Newgate's earlier speculation was actually wrong.
He thought that Abyssal Devourer required a medium, and that without his blade, Diarmuid couldn't use the technique.
In fact, he was only half right: Abyssal Devourer does require a medium.
As long as there is a suitable medium, Diarmuid can still use Abyssal Devourer even without the Kokorowatari in hand.
And as one of the top-tier experts, Diarmuid, knowing this flaw in Abyssal Devourer, wouldn't he find a way to compensate for it?
Definitely not!
He was bound to find a way to compensate!
The first method of compensation was to solve the medium problem: to see if he could use Abyssal Devourer without any medium at all.
That path, at least for now, was closed. Diarmuid wasn't yet skilled enough to develop the power to use Abyssal Devourer bare-handed.
So, the second compensatory method was simple: have a backup.
How to use Abyssal Devourer when Kokorowatari is out of hand?
Diarmuid pondered this question for only a short while before setting his sights on the Kokorowatari's scabbard.
The facts proved he succeeded. This wasn't a particularly difficult problem to solve.
He had never told anyone about this, keeping it as a hidden trump card.
Using the scabbard of the Kokorowatari as the medium for Abyssal Devourer was quite an insidious idea, as under normal circumstances, no one would pay attention to a scabbard...
And now, precisely because of this disregard, Newgate had been successfully ambushed by Diarmuid, with his old lumbar region nearly destroyed.
Newgate was clutching the terrifying wound on his side. The cut wasn't huge, but it was thirty to forty centimeters long and looked extremely serious. In the area near his left kidney, the muscles between his waist and abdomen had completely vanished, as if violently ripped away, leaving a visible void through which Newgate's internal organs could be seen.
It was bloody and gruesome, a truly brutal sight.
Even with Newgate clutching the wound, the blood continued to gush. A serious injury! Undoubtedly, a severe injury!
Newgate was already badly hurt; it was only when Rayleigh intervened that he was given time to adjust his state and forcibly suppress his injuries.
Now, having suffered another critical blow, Newgate's aura instantly became chaotic. At the same time, the injuries he had been forcibly suppressing could no longer be contained.
With every breath, blood would well up at the corner of his mouth, and bloody foam mixed in his exhales. The whites of his eyes were heavily bloodshot, his brow was deeply furrowed, and a vein pulsed on his forehead. He seemed to be experiencing extreme pain and trying desperately to endure it.
"Hey, Whitebeard..." Rayleigh stood in front of Newgate, asking with concern: "Are you still good to go?"
Newgate wanted to proudly assert himself, but the moment he opened his mouth, a spout of old blood erupted, staining his half-missing white mustache crimson.
Seeing this, Rayleigh's heart sank. Clearly, Whitebeard was done!
With Whitebeard out, Rayleigh would have to face Diarmuid alone. Earlier, when he was just watching the fight, he could afford to observe with a casual attitude.
But now that he was truly involved, Rayleigh could fully feel the immense pressure emanating from Diarmuid.
"This is going to be a nuisance..." Rayleigh muttered softly, his pupils contracting slightly, his expression utterly serious.
On the other side, Diarmuid held the scabbard of the Kokorowatari, a savage smile on his lips: "Oh my, one has already fallen?"
After a brief pause, Diarmuid looked at Rayleigh: "You're next, Dark King..."
The instant he spoke the title 'Dark King', Diarmuid's foot slammed down, and his figure instantly vanished—it was Soru!
In the next moment, Diarmuid appeared in front of Rayleigh, bringing the blade down without hesitation—no, the scabbard down.
The Abyssal Devourer coating the scabbard brought immense pressure to Rayleigh; the space where the attack passed even seemed to subtly fracture.
Not daring to attempt any resistance, Rayleigh shifted his foot, pushing back a step, while simultaneously throwing out a palm strike imbued with Haki.
The Abyssal Devourer grazed past Rayleigh, missing its mark. Diarmuid wasn't concerned either, using his other hand, also coated in Haki, to counter-strike, shattering Rayleigh's attack.
The next second, the scabbard in his hand created a flurry of shadows, slashing towards Rayleigh with extreme speed. In that instant, alarm bells rang in Rayleigh's mind. He retreated hastily, trying to create distance from Diarmuid. But Diarmuid's offense was too fast. Rayleigh retreated a step, and Diarmuid immediately closed the gap.
In a short while, Rayleigh had retreated dozens of meters, yet Diarmuid was still stuck to him, relentlessly slashing with the Kokorowatari's scabbard carrying Abyssal Devourer.
Speaking of which, although few people cared to compare Diarmuid's combat skills after his 'divine powers matured,'
In reality, Diarmuid's swordsmanship level had remained in its former 'half-baked' state.
This was what Rayleigh was currently thankful for. As a top-tier swordsman, he could sense that Diarmuid's swordsmanship wasn't very high; he was relying entirely on his other powers for overwhelming offense.
It was precisely because of this that Rayleigh could survive Diarmuid's fierce assault until now. If Diarmuid's swordsmanship was even half as good as Mihawk's, Rayleigh, whose sword was heavy and sluggish from the earlier encounter, would have been sliced to pieces already.
Rayleigh also noticed a problem: Diarmuid seemed unable to use his other ability-related techniques while using Abyssal Devourer.
In fact, this was true. While Abyssal Devourer had unparalleled offensive power, it came with significant drawbacks. For instance, it couldn't be used freely without a medium, and when utilizing this power, Diarmuid had to focus on mobilizing and precisely controlling the massive gravity energy, preventing him from using his other ability-based techniques.
"When you use this move..." Rayleigh suddenly spoke.
