"What kind of sword is this?"
Looking at the blade in Roy's hand, stranger and more sinister than even a cursed blade, Saint Nusjuro felt a chill of dread. Somehow, this weapon radiated an aura more terrifying than the sword he held.
It made no sense. The blade in his hands was the origin of all cursed swords, the First Generation Kitetsu. He had stolen it long ago after slaying a great swordsman of the Kozuki clan in Wano. Forged by that very man, it carried a deep, ominous malice and had taken countless lives.
Yet, compared to the black sword in Roy's hand, it seemed somewhat... inferior.
Suddenly, the darkness on the black sword flowed, spreading onto his first-generation Kitetsu.
"Impossible! What in the world is that sword?" Saint Nusjuro exclaimed in shock.
He discovered that the inherent cursed aura of the Kitetsu was disappearing, even being devoured by the other sword.
Roy grinned. "I don't really know its origins myself. Most likely, it came from another world. I studied my ability and realized the things I create aren't conjured from nothing, they're pulled from another dimension."
"Take this sword, for example. Perhaps it's from some parallel world."
"Vegapunk once said Devil Fruits are like fragments from another dimension, manifestations of the human desire. If that's true, then maybe beyond this planet lies another world, a world filled with demons."
"The Devil Fruits may have come from there. And this blade I wield… perhaps it's from that very world as well. If possible, I'd like to visit that world."
Roy's smile widened as the black energy crept further along Nusjuro's arm.
"This is your ability?!" Saint Nusjuro's face twisted. He found it difficult to pull his hand free. Left with no choice, he could only raise his other hand and chop down on his own arm.
Slash!
The severed arm regrew quickly, but he knew, if he hadn't cut it, the darkness would have consumed him whole.
But with his arm gone, the Kitetsu was lost. He turned back just in time to see Roy's black sword sprout a gaping maw and bite down on his cursed blade.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
The sound, bite after bite, shattered Nusjuro's heart.
One of the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades, the cursed sword Kitetsu, was being eaten alive. For centuries, it had slaughtered without end. He had cared for it for over nine hundred years.
And now, it was being eaten by that abomination. He could clearly feel himself losing Kitetsu.
A good sword possesses consciousness and emotion. He felt Kitetsu disappearing until he could no longer sense its presence at all, confirming that Kitetsu had been destroyed.
"NOOOO!!"
Having lost Kitetsu, Saint Nusjuro was driven mad by rage. He fully transformed into a skeletal horse and charged at Roy, his body wreathed in blue flames.
His speed surpassed the wind itself. In an instant, he was before Roy, opening his horse-like mouth and spewing a blast of blue fire.
"Netherfire!"
The blue flames carried no heat; on the contrary, they were deathly chill. This cold sensation was much like Brook's Yomi Yomi no Mi abilities.
Brook and Big Mom confirmed the existence of souls, and also suggested the possible existence of an underworld. Whether that underworld is the world Roy speculates about...
Whether the Grim Reaper Zoro saw truly exists... The chilling air of Brook and the temperature of Saint Nusjuro's flames at this moment were almost identical.
Bone-chillingly cold.
Crack!
Roy was instantly frozen solid. Behind Saint Ethanbaron, a black figure rushed out.
Roy, trapped in the ice, saw the other person: the former Fleet Admiral of the Marines, Kong.
At this moment, Kong's body was covered in thick, dark, scale-like hide. It was clear he was a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user. Judging by the skin texture and the horn-like transformation of the hair on his head, it was likely reptilian.
Black Awakening flames burned behind him, the distinctive cloud-like ribbons that all awakened Zoan-type users possess.
Roy also had a black one, quite similar to theirs.
Kong lunged forward. Regardless of his personal thoughts, his stance could never change: upholding the rule of the Celestial Dragons, upholding Imu's rule. He had a conscience, but not much.
"ORAAH!"
Kong's fist, wreathed in Conqueror's Haki, smashed into the frozen block.
"Steel Bone: Rhino Charge Cannon!"
The Haki enveloped the entire ice block like a glowing sphere. Roy, inside, was wrapped in the Haki, bearing the full brunt of the impact.
The ice shattered into fragments. Roy and Kong stared at each other. Roy's eyes narrowed, and Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body, pushing back against Kong's Haki.
"How is this possible?"
Kong showed an expression of disbelief. 'Such monstrous Conqueror's Haki.'
"The one seated on the empty throne..."
Kong couldn't help but compare Roy to Imu. But how many years had Imu ruled the world? How old was Roy? How could he possess Conqueror's Haki of this magnitude?
Yet the clash left no doubt, Roy's Haki was superior.
Roy rose on his toes and charged forward, thrusting the black sword in his hand towards Kong's abdomen.
"Not good!"
Kong reacted, raising his hand to grab the black sword.
Kong caught it with his bare hand, only to feel pain.
How many years had it been since he felt this? He was someone who wouldn't die, wouldn't even feel pain, even if his head was cut off. Yet now he felt it.
Garling, from a distance, raised his sword and slashed. The flying slash carried the power of wind and thunder, the two forces landing on Roy along with the slash.
Clang!
A black shield appeared beside Roy, blocking the slash. Subsequently, black smoke billowed from his body. His form began to change, manifesting flaming clouds like Luffy's, though these were black. The smile on his face was like Luffy's.
Dong..Dong.....Dong...
A rhythmless drumbeat, an irritating drum sound, rang in their ears. The moment the Five Elders heard the drumming, they became agitated, even finding it difficult to maintain their Haki.
"A drumbeat different from Joy Boy's. What kind of fruit did you even eat?" Nusjuro roared, spewing a vortex of icy flame.
The frost expanded wildly, plunging the chamber into a frozen hellscape. His fury was boundless; such destructive power in so small a space proved it.
But Roy only chuckled.
"Heh-heh…"
As the ice-fire vortex engulfed him, he opened his mouth wide,
And swallowed it whole.
Gulp!
His body swelled, his head shrank, and he faced Kong once more.
"Here, take it back!"
...
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