slave masters? Dreaming is fine, but staying grounded is also essential!"
"Don't listen to those who say spend more, earn more, they've already started cost-cutting and layoffs, aren't you considering saving? When you retire, you'll sell yourself on Shampodi, won't you? Look at you, no money, no ability, can't even repay the money you owe me, zero creditability."
"Stop with this nonsense!"
Kid shouted, "That's what you forced with power, I've never acknowledged owing you money."
"Bad wind."
Sage flicked his fingers, launching a sharp Wind Blade towards Kid, who frantically gathered a large mass of metal to block it, but the Wind Blade was so fierce, it swiftly sliced through the massive metal arm, even cutting off a segment of Kid's mechanical arm.
If he hadn't dodged in time, his head might have been cut off by that.
Even so, the fierce Wind Blade left two cuts on his cheek and neck.
"Look, this is what happens to low-level pirates..."
Sage sneered grimly, "The so-called power is just another commodity, I trade power, and you either pay me with wealth or your life, since my power is strong, you have no other choice, isn't this business?"
"The essence of the world is often so simple, individuals may still be constrained by common morals, but when individuals rise to groups, some things are just excuses... excuses others give to conceal my actions, I don't even need to explain myself."
"What will they call me? Tyrant? Evil? World's top destructive maniac? Robbery king? Perhaps every title, but nobody dares call me weak..."
He spread his arms, laughed heartily, "It's just such a simple thing, why make it so complicated, I say you owe me money, when spread at sea, no one will question the matter itself, only why you owe me money, why you haven't repaid me, hahahaha!"
Regarding what the sea says, Sage couldn't care less, after defeating Big Mom, he reached a level where he does whatever he pleases.
For strength provided him too much assurance, even the World Government couldn't do anything about it.
"Forget it, I guess you've become deadbeats..."
Sage clenched his fist, "I've got a standard procedure for dealing with deadbeats, let me take you through it."