"Alright!"
Zombie Ryuma shifted his stance, aiming the tip of the black blade Shusui directly at Luffy.
Since the outcome was already clear, there was no reason to hold back.
For this final moment, he would give it his all and fight to his heart's content!
"Aubade Coup Droit!"
"Prelude Au Fer!"
"Gavotte Bond en Avant!"
"Polka Remise!"
"Swallow Bond en Avant!"
The black blade shimmered and split into countless mirage-like copies. Dazzling sword light filled the air like stars, flooding toward Luffy. Each strike was as fast and sharp as a bolt of lightning, far too quick for the eye to follow.
Luffy's gaze twitched slightly, then returned to its serene stillness, calm as a quiet lake.
Facing the incoming flurry of stabs that formed a dense web of sword energy, Luffy simply extended two fingers, arms dancing in motion. His hands moved so fast they seemed to multiply, one by one tapping the sword tips, blocking every strike Ryuma launched.
At that moment, the classic duel of shield versus spear began.
Clang! Clang! Cling! Clang!
The sharp ringing of metal-on-metal echoed in chaotic harmony.
Gradually, the rhythm of blades thrusting and clashing, the sound of footwork, and the advancing of a swordsman… all blended into a beautiful waltz. It was as if Ryuma were inviting Luffy to dance with him on this battlefield.
At the center of the stage, Ryuma advanced aggressively, while Luffy retreated with grace and control.
In the thick mist, the moonlight acted like a spotlight, trailing behind the two as they moved in perfect synchronization.
"Phew…"
The performance reached its finale.
The black blade Shusui, as if exhausted, drooped in silence, its once-proud aura faded.
Luffy landed lightly from a stone pillar. As he touched down, the pillar shattered with a boom into rubble, sending dust into the air.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A chain reaction had begun. The entire castle started to tremble.
Debris and holes littered the surroundings. The once-majestic fortress now looked like a ghost of its former glory, ready to collapse at any moment.
"Gigantesco Mano – Four Trees!"
Robin spread her arms wide. From the ground sprouted a massive formation of hands, merging into four enormous palms that shielded her and Brook.
"Ahh! Wh-What is this?!"
Brook hadn't yet recovered from the intense duel between Luffy and Ryuma. Now suddenly trapped inside these giant hands, he panicked and drew his cane sword, ready to slash his way out.
Then,
A mouth appeared in the center of one palm and snapped, "Don't move. Or I'll crush you."
Brook shuddered violently. That same terrifying feeling again...
But hearing Robin's voice, he slowly relaxed and sheathed his sword.
"You're not drawing your blade anymore?"
Despite the fierce battle, Luffy remained composed. His calm heart had not wavered.
Zombie Ryuma shook his head with a bitter smile. "There's no point. After all… this isn't my own swordsmanship."
He turned and glanced toward Brook, still shielded inside the giant palm.
Then he spoke again. "Next comes my final strike, my strongest. I hope you'll take it seriously."
Luffy gave a simple nod, raising both hands to show he was ready.
"This is a technique embedded in my body's muscle memory. I don't know its name," Ryuma said softly.
"But I hope... it earns your respect."
With that, Ryuma gripped the black blade tightly in both hands, lifted it over his head, and suddenly charged forward.
This time, there was no grace, only weight.
Each step fell like a thousand-pound hammer, crushing the stone beneath. With relentless momentum, Ryuma surged ahead.
Then, with a mighty leap, he vaulted high, smashing through the castle roof. He hung in the air, silhouetted against the moonlight.
"If you don't have a name," Luffy muttered, "then I'll give you one myself."
"Sever!"
Ryuma roared the word as he dove downward, blade first, like a bullet tearing through the sky, headed straight for Luffy.
Luffy raised his arms, eyes locked on the descending warrior.
BOOM!!!
It was like the end of the world.
The impact split the castle down the middle. A deep chasm tore through the floor beneath, bisecting everything in its path.
The load-bearing walls gave way. The entire structure collapsed in an instant.
At the bottom of the gorge stood Luffy, arms crossed, catching Ryuma's black blade. His hands trembled slightly from the pressure.
His eyes flickered, now bright, now dim. Where they once blazed, now flickered a subdued intensity.
Tiny sparks danced around his gauntlets, like stars.
"You're losing control, aren't you?" Ryuma bared his teeth and laughed, pouring every last ounce of strength into the strike.
Luffy said nothing. Or perhaps, he couldn't.
Under the crushing pressure of Ryuma's slash, he could feel it again, that spark of fire inside his heart, starting to burn.
"Don't suppress it! Let it out!" Ryuma shouted.
"This isn't about extinguishing your mental power!"
"A true swordsman pours their whole being into their blade!"
Even as he pressed down harder, Ryuma kept guiding him.
"To become... one with the sword…"
Luffy fell into brief contemplation.
The "Zero Point Breakthrough" was meant to reduce death energy to zero, and then go beyond.
He'd barely managed to push his aura down to that point... but what came next?
To "merge with the sword", did that mean projecting oneself through the blade?
The early form of Zero Point allowed the user to produce ice by suppressing death energy.
And that death energy manifested as flame.
Flame and ice...
That's it!
A spark lit behind Luffy's eyes.
Fire gives off heat, releasing one's will and fighting Mental Power outward.
But ice draws in heat, it absorbs that energy back into oneself.
That's the key!
Merge it back into the self.
It wasn't about suppressing willpower,
It was about controlling how it flowed.
Internalizing it.
Merging it into the self!
"Hm?" Ryuma suddenly felt the resistance vanish.
Luffy had stepped back, shedding the pressure.
CLANG!
The black blade scraped along Luffy's gauntlets, sliding free.
Ryuma raised his weapon again, then froze.
He looked down. A layer of ice had crawled up the blade, shimmering in the moonlight with iridescent color. It had even reached the hilt, robbing Shusui of its usual ominous glow.
"Looks like... you've succeeded," Ryuma said with a trace of relief.
Luffy's eyes had returned to their deep black, but the frosty glint on his gauntlets said his heart was still ablaze with focus.
"I wish I could've met you while I was still alive," Luffy murmured softly.
Ryuma's hand trembled. He looked down at the now-frozen blade and sighed, heavy with regret.
"I've lost. Heh…"
"Then come on!"
Samurai Ryuma spread his arms wide and shouted, "Let this warrior's body feel your strength firsthand! Let me taste defeat, fully and completely!"
Luffy bowed his head, whispering: "As you wish."
His figure vanished.
In a blink, he reappeared before Ryuma.
Crack... crack…
Ice spread from Ryuma's feet and arms, slowly engulfing him.
"So this is your power…" Ryuma said, eyes calm even as they froze.
"Such... searing cold…"
And in the final second, his vision faded.
The legendary swordsman Ryuma was once again laid to rest, now part of history.
A strange shadow slithered out of his mouth and darted toward Brook's feet.
Brook looked down, stunned. Then whispered:
"My shadow... has returned."
==========
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