The black blade of Tensa Zangetsu pressed down hard against the famous sword Ace, sending a violent spray of sparks into the air. Kane felt the resistance of the Pirate King, but he did not yield. His feet hovered three inches above the ground as translucent wings made of woven air currents unfurled from his back. This specialized posture granted him a perfect physical pivot in mid-air, allowing him to draw immense pressure from the void with every coordinated exertion of his strength.
Mr. Roger, the era you carry on your shoulders is simply too heavy. Even your sword swings have become sluggish and predictable under that weight. Kane spoke with a cold, mocking edge as he pressed down with a sharp backhand motion. The edge of Tensa Zangetsu slid roughly along the spine of Roger's blade, creating a screeching sound of metal on metal. At that exact microsecond, the airflow between them was compressed to its absolute limit, forming a nearly transparent arc of shimmering light.
Storm: Silent Sever. There was no thunderous boom or sound of an air burst. Instead, the very atmosphere was sliced open with terrifying cleanliness. Roger tilted his head just in time to evade the lethal strike, though a few strands of his black hair were clipped short. Behind him, the consequence of the missed strike manifested as a thousand meter long rift that appeared for no reason on the surface of the sea, parting the waves in a straight line.
This age, this level of Haki... are the young people in the Marines nowadays all this ridiculous? Roger asked as he used his free hand to wipe away a fresh bloodstain on his cheek where the wind pressure had nicked the skin. His gaze changed completely, losing its casual warmth and replacing it with the sharp focus of a dying lion.
For the sake of justice, I have put in an amount of effort that is unimaginable to ordinary people. Kane answered back with a tone of feigned righteous indignation. However, his actions did not match his heroic words. His feet stepped out using Godspeed: Flowing Light, and his physical figure completely vanished into the surrounding atmosphere.
Roger closed his eyes immediately as his Observation Haki issued a frantic, screaming warning in his mind. In his heightened perception, the entire world had ceased to be solid and had instead turned into wind. Every wisp of moving air current acted as Kane's eyes and ears, and every gust of wind felt like the edge of Kane's hidden blade.
There! Roger shouted, swinging his sword backhanded toward the empty air. The pitch black Conquerors Haki Coating on his blade exploded like a burst of crimson lightning. Divine Departure! The red and black slash swept through the air with the power to level mountains.
Kane, however, appeared eerily at the side of the devastating slash. His left hand made a sudden hollow grip in the air, and the surrounding oxygen was instantly sucked dry by his power. Vacuum Hell Prison. Roger felt a sharp, stabbing pain deep inside his lungs. In a high vacuum environment, the human body undergoes a rapid chain reaction of internal collapse. Even the Pirate King, with all his legendary strength, could not defy the physiological laws of common sense. Due to the sudden and violent drop in air pressure, Roger's already diseased and riddled lungs reached their ultimate limit at this exact moment.
Pfft— A large pool of dark red blood sprayed onto the ground from Roger's mouth, creating a shocking and grizzly sight.
Roger! Rayleigh barked in a low, worried voice. He was no longer willing to stand by and watch the duel. He unsheathed his own sword and charged at Kane like a silver arrow leaving a taut bowstring.
Oh? You are finally willing to make a move, Pluton. The curve of Kane's lips deepened into a predatory smirk. He had long expected that Rayleigh would not sit idly by while his captain suffered. In fact, Kane had intentionally pressed Roger step by step specifically to trigger the man's terminal illness and force Rayleigh into the fray. Facing the Dark King's charge, Kane remained unhurried. He flapped his storm wings vigorously to pull away from the coughing Roger. He turned his full attention to Rayleigh, his gaze showing no hint of fear. Instead, he wore a playful look, much like a hunter who had just spotted a second piece of prize prey.
Pluton Rayleigh... it is truly a great honor for me to personally bury two legends in a single day! Kane swept his blade across in a wide arc. The strike lacked the overbearing, heavy power of a Getsuga Tensho, but it possessed even greater raw speed. As the blade passed through the air, the atmosphere itself seemed to shriek in protest. Wind elements wrapped tightly around the edge of the sword to increase its sharpness and the force of its impact.
Rayleigh swung his sword to parry the incoming strike, and the resulting collision of the two blades made his entire arm go numb from the vibration. This Marine brat's strength and speed had both reached their absolute peak, and he possessed an untamable, wild explosive power that felt like a natural disaster.
I cannot hear a single shred of honor in any of your words, boy! Rayleigh responded, his eyes turning deep and serious. The battle instantly shifted from a one-on-one duel into a high-stakes two-on-one struggle.
