Before the words finished echoing, the ground beneath both men exploded as their forms became blurred afterimages charging at each other!
Weapons clashed again!
"CLANG CLANG CLANG—!!"
Dense metallic strikes rang out like a torrential downpour, sparks flying everywhere, each collision whipping up mini hurricanes.
"Boys, charge!" On the Whitebeard Pirates' side, Phoenix Marco was first to respond, his hands transforming into wings wreathed in blue flames as he soared skyward.
"OHHHHH!"
"Steal all the Roger Pirates' treasure!"
On the other side, Rayleigh adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting flashing steel as he drew his sword and pointed it toward the ground. Gaban hefted his twin axes, the blades clanging together with a crisp "clang," his face full of excitement.
"Well then..." Rayleigh's voice was steady and clear, carrying across the entire Roger Pirates' battle line. "Can't let the captain have all the fun by himself!"
He and Gaban simultaneously raised their weapons, pointing toward the surging Whitebeard Pirates ahead.
"All hands—"
Just as Rayleigh was about to give the order for total assault, a figure descended like a meteor with a slight whoosh of displaced air, landing steadily between the two men.
It was Kyle, one hand in his pocket, the black-gold naginata slung over his shoulder, as if that world-destroying shockwave had been nothing more than a gentle breeze.
"How could I miss out on this kind of fun?"
He turned his head, flashing Rayleigh and Gaban a playful smile, then suddenly stepped forward and raised his right fist, aiming at the vanguard of dozens of Whitebeard Pirates charging in the lead.
"Well then, let's start with an opening number!"
Kyle threw what seemed like an ordinary punch, but the air several meters in front of his fist suddenly twisted and compressed, forming a visible, rapidly spinning ring-shaped sonic boom cloud.
The next moment, the compressed shockwave exploded outward!
"BOOM—!!!"
An invisible air cannon spread violently forward in a fan shape, carving a deep furrow in the sand wherever it passed.
The dozens of pirates in the lead couldn't even react before being launched into the air by that savage impact force, scattered like bowling pins, instantly clearing a huge area.
"CHARGE!!!"
The Roger Pirates erupted like ignited gunpowder, their pent-up fighting spirit exploding instantly in earth-shaking roars.
They surged past Kyle, Rayleigh, and Gaban, becoming a raging tide that crashed hard into the Whitebeard Pirates.
The brawl erupted!
"Diamond Impact!"
Diamond Jozu roared, half his body transforming into crystalline diamond that refracted blinding light in the sunshine.
He crossed his arms in front of him, charging through the crowd like a runaway truck. The Roger Pirates' ordinary crew members couldn't stop him at all, sent tumbling head over heels.
Kyle thought: Truck? Damn, that brings back some unpleasant memories!
"Ha ha ha! This rock's pretty tough! Leave him to me!"
Gaban's booming laughter rang out as he stomped the ground hard and charged straight at Jozu.
His twin axes flew up and down, whistling as they tore through the air, slamming hard into Jozu's diamond-transformed body.
"CLANG—!!"
The deafening crash spread outward, sparks flying everywhere. Gaban felt his hands go numb from the vibrations, but his excitement only grew more intense.
Meanwhile, "Flower Sword" Vista's swordsmanship was completely different in style.
His blade was light and graceful, each swing bringing forth a shower of gorgeous rose petals. However, beneath this seemingly beautiful sight lurked deadly killing intent.
"Flower Sword: Night-Blooming Jasmine!"
Petals danced through the sky, each one sharp as a blade, sealing off all escape routes for several Roger Pirates crew members.
Just then, a flash of silver light appeared.
"Ting ting ting!"
In crisp clashing sounds, all the petals were precisely deflected one by one.
Rayleigh had appeared in front of those crew members at some point, his sword casually tracing a flourish as his eyes behind his glasses calmly observed Vista.
"Nice swordsmanship." Rayleigh's voice was steady as always. "But I'm your opponent."
