Phantom Blade Zephyr: One Piece

Just as the battle started, Coby rushed towards Lucien with agility. His fist turned black as he coated his arm with the fiercest armament haki he could use. Coby already knew very well how strong Lucien is. He has no chance of winning if he doesn't go all out from the start.

As Coby threw a punch that could crush boulders, Lucien looked at Coby with the same apathy as before. Just before the punch could connect, Lucien raised his left hand and gently nudged Coby's punch away from himself.

He did not use any haki, and to a spectator it would look as if Lucien had just simply diverted his punch. But Coby felt as if an animal had grabbed his arm and threw him away. That simple touch from Lucien made him feel as if his whole arm was being crushed.

Coby gritted his teeth and continued with his barrage of attacks. Lucien kept his arrogant gaze and deflected each attack with only his left hand. Coby hated the look in Lucien's eyes. He wanted to punch him in his face. But he was also smart enough to understand that if he continued like this, he'd be able to accomplish nothing. Lucien wasn't even serious. On the other hand, Coby has just recently learned armament haki, and he wasn't trained enough to use it for a long time.

Just as he was contemplating a new offensive strategy, Lucien spoke.

"So, this is the best the Navy has to offer." His disgust was clear in his face, "Pathetic."

Anger flared in Coby's mind, but he restrained himself. It wouldn't do him any good to lose his temper in an already losing battle. Lucien is an arrogant bastard. And he'll use that to win.

Just as Lucien finished speaking, Coby pivoted to the right. Lucien hasn't used his right hand a single time in this entire fight. And judging by his arrogant attitude, he's not going to use it either, just to prove his superiority.

Soru

Coby moved like a blur, and within a blink of an eye, he was just beside Lucien. Lucien was certainly surprised by the speed. Both of Coby's fists turned black as he raised them to deliver a devastating punch to Lucien's abdomen.

That's what was supposed to happen.

Suddenly, his world turned upside down as he got thrown away in the exact direction that he came from. His mind was still in disarray as he tried to piece together what the hell just happened. Coby calmed his mind and retraced everything that had just happened and could come to a single conclusion.

Emission

Coby got up quickly and met Lucien's eyes. A smirk was now present on his face.

"You've realized it too, haven't you? I can use Emission. My haki is stronger than yours. But your efforts are admirable. Your mastery over Soru was superior to every Cipher Pol agent here. For an insect, you certainly are quite strong. But that's just it. You're still nowhere near my level."

While Lucien was bragging about how great he was, Coby received vital information about Lucien's abilities.

'Lucien can only use Emission.'

With how arrogant he was, he would've definitely bragged about how he could use 'Internal Destruction' if he could actually use it. Although Emission itself was dangerous, at least it was better than the next level. He can work with that. 

"You should surrender. I have deemed that you are worthy to live past this day. You certainly have no hope of defeating me. After all, I'm the strongest person in my generation."

A small laugh erupted from Coby's lips involuntarily. A laugh of mockery. Lucien did not miss the amusement in Coby's face. His anger flared,

"What's so funny?"

"No, it's just that you think you're the strongest in our generation."

"What's wrong about that? Do you wish to say that I'm not the strongest one here?"

Coby could clearly see Lucien's anger rising with every word he said. This was working out in his favor. So he continued,

"Sure, you might be the strongest one here. But in front of someone like Sword King Zephyr and Fire Fist Ace, you are basically nothing. It wouldn't even take them a single minute to beat you."

Lucien's face turned red as he understood what Coby just implied.

"You dare compare someone like me to a filthy pirate! How dare you?"

Lucien lost all his reason as he jumped towards Coby with a speed that rivaled his own. The menace emanating from him was unmistakable. But even then, Coby wasn't unhappy with the situation. If he wanted to beat Lucien, he needed to use some underhanded methods.

Lucien's punch came from his right as Coby dodged it by a hair's breadth. Lucien's punch barely missed Coby, but the shockwave it created left cracks in the ground beneath them. Coby knew he couldn't afford a direct hit; it would end the fight instantly.

He steadied himself, taking a deep breath to clear his mind. Lucien's overwhelming strength and mastery of haki were undeniable, but arrogance was his Achilles' heel. Coby had to exploit it.

Lucien charged again, fists glowing with haki as he unleashed a flurry of strikes. Coby focused on dodging, using Soru and his agility to stay just out of reach. Every step, every movement was calculated. He needed Lucien to overcommit. Just one mistake. That's all he needed.

"Running already?" Lucien sneered. "You're as pathetic as I thought."

Coby smirked. "Running? No, I'm just waiting for you to show something actually worthwhile."

