"Cut off my head?"
Boss Dars froze for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.
"You little Marine punk… you think you can behead me? Let me tell you something, I've eaten the Dice-Dice Fruit, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that lets me turn any part of my body into razor-sharp steel blades. With swordsmanship that hasn't even reached swordmaster level, you think you can cut through steel? Don't make me laugh. Hahahaha!"
Rosinante's brows knitted into a deep frown. He knew exactly what kind of Devil Fruit this was. In the original story, Daz Bonez—Mr. 1—under Crocodile's command, had eaten the same fruit and turned his entire body into blades. Zoro nearly lost his life in that battle, only managing to win after awakening the ability to "cut steel."
Now Rosinante found himself in a similar predicament. But unlike Zoro who had trained for years, he had only practiced the fundamentals of swordsmanship for a month. He was still far from Zoro's level of enlightenment. To defeat Dars with a technique like "cutting steel"? That was far too ambitious.
But that didn't mean Rosinante was helpless. After all, he wasn't just a swordsman.
"Had fun, little brat? Good, now it's my turn! One-Sword Style—Foot Razor!"
With a furious shout, Boss Dars charged at blinding speed and launched a vicious kick. Rosinante quickly stepped back and with a loud swish, a massive gash was torn into the ground where he had just stood. Dars' leg had morphed into a gleaming blade-like weapon.
"Haha… quick reflexes, Marine brat. Try this! Ten-Blade Style—Demon Claw Barrage!"
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Dars lunged forward again. This time, all ten of his fingers transformed into thin deadly blades that slashed wildly at Rosinante. He raised his sword in defense, parrying blow after blow.
"Dual-Blade Style—Spiral Slash!"
Seeing his ten-blade assault wasn't enough, Dars stepped up his attack. Both arms extended as his blades fused, turning him into a spinning whirlwind of steel. Like a deadly ballerina, he twirled toward Rosinante.
Rosinante could only brace himself, holding his blade tightly in front of him as he was forced backward, sparks flying.
"Dual-Blade Style—Cross Slash!"
Mid-spin, Dars changed tactics again, crossing both arm-blades into an X and striking down at Rosinante with brutal force.
Gritting his teeth, Rosinante met the strike head-on, locking swords.
Grrrrrrkkkkkk...
The screech of steel on steel echoed, sending chills through the air.
"Still think you can beat me, punk?" Dars growled, eyes gleaming with bloodlust.
"One-Sword Style—Head Blade!"
With another roar, Dars rammed his head straight into Rosinante's shoulder.
SHNK!
A deep gash split his left shoulder open, blood spraying.
"Wahahaha! DIE, YOU LITTLE MARINE!"
Driven into a frenzy, Dars pressed forward, but Rosinante vanished with a sudden Shave, landing several meters away. He glanced at the wound on his shoulder, it was deep, but the bleeding had already stopped. That was the effect of his crystal wristband, a piece of tech that automatically restored health over time.
"Alright then, bastard. Congratulations. You've officially pissed me off."
Looking at the wound, Rosinante finally gave up the idea of using Dars as a training partner for sword practice. It was time to end this.
He raised his sword in front of his chest and declared:
"Boss Dars… the next blow will take your worthless life."
"Kill me in one move? Hah! Try it if you can! Ten-Thousand Blade Style—Full-Body Slash!"
With a furious roar, Dars' entire body transformed into a storm of spinning blades. He surged forward like a living tornado of steel.
Rosinante narrowed his eyes and gripped his sword tightly.
"One-Sword Style—Overhead Slash!"
Letting out a roar of his own, Rosinante charged forward as well. He raised his blade high, then brought it down diagonally in a textbook slash. It was a simple, foundational strike just a clean diagonal cut, practiced hundreds of thousands of times.
But in Rosinante's hands, even such a basic move carried terrifying weight.
Still, it wouldn't be enough to defeat someone like Dars on its own.
So mid-charge, Rosinante snapped his fingers with his free hand.
"ROOM—Extinguish."
SWOOSH!
The two crossed paths like duelists in a classic samurai standoff.
They stopped.
The world held its breath.
A gust of sea wind blew past.
Then—
SPLURT!
A deep, diagonal gash suddenly tore through Boss Dars' torso. Blood sprayed violently into the air.
"Wh-what... how?!"
Dars staggered, his eyes going dull. Behind him, Rosinante calmly sheathed his sword.
"I can't cut steel…" he said quietly, "but I can force your body back into flesh and blood. This fight is over. You lose."
"Aaargh...!"
Dars collapsed in a heap, unconscious.
Rosinante stepped forward and picked up the scabbard Dars had discarded earlier. With deliberate grace, he slid his newly acquired sword into it.
The battle was finished.
But not far away, the fight between Wild Boar and Ronni—the First Mate of the Quick-Slash Pirates was still raging. The two had entered an intense deadlock. Boar had shifted into his human-beast hybrid form, and well to describe it kindly, he now resembled a savage tusked version of the legendary Pigsy from folklore. His hands and feet had transformed into hardened hooves capable of withstanding swords and spears.
Ronni held his own, but Wild Boar's natural resilience as a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user gave him the edge. Little by little, he was gaining the upper hand—unless, of course, Ronni was hiding a Devil Fruit ability of his own.
"Ah! Miss, what are you doing?!"
Rosinante turned toward the shout.
Behind him, several Marine cadets were crying out in alarm.
He turned to see the girl who had earlier been brutalized by Ronni. Her clothes were in disarray, and she was staggering toward Boss Dars' unconscious body with a bloodied pirate sword in hand.
Her face was eerily calm, but her eyes radiated hatred.
Though her tongue had been cut out and blood still dripped from her lips, she showed no pain.
She only wanted revenge.
That much was obvious to Rosinante.
The other four Marines said nothing more. None of them stepped in to stop her. After all, this tragedy might not have happened at all if the Marines had managed to capture the Quick Slash Pirates sooner.
If they'd just acted faster…
"Aaaah...!"
The girl raised the sword high, and brought it down with a scream.
But just as the blade was about to strike—
CLANG!
Her sword went flying.
In the next instant, Boss Dars leapt to his feet.
"Miss, what do you think you're doing?"
He sneered as he raised his arm now a gleaming blade, and pressed it coldly to the girl's throat.
(End of Chapter)
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