Creed drew in a deep breath, sword intent raging around him as his robes whipped violently. Reincarnation crackled with arcs of black lightning.
All of his sword will gathered into the blade's tip, the point glowing with dazzling dark radiance, like a black thunder-lamp.
With a roar, Creed swung down.
"Jinrai Zan!! (Thunderclap Slash!!)"
Zzzt—!
A lightning-shaped slash tore through the air, faster than sight, plunging straight into the Nine-Headed Sand Dragon's body.
Creed's lips parted coldly. "Explode!!"
Boom!!
Sword energy erupted inside the dragon, fracturing into countless shards that blasted outward from within.
Boom! Boom!!
Like endless bombs detonating, the giant dragon shattered into fragments, collapsing into nothing but drifting sand.
"Sabaku Kongō Giri!! (Desert Diamond Sword!!)"
Even as the dragon fell apart, Crocodile's voice rang out again.
Two massive slashes cleaved through the desert like tidal waves, sand splitting apart as they roared toward Creed from left and right.
Clang!!
Creed coated his blade in Armament Haki, blocking them—but the force hurled him backward, his feet carving deep trenches through the sands.
"Ryūshoku! (Dragon Bite!)"
As Creed slid back, Crocodile pressed his palm to the ground.
Several sand-dragons burst upward around Creed, jaws snapping toward him.
"Break!!"
Creed stomped hard, halting his retreat, twisting his body as Reincarnation swept in a perfect circle—shattering the sand-dragons instantly.
But Crocodile's next strike had already come.
"Sabaku Ōtachi!! (Desert Great Sword!!)"
His right arm became a sand-blade, plunging deep into the ground.
Crack!
From beneath Creed's feet, a massive sand-spike shot up to pierce him.
But Creed was ready—Reincarnation flashed, splitting it apart into dust.
Yet before he could catch his breath, another attack followed.
Sand swelled into the air, forming a massive torrent, a flood breaking free of a dam as it surged skyward, crashing toward Creed with world-shaking force.
"Geppō!! (Moonwalk!)"
Creed kicked off into the sky.
The flood of sand smashed into the desert below, sending ripples across the dunes like a waterfall striking a great lake.
But it wasn't over.
The raging torrent surged upward again, chasing after him, rising like a colossal river to blot out the heavens.
Creed's face tensed.
"Sabaku Sōsō!! (Desert Burial!!)"
Crocodile raised his hand, then slammed it down.
Boom!!
The monstrous torrent crashed from above like a falling star, gravity multiplying its speed and weight as it plummeted toward Creed.
The sky screamed, the air buckling under its force.
Creed launched himself away on Geppō, but his path was blocked by several sand-dragons bursting forth before him.
He slashed them apart in an instant—but that brief delay sealed his fate.
The colossal torrent was already upon him.
No escape.
Then he'd meet it head-on.
Creed's eyes burned gold as he gripped Reincarnation. His hair whipped wildly, his robe surging with sword intent.
"Rinne: Akumadō!! (Reincarnation: Path of Demons!!)"
His sword will erupted, transforming into a vast hellscape, countless demonic visages howling at his back.
"Slash!!"
With a thunderous cry, he unleashed a pitch-black slash that devoured light, accompanied by the shrieking of countless demons.
The air howled, the world trembling as sand was pulled upward into the strike, wrapping around the blade aura until it too became a raging torrent.
From below, Creed's black torrent clashed with Crocodile's sand torrent from above.
Boom!!!
The collision was apocalyptic, the explosion spreading shockwaves like a nuclear blast, flattening the desert in every direction.
Whshhh!!
The two forces canceled each other out, until at last, a lone black slash tore into the heavens, scattering the clouds before vanishing into the void.
From the distance, Crocodile's eyes narrowed. "Sword Force… He's already touched it? What a terrifying brat."
But he smirked with confidence. Creed wasn't yet a true Great Swordsman—only brushing the edge.
And here, in the desert, victory belonged to him.
Creed wiped sweat from his brow, breathing hard.
This veteran truly was the most troublesome opponent he had ever faced. And here, in Crocodile's domain, he was being pressed down again and again.
If things continued like this, he'd lose.
In that case… it was time to test his newly gained power.
…
(End of Chapter)
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