The mockery was deliberate, and it worked. Lucien's expression twisted in fury. He roared and lunged, throwing a massive punch aimed at Coby's chest. Coby sidestepped at the last second, using Soru to appear behind Lucien. This time, he didn't aim for a direct attack; he aimed for Lucien's pride.

With both fists coated in haki, Coby struck Lucien's left leg—not to hurt him but to destabilize his footing. The blow connected, and though it barely caused damage, it threw Lucien off balance. He stumbled, and Coby seized the moment.

With his other fist he aimed right where Lucien's kidney should be. But even before his fist could connect, his Observation Haki blared. He quickly tried to retreat. But he wasn't fast enough.

Lucien's body twisted unnaturally as he turned. His right leg moved like a blur as Lucien delivered a devastating roundhouse kick right at Coby's neck. Coby has coated his skin with armament haki at the last moment. But it was clear that Lucien's haki was stronger as he got thrown on the other side of the arena.

Coby felt crushing weight on his neck even after the attack had ended. But he did not have enough time to lament his miscalculation as his observation haki warned him. Using Soru, he quickly got out of the area as another devastating punch destroyed the part of the arena Coby was just moments ago.

Lucien was distracted for a moment, and Coby used that. Using his superior speed, Coby appeared right behind Lucien to deliver another punch like before. But even before he could do anything, Lucien turned in a swift motion. He grabbed Coby's throat and slammed his body on the ground. Even before Coby could get out, Lucien tightened his grip and raised Coby's body to his level. And he slammed the young marine once again. This time, the power behind the attack was much stronger than before, as a huge crater was created right where they stood.

Blood poured out of Coby's mouth as he felt several of his bones inside his body break. After the second slam, Lucien's grip loosened a little bit, and Coby used this opportunity to get the hell out of there.

As Coby prepared to deliver a counterattack, his observation haki warned him again. He tried to use Soru, but Lucien appeared and kicked him on his shin. Pain screamed in his mind as he stumbled to the ground. His right leg was now bent unnaturally, clearly broken.

Coby scolded himself inside his mind. Why the hell did he think that he could actually beat Lucien? He was clearly stronger than Coby in every single aspect. Even when he was agitated, he was still better than Coby. He wasn't only a tough opponent. He was an impossible opponent.

Coby could only hit him successfully once. Just once. Such a pathetic display. He's going to die here today. Maybe if he hadn't antagonized him openly and accepted his offer, then he might've had a chance to live. But now, his only destiny was death.

Coby felt danger and tried to get up. But his body was now broken. Lucien appeared instantly as he held down Coby beneath his boots. Coby desperately tried to get out, but Lucien was simply much stronger. 

"It was your left hand, wasn't it?"

Confusion appeared in Coby's mind as he thought about what he was talking about. But Lucien answered the question for him.

"The hand that dared to hit me. The hand that made me lose my balance." Coby desperately tried to get out of there as he understood what was going to happen. "It's only fitting that I take the hand that had the audacity to hit a god."

Pain, greater than anything he had felt before, invaded Coby's mind as Lucien's haki-induced leg came down on his left hand. The crunching sound of bones breaking echoed through the arena as Lucien's leg came down again and again.

By the tenth attack, Coby's left hand was more similar to a bloody paste rather than a limb. Broken bones were sticking out from his arm as Coby struggled to distinguish between flesh and bone. He has stopped screaming after the third hit.

His mind was still in shock. He had made a huge mistake by coming here. He was blinded by his ambition to actually see the logic staring right at his face.

He was simply too weak, and his ambition wasn't strong enough to shorten the bridge.

As Lucien looked at Coby's arm, a sadistic smile formed on his face. He felt proud of himself. It has always been satisfying for him to crush insects. They needed to be reminded of their own place. He's not going to kill this marine. He's going to make him his slave. He's going to break each bone in his body. Then heal him back up and repeat the process once again. He's going to ensure that he suffers the highest amount of pain imaginable.

This was the bare minimum punishment for a person who has dared to hit a celestial dragon.

Lucien spat, looking down on Coby,

"This is not over. I'm going to make you suffer such pain that you will wish that you had died today."

Lucien turned around. He had to receive his cheers from the crowd after all.

Down on the ground, Coby swallowed his own blood once again. He has lost. He was still so weak, so afraid. Coby thought that he had improved since the last time he met Luffy. But he was still the same weak boy.

He did not want to be weak. He wanted to be strong. How can he become strong?

The answer came to his mind in the form of his own mentor's voice. Garp's voice rang through his head with his usual booming voice.

"Emotions; emotions are what makes us truly strong."