Diamante and Tyler's battle was a bit different. Unlike others, Tyler didn't need to go all out.
His Devil Fruit gave him an immense advantage against Diamante, even if he was a Haki user.
His greatest problem was cutting Diamante's defenses. His cape was made of steel, but to cut something like this, he had to reach the level of cutting the steel.
So, instead of going all out, Tyler held his sword and concentrated everything on mastering Breath of All Things.
Only by mastering this form of sense, he would be able to cut anything or cut nothing.
Even by moving his sword against a block of wood, he could choose not to cut it if he didn't want to.
But at the same time, if he wanted to, he could cut even the thickest of the chains.
"What's wrong? Aren't you going to use your Devil Fruit? Don't tell me you give up so easily?"
Diamante let out a laugh as he thrusted his sword towards Tyler. Because of his Observation Haki, he saw every position Tyler was retreating to.
Through this, he managed to stab Tyler right in his stomach.
'No, this is not how I should train.'
Tyler paused. He used this moment to slash at Diamante, who easily blocked his sword, but then he kicked him in the head.
Diamante forcefully pulled his sword and blocked the kick.
Tyler retreated a few meters, took out a nose pincher from his pocket, using it to block his nose.
'Finally, I can no longer smell his movements. Now, it is the perfect time for me to understand Breath of All Things.'
He thought to himself.
"You bastard….. what the hell are you doing?"
Diamante couldn't help but feel confused by his moves. So, he rushed forward, jumped, and slashed down.
Tyler managed to block the slash and deflected it before thrusting his sword.
Diamante used his cape to block the slash and used this moment to launch an attack on him.
Splash!
His sword slash diagonally, leaving a blood mark on his chest.
Tyler stomped on the ground and instantly used Shave to create some distance.
'Without my sense of smell, I can no longer predict his movements. My advantage that could've negated his Observation Haki is gone.'
'But it doesn't. Even Zoro was able to take so many sword attacks before finally reaching that level.'
'I have Mythical Zoan. I have more advantage on being a tank.'
He thought to himself and closed his eyes.
He tried to feel his breathing. After nearly five seconds, he felt his breathing, but Diamante had already arrived in front of him.
"You bastard, what the fuck are you doing?"
Diamante roared, stabbing his sword through Tyler's chest.
When it pierced him, Tyler thrusted his sword towards Diamante, forcing him to back away.
Then, Tyler opened his eyes and rushed forward. His body was like a flickering shadow as he appeared before Diamante.
As his sword stabbed Diamante, he managed to use his cape to block it again.
With his Observation Haki, he was always one step ahead of Tyler, no matter how fast Tyler moved.
"You have amazing speed, but since you are not using your Devil Fruit powers. Don't blame me for killing you here!"
He moved his sword and tried to stab him, but this time, Tyler had his eyes open. He saw it coming and blocked it on time.
Of course, it was just a feint, and Diamante smashed his cape towards him.
Bang!
Tyler's body was hit hard, flying back before he collided with a building and came to a stop.
"Damn! I am losing quite a lot of blood. Should I use my Devil Fruit?"
Tyler muttered as he stood up.
But then, he remembered the death threat he felt against Aokiji. That man was ten miles away from him.
Ten miles!
But he was so scared of that man that he just wanted to run away as soon as he appeared.
'Can I truly run away every time? And even if I can, can't he just freeze the entire ocean using his Devil Fruit?'
'Even my ability to manipulate storms wouldn't be that useful against someone like him.'
He released a deep breath, and the grip around his sword tightened.
'No, I can't use my Devil Fruit here. I need to improve my strength. I need to be stronger so that I can keep my crew safe.'
'This is just an appetizer. The real threat is still roaming around the West Blue.'
'Vice Admirals, Admirals, Fleet Admiral, Marine Hero, CP0 agents, Emperors, powerful pirates, God Knights, Five Elders, and Im.'
'There are so many enemies in front of me. If I can't even win against this guy without using my Devil Fruit, how can I reach that level?'
'I wasn't born a monster. I got lucky with a Mythical Zoan. If I want to grow stronger, I have to take this chance.'
Suddenly, he moved his sword, blocking the upcoming attack from Diamante.
Diamante didn't stop there. He released a flurry of attacks using his sword. Every time Tyler attacked, he didn't even use his cape.
Instead, he simply relied on his Devil Fruit to make his body extremely soft and floaty.
Using his advantage, he managed to dodge all of Tyler's attacks.
'This guy is using Observation Haki with his Devil Fruit. If I want to launch a serious attack, I have to learn Observation Haki.'
'My advantage is I know how to train Observation Haki.'
Without much hesitation, he closed his eyes and started feeling the flurry of attacks.
Unfortunately, he failed.
Most of those attacks either stabbed him or slashed him. Of course, Tyler wasn't worried.
Even without going through Hybrid Transformation, his wounds were healing faster than before.
This was also the result of him getting stronger.
Only after a while, Diamante finally understood what Tyler was trying to do.
"You bastard, how dare you use me as a whetstone?"
He angrily coated his sword with Armament Haki and pierced through his chest.
This stab almost touched his heart.
But it also gave him a true sense of death. That was the trigger he needed, a moment of death that he could use to enter a zone.
In this state, his senses flared like crazy, but his mind couldn't feel anything. All he saw was darkness.
Within this darkness, he heard the tip of the sword reaching his heart. He heard the anger flaring from Diamanté.
He heard the position of his cape and sword, without even opening his eyes.
He didn't wait for his death. He grabbed the sword and pulled it out. Even though Diamante was using Haki, his strength was far less than Tyler's.
At the same time, he used a hybrid transformation, and the scales emerged around his body alongside a tail.
He used his tail and flicked Diamante away.
"Hoo!"
Only then did he sighed a breath of relief. He looked at the hole in his chest. Although it was quite big, the wounds were healing.
The cells were regenerating at a rapid pace. But Tyler could feel his stamina depleting like crazy.
So, this wasn't an advantage he could use without getting stronger, especially against tougher opponents who could cause internal damage.
"Finally, you bastard, you dare to use me as your whetstone. I will kill you at any cost."
Diamante roared.
He held the sword in his hand and ran towards Tyler.
But his speed wasn't fast. Tyler closed his eyes once again and tried to feel that feeling.
It didn't come. At least, it didn't come so easily.
Only when Diamante appeared in front of him did he finally feel that presence once again.
So, without much hesitation, he pulled out his sword and swung it.
Ding!
Diamante got flustered, but he quickly pulled out his cape and blocked the attack.
"Nihihihihihi! You still can't cut my cape. Die, bastard!"
He coated his cape and sword with Armament Haki before stabbing Tyler on the chest.
Tyler didn't use his tail. He had his eyes closed, but this time, he entered a similar state where he sensed the attack.
Except he didn't need to face death to enter this state.
'So, this is it. This is Observation Haki. But I still haven't reached the point where I can cut steel.'
'I still haven't felt its breathing. That moment! I did feel it. So, I need that feeling again.'
'No, not the feeling of death but a simple feeling! Feeling of breathing! Feeling of position!'
He took a deep breath, withdrawing his sword before using it to block Diamante's attack.
As their sword clashed, Diamante's expression changed drastically as he shouted.
"You bastard, you've awakened Observation Haki."
His face turned gloomy, and his eyes flashed anger. Without much hesitation, he took out the pistol from his holster and fired three shots at him.
Tyler sensed the attacks coming and easily evaded those bullets, but this only made Diamante angrier.