"Lightning Slash!"
Carl swung his blade through the air. The slash, wrapped in a purple arc of electricity, instantly cut the massive meteorite in half. Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but one half of the meteorite flew toward the blind man called Yixiao, while the other half hurtled toward Kizaru's small Marine warship.
"Sorry, Marshal Sengoku, that wasn't my fault," Carl said, sticking his tongue out playfully.
"Carl, you bastard! He definitely did that on purpose!" Sengoku yelled as he immediately transformed into his gigantic Golden Buddha form. He shot a powerful shock wave from his palm, instantly obliterating the half of the meteorite headed for the warship.
Meanwhile, Yixiao raised his stick-like sword. Purple circles of light hovered around his hand as he held the other half of the meteorite in the air before abruptly throwing it back at Carl.
Vice Admiral Tsuru immediately understood what they were witnessing. "He's a person with a Paramecia Devil Fruit ability! The Power-Power Fruit, perhaps!" she exclaimed.
Sengoku and Kizaru looked serious upon hearing this. Sengoku's mind was already racing. Although this middle-aged man was blind, his strength was undeniable. If his identity checked out, Sengoku believed he absolutely had to be brought into the Marines. Recruiting him would significantly help make up for the Marines' current lack of top-tier combat power.
Sengoku assumed that Yixiao was a first-class fighter, but he did not realize the man had actually reached the very pinnacle of strength.
Carl sliced the incoming meteorite in half again, then raised his sword, Obsidian, above his head to parry. A stick-sword wrapped in purple light pressed down, and Carl felt his entire body grow incredibly heavy. If he had not quickly used the flat of his larger sword to brace himself against the air, he would have been slammed straight into the sea.
"Uncle, you really are amazing! Then I won't hold back anymore!" Carl said.
He drew his other sword, the Third Generation Kitetsu, and slashed at Yixiao. Yixiao was forced to fly backward. Carl immediately pressed his advantage, rapidly swinging both blades. His sword maneuvers came one after another, but Yixiao cautiously deflected every strike.
The two were locked in a stalemate in mid-air. They exchanged nearly a hundred blows in the blink of an eye, yet neither gained an edge.
"Who is this guy? It's unbelievable that he can fight Mr. Carl to a draw!" Zoro, Tashigi, and Law looked stunned.
"Hahaha! I didn't think Teacher Carl would meet an opponent!" Luffy laughed without a care in the world.
His captain's carefree attitude left the rest of the crew speechless. Shouldn't he be worried about Mr. Carl right now? they wondered. Unknown to them, Luffy had absolute confidence in Carl; otherwise, he would not be standing there enjoying the show and would have rushed to help already.
Sengoku, Vice Admiral Tsuru, and Kizaru were also wide-eyed. Yixiao's strength clearly went beyond their initial assumptions. This was not just a first-class combatant; it was Admiral-level power.
"Investigate him immediately! We must find out the identity of this middle-aged man right away!" Sengoku commanded, his voice filled with excitement. "If his background is clean, I'll personally invite him to join the Marines, and the invitation absolutely must succeed."
If this man could join the Marines, it would be a huge boon for the entire organization.
"Gravity Blade: Tiger!" Yixiao declared.
He channeled powerful gravity into his sword and swept it toward Carl. Carl pushed forward with both of his blades, but he felt a power like a mountain crashing down on him. His entire body was instantly swept away, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Fortunately, the injury was only minor.
"Mr. Carl, are you alright?" Luffy shouted, his voice filled with worry.
"I'm fine, it's just a minor injury!" Carl shouted back. "I got careless. This Uncle Yixiao has the strength of a Marine Admiral! I'll have to deal with him using all my power!"
The rest of the crew, excluding Luffy, Zoro, Law, and Sanji, were completely shocked. They could not believe they had just encountered a random man with the power of a Marine Admiral.
Sengoku and the others were slightly taken aback after learning the middle-aged man's name. That would make the investigation much easier.
Soon, a report arrived with details about Yixiao's background. Sengoku and the others smiled when they heard it. Yixiao had been born a commoner. Although he had a fondness for gambling, he possessed a strong sense of justice. He was a man of chivalry who often performed heroic deeds and hated evildoers.
Such a man was perfectly suited to become a Marine. If everything went according to plan, he would definitely become a Marine Admiral. Sengoku, Tsuru, and Kizaru immediately realized the timing. Once Akainu and Aokiji finished their duel, an Admiral position would be vacant. Momousagi and Chaton were still struggling to prove themselves worthy of the role. The appearance of Yixiao at this moment was simply perfect.
"We must recruit this man into the Marines! Even if we have to make him an Admiral," Sengoku declared. "When the new Fleet Admiral is chosen, we will persuade them. Losing someone like this would be the Marines' greatest loss."
Even though Sengoku was about to step down, he could not help worrying about the future of the Marines. Vice Admiral Tsuru and Kizaru nodded solemnly. This was a major matter.
At this moment, Carl and Yixiao had exchanged no fewer than three hundred blows. Neither of them held back their strongest techniques, and their battle felt more like a duel to the death than part of the ongoing conflict on Punk Hazard.
Yixiao continuously unleashed powerful Gravity Blade techniques, churning the sea and air around them. Carl retaliated with a combination attack: Lightning Slash reinforced with his Conqueror's Haki shock wave. The collision of the two attacks triggered a towering tsunami.
The Straw Hats and the small Marine warship had no choice but to retreat to a safe distance, yet everyone remained focused on the battle. The duel between Akainu and Aokiji was momentarily forgotten.
In truth, both Akainu and Aokiji sensed the powerful commotion outside the island, but neither dared to get distracted. Since Sengoku and Kizaru were outside, they knew there would not be any serious problems. The two Admirals continued their intense duel, each fighting to establish their own vision of justice within the Marines.
Carl was fully engaged in the fight with Yixiao. His swordsmanship had originally been self-taught. Over time, he improved by battling strong opponents, secretly picking up techniques, listening to Koushirou's lessons, and receiving two days of training from Silvers Rayleigh. His swordsmanship was rapidly approaching mastery.
However, Yixiao's swordsmanship was far more refined. He was significantly older and possessed richer combat experience, exquisite techniques, and highly sophisticated maneuvers. From the beginning of the fight, he had steadily suppressed Carl.
Fortunately, Carl possessed other advantages, especially his seamless use of Conqueror's Haki. This allowed him to counter Yixiao's relentless attacks. In terms of pure swordsmanship alone, Carl was clearly at a disadvantage.
However, Carl had an extraordinary ability to learn. As Yixiao continued to pressure him with superior swordsmanship, Carl's techniques began to merge together. The style Rayleigh had taught him gradually became dominant, and a new, unique sword style began forming in his mind.
Yes.
This was the move Carl had learned from Rayleigh in the first place.
"God—Dodge—"
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