"Shuzo, you Marine traitor!"
Seeing the "Cannon-Llama" Alpacacino standing beside Shuzo atop the slope, Bastille immediately realized who was responsible for the heavy Marine casualties. His fury boiled over.
"Vice Admiral Bastille, in the heat of battle, all's fair," Shuzo sneered, completely unfazed by the accusation.
Though transitioning from a Marine to a pirate had initially been jarring, the defection of his own teacher, combined with the sheer power of Golden Ring Aeridar and the "persuasive" methods he had experienced on Alvis Island, had thoroughly broken his will to resist. He no longer harbored any thoughts of rebellion.
"Bastard!"
With a roar, Bastille lunged up the slope, swinging his massive, saw-toothed Shark Cleaver blade in a devastating arc.
A sharp gale of sword intent erupted, tearing a jagged fissure into the earth as it raced toward its target.
"Tekkai!!!"
Shuzo's eyes narrowed. He crossed his thick, elongated arms over his chest. A faint, metallic shimmer rippled across his robust, dark-skinned physique.
CLANG—!
The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out. Shuzo was knocked backward by the force of the strike, his feet plowing deep furrows into the ground as he skidded to a halt.
"Damn... Shuzo's Rokushiki has become even more formidable!" Bastille noted grimly. His slash had only pushed Shuzo back; it hadn't left so much as a scratch.
"Bah~ rararara! Solid! You've still got that raw power, Vice Admiral Bastille!" Shuzo stood his ground, laughing heartily at his former comrade.
"Shut your mouth!!"
Enraged, Bastille charged again. The Shark Cleaver blade traced a lethal arc, whistling as it aimed straight for Shuzo's throat.
Shuzo's expression hardened. He burst forward, his five fingers glowing with an eerie light as they formed a lethal eagle claw.
CLASH—!
A shockwave of wind exploded outward, the ground beneath them shattering simultaneously. Shuzo's right hand gripped the serrated edge of the Shark-Slicing Blade with a literal iron vice.
After a brief stalemate, Shuzo released his grip and stepped back. His arms began to blur in a rhythmic motion before he suddenly thrust his index fingers forward in a frenzied barrage of afterimages.
"Shigan: Mad Dance of the Long Reach!!!"
Bastille's vision blurred. He hurriedly raised his blade, using the flat of the steel as a shield.
Clang, clang, clang, clang...
Fingers infused with Armament Haki drummed against the sword's surface like a hailstorm. The continuous, heavy impacts sent tremors up Bastille's arms, threatening to split the webbing of his thumb and forefinger.
…
At the foot of the slope, the Cipher Pol agents gathered, watching the clash between the Marines and Zephyr's forces like a predatory third party.
"Onifox-sama, do we move now?" an agent in a black suit asked, leaning in.
Onifox watched Bastille and Shuzo trade blows, his voice cold. "Olga is likely being held on the ships within the river channel. To get to her, we must break through the defensive line led by Zephyr. Help the Marines crush Zephyr's unit first, or our mission will be impossible to complete."
"Understood!"
The agents' expressions turned predatory. They lunged into the fray like a pack of wolves, bolstering the Marine line.
Tap... tap... tap...
"I didn't expect you to lend the Navy a hand. You have my thanks."
Issho walked up slowly, leaning on his cane sword, and came to a stop beside Onifox.
"Admiral Issho, you're too kind," Onifox replied coolly, not turning his head. "When facing a former Admiral, one can never be too cautious."
"You aren't wrong. Zephyr-san's strength is known to all," Issho said with a sigh, his head shaking slightly.
"I'll handle the rabble for you. That man is yours, Admiral." Onifox tightened his white fur-collared coat and strode forward.
With Ain and Maynard currently commanding the naval exchange out at sea, only the two primary commanders, Zephyr and Issho, had yet to make their move.
BOOM—!
Just as he entered the fray, Onifox saw Bastille get sent tumbling by a high-speed artillery shell. The Vice Admiral rolled several times before regaining his footing.
"Shuzo... another traitor to be purged," Onifox muttered.
Within Cipher Pol, there is a "Purge List." Traitors like Shuzo, who turn their backs on the Marines, are to be eliminated whenever the opportunity arises.
And that opportunity was now.
"Soru!"
Onifox vanished, reappearing behind Shuzo in an instant.
Shuzo's brow furrowed. He spun around, throwing a heavy punch toward the space behind him.
Fist met fist, detonating a ring of white vapor that kicked up a localized dust storm.
"Who are you?" Shuzo demanded.
As the dust settled, a burly man wearing a red-and-black demon mask appeared. He wore a white suit and a fur-trimmed coat, radiating an aura of pure bloodlust.
Onifox didn't bother to answer. He lashed out with a lightning-fast whip-kick that shrieked through the air.
Shuzo stepped back, narrowly avoiding the strike. His arms then lashed out like whips of their own, his fingers thrusting toward the masked man's face with a piercing whistle that seemed to puncture the very air.
"Geppo!!!"
Onifox leaped into the sky, treading on the air itself. From his vantage point, he unleashed a sweeping kick. A sharp, crescent-shaped vacuum blade over two meters wide erupted from the motion.
In mid-flight, the slash split into three, becoming a trio of meter-long vacuum blades.
"Rokushiki: Rankyaku—Triple Moon Slasher!!!"
"Rokushiki?! A Cipher Pol agent..." Shuzo's face darkened. "Soru!"
He vanished from the spot just as the ground was torn apart by three long, narrow gashes.
Boom! Bam! Crash!
High in the air, Shuzo and Onifox clashed, their feet finding purchase on the invisible air.
Both were masters of the Six Powers. Neither heaven nor earth was an obstacle for them; they fought among the clouds as easily as they tore up the dirt below. They were perfectly matched, their battle growing increasingly violent.
Meanwhile, Issho stepped onto the battlefield. Anyone brave enough to swing a blade at him was instantly pinned to the earth by a crushing gravitational force.
"I did not expect that I would one day cross blades with you, Zephyr-san. It is truly a shame," Issho said, his sightless eyes facing Zephyr, who stood ten meters away.
"It matters little," Zephyr replied with a carefree smile, clenching his right fist tightly. "I have been reborn. The 'Admiral who does not kill' is a man of the past. He has gone with the wind."
"I heard that the scientists of the Chris Pirates regenerated your arm. It seems their technological prowess is truly formidable," Issho remarked.
"Even a blind man can 'see' that? Your Observation Haki is terrifying," Zephyr said, his grin widening with confidence. "But you're right. Their biotechnology is beyond belief. I wonder... between a former Admiral with a restored body and new abilities, and a current Admiral like yourself... who truly holds the upper hand?"
Shing—
Issho drew his blade and smiled. "Though I feel some guilt in drawing against you, I must admit... I have a certain competitive streak of my own."
"After all, the world does call me... a monster!"