"Want to try?"
Merlin said, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at Night Earl in his hand.
The already dull blade was gradually dyed with a dark iron luster.
Armament Haki: Hardening.
Their Observation Haki was currently sensing each other's bodies. However, traces of electric current flashed in Merlin's eyes. Under the effect of the bio-electric field, he perceived the operation between the muscles of Gion's body.
Gion's pretty face turned dark. Under her own keen perception, she felt that under Merlin's Observation Haki at this moment, her whole body seemed to be stripped bare, with no privacy at all.
She couldn't help gritting her teeth and cursing: "Pervert!"
Before the words fell, her feet stomped the ground at extreme speed. In the blink of an eye, utilizing this clever reaction force, her figure appeared abruptly in front of Merlin, the sword tip thrusting at Merlin's eyes in an instant.
At the same time.
A dark light rose like lightning from diagonally below. Violent power was constrained on the blade, and with a black slash mark brought out by the swing of Night Earl, it seemed to be engraved in the void.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing like muffled thunder rang out at this moment. An explosion-like shockwave also erupted at the moment their blades collided. Turbulent airflow exploded from around them. At this moment, Gion's beautiful eyes widened, feeling an explosion-like monstrous force pouring into her body from the sword.
Her figure couldn't help shattering the ground as she retreated backward.
At this moment, black flames ignited in Merlin's eyes. In Merlin's eyes, a stuttering injury appeared on Gion's arm. This calamity was clearly captured by Merlin like a weakness.
Calamity Vision: Weakness Perception.
An ability technique developed by Merlin. In this instant, the ground beneath Merlin's feet was flipped backward, and his figure turned into a black shadow appearing in front of Gion.
Night Earl, held high and wrapped in black flames, slashed down brazenly from above. At this moment, Gion's pupils shrank suddenly, and her chest muscles tightened instantly. With the infusion of consciousness, Haki wrapped and hardened at the landing point of Merlin's blade.
Dong—
A bell-like tremor appeared at this moment. Pain flashed in Gion's eyes. In the blink of an eye, her figure flew backward with a whoosh.
At this moment, Merlin stomped his foot, his figure shooting out abruptly. The same sound of breaking wind rang out. But at this time, a figure flew backward and crashed towards Merlin. In this instant, Merlin's eyes moved, his brows furrowed, and his figure suddenly paused. Doflamingo's figure smashed heavily onto the ground in front of him.
Bang! A muffled sound appeared.
"Cough cough!" Clutching his chest, Doflamingo got up, looking at Merlin with twitching eye corners: "Why didn't you catch me?"
Merlin's mouth twitched, but he didn't speak. At this time, he looked solemnly at Tsuru opposite, who had caught Gion.
Seeing Gion's chest clothes shattered, her whole body paralyzed and stiff, with a blood mark and mottled white traces appearing on the exposed parts, and blood seeping from her nose and mouth.
Obviously suffered internal injuries.
But the point wasn't this. Ripples like water stains appeared on Tsuru's hands as she pressed them on Gion's shoulder. Immediately after, the negative paralysis and Platinum Lead disease calamity on Gion's body were washed away.
Watching this scene, Merlin recalled the ability effect of the Paramecia - Wash-Wash Fruit (Woshu Woshu no Mi) in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.
It could transform contacted targets (including living beings and objects) into a laundry form for washing and drying.
And could also strip the strength of living beings and weaken the evil thoughts of the washed for a short spiritual purification.
And now it seemed she could also wash away the ability effects brought by Devil Fruits.
And at this time, Teresa ran quickly to Tsuru's side, her hands glowing with white-gold light pressing on Gion's chest: "Blessing: Self-Healing Enhancement."
Thus, visibly to the naked eye, Gion's pale face became rosy.
But Teresa's aura didn't change much. So Merlin couldn't help thinking, Gion was blessed and her self-healing ability was enhanced, but was it consuming her own stamina?
Merlin's eyes flashed. It seems so. However, at this time, Merlin looked at Tsuru and said: "It seems Vice Admiral Tsuru's ability is very powerful, actually able to clear my ability effects. Then, why didn't Vice Admiral Tsuru go help those nobles clean up the Platinum Lead disease?"
