Vasco Shot saw Rosen wielding two blades, calm and formidable, yet when Rosen entered a brief stalemate blocking Catarina Devon's iron fist, a flash of joy danced across his face.
"The flaw has been revealed!"
"Rosen!"
He grinned wide, tongue lolling out in glee—and in the next breath, high-concentration alcohol surged into the air, swirling between his index and thumb.
Boom—
A searing fireball materialized out of thin air, its heat cracking through the infinite hell, sizzling and popping. With a trailing comet's tail of blazing orange, it howled toward Rosen's back like a meteor striking from the heavens.
"Does my junior have any flaws?"
"Does Rosen have a flaw?"
Borsalino frowned and turned his head to glance at Zephyr—only to find Zephyr already staring at him.
Their eyes met.
Confused.
Perplexed.
Though they hadn't used Observation Haki to track the flow of every move, their naked-eye perception as former Admiral and Admiral Candidate was more than sharp.
Yet neither of them saw a single opening in Rosen's form.
But Vasco Shot's look of certainty... that fierce fireball... none of that looked fake.
Which meant—either they had misjudged.
Or...
Had Vasco Shot eaten the Flaw-Flaw Fruit, not the Glug-Glug Fruit?
Was he hiding a second Devil Fruit power?
Was this... a dual-fruit user?!
"I didn't see it!"
The same doubt hovered in both Borsalino and Zephyr's minds.
When their own judgments failed, their gazes shifted—at once—to Shiryu.
After ten days together, they'd both come to recognize that Shiryu's strength was second only to Magellan in all of Impel Down.
A true swordsman.
If Rosen had a flaw—any flaw—surely this man would see it. He may have even used Observation Haki just now.
Shiryu met their eyes calmly.
"If Vasco Shot were one of the Four Yonkos, then yes—Rosen would be riddled with flaws."
Without hesitation, he offered his take.
Borsalino and Zephyr nodded lightly.
Because flaws… are always relative.
From the perspective of the Four Yonkos, Rosen indeed had weaknesses. But for someone like Vasco Shot, whether Rosen had flaws or not didn't matter—
He couldn't capitalize on them.
And then—
"Getsuga Tensho!"
As Rosen turned his back to Vasco Shot, the fireball a mere second from impact, he pressed his palm hard against Engetsu's black hilt—still locked in contest with Catarina Devon's Garp-like iron fist.
Suddenly, Engetsu flared with an explosion of brilliant violet.
Boom—
A purple Getsuga tore through the air, sweeping forward like a divine torrent, slamming directly into Catarina Devon—who was still bracing against Engetsu, unable to react.
"Ahhh!"
The devastating blade wave pierced straight through her body.
The explosion of pain and energy left her bloodied and shredded, screaming like a banshee amidst the thunder of the purple Getsuga tearing her apart.
Meanwhile—
Vasco Shot's fireball had reached Rosen's back.
Just a hair's breadth away.
Given the size of the fireball and the distance left, Rosen had neither time to dodge, nor time to swing his sword.
"Die!"
Vasco Shot grinned hideously.
Victory was in his grasp.
But then—
Hiss—
No scream followed.
No blast of fire upon impact.
Only the sound of flame and ice colliding.
Next—
The massive fireball, five meters across, struck Rosen's back like a descending mountain—but instead of igniting, it faltered.
First, clouds of white mist erupted.
Then—the fireball shrank rapidly.
Three meters.
Two.
One.
Shrinking with every heartbeat, it was soon no bigger than a palm, then a fingertip—
And finally—
Snuffed out, like a candle in a storm.
Gone.
Vasco Shot's proud, confident grin crumbled into a frozen grimace.
As the mist cleared, he finally saw.
The hellish rock floor behind Rosen had melted into a crater from the sheer heat of the fireball.
And yet—Rosen stood at its center.
Unscathed.
Not a single hair singed.
Not even the thin layer of frost on his clothes had melted.
Not even the ice on his shoulders.
It was as if the flames had bowed down before him.
"As expected of two monster-class pirates working together."
"You actually managed to touch me."
"Impressive."
Rosen's tone was calm as always, twin blades still in hand, as he turned to look at Vasco Shot's stunned face.
"Impossible..."
"My Drunken Fire—definitely hit you!"
"You couldn't have dodged it—there wasn't time to block—"
Vasco Shot muttered, shaking his head, utterly unable to accept what he was seeing.
"You're right."
"Your flames did touch me."
"I didn't swing my sword."
"That's why I complimented you."
"Heavy Drinker."
Rosen acknowledged it plainly.
The flames hit.
He did not defend.
And yet, he stood—unburned.
"Why...?"
Vasco Shot's voice trembled.
Rosen gave him a smile.
"What do you think?"
Vasco Shot's gaze flickered—first to the snow-frosted layer on Rosen's coat, then to the snow-white blade still held in his left hand.
"I see..."
"The ability of your blade… isn't just releasing ice or freezing matter..."
"It changes your body temperature directly."
"The blade is merely the medium to expand the ice field."
He spoke it aloud, realization dawning.
"You're finally catching on."
Rosen's eyes twinkled.
Even as Vasco Shot unraveled Sode no Shirayuki's true power, Rosen showed no concern.
It didn't matter.
Sode no Shirayuki's core ability was simple.
Easy to deduce.
But knowing it—and countering it—were two very different things.
Everyone knew Whitebeard's power came from the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
But how many could overcome the strongest man in the world?
...
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