Raikoshin retreated, putting some distance between himself and Onigumo. He tightened his grip on his greatsword, his expression turning savage. "Not bad, kid."
"Captain, I'll help you!" A burly pirate wielding a massive spiked club leaped at Onigumo, bringing the weapon down toward his head. The intense wind pressure generated by the swing was a testament to its incredible power.
Onigumo reacted instantly, dodging the club. His sword flashed, slashing the burly pirate. The blade tore through his iron armor and cut a deep gash in his waist. Then, his other swords rained down on the man, shattering his armor and leaving deep wounds all over his body.
The burly pirate let out a low roar as his body began to transform, turning into a black-and-white striped zebra-man. He was a user of the Zoan-type Horse-Horse Fruit, Zebra Model.
Onigumo used Soru and flashed toward him again. The zebra-man gripped his club and had just started to raise it when his face twisted in pain, and his attack faltered. A cold glint of steel flashed across his neck. His head lolled to the side, nearly severed, as blood gushed from the wound. He clutched at his throat, but he couldn't stop the bleeding. He collapsed to the deck, his body twitching a few times before going still.
"Bastard!" Raikoshin roared, the word forced through his gritted teeth. That man had been his top fighter, with a bounty of over 200 million. To think he had been killed by Onigumo in an instant. He leaped forward, his greatsword swinging fiercely.
Onigumo quickly raised six of his swords to block the blow. Raikoshin's ferocious power sent him stumbling back. The pirate captain pressed his attack, swinging his blade in a mad frenzy, the dense afterimages forcing Onigumo onto the defensive. Suddenly, Raikoshin's movements faltered for a moment. Onigumo seized the opportunity, and two of his swords left another pair of cuts on the pirate's body.
Raikoshin quickly retreated. He glanced at the first cut he had received. The edges of the wound were turning black. He then looked at the body of his subordinate; the wounds on his body were even darker.
"Your blades are coated in poison! Onigumo, you're as treacherous as your namesake!" Raikoshin's face contorted. He finally understood why his subordinate had hesitated for that split second.
"Against scum like you, any means are justified," Onigumo snarled, his expression fierce. He glanced at his swords. He tilted one of the blades slightly, revealing a faint, pale green sheen on its edge. It was true. All eight of Onigumo's swords were coated in a potent neurotoxin that took effect quickly upon contact. The reason it had taken longer to affect Raikoshin was that the first wound had been shallow. His subordinate's wounds had been much deeper, causing the poison to act faster.
"The poison is starting to take effect. I wonder if you can still block my attacks now," Onigumo said, a vicious, murderous intent in his smile. He used Soru and shot forward. He needed to kill Raikoshin as quickly as possible so he could deal with the other two pirate captains.
Raikoshin's face changed. He retreated rapidly, swinging his greatsword to desperately fend off Onigumo's relentless assault. Under the fierce barrage, he could feel his control over his body slipping away. A flash of steel cut across his body, sending him flying to the deck.
"Golden Tiger Raikoshin. You're not bad, for an old man. Now, I'll send you to your grave." Onigumo exploded with speed and closed in for the kill.
"Cough, cough! Damn it! If I were ten years younger, you never would have touched me!" Raikoshin struggled to his feet, gripping his greatsword.
A savage grin spread across Onigumo's face. Excuses like that were for the weak. "On the battlefield, there are no old men or children. There is only the victor and the vanquished. And you are the vanquished."
"Red-Eye! Raging Bull! Get over here and help me! I can't hold on much longer!" Raikoshin roared. He raised his greatsword, his face twisted in a pained, ferocious snarl. "Violent Sword Style—Fierce Tiger Slash!"
He poured all his remaining strength into one astonishing blow. A massive, powerful slash of energy shot toward Onigumo.
Onigumo's expression changed, a flicker of alarm in his eyes. He swung all eight of his swords at once. Eight slashes of sword-light struck the incoming wave of energy, but with a loud boom, they were all shattered. Onigumo instantly dodged. The massive slash hit the deck, tearing it apart. It cut through the hold and split the bow of the ship down the middle. The attack even hit the sea, parting the water for a moment.
The front half of the pirate ship was split in two. Fortunately, it was a vertical cut; if it had been horizontal, the entire ship might have been sliced apart.
Raikoshin coughed up a large amount of blood. He planted his greatsword into the deck to support himself, gasping for breath. He stared at Onigumo, who had dodged the attack, his eyes filled with unwillingness. "Ten years ago, I could have taken on two of you."
On the other ships, Red-Eye and Raging Bull were busy fighting a Rear Admiral and a Commodore. They had the upper hand; the Commodore was in bad shape and looked like he was only a few blows away from being finished. They had heard Raikoshin's call for help immediately.
"Damn it, Raikoshin is already in trouble? Is this Onigumo guy really that strong?" Red-Eye Squafo had thrown off his sunglasses, revealing his crimson eyes. He was a user of the Paramecia-type Eye-Eye Fruit, Blood-Eye Model. His "Blood Eyes" gave him superhuman vision, allowing him to see great distances and, more importantly, track high-speed objects with incredible clarity. It was an extremely powerful support ability in a fight.
Squafo was from the same generation as Raikoshin. They had fought several times in the past, and he knew how strong the old pirate was, which made him even more surprised by Onigumo's strength. Their three crews were currently allies; he couldn't just let Raikoshin die. Besides, if Onigumo was really that powerful, he wasn't confident that he and Raging Bull could take him down even if Raikoshin fell.
He took a deep breath and rushed toward the bow.
"Don't even think about interfering in the Vice Admiral's battle!" The Rear Admiral he was fighting gritted his teeth and swung his sword, trying to stop him.
Squafo easily dodged the slash, then turned and delivered a swift cut of his own. The Rear Admiral barely managed to block, but the force of the blow sent him stumbling back more than ten meters. In the next moment, Squafo leaped high from the bow, soaring toward Raikoshin's ship.
"Useless old bastard, should have been put out to pasture years ago." Raging Bull Fossum was annoyed by Raikoshin's call for help. He cursed under his breath, then swung his massive cleaver in a brutal arc that sent the Commodore flying. The Commodore crashed through the deck and fell into the hold below. "Count yourself lucky, kid." He knew Raikoshin couldn't be allowed to die yet, so, like Squafo, he chose to go to his aid.