Miles' eyes held a flicker of regret. To strengthen his close-quarters offense, he had specifically trained his tail so he could perform Rankyaku with it. The idea had come from Teach himself. Rankyaku was simply a slash formed by compressed air. As long as one understood the principle, it could be launched from a hand, blade, leg, or even a tail.
His tail technique, however, was still new and lacked refinement. It was nowhere near as sharp as the Rankyaku produced by his feet. If it were, that earlier strike would have sliced McGill clean in half.
Even so, the slash cut a fifth into McGill's waist, and that alone had heavily crippled the man.
The outcome tipped the battlefield. Miles had already secured the advantage, and he knew it. He could not help but admire Teach's foresight. With proper training, his tail would become a true trump card.
McGill panted raggedly. He had not expected Miles to possess such a technique. Caught off guard, he found himself on the brink of collapse. The pain and blood loss surged every time he moved, draining his strength by the second.
Miles did not give him a moment to recover. He dashed in again. With McGill's condition spiraling downward, his speed and responsiveness had plummeted.
McGill tried to turn, but agony lanced through the deep cut across his waist. Blood soaked his pants and dripped steadily to the ground. Each movement made the wound tear further.
Even so, McGill refused to fall. He turned again, forcing himself through the pain and rage, but Miles simply slipped to his opposite side.
McGill finally understood the truth. Miles was toying with him.
The waist was a vital point. Once damaged, it stole the flow of power through the rest of the body. McGill's fury only grew, and he charged recklessly.
Exactly what Miles intended.
McGill threw a wild punch. Miles braced, crossing his arms to block rather than take the blow directly. The moment McGill committed, Miles' voice rose in a quiet sneer.
"Still have not learned your lesson."
Anger drowned McGill's reason. Miles' tail snapped out again.
The slash struck the same wound, cutting deep. McGill's pupils shrank. Blood sprayed. The whip-like tail struck for a second time.
McGill collapsed. His body was not severed at the waist, but his lower half no longer responded. His upper body trembled with stubborn life, though it would not last long.
He closed his eyes in despair. He knew his fate.
Miles stepped on his chest, leaned down, and thrust his claws clean through McGill's throat. Blood splattered across the ground.
The Western Guard vice-captain fell lifeless.
All remaining guards froze. The morale of the Nightfall Pirates surged. Roars erupted across the battlefield as they charged forward with renewed ferocity.
Miles briefly glanced at Pouf's distant duel but did not intervene. He knew the man's strength. He trusted him.
Instead, Miles dove into the remaining guards like a lion among sheep. With Teach's earlier Conqueror's Haki having knocked most of them unconscious, and now their vice-captain dead, the rest were already broken by fear.
Within minutes, every guard who refused to surrender was eliminated.
Far in the distance, Cayo felt the death of his old companion. He froze, then clenched his teeth as sorrow and rage boiled inside him. They had once been pirates together, then abandoned that life for stability when joining the Kraken Kingdom. To see McGill die like this tore at him.
"Do not worry," he whispered. "I will avenge you."
Cayo raised his hands. His breath came harshly. Using his ability drained enormous stamina, but grief pushed him far past restraint.
The air convulsed. Massive air waves rose twenty meters high. The ground swelled and surged beneath his feet like a living ocean.
Cayo no longer held back. The entire southern district warped under the power of the Wave-Wave Fruit. The rising waves of rock and air turned toward the Nightfall Pirates. Anyone caught in them would be crushed without a trace.
Even Miles felt fear flicker across his eyes. He could dodge, but the crew behind him would be swallowed whole.
At that moment, a blinding golden arc split the sky.
A colossal slash fell like judgment from above, cleaving both air and earth.
Pouf hovered in the air, butterfly wings shimmering, glittering scale dust swirling around him. With his beautiful and dramatic silhouette framed against the dark storm, he looked like an angel descending into chaos.
Miles stared upward. Something about him was different, deeper, sharper. That slash alone revealed the truth.
Pouf had broken through. He had become a true swordsman.
Cayo stared in disbelief. His giant waves swallowed the slash, wearing it down, but they could not stop Pouf's momentum.
Pouf struck again. Another massive slash tore forward. The waves moved slowly compared to the blade. Pouf flapped his wings, accelerating behind the attack, following it as if flying along a golden path. Each time his slash faded, he launched another.
Cayo's eyes widened as Pouf closed the distance in a heartbeat.
Cayo unleashed everything he had left, but it was pointless. Pouf sliced clean through, severing his arms. The limbs hit the ground with a heavy thud.
Cayo screamed and collapsed. With both stamina and limbs gone, his ability collapsed entirely.
"Put him in seastone," Pouf ordered calmly. "His hands are gone. Cuff his feet."
Miles nodded and clasped the seastone around Cayo's ankles. The moment it touched him, Cayo felt his existence hollow out. His powers remained within him, but he could not summon the strength to use them.
Terror crept across his face. He would rather have died.
A few pirates threw a large burlap sack over him, tying it shut.
Meanwhile, the western district was struggling far more than the north. Teach's Conqueror's Haki had been weaker this far out, leaving thousands of guards conscious. The Nightfall Pirates had stationed their largest force here, four hundred members, including many elites.
Among them, the two bald monks, Clemons and Daz Bonez, stood out. Daz Bonez's steel body and Clemons' muscular control allowed them to shrug off blades and crush foes without hesitation.
Elsewhere, Laffitte and Van Augur faced two Western Guard captains. Though their duel was not as explosive, it carried a deadly sharpness.
Laffitte, in blood bat form, flitted through the sky, dodging Masolin's enhanced shots. The Penetration Fruit gave the bullets terrifying piercing power. Even the rain and air resistance were nullified. The bullets tore through the air like ghosts.
Van Augur, hidden across the battlefield, used Observation Haki to track opportunities. Though Masolin's attacks outclassed his, Van Augur held the advantage in positioning.
Laffitte remained wary. One earlier bullet had punched straight through his wing. A hit to his torso or head would kill him outright.
Legate guarded Masolin closely, sword in one hand and pistol in the other.
Van Augur took a deep breath. Using the walls as cover, he shifted position. He sensed both men and timed his shot with Laffitte's distraction.
He rushed out, rifle raised, and fired.
The bullet shot straight toward Masolin's forehead.
Masolin and Legate reacted instantly, but Legate had the faster angle. His sword flashed, slicing the bullet cleanly from the air.
Masolin fired back in the same heartbeat. His bullet tore through two walls and buried itself deep into the ground behind Van Augur' previous position.
Van Augur had dodged using Soru. The hole in the ground confirmed what he already suspected. Masolin's ability made his bullets more lethal than Armament Haki itself.
If Masolin ever combined the two, the result would be terrifying.