One Piece: Gambling To The Top

Momonga, with his thumb on the guard on his katana, stared at Josh, ready to draw his sword at any moment. Despite the intensity of the situation, the Devil in front of him was staring deeply into his eyes, not flinching at all.

'His fighting spirit has increased from the last time… No way, no one can improve this fast in two months.'

"I'll repeat myself for the last time. Where is my sword?" Josh asked, his hand slowly reaching his back, grabbing a curved black scimitar.

Momonga decided to provoke Josh a bit. "It's between your boyfriend's legs."

Josh flinched a bit, biting his tongue as hate was rising within him. The wrath attribute was being unleashed from him. He then smirked and clicked his tongue twice, forgetting about the sword.

Josh said without an expression on his face. "Tsk… tsk. It seems cleaning your daddy's viper made your mouth dirty."

"Daddy's viper? I'm an orphan, maybe you should check your source." Momonga was holding his anger, not trying to look affected by this. Marines like him are trained mentally.

Josh sighed. "For a justice puppy, you're too naive. Never realised you are adopted?"

One has to know that losing in words contest of sarcasm can lead to a real loss in the battle. Its purpose is to build momentum. Josh couldn't allow his foe to have more words.

With a swift motion, Josh spun the sword in his hand. The blade made a circle of compressed air blade, which flew toward Monomga.

Frowning, Monomga drew the sword out of his sheath, the blade meeting with the pressed air. At first, he had thought it was easy. But now that he was getting pushed back, Monomga was having another thought. Tensing the muscles in his arms and shaking the blade, the compressed sword circle flew away, cutting the sea in half.

"You are not half bad," Momonga said, the sword turning black. "And you know Haki."

When his words ended, the tip of the katana was cut, and it fell.

Monomga didn't look surprised as he wrapped his sword with Haki. Looking at Josh's scimitar, he, somehow, was amazed at how sharp it is.

Josh held the sword with his right hand, squatted, and pointed with the blade to Monomga.

Feeling danger, Monomga turned into a blur, raising his sword and stopping Josh from doing his next movement. Waving his sword down, Monomga intended to cut Josh in half with his sword that turned into a light streak. It should be easy since Josh isn't covering himself with Haki.

However, just a millimetre before the blade touch his hair, Josh took a step to the side, letting the sword pass. Monomga can't change his action, since it's in the middle of occurrence.

Josh had on propose delayed his reaction since timing is the most important.

It can be too early, neither it can be late.

Just watching Luffy vs Katakuri shows that reacting too early, make you very predictable, and allow your opponent to observe you and use different patterns of attacks. Even against someone with advanced Haki, timing is a deadly weapon.

Josh held his sword tightly while staring at Monomga, who was 2.5 meters tall, but now his face was so close to Josh's. Monomga knew he can't change his action before his head would fly off, however, he could do one thing: kicking the ground as fast as possible.

*Swish*

Monomga vanished from the sight and appeared ten meters back, his sword just slammed the ground, clenching his teeth and staring at Josh.

Josh lifted his head and looked at Momonga. Between them, a long slit appeared, cutting the ground in half.

"Bastard…" The vice admiral called. "You almost got me… I won't underestimate you anymore."

Josh didn't reply to him as a small smirk appeared on his face.

Frowning, the Vice-Admiral lifted his sword and held the sheath with both hands. "Time to get serious."

Josh's hands morphed to Demon's arms in one second. The demonic energy wrapped him, taking the attribute of light. Aiming with his hands forward, Josh shot few light beams at Monomga, who turned into a blur. Depending on his Haki, the Vice-Admiral started dodging. Although the light beams were fast, Momonga could predict them and make an advanced reaction. Although he dodged, the light beams headed behind him, his fellow marines got off the sea after having their battleship broken.

Monomga closed his eyes. 'Forgive me, guys.' He can only help them by winning. In instant, he appeared behind Josh, eyes wide open, and he swung his sword in a curved arc down. It was so fast that it would be impossible to dodge, only running is an option.

Josh, without turning behind, raised his left arm and put it on his back, meeting with the blade.

*Metal clash*

Monomga opened his eyes widely. The blade just met with a light shield, covered in armament Haki, which blocked his swing.

Frowning, Momonga didn't stop his combo, raised his sword, jumped back slightly, and slashed in the air, sending a great sized sword air arc. Dodging, Josh turned around the arc and headed toward the Vice-Admiral in the air, stabbing with his sharp obsidian made sword to Momonga's chest. Kicking the air below him, Monomga walked on it up, ascended, and dodged.

Josh used Moonwalk and walked on the air and followed the vice admiral, only to feel Monomga putting his sword in his sheath.

"Iai." Declaring slightly, Monomga drew the sword out of the sheath at a blurry speed. It was so fast that anyone would only see a silver light.

Josh, not being able to dodge from such a near position, only waved his black sword up. A half-second later, as the two were staring at each other, a great yellow spark appeared between them. The part of Water 7, which was floating in the water behind Josh, was big to have a full market there. However, in that instant, a great cut appeared on it.

