**Chapter 7: The Sky is the Victim When the Strong Clash**
The reef beach Rocks mentioned wasn't exactly close to Hachinosu, but it wasn't hard to find either.
Following the direction Rocks pointed, Nereus quickly spotted the reef beach exposed by the low tide from mid-air and arrived there first.
There was a big difference between staying airborne and true flight. Although Rocks could stay airborne, it wasn't flight in the truest sense, and his speed couldn't match Nereus's.
On the entire Hachinosu Island, only Shiki, the user of the Float-Float Fruit, could barely keep up with Nereus's agility in aerial combat.
"I won't hold back then, Nereus!"
Following closely behind, Rocks had already drawn the longsword hanging at his waist. His terrifying Conqueror's Haki wrapped around the sharp blade as if it were a physical substance.
It was called a spar or a contest, but to outsiders, it clearly looked like they were acting with the intent to kill each other.
An incredibly wide slash wave, carrying extremely dense Haki, slashed fiercely toward Nereus.
As this slash wave flew rapidly forward, the surrounding air seemed to be torn apart by sheer force. Even the calm sea surface below was split open into a massive, abyss-like rift by the intense shockwave of its residual power.
Facing such a horrifying attack, Nereus appeared neither to dodge nor evade, allowing the sharp slash to cut through his body and turn the sea area behind him upside down.
The hideous and terrifying wound nearly sliced Nereus in half, but Rocks showed no pity, only a sense of familiarity.
In the next moment, that hideous wound healed at an extraordinary speed, as if nothing had happened.
"Wahahaha! That self-healing power is still as terrifying as ever. Your nickname 'Undead Creature' isn't for nothing.
I've seen the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. From ancient times to the present, you're the only one who has developed this fruit to this extent."
Bat-Bat Fruit, Mythical Zoan Model: Vampire. A Devil Fruit located in Sleeping White Town. In the game storyline, it belonged to Redfield the Red Earl.
As a Mythical Zoan, the abilities it demonstrated included not only physical enhancement but also stealing lifespan and restoring youth. But that was just a part of it.
This terrifying regeneration ability was also part of it.
Logia types used elementalization to turn their bodies into elements to dodge attacks; if the physical body could be damaged, scars would still remain.
But Mythical Zoans were different. Nereus's ability was somewhat close to Marco's Phoenix Fruit. Haki was needed to injure the body, but damage caused by Haki could also be recovered through the ability.
"Xebec, if this is what you meant by 'wanting to see me go all out,' then it's a bit disappointing."
Nereus didn't respond to Rocks's praise.
Under the effect of the fruit's ability, his hands had become slender, his nails sharp as blades.
The wings on his back became broader, and the muscles all over his body appeared more developed and fuller.
Although in Redfield's hands, the hybrid form of the Vampire sprouted wings that were wing membranes connected to the arms.
But with Nereus, they were independent wings. Zoan transformations had special wavelengths and could even be influenced by drugs. This variation was the result of Nereus's own control over the fruit.
Nereus himself didn't have the habit of using weapons; his hands were his most accustomed weapons.
At this moment, he held his hand flat like a knife. A Conqueror's Haki no less inferior to Rocks's—perhaps even more condensed and focused—instantly wrapped around his sharp fingertips.
"Hell Thrust."
Nereus's body seemed to instantly transform into an indestructible spear. With a speed difficult for the naked eye to catch, he charged violently straight toward Rocks.
*Clang!*
Facing Nereus's fierce offensive, Rocks reacted extremely quickly, blocking horizontally with his sword in front of him.
Using the hard blade covered in Armament Haki and wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, he steadily blocked Nereus's vicious thrust.
"Don't hit the face, you bastard! I don't have your self-healing power; what if I get a scar!"
Using a weapon to block already demonstrated Rocks's seriousness.
For the vast majority who had merely awakened Conqueror's Haki, this power was usually only used for intimidation or clearing out fodder.
However, for top-tier powerhouses like them who understood high-level usage of Conqueror's Haki and how to wrap it, Conqueror's Haki could also become both a spear and a shield for offense and defense.
If the opponent's Haki intensity wasn't enough to contend, they couldn't even break through the invisible defensive barrier formed by Conqueror's Haki.
Even if Rocks just stood there without moving, enemies lacking strength shouldn't dream of causing any effective damage to him.
On this vast sea, the strong who could truly achieve this were few and far between. Nereus and Harald were undoubtedly among the best of them.
"Didn't you block it?"
"True enough. Next... comes the real deal! Abyss Curse!"
Before his voice faded, Rocks's wrist jerked to flip the blade, using skillful force to deflect Nereus's thrust. Immediately following was a heavy downward chop, the blade whistling as it slashed forward.
Nereus's body suddenly turned into a blood-red mist, dissipating on the spot instantly, then condensing and reforming at another location not far away.
He exerted force from his waist. Although he didn't use a real weapon, his arm slashed down fiercely like the sharpest blade, accompanied by the sound of breaking air.
"Crescent Moon!"
*Boom!*
Rocks changed his move midway through the downward chop, turning it into a swift horizontal slash.
The blade and the hand-knife did not make direct contact. When they were still several feet apart, the majestic Haki radiating from both of them already began a fierce contest across the air.
The thick clouds in the sky were forcibly torn apart by this invisible force. The seawater below retreated madly into the distance, forming a massive depression.
Countless schools of fish swimming in the sea and seabirds flying in the air instantly fainted under the intense collision of these two top-tier Conqueror's Haki, then were ruthlessly pushed far away by the powerful shockwave that spilled out.
The reef beneath their feet crumbled under the impact, creating crack after crack. Even on Hachinosu, this terrifying aura could be felt.
At Nereus's camp, the subordinates looked toward the sea not with worry, but with admiration.
"Did Big Brother get stronger again?"
"Isn't that obvious? That's why he's our boss!"
Meanwhile, the young boy from the tavern who wanted to witness the demeanor of the strong had just run to the seaside. The torn sky seemed to be telling him right now what true strength was.