As Kuina's abilities were revealed, the battle on the field grew increasingly intense and frequent.
On the frozen sea, two figures continuously split apart and collided again, waves of air blasting outward in every direction without pause.
Between the ringing clashes of blades, crimson petals occasionally drifted down with the fierce wind, their beautiful color carrying a thick killing intent.
"What is that?" At the ship's rail, Nami stared at the countless petals filling the sky, her eyes full of amazement. "So beautiful~"
"Yeah, what a gorgeous technique."
Chopper sat on the railing with his small body, his mind also immersed in the stunning scene.
Hearing their conversation and noticing the admiring gazes of the other girls nearby, Nojiko silently rolled her eyes and warned them irritably,
"I'm telling you, pay attention! Those petals are all made of slash attacks. They're extremely dangerous!"
"If you're not careful, those petals can slice you to death..."
"Nani?!"
Hearing that, Chopper's mouth dropped wide open. His fur stood on end as terror filled his eyes.
He never expected that such a beautiful sight could hide such terrifying life-and-death danger.
Nami beside him also subconsciously shrank her neck and quickly withdrew her gaze.
Not something we can afford to mess with. People who fight with swords are all monsters!
"Zheng~"
The two figures in the field crossed past each other again, both of their clothes now slightly torn.
The bit of contempt Vista once had because of his opponent's age had completely vanished. In its place rose a burning fighting spirit.
The corner of his mouth lifted into a grin.
"Magnificent. To cross swords with a genius of swordsmanship like you is truly a great fortune!"
After speaking, his expression turned serious. Holding his blade upright before him, he said solemnly,
"Swordsman, Vista. Please advise."
"Kuina. Please advise."
Her blade pointed diagonally toward the icy surface as Kuina's sharp gaze pierced forward like a knife.
Feeling the rising sharp intent from her opponent, she knew the probing phase had ended. The real fight was about to begin.
Her expression grew serious. Her grip tightened slightly on her sword as she prepared to face the coming storm.
Seeing Kuina's cautious stance, Vista crossed his twin swords across his chest and smiled.
"Aren't you going to attack?"
As he spoke, his body suddenly sprang backward into the air. With several swift swings of his swords—
Shua! Shua! Shua!
Several invisible slashes instantly transformed into countless crimson petals drifting down toward Kuina.
"Rose Dance."
Looking at the petal-shaped slashes descending over her head, Kuina's eyes narrowed slightly. She stepped back, gathered strength, and swung her sword in a powerful strike.
Shua!
A massive pink slash shot straight into the sky, sweeping away the petals covering the air. Its momentum remained unstoppable as it flew directly toward Vista.
Suspended in midair, Vista seemed to have anticipated it. Crossing his twin blades, he forcefully deflected the massive slash upward.
Pink light dyed the sky as the slash spiraled upward before exploding violently.
The fierce impact blasted open the clouds above, forming a huge hollow in the sky above the battlefield.
Blinding sunlight poured down through the gap, forcing the stunned spectators below to raise their hands to shield their eyes.
Looking at the proud figure standing on the battlefield, the members of the Whitebeard Pirates watching from the sidelines swallowed hard, unable to hide the shock in their eyes.
Was that slash that looked like it could split the sky in half actually real?!
No matter how they thought about it, they couldn't understand how such a slender figure could unleash a slash with such terrifying power.
Ace stood at the ship's rail staring at the split clouds, completely frozen in place as he muttered to himself,
"T-This has to be fake... How can she be this strong?"
"...Without a doubt, a Grandmaster Swordsman. One of Mr. Leno's crew... truly hides dragons and crouching tigers."
Coming back to his senses, Jinbe glanced sideways at Leno, who stood there calmly, and couldn't help sighing in admiration.
Earlier, Yamato had already shocked him greatly. Now another Grandmaster Swordsman had appeared.
What made his heart tremble even more was that the mysterious Empress—whose strength remained unknown—had not even made a move yet.
What kind of monsters were in this adventurer crew? Just how did Mr. Leno gather all these people together?
While the two of them were either shocked or marveling, several of the Whitebeard Pirates' other division commanders wore extremely serious expressions.
They exchanged glances, each seeing the same realization in the others' eyes.
They had underestimated the overall strength of the adventurer crew—and by a wide margin.
Of course, it wasn't entirely their fault. Leno's brilliance had been so dazzling that everyone's attention had naturally focused on him alone.
But after today, that attitude would surely change completely.
As the crowd silently exchanged glances filled with different thoughts, the two fighters in the field charged at each other again. A new round of battle began.
This time, however, the clash was even more violent than before. The spectators could clearly feel the difference in the strength of the shockwaves blasting toward them.
The two fighters moved faster and faster until their figures disappeared completely, leaving only two afterimages constantly crossing across the battlefield.
Only the occasional metallic clash and the sparks flying through the air revealed the intensity of their confrontation.
Meanwhile, the ice surface that had previously been repaired was once again torn apart by scattered sword energy, leaving deep trenches everywhere. The battlefield had become a complete mess.
Watching the fight, Leno's expression remained calm.
His eyes shifted slightly before he turned to look at Whitebeard with a mischievous grin.
"Old man, your son is about to lose."
After a pause, he sighed helplessly and looked toward the battlefield with a smile in his eyes.
"Sigh... those girls really go all out the moment they start fighting. They don't even think about sparing other people's feelings."
"Brat, know when to stop!"
Whitebeard glanced sideways at Leno. His tone was deep and frightening, and the aura around him seemed on the verge of erupting.
His mood had been perfectly good, yet this annoying brat kept provoking him again and again.
Just because he had some ability, he dared to jump around in front of him. Did he really think Whitebeard could no longer lift his blade?
Seeing the old man already on the verge of exploding, Leno wisely stopped teasing him.
If he really got hit by a quake, it definitely wouldn't feel pleasant.
His gaze swept across the members of the Whitebeard Pirates, a trace of pity unconsciously appearing in his eyes.
These guys had no idea that their carefree days were about to come to an end.
A hungry wolf had already slipped into the peaceful flock of sheep, yet they remained completely unaware.
And with the head sheep already old and fading, their ending had long been decided.
Sigh... for the little time they had left, perhaps he shouldn't bully them anymore.
...
...