Merlin just asked casually, not expecting Tsuru to answer. But unexpectedly, after Tsuru gave him a deep look, she actually began to explain: "Although my ability can wash out the power in a living body, including the Devil Fruit power you applied to Gion just now, it does not include the toxin that has already coexisted with the human body."
That is to say, she couldn't wash away the permanently modified Platinum Lead calamity, and at this moment, the Platinum Lead calamity on Gion hadn't completed permanent symbiosis with her yet.
"Don't give her time to stall!"
Knowing Tsuru's "cunning" well, Doflamingo suddenly said at this moment.
And looking at Merlin seriously: "I will do my best to hold Tsuru back, you go finish off Gion as soon as possible."
Merlin's eyes flashed, about to nod. However, at this time, Tsuru suddenly said to Gion: "You go deal with Doflamingo. His energy has been washed away by me quite a bit. I'll go meet this little rascal Merlin."
Gion nodded, but stared fixedly at Merlin. Having suffered a hidden loss at Merlin's hands just now, although she was confident she wouldn't lose to Merlin next, she still listened to Sister Tsuru. Her judgment wouldn't be wrong.
Sensing that her body had recovered enough not to affect herself anymore, the next moment, she and Tsuru suddenly rushed out in an instant.
Gion arrived in front of Merlin and slashed. Doflamingo waved his hand, and a stream of white threads shot towards Tsuru. Unfortunately, his thread attack became soft and limp as soon as it reached Tsuru.
Merlin swung his sword to clash with Gion. But just then, an air bullet suddenly shot over from the side. Merlin keenly perceived it and retreated sharply to dodge. At this time, Gion swung a slash at Merlin, then rushed towards Doflamingo.
Merlin was about to move to intercept Gion.
At this time, Tsuru suddenly blocked in front of Merlin. On a pair of pitch-black fists, cherry-pink flowing light appeared. Punches like cannonballs, with the howling sound of air, fist shadows overwhelmingly enveloped Merlin.
This time, Merlin's gaze locked tight, unable to intercept Gion anymore.
The blade in his hand danced continuously. Bang bang bang bang! A series of dull metal striking sounds rang out continuously.
Tsuru's heavy fists carried the howling of the atmosphere. Every fist shadow hitting his face felt real.
Merlin swung his sword to block and slash Tsuru's fist shadows. Black flames spewed from his body surface, enveloping both of them. But unfortunately, the water stain ripples spreading from Tsuru's body surface eliminated all black flames close to her body.
Fist shadows howled, blowing away large swathes of black flame currents.
Seeing this, Merlin constrained the black flames, only wrapping them around the blade surface to resist the water stain ability ripples coming from Tsuru that could strip human strength.
"At your age, to have such strength. The most familiar figure I can think of is Kaido of the Beasts. At your age, his strength was about what you are now."
While using the Marine Rokushiki—Shigan, Tekkai, Rankyaku—attacking continuously.
Tsuru sharply commented on Merlin's strength with admiration in her eyes.
" regarding your revenge on the four countries, I can let bygones be bygones. As long as you defeat Doflamingo with us, I can make the decision to help you change your identity and leave the precarious pirate life from now on."
"Merlin, don't listen to this old woman's demagoguery. If you believe it, I guarantee that after I lose later, the next one to be arrested will be you."
Doflamingo hurriedly spoke while finding time, but Gion's blade lights stuffed his words back.
At this time, Gion spoke: "You and Teresa are good friends. As long as you abandon the dark for the light, we keep our word. You only attacked a few stupid nobles. Being able to be friends with her, we believe you are not a natural born bad guy like Doflamingo."
Merlin took a moment to look at Doflamingo's increasingly gloomy face, and suddenly laughed out loud: "Naturally evil Doflamingo? Doffy, it seems your character is being rubbed on the ground by people!?"
Hearing Merlin's teasing at this time, Doflamingo raised his eyebrows. This was the first time Merlin called him Doffy since contacting him. Moved in his heart, he laughed out loud: "Then you who are with me, aren't you also a naturally evil brat?"