As he dodged Diarmuid's slashes, he tried to engage Diarmuid in psychological warfare with trash talk. Even if it didn't work, it cost nothing to say a few words.
However, before he could finish, the Abyssal Devourer on the scabbard in Diarmuid's hand suddenly dissipated, revealing the true form of the Kokorowatari's scabbard.
It was in this instant that Rayleigh's reaction speed failed to keep up with Diarmuid's change in technique. His face changed. Before he could prepare, a massive gravitational pressure instantly enveloped him, causing his movements to slow down slightly.
At the same time, Diarmuid slammed a punch directly onto Rayleigh's nasal bridge. This powerful strike, imbued with Haki, instantly broke Rayleigh's nose. Blood immediately gushed from Rayleigh's face.
All these changes came too quickly. For a moment, Rayleigh's mind went blank. By the time he recovered, Diarmuid had used the same hand that broke his nose to grab his neck. Leveraging his height advantage, he lifted Rayleigh straight off the ground.
"When I use this move, what happens?" Diarmuid asked with a smile.
After a slight pause, before Rayleigh could speak, Diarmuid continued: "When I use this move, I can't use my other abilities? Yes, you're absolutely correct. But Rayleigh, with no sword in your hand, why should I be fixated on Abyssal Devourer to deal with you? Ahahaha..."
From the beginning, Diarmuid's intense assault on Rayleigh using Abyssal Devourer was a method to conceal his true intention. He was waiting for the moment Rayleigh let down his guard, or rather, the moment Rayleigh thought he had discovered a secret.
Rayleigh, perhaps due to years away from real combat, inevitably displayed minor flaws. While these flaws might be negligible against other opponents, and he would have grown stronger after fighting for a while and finding his rhythm, Diarmuid immediately capitalized on the instant he exposed them.
However, before Rayleigh could manage to speak, the ground beneath Diarmuid's feet moved slightly. He frowned and looked down...
A bottle-shaped Homie poked its head out of the earth...
"This is..." Diarmuid was startled at first, then his expression changed.
Armament Haki instantly erupted from his feet, attempting to envelop him, but the Homie was faster. With a bang, it exploded.
It was Dyna Stone!!!
The instant of the explosion, a wave of immense shock, or rather, a slicing wave, erupted from the distance.
"Ikoku!" Charlotte Linlin roared.
This strike pulverized Kuzan's glacier, and its momentum remained unchecked as it slammed toward Diarmuid's position.
In reality, Charlotte Linlin never considered Kuzan a true threat. She knew perfectly well that the real threat here was only Diarmuid. Therefore, even while fighting Kuzan, she was constantly keeping an eye on Diarmuid.
After unleashing the Ikoku attack, even though it looked like a hit, Charlotte Linlin dared not be careless. She stomped her foot, and her massive figure charged toward Diarmuid like a tank.
"Bastard..." Kuzan cursed. Just as he was about to unleash his freezing power, a flash of blue flame streaked past, and a kick flew towards his head.
It was Marco. Marco's expression was extremely serious, his eyes flickering with angry flames.
Even though he had been nearly killed by Charlotte Linlin shortly before, in this critical moment, he chose to prioritize the bigger picture, helping Charlotte Linlin stall Kuzan for a moment!
Because he also knew very well that if Diarmuid got free now, things would be difficult for everyone!
Freed from Kuzan's restraint, Charlotte Linlin plunged into the smoke like a runaway horse.
With Observation Haki fully active, she immediately locked onto Diarmuid's figure. The Cognac sword in her hand trailed fire as she fiercely slashed down.
"Hahaba!!!" Charlotte Linlin roared.
Diarmuid was also slightly bewildered at this moment. He knew there was Dyna Stone on the island, but he never expected it to be turned into a Homie and then actively sneak attack him.
Although the damage wasn't severe, before he could fully steady himself, Charlotte Linlin's overwhelming Ikoku attack slammed into him, forcing him to counterattack quickly.
He had just managed to adjust his state, and now this old hag, Charlotte Linlin, charged in like a madwoman, relentlessly slashing at him. What is going on?
"Damn it, I knew you, Kuzan, you bastard, couldn't be relied on!" Diarmuid cursed under his breath.
Meeting Charlotte Linlin's flame-engulfed Cognac, Diarmuid slammed a Haki-infused fist into the blade.
Fist and sword connected. In just an instant, Diarmuid released the pressure on his foot, using Charlotte Linlin's brute force to retreat directly out of the smoke and dust of the explosion.
Ignoring Charlotte Linlin, Diarmuid's Observation Haki quickly locked onto Rayleigh, who had just gotten back on his feet some distance away.
"Eat this, you bastard!!!" Diarmuid swore, raising his palm towards Rayleigh.
"What is that?" Rayleigh froze for a moment. Before he could react, he suddenly felt weightless?
"Planetary Devastation!!!" Diarmuid roared.
The gravity energy within his body was instantly channeled toward Rayleigh's position. The immense attraction force drew up soil and rocks from the ground, sticking them onto Rayleigh's body as he slowly ascended into the air.
Just then, Charlotte Linlin, like a demon, chased out of the smoke with her Cognac. Her bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at Diarmuid, and the moment she saw him, she roared and charged over.
Diarmuid refused to engage Charlotte Linlin. He nimbly dodged her attacks, creating distance between them, while his hand movements continuously channeled the power of Planetary Devastation.
Rayleigh, on the other hand, was in a miserable state. He had no strange Devil Fruit abilities, and his physical strength, while immense, didn't qualify him for the title of 'monster'. The sword he relied on had been neutralized by Diarmuid from the start.
Thus, when faced with Planetary Devastation, he had no effective means of countering it. He struggled and cursed, but was quickly engulfed by the earth and rocks, rising high into the sky...