Blood dripped from Henry's fist.
A deep blade mark ran across the back of his hand, and the index finger that had clashed with Kaito's sword earlier bore an even clearer cut.
Swordsmen were always known for their lethal edge.
And Kaito Arisawa was far from an ordinary swordsman.
From their recent exchange, it was obvious that Henry's raw physical strength and Armament Haki were superior to Kaito's current state—after all, Kaito was not in a Concentrated Constitution state.
Yet the result of their collision had been evenly matched.
Because strength alone did not determine victory.
Kaito was a swordsman.
And though he had not practiced the blade for many years, under the amplification of his concentrated talent, his swordsmanship had already reached a level comparable to veteran swordsmen who had trained for decades.
Add to that the power of kendo itself—
And the gap between him and Henry had not only been bridged, it had tilted slightly in Kaito's favor.
His slashes carried a sharpness capable of cutting through Armament Haki.
"You all fall back," Henry ordered coldly, eyes locked firmly on Kaito. "Leave this man to me."
The Marines who had managed to stay on deck were already shaken from the earlier clash.
Hearing Henry's command, they retreated without hesitation, clearly fearful of being caught in another devastating exchange.
"Take me on alone?"
Kaito let both golden sabers hang loosely at his sides and smiled faintly. He stepped off the turret and onto the deck, walking toward Henry at an unhurried pace.
"Let's see if you're capable of it."
"Six Styles—Shave!"
Henry inhaled deeply, suppressing all distraction. Though aged, his powerful body surged with force as muscles tightened beneath his uniform.
In a blink, he burst forward.
BOOM!
Kaito crossed both blades to block.
Henry's fist slammed into the crossed sabers with immense force, driving Kaito backward several steps. The wooden deck splintered under Kaito's boots as holes formed where he was forced to brace himself.
Henry pressed the advantage immediately.
Without giving Kaito room to recover, he strode forward and threw another punch.
Observation Haki activated.
Kaito's perception far surpassed Henry's.
This time, he didn't meet force with force.
He pivoted smoothly, sidestepping the punch with precise timing.
Shing!
A blade flashed.
While evading, Kaito's left-hand saber became a golden afterimage, slashing sharply toward Henry's throat.
"Six Styles—Paper Arts!"
Henry's expression shifted slightly. He withdrew his attack instantly, shifting from offense to defense.
His body softened unnaturally, flowing with the air currents like drifting cotton, narrowly avoiding the blade.
But Kaito did not pause.
One slash became two.
Two became three.
Each blade stroke carried killing intent.
The fight escalated instantly into a high-speed duel across the shattered deck.
Henry dodged, blocked, countered.
Kaito pressed relentlessly, swords weaving patterns of deadly light.
The air rang with steel and shockwaves.
Meanwhile—
"Kill them!"
"Destroy these Marines!"
"Don't let them board our ship!"
"Suppress their fire! Follow me!"
As the two fleets closed in and collided, full-scale boarding combat erupted across the decks.
BOOM!
With a powerful leap, Mangu was the first to board the enemy warship connected to the No. 1 main ship.
He crashed down into a cluster of Marines.
The impact shook the vessel violently, sending nearby soldiers flying with screams.
His mace became a blur.
He advanced without pause.
Bullets whistled past him, but he either avoided them through instinct or simply endured glancing hits.
Wherever he passed, Marines were crushed.
Blood rapidly stained the deck crimson.
"Die, pirate!"
Henry had personally selected this inspection fleet when he assumed command in West Blue.
The soldiers were not ordinary.
There were numerous captain-level officers among them.
On the warship Mangu boarded, the commanding Marine colonel, furious at the slaughter, charged forward.
"Six Styles—Shave!"
The colonel vanished and reappeared instantly near Mangu.
He leapt upward, leveling with Mangu mid-air, and thrust forward with a Finger Pistol aimed directly at Mangu's eyes.
Though Mangu had trained diligently, Observation Haki remained beyond his grasp for now.
Even so—
His battle instincts were exceptional.
He twisted his head at the last moment, narrowly avoiding the piercing strike.
BOOM!
Without hesitation, his mace swung upward.
The colonel, still airborne, had no footing to evade.
The impact was devastating.
He didn't even scream.
His body crumpled under the blow, reduced to a broken mass as he was hurled off the warship and into the sea.
"Gigante Fleur: Hanging!"
Petals swirled through the air.
Arms bloomed from the bodies of Marines across multiple decks.
Joints twisted.
Necks snapped.
Robin had entered the battle as well.
Rather than boarding personally, she stood atop the bridge of the No. 1 main ship.
From there, the Flower-Flower Fruit's range allowed her to assault multiple enemy ships simultaneously.
Her killing efficiency surpassed even Mangu's.
Screams echoed as Marines collapsed one after another.
On another warship—
A tall figure moved like a phantom.
Claws flashed.
Blood followed.
Neferpet, in her human-beast form, tore through Marine ranks with terrifying agility.
Her white hair bristled, nine tails swaying behind her as her vertical pupils gleamed coldly.
Though her formal training under Kaito had only just begun, the innate power of the Phantom Beast—Nine Lives Cat Demon—gave her formidable combat capability.
Even Marine lieutenants struggled to contain her.
More frightening than her speed—
Was her recklessness.
She did not hesitate.
She did not fear injury.
Her fighting style bordered on madness.
It was as if death meant nothing to her.
Because for her—
It truly did not.
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