Seeing the situation, Reid decisively turned and fled. He wasn’t arrogant enough to think he could take on Sengoku. Whether it was life experience, combat skills, physical strength, or mastery of his Devil Fruit abilities, he was no match. Even with his god-tier system, it wouldn’t help.
"Sengoku, if you’ve got the guts, face me instead!"
Rayleigh stepped in, blocking with his sword just as he had earlier for Sunbell. But inwardly, Rayleigh was speechless—Reid was running away way too fast.
"Black Arm Iron Fist!"
Zephyr swung his fist at Rayleigh.
"Rayleigh, I’m your opponent. Heh."
Zephyr’s fist pressed against Rayleigh’s blade, a smirk on his face.
Seizing the opportunity, Sengoku shot into the air, his massive golden form using Geppo to chase after Reid.
"Buddha's Suppression!"
"Oh crap, I need to dodge! I’ll do it too—Geppo, jump!"
Reid focused, convincing himself he already knew how to use this ability. With a light step, he kicked off into the air.
"Kick, kick, kick!"
Reid frantically fled using Geppo.
"Success!"
Behind him, Sengoku hadn’t expected Reid to suddenly take to the skies. His Buddha form crashed into the ground, leaving a massive crater.
Sengoku tore himself free and launched back up.
"Reid, don’t even think of escaping! Face the judgment of justice!"
Sengoku bellowed from behind, feeling slightly frustrated. This kid was annoyingly fast at running away.
"Judgment my ass... Ugh, the pirate world is tough. Good thing I’ve got my system backing me. As long as I don’t let Sengoku catch me, I should keep my life."
Reid cursed inwardly, scoffing at Sengoku’s usual justice spiel. He found it self-righteous—always going on about justice like a broken record.
"Buddha's Shockwave Palm!"
Sengoku’s palms thrust forward repeatedly, countless golden streams of energy converging into massive palm-shaped shockwaves aimed at Reid.
"Dammit, he’s treating me like target practice! Take this—Phantom Mirage Steps!"
The so-called "Phantom Mirage Steps" was just a fancy name Reid made up on the spot.
He accelerated his footwork, stomping the air desperately. His legs moved like rockets, darting through the sky as shockwaves erupted beneath his feet with loud booms.
"Incredible speed! That leg strength rivals CP9’s!"
Sengoku was astonished. He had learned Geppo from CP9 himself, and even among the Marines, only a few Vice Admirals and Admirals could perform it.
"Buddha's Radiant Palm!"
Sengoku unleashed a colossal golden palm strike, its radiance tearing through the air with a sharp hiss.
"Haki!"
Sengoku’s pupils contracted as an invisible ripple spread outward.
Reid suddenly felt his body grow sluggish, an uneasy tension creeping into his mind.
He turned his head and saw a massive golden palm hurtling toward him.
"Holy sh— Sengoku’s going all out! That palm... Hmph, I think I can do it too. Just wait, I’ll hit you back with one of my own!"
Reid tried to dodge, but Sengoku’s Buddha's Radiant Palm seemed to predict his movement, homing in on him.
"Crap, Sengoku has Observation Haki—he must’ve predicted my evasion. No time, gotta let the system bail me out!"
Reid spun around, raising his hands in a palm-strike stance. In his mind, he envisioned the imposing aura of Fahai, the legendary monk, a domineering sense of suppression surging through him.
With a roar, Reid shouted:
"Heavenly Dragon's Palm Strike!"
"ROAR!"
A palm strike identical to Sengoku’s shot forward, accompanied by the phantom roar of a dragon as it clashed with the Buddha's Radiant Palm.
BOOM!
The two strikes collided. Reid’s palm shattered, but the weakened remnants of Sengoku’s attack were easily dodged.
Reid was ecstatic—this had far exceeded his expectations.
"I knew I could replicate Sengoku’s move with the system’s help. But I didn’t expect that visualizing Zhao Wenzhuo’s portrayal of Fahai would enhance the Buddha's Radiant Palm—and I even heard a dragon’s roar! It seems that with the system, my thoughts and imagination can influence my techniques, as long as they make sense."
Sengoku was stunned once more, his pupils trembling in disbelief.
"That... That palm strike was identical to my Buddha's Radiant Palm. No—though its power was inferior, there was a trace of regal authority in it, something I’ve only ever felt from that bastard Garp!"
Unconsciously, Sengoku stopped chasing. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to—he was just too shocked.
Reid possessed the exact same Devil Fruit as him, and for a brief moment, despite its lesser power, that strike had carried an overwhelming presence.
"Just who is Reid? No, wait—even if he somehow ate the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Daibutsu, the techniques are my own creations! Yet Reid clearly knows them all. What the hell is going on?!"
Sengoku felt like he was losing his mind. If this wasn’t an illusion, how else could he explain what was happening?
"No, I have to get answers from him!"
The nation once again pursued Reid. If he didn’t get to the bottom of this issue, he could forget about working peacefully in the Navy in the future.
Reid glanced back and saw Sengoku chasing after him again, his confidence surging even higher.
"Sengoku probably can't do anything to me now. I never thought I, Reid, would be able to stand against him so quickly."
Reid couldn’t help but gloat, his mouth stretching into a wide grin and his eyes narrowing into an annoyingly smug expression.
"Reid, stop right there!"
Sengoku shouted from behind. Reid’s speed was indeed fast—though still slower than his own—making it hard to catch up immediately.
"Stop? Yeah, right. I’m not an idiot."
Reid scoffed inwardly and kept frantically using Geppo (Moon Walk) to escape.
Though he felt confident he could exchange a few blows with Sengoku, his gloating didn’t completely override his rationality.
He had only arrived in the world of One Piece not long ago. Thinking he could defeat Sengoku now would be nothing short of delusional. Since he couldn’t win, running away was the most practical option.
"Sengoku, I’m not falling for your nonsense. Catch me if you can!"