"So fast!"
"Way too fast—we can't even react at that speed!"
The two bloodsworn Guards were completely stunned by Borsalino's blinding speed.
His sword was already about to cleave down upon them, yet their bodies simply couldn't keep up to dodge.
"He just appeared out of nowhere—he's literally as fast as light!"
"So this is the speed of a Glint-Glint Fruit user? Terrifying!"
Whether it was the Red-Hair Pirates or Ryan, Kisu, and the others, everyone who witnessed Borsalino's movement wore a look of shock.
Ryan and the others wanted to rush in to save the two Bloodsworn Guards, but Borsalino was far too fast—they wouldn't make it in time.
Even Shanks raised his head, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes as his hand rested on the hilt of his rapier.
But at that exact moment, a streak of light flashed—Rosinante appeared in front of Bratt and the two BloodSworn Guards.
Clang! Rosinante lifted his long blade and intercepted Borsalino's strike.
"Stay on your absolute highest guard. Against a Glint-Glint Fruit user, even a moment's carelessness means the battle ends instantly," Rosinante said calmly.
"Y-Yes!" the two BloodSworn Guards stammered, swallowing hard.
They had just felt death breathing down their necks!
"Oh my, as expected of the so-called Dragon King—what speed!" Borsalino said mockingly, his gaze fixed on Rosinante.
"Leave Borsalino to me. You all fall back and protect Robin!" Rosinante didn't bother replying to Borsalino, instead giving the order to Ryan and the others.
"To stay so calm under my attacks—are you trying to make me lose face?" Borsalino said lightly, but the light on his Ama-no-Murakumo Sword flared even brighter as he increased the pressure on Rosinante.
"Oh, I wouldn't dare—I'm practically trembling right now. You've gotten a lot stronger these past two years," Rosinante said with a grin, glancing at him.
"You've got to be kidding me," Borsalino muttered.
"And I suppose I should thank you," Rosinante said. "You're the one who made me realize that even with the Glint-Glint Fruit, a moment of carelessness can land you flat on your face."
As he spoke, Borsalino's sword moved again—blindingly fast, slashing at Rosinante.
One strike after another—dozens of sword slashes came in the blink of an eye, so fast that to the bystanders it looked like a downpour of light.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Rosinante swung his blade just as fast, intercepting every one of Borsalino's attacks, the clash ringing out like a storm of steel.
"This is how you thank me?" Rosinante said with a smile as he parried.
"Of course not. This is just the appetizer. The real feast is coming soon—I'll thank you ten, a hundred times over before we're done!" Borsalino said, his voice almost playful.
His attacks suddenly became even faster and more ferocious.
"You put it that way… now I'm starting to look forward to it," Rosinante replied, matching him blow for blow as the two clashed in a whirlwind of motion.
Their blades blurred through the air, their movements so quick that the spectators could barely keep up with their eyes.
"So—so fast! Both of them are incredible!" Lucky Roo exclaimed, his mouth hanging open.
"This is insane—I've never seen offense and defense at such a speed!" Yasopp said, unable to look away.
"They're both monsters. Looks like we've got a lot of training ahead of us—otherwise, against this kind of speed, we'd just be dead weight," Benn Beckman said grimly.
"So this is the power of Vice Admiral Borsalino… no wonder he's one of the Marine Headquarters' 'Monster Trio,' the future top combat force of the Navy. Truly a monster-level opponent!" a Marine Rear Admiral watching from the sidelines said in awe.
"That Rosinante is just as much of a monster! To actually take all those attacks head-on—if it were me, I'd be done in a single hit," his adjutant said nervously.
"That's the Dragon King Rosinante. Of course he's a monster. If he could be taken down so easily, the Marines and the World Government wouldn't be having such a headache over him," the Rear Admiral replied.
"Rosinante won't be in danger, right?" Robin asked, worry creeping into her voice.
"Relax. Vice Admiral Borsalino isn't enough to trouble His Majesty," Ryan said with confidence.
"Exactly! His Majesty has already defeated Sakazuki, one of the other Monster Trio Vice Admirals. Borsalino won't be any different!" Kishuke added.
Hearing their words, Robin felt a bit relieved, but her eyes still stayed fixed on the battlefield, tension written all over her face.
Meanwhile, Shaxia frowned slightly. She wasn't as optimistic as Kisu.
As Rosinante's battle-maid and long-time attendant, she knew his strength and Devil Fruit powers better than anyone. In truth, Borsalino's ability was a natural counter to Rosinante's.
Rosinante's Silent-Silent Fruit could silence all forms of energy—including light itself.
But light was simply too fast. Even if Rosinante could silence it, he still needed a fraction of time to activate the ability.
Although Rosinante had grown faster at using his power as his mastery improved, there was simply no way to outpace the speed of light.
As a result, against the Glint-Glint Fruit, as long as the opponent stayed vigilant, Rosinante couldn't effectively silence Borsalino's attacks.
This was a huge disadvantage. Against every other enemy, no matter how strong, Rosinante could always silence their attacks—sometimes even after they landed. But against Borsalino, his Devil Fruit was nearly useless.
Of course, Rosinante did have a trump card. If he unleashed the awakened form of his fruit—Heaven and Earth Turn Silent—Borsalino would be completely suppressed.
Within that ability's range, light was particularly affected. If Rosinante could trigger it, Borsalino would be crushed unless he escaped the field.
Unfortunately, Rosinante's awakening had only manifested under Sengoku's overwhelming pressure, when his Devil Fruit power was pushed to its limits. He couldn't activate it at will now.
That meant Rosinante had to fight Borsalino purely with his own strength—his Devil Fruit offered almost no real advantage here!
Clang! Their blades clashed once again, the impact so powerful that both fighters were forced back a few steps.
"Well then, let's call the warm-up over," Rosinante said with a grin as he steadied himself. "Time to bring out some real skill—unless this is all you've got?"