Both Ray and Gion were powering up, building momentum.
Massive amounts of Haki and Demonic Power crashed against each other in the air, creating crackling energy lightning.
They both knew this next clash would decide everything.
…
Gion's brow furrowed.
She knew there were only two ways to beat Ray.
One, wear him down.
But that would take too long, and Buggy would slaughter her Marines down below.
Two, use an ultra-high-speed burst attack to take him out instantly.
It was clear she was going with option two.
Ray secretly smirked.
'Good. She's getting impatient.'
This was exactly why he'd sent Buggy down.
When they were both up here, it was a stalemate.
But if Ray could hold her off alone, Buggy could tip the scales on the ground.
The Marines would be crushed.
Ray had forced this 1v1 to free up Buggy.
The only way for Gion to break the deadlock now was to beat Ray, and beat him fast.
'Come on.'
In an instant, the energy clash dissipated as they shot towards each other.
Gion coated both her legs and her sword in black Armament Haki, looking like some kind of deadly warrior in black stockings (except, you know, it was Haki).
This sudden surge of power meant she was about to unleash her ultimate move.
"Peach Blossom Slash Secret Technique: Thousand Strikes!"
Using her maximum explosive speed, she delivered a blinding flurry of slashes.
It would put a massive strain on her body, but she couldn't hold back anymore.
She had to take Ray down now.
In a flash, Gion vanished.
What followed was an insane storm of ultra-high-speed slashes covering dozens of meters around Ray.
A thousand slashes per second.
Unstoppable.
Not only were they incredibly fast, but they were immensely powerful.
The air itself seemed to tear under the assault.
You can imagine what Ray looked like in the center of it all.
His clean white clothes were instantly soaked in blood, new sword wounds appearing all over his body with every microsecond.
He was in serious trouble.
…
Things weren't looking great down below either.
Luffy and Zoro, working together, could barely hold Smoker off, and they were still being pushed back.
Sanji and Gin had initially been overwhelmed by Gruss's clay soldiers.
Gin had bravely decided to take on all the soldiers himself, leaving Sanji to fight Gruss one-on-one.
But even with Haki and his best kicks, Sanji was getting battered, already coughing up blood.
These Marine Captains were all masters of Rokushiki and Haki; they were simply on another level compared to the Straw Hats right now.
(Side note: The power scaling in this world keeps changing! Logically, these guys trained under Admirals for years. Of course they know Haki! It'd be weird if they didn't. So yeah, they know Haki now. Don't @ me.)
…
Hina's fight was... chaotic.
Alvida was barely holding her off with her slippery skin.
Nami and Cabaji darted in for sneak attacks, and Usopp kept sniping Hina whenever she went after Nami.
Hina was getting super frustrated.
They weren't strong, but their teamwork was surprisingly effective.
Then there were the things Usopp kept throwing – rotten eggs, smelly socks, Chouchou's shit, super spicy peppers, century-old fermented tofu... it was disgusting and kept throwing her off her game.
So, Alvida kept slipping away.
On paper, Hina had the advantage, but the air around their fight was starting to smell really weird.
…
Chouchou's fight was the least worrying.
In his giant dog demon form, swinging that modified spear, he was an AOE machine.
He was roaring shockwaves and triggering huge explosions with every swing.
If it weren't for the two Zoan users desperately trying to hold him back, the 500 Marines would probably be toast already.
…
But none of that mattered.
The real decider was the fight in the sky.
Ray was covered in cuts.
One second had passed, but the slashes weren't stopping.
He still had to endure thousands more.
If he wasn't demon, he'd be minced meat already.
Gion's attacks were relentless.
Ray was drenched in blood, and his sword was knocked out of his hand, plummeting towards the ground.
But the longer Gion fought, the more stunned she became.
She'd been holding back at first, but that only gave Ray superficial wounds.
That wasn't enough.
So, ignoring the strain, she poured even stronger Haki into her blade.
The cost was burning through her stamina faster, but the benefit was that her slashes were now cutting deep into Ray's flesh.
'It's over,' she thought, sensing his muscles giving out.
She prepared to stop the attack.
But before she could, something changed.
A pale, slender hand, marked with two red demonic symbols, shot out and grabbed her wrist, the one holding her sword.
Gion's eyes widened in disbelief.
'How?! He's severely injured! How could he possibly grab me under this assault?!'
But when she saw Ray's face, she understood.
His entire body was now surging with intense Demonic Power.
His vertical pupils were gone, replaced by crimson, beast-like eyes.
Two pairs of sharp canine teeth extended from his mouth.
He looked like a demon god, and the pressure radiating from him was so immense that even Gion felt a primal fear.
This was 'Partial Demonization.'
It boosted his speed and strength.
Using this enhanced body, he'd tanked her slashes.
To do more damage, she'd used more stamina, which slowed her down just enough.
After taking a horrific amount of damage, Ray had finally caught her.
Without a word, Ray's right hand, the one gripping her wrist, began releasing venom.
The terrifying corrosive power made Gion cry out in pain.
Immediately after, Ray's left hand condensed a sphere of pure Demonic Power, and he punched her square in the chest.
The force sent Gion flying several kilometers away, crashing directly into the sea.
The moment she hit the water, the Demonic Power sphere exploded, sending a massive geyser of seawater dozens of meters into the air and driving her even deeper into the ocean.
Ray watched her fall, his demonic power completely exhausted.
He could no longer maintain his transformation.
At this moment, he was on the verge of collapsing.
…
The explosion on the sea surface caught everyone's attention.
Buggy, who had been wiping out Marines, saw it first.
He saw the blood-soaked Ray hanging in the air and sensed the severely wounded Gion sinking into the deep sea.
'Ray... you're way too harsh on yourself,' Buggy thought, his eyes wide.
He could see that nearly all of Ray's muscles had been shredded.
To unleash such a terrifying blow in that condition... this guy was truly fearsome.
…
The Straw Hats, seeing Ray drenched in blood, panicked.
Their moves became unsteady.
They'd never seen him this badly hurt before; they'd never even seen him bleed.
The Marines were even more stunned.
Smoker's face was filled with disbelief; his cigars dropped from his mouth.
Gruss, Hina, and Tashigi couldn't believe it either.
"Gion-sensei... lost?"