Rolan slowly approached the deep pit.
The guards, witnessing him effortlessly deal with the notorious Pirate Noble who had been causing chaos, were filled with admiration.
"This is our King! Incredible strength!"
"The World's Strongest Man in the One Piece World!"
"With a King like him, how could Sky Nation fail to prosper?"
"Such a shame for this handsome Pirate. The King just waved his hand and sent him flying."
Before Rolan could get closer, a figure appeared beside the pit—it was Hakuba, Kavendish's second personality.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In an instant, sparks erupted around Rolan as Hakuba's lightning-fast strikes attacked him.
"Impressive speed, even faster than Soru," Rolan noted silently.
The sensation felt oddly familiar. After a moment, he recalled the similarity between Hakuba and Kuro's 'Slashed Death.' Both attacks were indiscriminate and lightning-quick. The difference was that Kuro could consciously enter the state while retaining his aura. Kavendish, however, clearly could not control his inner personality; once Hakuba emerged, the aura shifted dramatically, almost like facing a completely different person.
While Rolan pondered this, dozens of strikes had already landed around him. The guards' eyes nearly popped out. They had no idea what was happening, but the sparks surrounding their King made it clear he was under attack.
"King! Are you alright?"
"King, are you injured?"
"King, we're coming to help!"
The guards charged forward with their weapons, but Rolan waved them off. "I'm fine. You don't need to interfere."
Some guards lingered nearby, concerned. If Kavendish continued his indiscriminate assault, they would be powerless to stop him.
Clang, clang, clang!
The attack rained down, yet Rolan calmly raised his hand, seizing Durandal's blade mid-swing. The sword seemed welded to his grip, immovable. The guards sighed in relief.
"Amazing!"
"As expected of the King—we couldn't even see him!"
"Not a scratch after taking so many blows!"
Rolan overheard the comments and smiled faintly. Only in Sky Nation would royal guards discuss matters so casually.
Meanwhile, Kavendish, struggling to free Durandal, found it useless. His noble persona had been supplanted by Hakuba's ferocity.
Rolan studied the furious young man, considering him carefully. Wasn't Kavendish the Captain of the Beautiful Pirates? If so, is he the only one in that crew? Or are the others restrained when he sleeps?
"Wait! I didn't allow you to appear on your own, Hakuba!" Kavendish shouted as Rolan continued his contemplation.
Kavendish's expression shifted back to his calm persona. Rolan tilted his head in curiosity. "Is this Hakuba?"
To be honest, Rolan had no idea why a personality would be named after a white horse.
Kavendish sized him up and muttered, "Troublesome fellow. You weren't injured, were you?"
Rolan shook his head, amused. Originally, Kavendish had intended to kill him, and now his small personality worried about potential injuries.
"This state of yours," Rolan explained lightly, "is called schizophrenia in my world."
Kavendish frowned, unfamiliar with the term. "Schizophrenia?"
Rolan recounted his previous life's explanation. Kavendish nodded, seeing that the symptoms matched.
"Is there a way to…" he began, but before he could finish, his inner personality surged forth again. Blond hair flying wildly, he roared, "I'm going to chop you into pieces and feed you to Faruru!"
Kavendish's face briefly returned to normal. "Don't come out!" he shouted.
Hakuba erupted once more: "Shut up! Go to sleep, Kavendish, weakling!"
Kavendish resisted. "No! I won't leave this to you!"
Hakuba mocked: "With your strength? You can't do a thing, weakling!"
Kavendish retorted: "What?! You call me weak? At least I didn't fail to injure Rolan!"
Hakuba snapped back: "It's your fault everything is messed up!"
The guards watched in stunned silence, realizing two distinct personalities occupied the same body.
Rolan observed the conflict with mild amusement, noting the stark difference in auras between the two. If they weren't so distinct, I might have thought he was performing for me.
"I don't care who comes, this is my country. Go where you must," Rolan said, pouting slightly in his usual nonchalant manner.
"No! I will defeat you today!" Surprisingly, the two personalities did not argue this time. One sought victory to reclaim headlines, the other simply craved blood.
Kavendish struggled harder, but Rolan remained unmoved.
"Quickly let me go! I'll hack you to death!" Kavendish shouted.
"Have you not seen the gap between us yet?" Rolan asked, looking at the half-human, half-demon figure with faint pity. "If you wish to defeat me, go back and train for a few more years."
With a precise kick, Rolan sent Kavendish flying. An electromagnetic boost transformed him into a Ryugu, and in an instant, he vanished beyond the horizon.
From the distance, Kavendish's voice rang out: "I'll be back!"
____
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