Vista's expression grew serious. Just standing there, this man gave him an unfathomably oppressive feeling.
In one corner of the battlefield, two kids stood back-to-back, breathing heavily.
"Shanks, that big guy on your left!" Buggy yelled from the corner of his eye.
"Got it! Buggy, you idiot, that's the right side!" Shanks cursed while his sword moved without hesitation, precisely deflecting a curved blade aimed at the back of Buggy's head.
"So loud! Red-haired bastard, take this!"
"Who're you calling red-haired, red nose!"
Though they bickered constantly, their teamwork grew increasingly seamless.
Under Kyle's "special attention," their abilities had long since improved beyond recognition. In a melee of this scale, they could not only protect themselves with ease but even find time for counterattacks.
Deep in the jungle, Kozuki Oden, who'd been blasted away by Roger's "Divine Departure," now staggered back onto the battlefield.
He wiped the blood from his mouth, his excitement only growing as he saw this unprecedented massive brawl, letting out an earth-shaking wild laugh.
"OHHHH! Now this is what real pirates are like! So interesting!"
He ignored his captains' attempts to stop him, swinging Ame no Habakiri and Enma like a fierce tiger charging into a flock of sheep, slashing at friend and foe alike, making the already chaotic battlefield completely uncontrollable.
"Hey! That samurai! You're hitting your own people!"
"Captain Oden! Roger's over there! Be careful!"
At the center of the chaos, Kyle strolled leisurely across the battlefield.
His Observation Haki and wave sight had long since covered the entire field. Any attack aimed at him, whether blades or bullets, was predicted and easily avoided.
Suddenly, a blue afterimage tore through the air, descending with a sharp whistle!
It was Phoenix Marco!
He'd transformed into his half-human, half-phoenix form, his feet becoming sharp talons covered in Armament Haki and wreathed in blue regeneration flames, clawing viciously toward Kyle's head!
"You're that 'Big Boss,' right? Let me see what you're made of!"
Marco's voice carried a hint of playfulness, his attack swift as lightning—ordinary eyes could only see a falling streak of light.
Kyle merely tilted his head up slightly, the corner of his mouth curving under his sunglasses.
He didn't block or dodge, simply opened his mouth and sent a soundless vibration toward Marco.
"Hm?!"
Just as Marco's claws were about to touch Kyle, his brain suddenly seized up, as if a red-hot poker had been driven straight through it.
Then his own voice exploded in his mind like demonic music, endlessly looping, amplifying, even distorting into harsh noise.
"You're that 'Big Boss,' right? Let me see what you're made of!"
"...what you're made of!"
"Made of... made of... made of..."
This bizarre attack caused his prized speed and focus to freeze for a split second.
In battles between masters, victory is decided in an instant!
In that split second of vulnerability, Kyle had already vanished from his original position.
Using the shockwave's recoil, Kyle appeared ghost-like beside Marco.
"Good reflexes, but too bad..."
He bent his middle finger and mercilessly flicked it at the back of Marco's head.
A brain flick.
"!"
Marco's Observation Haki screamed warnings, every hair on his body standing on end!
Without time to think, he forcibly twisted his body at the last moment, raising his Armament Haki-covered wing to block.
"Thud!"
A dull impact sounded as Marco was knocked back over ten meters, carving deep grooves in the ground.
He shook his somewhat numb wing, looking at Kyle with gravity in his eyes for the first time.
"Mental attacks? What a troublesome ability..."
Kyle didn't press his advantage, merely straightening his collar that had been mussed by the wind.
"Likewise."
Kyle grinned, extending his right hand with his index finger and thumb tips nearly touching, leaving only a barely visible gap.
"The difference between you and me is about this much."
The legendary finger gap appeared!
Marco's eye twitched hard.
This guy... is he mocking me?!
He took a deep breath, the blue flames on his body surging higher, his aura even more imposing than before.
"Is that so? Then I'll burn that finger of yours to ash along with your arrogance!"
Heh, he's getting riled up!