"For a marine, you suck at protecting people." While their swords were against each other, Josh raised his leg, slashing up with storm leg. Monomga, predicting this, raised his knee, parrying and changing Josh's slash direction.

When the two of them kept staring, the building behind Monomga was cut in half.

"You are the last one to say that to me!"

Monomga balanced himself in the air and stabbed with his sword forward.

"It's not my job to worry about the public safety or repairs. Or does your boss want to raise taxes? Shitty marines."

Josh used Shave and Moonwalk two times in a row, gaining twice the usual momentum, appearing behind Monomga. Josh stabbed with his sword to his foe's back.

Monomga, however, managed to dodge by a backflip after jumping, using moonwalk, trying to flip on Josh. Staring down, Momonga couldn't help but open his eyes widely. Josh had stopped his stabbing movement in the middle, meaning that he hadn't put his strength. It also means that he can change his reaction.

Instantly, Josh changed the direction of his slash. Monomga could only bring his sword in front of his face.

Josh, however, waved the sword left and right and down, several times in half-second.

The compressed air blades changed direction in the air and headed toward Momonga.

Monomga realised that with his Haki.

His body could react due to experience. However, it was confused since attacks were coming from every direction, and he couldn't think about anything except for covering his whole body with armament Haki.

*Swish* *Swish*

The pressed air arcs circled around Momonga. A vortex of sword arc covered the Vice Admiral from every direction, trapping him.

Josh landed on his feet.

"Ha…Ha…" Josh took two deep breaths. "It's not over yet."

He then stared at the marines on the seaport. They were few hundreds, he could tell, and they gave him a glare of hate.

The marines aimed their weapons forward toward Josh, swords, guns and fists. They were ranked elites as well.

However, before they could do anything, many full beautiful legs appeared on the ground, joining together and forming a 7-meter long leg. The muscles tightened quickly as the marines stared at that foot.

Then, in instant, that leg turned into a blur, slashing toward them from distance. Before they could realise it, a gigantic projectile of storm legs, with extended to hundreds of meters, hit them, taking all of them down in instant.

One projectile of simple storm legs can extend between 10 to 30 meters long, for weak agents such as Kalifa in past, who should have the strength of 5-6 tons.

Robin's voice came from a distance. "Have your time, Josh."

Josh smiled wryly. 'She took her training too seriously. What a monster did I create.'

Robin, who had passed that level thanks to Josh's supplies of pills, could at least max it after her training. Combining a hundred copy legs could create a hundred times more impactive projectiles. That's why her fruit had very high potentials with proper techniques and strength.

He thought as he looked at the water channels that were cut in half. Added to that the damage he and Monomga have done, probably, in this battle, they had changed the map of Water 7.

The citizen around were on the ground, hiding.

'It seems my little girls grew up…'

Josh let a deep exhaled slowly as he looked up. "He's coming out."

*Roar*

Came a roar from the sky. Josh lifted his head to the vortex of the sharp air blades, which just vanished.

Momonga was done waving his sword in every direction, reflecting the few sharp air blades, which got him out of the vortex.

"I won't lose to a filthy pirate."

Monomga landed on his feet. The Armament Haki faded around his body. One can see that he was covered in wounds, deep ones, all around his body.

Momonga should be bleeding all of his blood in seconds. However, tensing his muscles had made him not.

Momonga took his sheath and threw it away. He held the sword with both hands and aimed at Josh.

Josh half-closed his eyes, feeling the fighting spirit within the Vice-Admiral.

It was something that Grandmasters in swordsmanship has. Their spirits are so strong that they can appear in reality, bringing the swordsman to their real potentials. Just like Zoro's extra 6 arms and three heads.

A blue aura started covering Momonga's body, the ground shook a bit.

Josh looked at the ground, to the sheath.

Some may think it's a casual movement. However, it has a deep meaning.

When a samurai throw his sheath away, it means that he may not use it again, and a swordsman won't use his sword in one case — death.

"It's a good day to die," Monomga said, lowering his sword slightly and aiming the tip at Josh. A pitch-black aura covered Momonga's sword, and it was more visible. That was due to his armament Haki.

Putting the black sword on his back, Josh smirked. Since he is could feel the fighting spirit of the Vice-Admiral, Josh is aware that he would die if he clashed with him like that.

Josh's height increased enough to become as tall as Monomga. Red scales covering him from head to toe, great horns growing on the sides of his head. With long bat wings on his back flapping, Josh squatted, another layer of black scales making guards around his shoulders.

As he squatted, his pointy tail swinging, the demonic energy around Josh formed a light ball in his hands, creating a light katana between his hands.

"Good for you."Red aura covered Josh from head to toe, pushing the wind around him, raising the heat of the surrounding.

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A/N: Chapters ahead at patréon

www..patréon.com/Blazuki