Saying this, he also looked sarcastically at Tsuru and Gion.
Merlin pursed his lips, suddenly exploded with full power, and the katana in his hand swung a dark light beam slashing at Tsuru in an instant.
Seeing this, helplessness appeared on Tsuru's face. Her figure flashed, Pa! jumping into the sky to dodge this attack.
Merlin's Observation Haki sensed Tsuru's figure, contemplating her body force generation techniques. Immediately shattering the ground, he rushed into the sky, swinging a cold light to slash at her.
Tsuru's eyes showed some helplessness. Stepping on the void, her figure retreated abruptly again. Merlin fell from the sky, his gaze moving slightly. At this time, exerting force with his legs, super speed burst between his legs stomping downward. Bang! The air exploded violently, and his figure suddenly shot upward for a distance, but his figure was crooked.
At this time, seeing Merlin use a move similar to Geppo, Tsuru's eyes widened slightly. With her eyesight, she clearly saw the roughness of Merlin in this technique. However, at this moment, she secretly said in her heart: "This little monster!"
Falling diagonally to the ground from the air, Merlin sensed the tearing calamity on the skin of his legs, so he absorbed it, looking again at Tsuru who was still in the sky.
Observation Haki perceived with full force. In the bio-electric field, the difference in bio-electric flow rate in Tsuru's lower body compared to other locations, under the high-intensity operation of muscles, brought about different frequencies of bio-electric flow in the body.
Tsuru's brows gradually furrowed. The unpleasant feeling of being peeked at surged into her heart. Looking at Merlin below with black flames rising in his eyes, her face couldn't help but darken.
Visual ability?
X-ray? Or penetrating vision?
She thought of the Paramecia - Glare-Glare Fruit (Giro Giro no Mi) in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, and the corner of her mouth couldn't help twitching: "Can you see through my body?"
Merlin looked calm: "Guess?"
Tsuru's face was extremely dark and unhappy. Pa! Her figure plummeted to the ground rapidly, rushing towards Merlin.
Approaching in the blink of an eye, a kicking shot, the atmosphere buzzing and rolling back on her leg.
A vacuum slash released right in his face.
Merlin stomped on the ground with both feet, his figure retreating instantly, his perception locked firmly on Tsuru. Tsuru's figure followed Merlin closely like a ghost, the two crossing everywhere in the battlefield one after another.
Merlin focused on perceiving Tsuru's body force generation techniques. But soon, Merlin could no longer perceive it, because Merlin discovered that Tsuru's Observation Haki was wrapped and compressed on her body surface, isolating his Observation Haki perception penetration, and the electric field as well.
Eyes slightly widened. There is such usage?
And upon finding she couldn't catch up with Merlin, Tsuru suddenly stopped, rushing instantly to Doflamingo who had just been slashed back by Gion.
A cherry-red Haki punch smashed heavily on his face. A deep fist print was engraved, a mouthful of blood sprayed out, and Doflamingo shot backward abruptly.
Merlin looked at him flying backward again, grinning. This time he reached out to support his back, and his figure stopped.
Doflamingo looked at Merlin with an indescribable discomfort in his eyes. Merlin blinked and explained: "Tsuru is very strong!"
A retort was stuck in Doflamingo's throat. He couldn't help taking a deep breath. However, at this time, he suddenly said: "Let's retreat. There's no need to fight anymore."
Merlin's eyes flashed, and he nodded. Then he looked at the people still fighting not far away. Immediately, black flames on his body surface spread quickly along the ground.
Calamity: Platinum Lead/Paralysis.
Under the dual calamity, those dozen or so tough female Marines fighting the Donquixote executives were hit instantly.
At this time, Doflamingo's eyes flashed, the ground assimilated by threads. He wanted to take the opportunity to finish off a few. But at this time, Tsuru suddenly rushed forward. Doflamingo could only force himself to stop the thoughts in his heart.
He was really afraid of completely enraging this guy. So, he could only shout: "Retreat, Merlin and I will cover the rear."
Saying this, he looked at Merlin who had clashed with Gion again and retreated backward together with the opponent.