A cold prickle ran down Redyat's spine the moment he realized he could no longer read Teach's thoughts. His mind-reading only worked when he had direct visual contact, and right now he had none. That alone told him something was very wrong.
Teach's presence flickered behind him, silent and lethal.
Over the years, Teach's combat instincts had sharpened into something terrifying. The previous eight claw strikes had only been bait. The real killing strike waited in the blind spot behind Redyat.
Time seemed to freeze as Teach's demonic claw arced down. Five crimson trails ripped across Redyat's back, and blood sprayed through the air. For the first time in their prolonged battle, Redyat took a true, heavy hit.
Gritting his teeth, he forced down the pain and counterattacked immediately. The shadows under his feet surged and wrapped around Teach's legs before Teach could react. Redyat had been waiting for this moment. Teach attempted to break free, but he was half a heartbeat too late.
Redyat lunged forward. His dragon claw slammed into Teach's chest, then shifted into a fist.
"Hundred Armed Giant."
A torrent of punches blurred into existence, each impact overlapping the next until the air itself vibrated. Teach raised his arms to defend himself. His Observation Haki stayed locked on Redyat, allowing him to avoid the worst of the blows, but he had no opening to escape. The corrosive shadow energy twisted through the gaps, eroding whatever it touched.
Armament Haki spread across Teach's body like liquid metal. Even so, most of the punches still landed.
Teach finally forced his legs to move. With a desperate burst of strength, he shattered the shadows binding him. Using the impact of Redyat's punches, he flung himself backward, slid across the ground, and caught his balance in a crouched stance.
He pushed off the earth with explosive force. The next moment he appeared beside Redyat and delivered a devastating whip kick.
Redyat reacted instantly. Their legs collided with a thunderous crack. The shockwave rippled outward, dark red lightning crackling around their bodies. The ground beneath their feet split in all directions before collapsing under the force.
Both men retracted their legs and kicked again. Their silhouettes flickered across the sky, exchanging blows too quickly for the eye to separate impact from explosion. Shadow gathered around Redyat, merging with his Armament Haki. Even so, Teach's sharper killing intent and sword aura gradually pushed him back.
Their fighting styles mirrored each other. Both specialized in physical combat, both wielded claws as their primary weapons, both were versatile enough to shift between techniques without hesitation. Redyat possessed greater balance and stronger swordsmanship, but Teach pursued overwhelming offense, mixing claw strikes with sword intent until his blows carried a frightening cutting edge.
Redyat's threefold defenses of Haki, shadow power, and hard scales began to falter. Teach's slashes dug into him again and again, although his Mythical Zoan regeneration healed the wounds with impressive speed.
Teach was not unscathed. Shadow corrosion gnawed at his skin. Sweat streaked his back. He used Life Return sparingly, saving what stamina he still had.
Their fight raged across the entire island. Mountains collapsed. Craters gouged the terrain. The once-dense forest became a wasteland of shattered stone and drifting dust.
Members of the Nightfall Pirates had already retreated to the coast. A massive boulder in the distance erupted like an artillery shell. Redyat fell into the crater it created, only to leap out moments later as a streak of shadow.
Teach launched a claw attack. Five crescent slashes fused into one colossal sword wave that tore across the island. Redyat sidestepped in an instant, burst from the shadow at Teach's flank, and swung his dragon arm.
Teach had already seen the future. He appeared above Redyat, claws descending in a brutal arc.
Their battle reached a fever pitch. Punches, kicks, and claw strikes collided in continuous cascades of force. Neither man allowed the other a single breath of rest.
Night fell again, and Redyat dominated the darkness. Teach's Observation Haki pushed to its limits as he tracked movements that bordered on instantaneous. Redyat emerged beside him, then behind him, then above him in the span of a heartbeat. Teach blocked what he could, but even seeing the attack did not guarantee he had time to react.
Above the great lake at the island's center, Redyat appeared overhead with both hands raised.
Teach moved to defend, but the charge was already complete.
Redyat hammered down on his skull like a falling meteor.
Teach shot into the lake like a fired arrow. A towering column of water exploded upward. The lake churned violently, scattering terrified fish into the surrounding rocks.
Teach surged toward the surface, but Redyat was already preparing his next attack.
"Shadow: Myriad Arrows."
A massive shadow circle expanded around Redyat. Countless black arrows rained down, saturating the entire lake.
Teach burst from the water and swept his claw through the air. Arrows shattered around him. He launched himself skyward with Moonwalk, ignoring the arrows that struck his body. His Haki repelled them instantly.
Redyat smiled as Teach closed the distance. He dispelled the surrounding shadows, drew back his fist, and punched.
Teach punched back.
The collision carved a massive depression into the lake. Water surged outward like a tidal wave, spilling over the banks and drowning the shore.
The second day passed. Then the third. By what Baccarat counted as the fourth day, the island lay nearly destroyed. The Nightfall Pirates watched from the shore, appalled.
Nelson whistled at the devastation. "They are monsters. Look at this place. The whole thing is collapsing."
Wallace crossed his arms. "Destroying an island is easy for the captain. This one was broken apart just by the fight itself."
Laffitte took a graceful sip of red wine. "Their clashes are slowing. Today might be the end."
Teach and Redyat stood on trembling legs. Both were drenched in blood, their bodies riddled with wounds. Redyat's regeneration had slowed to a crawl. His scales were cracked. His shadow armor flickered. Teach's limbs trembled. His breath came ragged and heavy.
Neither had much stamina left. Their movements were sluggish, their reactions dulled. Even Redyat's shadow form could no longer move at its terrifying speed.
Yet neither stepped back.
This was the final exchange.
They stared at each other with the same grim resolve. One strike would decide the victor.
Both roared and charged.
Their fists swung. The world narrowed to that single instant.
Redyat's eyes widened.
Teach slipped half a step to the side, avoiding Redyat's punch. His own fist crashed into Redyat's torso with every last drop of power he had left.
Redyat's mouth opened in a silent shock. Blood spurted from his lips as his body lifted from the ground and flew more than a hundred meters before smashing into the earth.
The island fell silent.