What does true destruction look like?
Perhaps it is when everything your eyes can see begins to fall apart when every single thing within your sight is breaking down and disintegrating. Is that not the very image of annihilation?
Can a human body be harder than stone?
For most people, stone is far tougher than flesh and bone. If a human body were thrown into such a hurricane's chaotic currents, it would likely burst into a spray of blood in an instant, leaving nothing behind.
Bullets, slashes, rockets all of them seemed utterly powerless. The members of the Roger Pirates could only watch helplessly as the tornadoes crashed into each other, unable to stop what was coming.
"Even our Armament Haki can't withstand the turbulence out here at the very edge. Just imagine the destructive force at the very center of that storm…" one Roger Pirates crewman said, his voice trembling with fear.
His Haki was like paper before this monstrous wind, crumbling the moment it touched it.
"Rayleigh… he…"
The voices were heavy with despair. Many of the crew turned their gazes skyward toward the bloodstained figure in the storm, a massive dragon that looked as if it had crawled straight out of a sea of gore.
A chill raced up their spines and stabbed into their skulls, filling them with deep, primal fear.
High above in the sky…
Tengetsu Ares's eyes, tinged faintly red, locked on the center of the storm. His dragon body was covered in wounds deep enough to expose bone. Many scales along his back were gone entirely, revealing torn, bloody flesh beneath.
"The destructive power of Tornado Tempest is indeed incredible. Kaido's suggestion for developing my Devil Fruit was spot on. The only flaw is that the casting 'startup time' is too long it gives my opponent a window to attack."
"Next time, I'll need to use another technique to distract my enemy before unleashing this one."
Lesson learned. This battle had taught him the strengths and weaknesses of Tornado Tempest.
"This Mythical Zoan, Fish-Fish Fruit, Azure Dragon form lets me control natural forces like fire and wind. Does that mean I could wield other elements as well?" Ares wondered to himself.
His first elemental attack, flame, had been devastating. Now he'd successfully created and controlled tornadoes as an offensive weapon. It made him think… could he master other forces of nature?
If the power of the natural world could be truly harnessed, one could become a force of terror creating disasters of apocalyptic proportions.
"This Mythical Zoan's power… I haven't even fully explored it yet. As expected of such a rare fruit its abilities are beyond imagination."
"But right now…"
"How's Rayleigh holding up?"
Ares pushed those thoughts aside. Devil Fruit mastery and enhancing his body could wait. What mattered now was knowing his opponent's fate.
Had Rayleigh been torn to shreds by the storm… or did he still cling to life?
The colliding hurricanes were slowly weakening. Their wind blades and flying debris still tore the surroundings to pieces.
The ground was scarred with gouges and craters, marks left by those winds and shattered stone.
One minute.
Five minutes.
…
Over ten minutes later, the storm finally died down. The impact zone where the tornadoes had collided was now a massive, circular crater hundreds of meters wide, its depth unknown.
Dust and smoke filled the air, hiding the pit's darkness from view.
"He's still alive!"
Even through the haze, Ares's pupils suddenly shrank in shock. "This guy's physical durability is nowhere near mine, yet he survived that storm… incredible."
"How did he manage that?"
A glint of curiosity flashed in Ares's slit pupils.
Suddenly swoosh!
A figure shot out from the dust. It was Rayleigh. His upper body was bare, his skin crisscrossed with countless deep cuts, as though carved by thousands of blades. His pants were torn to shreds, barely hanging on at the thighs, exposing dark leg hair.
"Pft"
Landing at the crater's edge, Rayleigh coughed up a mouthful of dark red blood, splattering it onto the ground.
His golden hair was messy and matted with dust, far from its usual polished shine. He looked utterly battered, but the resolve on his face was unshaken.
His eyes still held a light that words could not capture. "I'm not dead. That attack was terrifying, no doubt. But for my crewmates… for my dream… I will never, ever fall."
If he lost here, the Roger Pirates would lose as well and turning down Rocks' invitation would not end well for them.
Slowly, Rayleigh raised his sword, the blade pointing toward the dragon high above.
"It's been an honor to fight you. But I have a reason I cannot lose," he said firmly.
He respected this formidable opponent. A pity he wasn't a crewmate with someone like him aboard, one could feel safe no matter the situation.
"So, you've chosen to keep fighting. But in your state, you won't last much longer," Ares replied, recognizing the iron will in Rayleigh's eyes.
"You're no different," Rayleigh countered. "You don't have the strength left to heal your injuries either, do you? With your recovery speed, those wounds would've closed by now."
"You've got me there. These wide-area injuries are troublesome to heal. And using my abilities drains stamina. Now's not the time for recovery anyway," Ares admitted casually.
Even if his condition had been laid bare, it didn't change his resolve to win.
Dopamine surged in his blood. Ares grinned. "I'm not going to lose!"
"No-Sword Style, Dragon Claw Slash!"
He extended his clawed hand and sent a brilliant slash toward Rayleigh.
The battle roared back to life.
One hour. Two hours. Three hours…
…
Eight hours later.
"Hah… hah… How much longer… can you last?" Rayleigh panted, sweat soaking his body. Every movement sent clots of dried blood flaking off his skin.
Opposite him, Ares had long since reverted to human form. He was no better off breathing hard through both mouth and nose, desperate for air. His muscles, once sharply defined, were caked with blood.
"Hah… Long enough to see you fall," Ares replied in broken breaths. After ten hours of fighting, both were standing on willpower alone.
Their stamina was gone. Haki was spent. Even thinking felt sluggish.
They both knew the other was at their limit.
No more words. Just tired eyes and faint smiles.
They stepped forward to attack again.
Pfft!
Rayleigh's sword pierced Ares's body.
Thud!
Ares's fist slammed into Rayleigh's torso. Both were sent flying backward, tumbling across the ground.
They lay there, chests heaving, watching each other through sheer exhaustion.
Three breaths later, they both staggered to their feet again.
Neither willing to give an inch. Neither willing to stay down.
Dragging leaden legs, they charged once more.
The fight was beyond brutal.
…
On a Marine warship…
"Report, Vice Admiral Zephyr the Roger Pirates and the Rocks Pirates' members have been fighting for ten hours straight!" The reporting soldier swallowed hard.
From the very start, the waves had never calmed. The sea still echoed with deafening booms. He could hardly imagine what kind of explosions could be heard from so far away.
"It's time to put an end to their battle," Zephyr said gravely. "Pass the word all hands, prepare for combat."
"We're facing the most dangerous pirate crew in the world. Even if they've fought for more than ten hours, we cannot afford to underestimate them for a single second."
"Only when they're locked away in Impel Down will I be at ease."
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