52

John was still quite a distance away from the entrance of the base. The guards seemed to be patrolling an area of about 500m around the base in a directions.

As for Lucy, John had asked her to stay about a km away from the base. He didn't want to expose her too soon.

Just as John was about to make a move, he saw a truck whirling at him with a great speed from quite the distance.

As the truck hurtled towards him, John's instincts kicked in and he quickly summoned his Naginata from his system storage. With a swift motion, he unsheathed the blade and infused it with his Haki, enhancing its power and durability.

As the truck closed in, John planted his feet firmly on the ground and positioned himself for the incoming impact. With all his strength, he swung the Naginata in a wide arc, aiming to slice through the oncoming vehicle and hopefully deflect its course.

The moment the truck collided with the Naginata, a loud screeching sound reverberated through the air. The force of the impact sent vibrations throughout John's body, but his Haki-infused weapon held strong. The Naginata sliced cleanly through the truck, severing it in two halves.

The two halves of the truck careened in different directions, crashing into nearby trees and causing a chaotic scene. John stood his ground, feeling a rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins as he watched the destruction unfold.

'How the hell did they even notice me?' John thought as he extended the area covered by his Observation Haki, in order to know which monster had thrown such a truck towards him.

The guards nearby had already became alert and were now looking in the direction of John. However none of them seem to have any idea of approaching John.

Slowly the guards started retreating backwards.

As John's Haki covered more area, he sensed a presence running at a great speed in his direction.

Within few seconds, the monster in question appeared before John's eyes. He wore an armored costume, which resembled the horn of a rhinoceros. He had a thick hide and rhino-like features, including a horn on his forehead.

Although John was not an avid fan and reader of Marvel comics, he still knew few of the comic characters. And he recognised this particular monster type person standing in front of him, which was popularly known as 'Rhino.'

Rhino charged towards John, his massive body barreling through the trees with incredible strength and speed. John could see that Rhino's entire body was covered in a thick, gray armor-like hide, making him almost invulnerable to any conventional attacks.

As Rhino closed in, John made a split-second decision. He activated his Quake Quake Fruit's power, causing the ground beneath him to tremble and shake violently. The shockwaves traveled through the earth, causing the trees and terrain to tremble as well.

Rhino stumbled and lost his balance for a moment, giving John the opportunity he needed. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, John swung his Naginata with all his might, aiming for Rhino's exposed weak spot on his neck.

The Naginata made contact, slicing through Rhino's tough hide and lodging itself deeply into his neck. Rhino let out a bellowing roar of pain and fury as he staggered backwards, blood spurting from the wound.

But Rhino was not so easily defeated. He regained his composure and charged at John once again, determined to crush him with his powerful horns. John quickly dodged out of the way, narrowly avoiding being impaled.

Thinking quickly, John used his Observation Haki to anticipate Rhino's next move and countered with a powerful punch infused with his Busoshoku Haki. The punch landed squarely on Rhino's face, staggering him and causing him to stumble backwards once again.

But this time, John didn't stop there. He unleashed a series of powerful, rapid-fire punches and kicks, delivering blow after blow to Rhino's armored body. Each strike was enhanced with Armament Haki, enabling John to inflict more damage.

John quickly covered his fist with the Quake Quake bubble and directly punched at the injured Rhino's abdomen.

The impact of John's punch, combined with the power of the Quake Quake bubble, sent shockwaves rippling through Rhino's body. Rhino groaned in pain as he fell to his knees, clutching his abdomen.

Seeing his opportunity, John followed up with a swift uppercut to Rhino's chin, sending him sprawling backward. But Rhino wasn't finished yet. As John moved in for the next blow, Rhino mustered all of his strength and countered with a powerful swing of his massive arm.

John barely had time to react, but he managed to partially dodge the blow. However, the force of Rhino's attack was still enough to send him crashing into nearby trees, causing debris to rain down around him.

As John struggled to his feet, he knew he had to finish this fight quickly. He focused all of his strength into his legs and launched himself at Rhino with incredible speed. With lightning-fast reflexes, he delivered a devastating kick to Rhino's head, causing him to stumble backwards.

John groaned slightly with pain, after kicking Rhino's horn embedded head.

Rhino looked at John's with his eyes filled with madness and a sadistic grin on his face.

'Why do I have to always fight people like this?' John sighed as he quickly maintained the distance between them, as he knew that close combat was not an option while fighting Rhino who was bigger then him.

Rhino's punch commanded a lot of strength and without John's Quake Quake Fruit, he wouldn't stand even a chance against such a monster.

As John was about to continue the fight, he sensed another person in vicinity, as that person launched tentacles like substances towards John.

John who was focused on his fight with Rhino, was still able to barely react to the attack as he quickly jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding being captured by the tentacles. The sudden distraction allowed Rhino to take advantage and charge at John with tremendous speed.

Thinking quickly, John activated his Quake Quake Fruit powers, sending a powerful shockwave towards Rhino. The ground beneath them shattered and a wave of intense vibrations rippled towards Rhino, causing him to stumble and lose his balance.

Seizing the opportunity, John swiftly dodged Rhino's charge and delivered a powerful punch to the back of Rhino's head. The force of the blow was enough to send Rhino crashing to the ground, dazed and temporarily incapacitated.

With Rhino momentarily out of the picture, John turned his attention to the mysterious attacker who had launched the tentacles.