Redfield stood silently in place. Like a sleeping lion awakening, a terrifying aura surged from his body.
Boom!!
Heaven and earth changed color. All of LV5 filled with a dreadful pressure, as if divine wrath itself descended. Under its might, ice sculptures cracked and split.
Within this wave of Conqueror's Haki, prisoners from LV1 to LV3 trembled uncontrollably, their strength cut in half. Even criminals worth over a hundred million in LV4 fainted outright.
"What's going on?!"
"Hey!"
Hearing the commotion from Creed's battle with Shiryu, Ain and Xiaozhi arrived.
"Garp's grandson… you're really strong!"
Ain's beautiful eyes widened—Creed's opponents were already at this level.
"Forgive me," Redfield said, "I haven't used this in over twenty years. Hard to control… my body's rusted."
"After that bastard Shiki cut off his legs, Impel Down's restrictions became harsher. Seastone shackles everywhere. Before, we still had room to move. After Shiki escaped, even that freedom vanished. I haven't stretched like this in ages. It feels good."
"No problem. I understand."
They spoke as though old friends catching up—ignoring the sharp glint in their eyes and the sword intent rising steadily around them.
Their gazes locked like casual conversation, yet sword intent poured from their bodies, swelling stronger and stronger.
The air grew oppressive, heavy.
Zzzzt—!
Their clashing sword intent split LV5 in two. Sparks flew where it collided, faint arcs of dark lightning flashing.
At the center, the pressure became a battlefield unto itself. To those watching, it sounded as if countless blades clashed in the air.
Zzzzt—!
The stalemate dragged, both sword intents balanced equally.
Then suddenly, silence. Like a tide retreating, the sword intent ebbed. Peace fell, as though… before the storm.
In the next instant, both vanished, bodies disappearing from sight.
Boom!!
Clang!!
A thunderous crash and the ring of steel echoed. In the center, the two struck with such force the ice beneath their feet shattered like a spider's web. Cracks spread outward in every direction.
Crash!
Clang!!
Their blades clashed again, sword aura ravaging everything. Ice sculptures collapsed, shockwaves blasting Hannibal and the others back.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Steel rang again and again in rapid succession. To onlookers, only shadows remained—two phantoms colliding at impossible speed.
The ear-splitting noise drummed against eardrums, leaving many wincing in pain.
Prisoners in LV5 stared, stunned. With their strength, they could follow the movements, but none could last even ten blows in such a fight. Seeing was one thing; reacting was another.
The ferocity of their exchange rattled even LV4 above them. Some criminals coughed blood, others fainted.
Clang!!
The blades clashed and parted.
"Garp's grandson… you are strong!"
"You too, Red Count!" Creed replied.
Redfield laughed. "It's been so long since I've fought like this. Truly exhilarating."
He twisted his neck, bones popping.
"Then… let's begin in earnest." Creed said.
In the distance, jaws dropped. So far… they had only been testing each other?
Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!
Sword intent erupted without restraint, filling all of LV5 with suffocating pressure.
Redfield's sword aura blazed crimson. Unlike Shiryu's blood-red, his "red" was noble, like the radiance of the sun itself.
Their sword intent surged, clashing in midair, razor-sharp.
Clang!!
Their bodies blurred again, colliding with an even louder explosion.
In just breaths, they had exchanged countless blows.
Suddenly, Redfield's sword style shifted. Noble, regal, pressing down from above with crushing authority.
Creed's blade met it, but his sword aura changed as well—gentle as spring breeze, soft as lingering rain. No longer aggressive, but enveloping.
One hard, one soft.
One sought destruction like thunder, the other flowed weightlessly, as soft as cotton.
The contrast hammered the hearts of onlookers, stirring emotions violently.
Clang!!
They charged at each other.
Boom!!
Blades crossed, locking in place.
For several seconds, they froze, then burst apart, retreating.
Behind them, the ground split open, ice fracturing into debris from the delayed force of their clash.
They now stood just outside each other's reach. One step forward to attack, one step back to defend.
Redfield's eyes gleamed with savagery. The terrifying sword talent before him… this age of the sea might be even more exciting than the era of Roger.
His blood boiled.
It was a feeling he hadn't known in decades. A feeling he'd only tasted when dueling Shiki, Roger, or Whitebeard.
This feeling—exhilarating!
Redfield smirked. "Then, you'd best be careful now!"
…
(End of Chapter)
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