Kane was surrounded by two of the most dangerous men in history, yet he did not seem constrained or worried in the slightest. His movement was uncanny and erratic. His storm wings allowed him to come and go like the wind, flickering in and out of the combat zone. At times, he turned into a blurry afterimage, his cold blade light attacking Roger's old wounds and forcing the sick man to use his Haki defense by consuming what little life force he had left. At other times, he clashed head-on with Rayleigh. His Haki infused Tensa Zangetsu collided with the Pluton's blade, and each time they met, a staggering power erupted that shook the very foundation of the island.
The three of them moved at high speeds around the center of the battlefield. Blades flashed like lightning and shadows danced in a chaotic ballet of death, with black and red sparks occasionally exploding in the air. Kane, by his own singular strength, was actually suppressing the two legends. Roger was seriously ill after all; his attacks were gradually becoming weak and shaky, and the intensity of his Haki Infusion was also declining as his body failed him. As for Kane, his Physique had reached a freakish level of 90 points. This allowed him to withstand the massive consumption of high intensity combat without breaking a sweat. Every breath he took and every swing of his sword remained as steady and rhythmic as a perpetual motion machine.
Kane, you really shouldn't have gotten involved in this. Rayleigh said in a deep, gravelly voice. His sword strikes became even sharper and more desperate as he tried to make up for Roger's physical deficiencies.
In this world, Rayleigh, there is no such thing as should or shouldn't. There is only the question of whether a choice is worth it or not. Kane responded calmly. He split Rayleigh's heavy slash with one precise strike while his storm wings accelerated his body to dodge a sneak attack from Roger's blade from behind. And right now, the lives of two dying legends are worth the price of a brand-new era.
As his voice fell, the Haki throughout Kane's body instantly climbed to its maximum limit. A Conqueror's Haki that was several times stronger than his previous display erupted from within him, shaking the heavens. Conquerors Haki Coating. The Tensa Zangetsu in Kane's hand was instantly infused with pitch black Haoshoku. Electric arcs danced along the metal and emitted a low, predatory rumble. He was no longer holding back. Flapping his wings violently, he charged straight at Roger like a black cannonball launched from a fortress.
Roger felt that overwhelming, suffocating pressure, and his diseased body could not help but tremble under the weight of it. He forced himself to muster every last bit of his strength. His sword Ace was also infused with Haoshoku as he moved to meet Kane's charge. At the moment the two blades collided, it was no longer the sound of metal hitting metal. It was a roar that shook the earth and the sky alike!
The entire island sank violently into the ocean by several inches, and the sea surface for miles around was once again pressed into a massive, circular depression. Roger's body finally reached the point where it could not withstand such immense physical force. The bones in his arm holding the sword made a sickening, tooth-gritting sound. The sword Ace flew out of his hand, spinning through the air before stabbing deep into the ground. Roger himself was like a kite with a broken string. He was blown away by the massive shockwave and crashed heavily to the ground, with fresh blood gushing out of his mouth once more.
Roger! Rayleigh's eyes were nearly bursting with rage and grief. He knew that his captain really could not hold on any longer.
Kane did not pursue the fallen Roger to deliver a finishing blow just yet. He turned his body in mid-air, the Tensa Zangetsu in his hand drawing a perfect, lethal arc aimed directly at Rayleigh. Now, it is your turn, Pluton! Kane was entirely covered in Haki Infusion. Tensa Zangetsu carried the power to tear through the very fabric of the air, whipping up miniature storms with every casual swing.
Rayleigh's eyes narrowed to slits. He felt the unmistakable aura of death emanating from the young man hovering before him. This Marine's power had already surpassed all common logic and known limits. Rayleigh realized he had no way out and no room to retreat. He poured everything he had learned in his long life as a pirate into this one final strike.
Pluton Slash: Twilight! Rayleigh's blade was infused with his peak Armament Haki. It traced several trajectories in the air that seemed deceptively slow but contained countless hidden variations, all aimed straight at a perceived flaw in Kane's stance. The blade edges collided with a sharp ring, and their figures instantly crossed paths.
A small gash was cut into the shoulder of Kane's white Marine greatcoat, but he didn't care about the fabric at all. Rayleigh's back, however, was swept by the residual wind blades of Tensa Zangetsu. Dark red blood began to seep through the older man's clothes.
It is over. Kane's voice carried an unquestionable, chilling calmness. He pulled away from Rayleigh and began to hover in mid-air once more. The air currents around him surged frantically, carrying an irreversible momentum that felt like an approaching natural disaster. The sky above them darkened once again as an endless storm vortex quickly formed directly above Kane's head.
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