"Speed must be absolute. And the range must be vast."
Borsalino watched as Rosen's Shinsō cleaved down the Quetzalcoatlus in mid-air like a thunderbolt, then instantly retracted, turning back into a harmless dagger resting in Rosen's hand. A flicker of surprise crossed Borsalino's eyes. Then, he suddenly recalled something.
Yesterday, he and Zephyr had each given Rosen a proposal.
Zephyr wanted Rosen to study the swordsmanship of a Great Swordsman.
He, Borsalino, had advised Rosen to develop his Devil Fruit further.
Yet both suggestions had the same ultimate goal—to give Rosen the ability to strike swiftly and from a great distance.
Look at that Shinsō just now—
When it moved, it was like a meteor tearing across the night sky; when still, it was like a coiled serpent resting in silence.
It perfectly satisfied both requirements, overwhelming speed and unparalleled reach.
"Is this the ability you developed yesterday afternoon?"
The moment Zephyr witnessed Rosen's Shinsō in action, he had the same thought as Borsalino.
"Yes."
Rosen nodded calmly in response to their questioning gazes.
"Wait... Yesterday, when we were passing through Burning Hell and Freezing Hell, he paused to say he was developing a move with the power of the fruit."
"In that case, Junior Brother has at least two or more techniques comparable to Senbonzakura and the Shinsō."
Borsalino's heart trembled.
The Thousand Sakura transforming into countless blades.
The Shinsō, able to pierce a thousand meters in an instant.
And perhaps other weapons unknown to them. Each one was practically equivalent to a top-tier Paramecia fruit ability.
"Junior... just how far have you pushed the Arms-Arms Fruit?"
The more Borsalino thought about it, the more shocked he became.
Among the seas, there were indeed some who developed multiple forms from a single fruit.
For example, Kaido.
For example, Big Mom.
They possessed Zoan-type and Paramecia-type powers, yet could also wield fire and lightning as easily as breathing.
However, those abilities were either Mythical Zoan or top-tier Paramecia.
Rosen, on the other hand, purely relied on monstrous comprehension to push the Arms-Arms Fruit to a domain no one had ever reached.
Most terrifying of all—Borsalino knew very clearly—like Haki, Devil Fruit abilities could be further polished and refined through continuous training.
Which meant the two swords Rosen currently wielded—Senbonzakura and the Shinsō—would only become stronger and stronger.
…
"The blade..."
Just as Borsalino and Zephyr were still marveling, Geber—who had been cleaved from the sky by the Shinsō—suddenly trembled.
Indeed.
As an ancient Zoan-type user, his physique, vitality, and recovery far surpassed Brynndi World, whom Rosen had slain yesterday.
Even after being sliced open by the Shinsō, his innards nearly spilling out, he did not die on the spot. Instead, he still stood, his breath ragged but his eyes ferocious.
"You can try to take another step forward."
"I promise—"
"This one meter... is the line between you and death."
Geber had been about to flap his wings again and soar skyward. After all, the exit was right in front of him—just six meters away. But before he could act, Rosen's voice landed in his ear.
The voice was not loud.
Yet to Geber, it was like thunder exploding beside his skull.
His scalp numbed. His entire body stiffened.
Even though the exit was so close, he dared not move an inch.
It was as though what stood before him was not the gate to freedom—but the abyss of hell itself.
"Stand up. Walk back."
Rosen watched Geber coldly from afar. He didn't chase. His voice held only absolute command.
"Boy."
"Tell me your name."
Geber slowly pushed himself off the ground. Instead of moving forward, he turned around, his face twisted with resentment and murderous malice.
Because Rosen was Zephyr's student, Geber already despised him. Now, to have been stopped on the brink of escape, wounded, humiliated—his hatred multiplied tenfold.
"No need for a dead man to know so much."
Rosen's gaze was icy and merciless.
"Seems... I'll have to rip off your head myself, then."
Geber's gaze fell on the dagger in Rosen's hand, his expression growing darker.
It wasn't that he didn't want to flee.
It was that he knew he could not.
Having experienced the Shinsō once, he understood it clearly: turning his back on that blade again meant certain death.
"Empty threats only make you look weaker."
Rosen sneered, the corner of his lips lifting in a disdainful curve.
"Is that so...?"
Geber's face twisted into a vicious grin. He reached up, wiping the blood oozing from the Shinsō's slash. In an instant, the gaping wound ceased bleeding.
The monstrous vitality of an ancient Zoan was laid bare for all to see.
Swish—!
He flicked his bloodied hand, droplets scattering. In the next breath, his feet dug in, his wings flared wide—
With a piercing screech, he vanished.
Bang!
At the same moment, a silver spear shot forward like a dragon roaring through the heavens, piercing the afterimage Geber left behind and gouging a deep hole in the floor.
Dodged.
Meanwhile—
Geber reappeared behind Rosen, his massive black wings unfurled. Like a looming god of death, he overshadowed Rosen completely.
"Your blade... will never touch me a second time."
He leaned in close, his whisper grazing Rosen's ear like a snake's hiss.
Clang—!
Next came the sound of hardened wings tearing the air. The pitch-black wings, reinforced by Armament Haki, slashed down at Rosen's neck like a guillotine.
"Wind Claw!"
Faced with Geber's lightning-fast onslaught, Rosen appeared unable to react, standing there as if paralyzed, his back fully exposed.
"It's over."
"Nameless brat."
Geber's eyes shone with savage triumph, already envisioning Rosen's severed head rolling to the floor.
At that moment.
Sniff—
A small hole opened under Rosen's ribs. From that tear, a chilling black light shot out, like a black laser piercing the air.
Bang!
A thunderous impact rang out. Violent shockwaves exploded outward.
Geber's attack was forcibly interrupted, his entire body pierced and blasted backwards like a rag doll, crashing into the ceiling of the sixth-level prison.
Only then did everyone clearly see what that black light was.
The Shinsō.
A Shinsō, now hardened by Armament Haki, transformed into a pitch-black blade.
"My blade... will never touch you a second time?"
"Really?"
Rosen slowly turned, holding the Shinsō in a reverse grip, the blade still pointed precisely at Geber, who now hung pinned against the ceiling.
"You—"
Geber's eyes bulged in horror. Just as he was about to speak, he felt the Shinsō impaled in his chest suddenly surge with a terrifying sharpness and explosive force.
Clang—!
Sparks flew. The spear-tip screeched as it tore into Geber's hardened Haki-plated chest, slicing through as though ripping open metal.
"No...!"
Geber's entire body tensed, his face twisted in agony and terror. His arms reached out helplessly, as if trying to grab Rosen mid-air to stop him.
But all he received was Rosen's cold snarl.
"Ikorose — Shinsō!"
...
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