One Piece: Gambling To The Top

A/N: Chapters ahead at patréon

www.p atreon.com/Blazuki

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Drake pulled his axe and stared at Josh, his eyes focusing. Josh, The Gambler, wasn't a regular person.

He, in the reports of the marines, had easily managed to kill agents from the World Government. Although those agents weren't the best, they were highly trained ones.

'I thought they put a high bounty on him because he knows about Crocodile and they feared that he exposes them. But he is strong enough to beat T-Bone easily.'

Thought Drake as he scanned Josh, who didn't look tired or injured.

The atmosphere became intense from locking their gazes with each other, the marines around X-Drake sweating a bit.

Quickly, Josh vanished. Drake, if not for his enhanced senses thanks to his ancient zoan, would barely see that.

Still, Josh was like a blur to him. X Drake held his axe and waved based on his animistic instinct.

However, his axe's blade met with nothing.

*Spsh* *Spsh* *Spsh*

After hearing slashes and splashes, X Drake turned. His men were having cuts appearing on them as they started falling on their knees.

Behind them, Josh was standing, sheathing his sword slowly before turning.

Not showing any emotion to the 2 guys who fell, X Drake didn't bother asking a criminal why he did that.

"I'm your opponent, coward." Said Drake, provoking Josh to attack him.

"I can't split myself into two to give you more number advantage, courageous marine." Josh mocked with sarcasm as he looked at the other marines.

Even if X Drake may be able to parry his attack, Josh may get bothered by the marines at some points.

X Drake can't stop him, it seems, from attacking the others. X Drake could tell that Josh is thinking about that.

"Raise your guards."

After ordering his squad, X Drake turned into a blur as he ran toward Josh, his eyes becoming snake-like.

Meanwhile, the officers who had guns with them aimed at Josh, ready to shoot him the moment he moves.

Josh's eyes moved once to left and right. The moment X Drake appeared in front of him with his axe raising, Josh quickly slashed his Katana. The axe and the sword met, winds blew everywhere.

The clash didn't stop here, X Drake landed on his feet and waved his big axe very swiftly like it was a very light toy.

Josh squatted and span, waving his sword down, which made X Drake jump up, holding the axe with one hand before he threw it at Josh with all of his might.

The axe was very swift, and the distance was close. In the last moment, Josh managed to use Shave, to appear standing on the wall, vertically.

*Pew*

Alerted by his senses, Josh unconsciously raised his sheath, and it shook when a bullet hit it.

Looking angrily at the side, Josh locked his gaze at the marine that shoots that him.

Not wasting time to get another shot, Josh sheathed his sword and squatted at the wall.

When X Drake flashed in front of him, his body growing so big and getting covered in green scales, Josh vanished from his spot, appearing next to a little group of elite marines, who wouldn't be more than officers.

Before X Drake could turn as he was huge and looked like an Allosaurus, Josh was surrounded by the marines.

One of the marines dashed with his sword. Unfortunately for him, Josh was faster as he waved his sheathed sword on the man's leg, making him flip up.

Before the man could fall, Josh drew the sword out of the sheath and waved blade on his ribs and vanished, appearing in front of another marine.

The second marine raised his gun to shoot, but he was slow as Josh stabbed him on the ribs quickly, before turning and waving the sword on another marine who appeared in front of him, cutting his legs.

By that instance, someone was holding a dagger that was next to Josh's neck. Taking a quick step to the side and turning, Josh stabbed with his sheath to that man's chest, sending him flying some ten meters before resting.

The marines fell as Josh started sheathing his sword. Bodies fell, unconsciously or missing a limb.

Staring forward, Josh noticed Drake, who turned into a giant 7 meters dinosaur.

"I will assume since you are a Commodore, you aren't a regular marine."

"You shall be handed to justice."

"Says the T-Rex."

"It's Allosaurus!"

"Whatever. You're still ugly."

Josh said, lifting his head to the 7 meters big dinosaur. X-Drake was covered by green tough-looking scales, which were hard looking.

Not wasting time, Josh used Shave to appear behind the dinosaur. However, X Drake, in this form, has the instinct of an ancient creature, which allowed him to slam with his tailback.

Josh was quite surprised when he saw the tail heading toward him. Josh used Moonwalk to get out of the way of the tail and flipped.

"You can see, I see."

Drake tried to turn.

Taking advantage of his smaller body, Josh used Moonwalk to flip around Drake and waved his Katana on the scales.

Surprisingly, the blade made only a scratch on Drake. The scales, not only were tough, but so thick as well.

Even though Josh can cut steel, the scales were so tough and durable. It needs more sword mastery to cut them.

Josh opened his eyes widely and parried X Drake's claw in the air, which sent him back to the ground.

Sneering at Josh who landed on his feet, Drake said with arrogance. "You can't harm me in this form. It's your end."

One may think X-Drake was slow in this form, yet he was swift as he dashed to Josh.

He opened his mouth widely and tried to bite him, which was enough to eat Josh in this dinosaur form.

Josh flashed up in the sky, 20 meters high. Not fearing the height, he looked down at the dinosaur that looked up at him.

"You should not judge that too early. It's a cliche for a villain's last words."

Josh, Extending his hand to the right, a red energy aura started wrapping him. Two horns grew on the side of his head, and red scales covered his body. Josh turned into what seemed a demon.

In this form, Josh has his strength and speed multiplied. And he could access mystical Demonic Energy that he doesn't know, but he could feel it.

Landing on the top of one of the buildings, the Devil-like man, who was dressed in normal clothes, took his sword out of the sheath.

"You have a Devil Fruit… Mythical Zoan." Drake opened his eyes widely. Mythical Zoan was at a higher level than Ancient Zoan. It allowed its user to have mythical abilities. And given Josh's demonic form, X Drake didn't know what this man holds in his sleeves.

"Allow me to introduce you to the Ancient Demon."

As Josh unsheathed his sword, a red aura wrapped the blade. Anyone can tell it was dark energy that gives negative feelings to the surroundings.

Josh sheathed his sword and looked at X Drake.

Despite being on the top of a building, they were at the same height.

"Humph. It's not going to end easily, for you." Drake said.

"Let's see about that, shall we." Josh squatted, ready for the clash.

The dinosaur's eyelids shrank as his pupils grew, seeing Josh in theoretical vision. Drake opened his mouth and squatted, ready to charge.