The later it gets in this world, the higher the enemies' intelligence.
Remember those enemies Luffy encountered when he first set sail? They would actively reveal their abilities after gaining the upper hand.
"I'm a XX person who ate the XX Fruit! Unless you can do XX, it's absolutely impossible to defeat me!"
They were about that idiotic.
But later on, as the protagonist group's strength increased, the enemies they faced clearly became smarter.
Especially after the Gorosei appeared, the World Government's people no longer actively revealed their Devil Fruit abilities and weaknesses.
So, Blake needed to use Christopher and Fisher Tiger's rebellion to lure the Revolutionary Army to Mary Geoise, thereby drawing out the Gorosei, the God's Knights, and even Imu, to observe their abilities.
During the last Mary Geoise riot, Blake mostly acted as an observer and recorder.
If it weren't for Hancock and her sisters being by his side, which attracted Rayleigh, Blake's manor should have been safe and sound.
Oh... that's not right, Gild Tesoro was also preparing to storm the manor to rescue Stella.
Never mind, that level of small fry isn't important. He's been pedaling with Kyros for several years now.
In short, in the last plan, Blake never intended to make a move.
But this time is different.
Blake observed the abilities of the God's Knights and, through his unremitting efforts, successfully comprehended the advanced technique of permanent Haoshoku.
Now, it's time to verify whether the members of the God's Knights can truly be killed!
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Crisp footsteps echoed on the broken rocks, making a pleasant sound.
The Grim Reaper stared intently at the figure slowly approaching, gritting his teeth and enduring the terrifying pressure that made him tremble:
"Who... who exactly are you?!"
He gripped the scythe in his hand, facing the power that felt like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami roaring.
The crushing pressure from the Conqueror's Haki made the air thick, and each breath felt like pulling a thousand-pound weight.
He really couldn't imagine that such a powerful individual was hidden in the sea.
"It's not important!"
Blake shook his head lightly, stopping dozens of meters away from them, observing the three with interest.
As his gaze swept over them, Number 46's tightly gripped dual blades almost slipped from his hands, and the Yeti reverted to its original Oni form.
The already fragile rock layer beneath their feet collapsed further, and rubble floated up as if weightless.
Suddenly, Blake's Observation Haki sensed a discord in the Grim Reaper.
He frowned slightly, then quickly relaxed.
"So they can actively communicate?"
"Then how about we try this?"
The world in Blake's eyes suddenly became completely different—
The dust floating in the air, which had been dancing chaotically with the airflow, was now frozen as if in transparent amber, each particle's outline clearly visible.
Not far away, a piece of rubble falling from the sky had its descent trajectory stretched into a slowly extending parabola, its sharp edges reflecting solidified light spots under the Moonlight.
The rise and fall of the waves were suspended in mid-air, their curling crests frozen into motionless sculptures.
Even the Moonlight seemed to thicken, showing visible ripples in the distorted air.
Immediately after, a red light flashed in his eyes.
He saw an invisible dark purple thread rising from the Grim Reaper's head, pointing distantly towards Mary Geoise.
Blake chuckled softly, his Haoshoku Haki, now completely under his control, fiercely stabbed towards the thread.
An invisible explosion seemed to erupt in the air, and the thread instantly snapped. The Grim Reaper spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, looking at Blake with utter horror:
"This is impossible!!!"
His worldview was once again severely shaken, but Blake was confident.
When Haoshoku Haki in this world is developed to its peak, it can almost suppress all flashy abilities.
Blake had long known that Imu could communicate souls over vast distances through the God's Knights' marks.
During the Mary Geoise riot, he had sensed something amiss before Imu appeared.
It was just that at the time he hadn't realized Imu was contacting Saturn, so he hadn't fully activated his Observation Haki.
Now, a period of time has passed, and Blake's Observation Haki has not only improved, but he was also well-prepared, naturally discovering the little secret between the Grim Reaper and Imu.
He wasn't sure if the God's Knights could actively contact Imu, as Imu didn't seem to like managing things much, but he was still fully prepared and immediately interrupted their communication as soon as he sensed something was wrong.
"Do you have any other tricks? I'd still like to see them."
Blake wasn't in a hurry to act; he merely raised a hand to adjust the silver-gray cloud-patterned mask on his face, the hem of his dark purple formal wear slightly lifted by an invisible current of air.
He had already cut off the communication between the three and the World Government, so there would be no problems for a short while.
Even if someone sensed something was wrong and came to support them, it would just be more cannon fodder.
The Grim Reaper's knuckles turned white from gripping his scythe, and he could clearly hear his heart pounding wildly in his chest.
But he still forcefully suppressed the almost suffocating fear and shouted loudly:
"You're just a lowly race! Stop bluffing!!!"
He turned his head to look at the Yeti and Number 46 behind him:
"Don't forget who we are! We are immortal!"
"Don't be fooled by his aura!"
"Go all out!"
The Yeti let out a low growl from his throat, and fine ice crystals re-condensed on his body surface.
Number 46 took a deep breath, trying to cross his dual blades in front of him.
"It seems you can't come up with anything else? How disappointing."
Blake's tone carried clear disappointment; he had thought the God's Knights might have something new he hadn't seen.
Is this all they have?
He really wanted to tell them that he wasn't some lowly race, but a genuine World Nobles.
However, the naturally cautious Blake would certainly not celebrate prematurely. Facing the three prepared individuals, the smile at the corner of his mouth gradually disappeared, and his eyes narrowed slightly:
"Then let me witness the power of the God's Knights!"
"Let me see why you are called the Celestial Dragons' ultimate force?!"
"Be careful, don't die too easily!"
As soon as his words fell, Blake's figure vanished.
"Watch out!"
The Grim Reaper cried out in alarm, and all three looked towards the sky almost simultaneously.
The same image was reflected in their pupils—
The falling figure overlapped with the full moon, like a drawn sword hanging above their heads.
Under the Moonlight, Blake descended from the sky, his body cleaving the full moon behind him in two.
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