"Vice Admiral Wright, have you fought Dracule Mihawk before?"
Vista's eyes lit up with interest at the mention. "The World's Greatest Swordsman has been laying low recently. Looks like my trip here wasn't in vain!"
Clang!
Vista and Wright lunged toward each other in an instant. Vista's twin swords, enveloped in Haki, met the burning holy flames of Wright's longsword, Ashes.
The clash of two great swordsmen created explosive shockwaves, leaving fine blade marks across the reinforced deck of the Dawn.
Cling! Cling! Cling!
In a dazzling exchange of strikes, Wright, a single-sword style swordsman, faced off against Vista, a dual-sword wielder.
Single-sword style generally offered superior speed and power, while dual-sword style excelled in attack range, adaptability, and defensive versatility.
Vista's epithet, "Flower Blade," wasn't just for show—his techniques could manifest rose petals, but more importantly, his swordsmanship was as intricate and unpredictable as a blooming rose.
Vista had honed the adaptability of dual-sword style to its utmost limit.
Their duel was a pure contest of swordsmanship, evenly matched for the moment.
Boom!
The two clashed again, propelling themselves backward. Wright, airborne, unleashed his Final Judgment, a massive golden slash aimed straight at Vista as he descended.
Vista crossed his twin blades, releasing a flying slash to intercept Wright's attack. The moment he landed, he surged forward with renewed momentum.
"Rose Tempest!"
A flurry of rose petal-like projectiles shot toward Wright. His pupils contracted slightly. These were no ordinary petals—only a fool would think they were harmless!
Wright shifted in mid-air, accelerating with Lightspeed. His figure abruptly reappeared at Vista's side.
"Strike of Judgment!"
A Haki-infused kick swept toward Vista. Although his Observation Haki allowed him to react in time, he could only raise one sword to block the attack.
Bang!
Vista was sent flying. Even with his blade covered in Haki absorbing some of the impact, the sheer force of Wright's Lightspeed kick was overwhelming.
He managed to stabilize himself by stabbing his second blade into the deck to halt his momentum. But instead of piercing through, the blade merely scraped the surface.
"What kind of deck is this?!" Vista muttered as he adjusted his stance, just in time to counter Wright's next attack.
Slash! Slash!
Twin flying slashes temporarily forced Wright back, allowing Vista to regroup and launch his counterattack.
"Circular Slash!"
"Rose Waltz!"
Vista unleashed his finishing move, a whirlwind of rose petal-like blades spinning toward Wright in a lethal spiral.
"Ashes Awakens!"
Wright, not as massive as someone like Kaido, extended Ashes to a three-meter blade and charged forward to meet Vista head-on.
"Divine Verdict!"
The golden-red holy flames surged with immense power. Wright's devastating close-range slash collided with Vista's ultimate attack, creating a shockwave that sent nearby Marines and pirates alike flying.
Meanwhile, Smoker had engaged Thunder Lord McGuy in a fierce duel.
McGuy's longsword crackled with green lightning. Though he knew his power surpassed Smoker's, he dared not underestimate the Marine Commodore, a Logia-type user with excellent combat instincts.
Smoker's signature White Jitte, enhanced with Haki, proved more durable than ordinary weapons. Its lack of conductive metal properties also gave him a slight edge against McGuy's lightning-based techniques.
The jitte—a weapon designed to counter blades—allowed Smoker to neutralize sword strikes effectively. Though his version lacked the Sea Prism Stone in the original design, its flexibility and impact power were no less formidable.
"Thunder Slash!"
McGuy, a single-sword style swordsman, delivered lightning-infused strikes, making his attacks faster and deadlier than a typical swordsman's.
Clang!
Smoker's massive White Jitte locked McGuy's blade firmly in place.
McGuy advanced swiftly, adjusting his stance to unleash another strike in a drawing technique.
"White Wall!"
A smoke barrier materialized between them, halting McGuy's momentum momentarily. Smoker used the opportunity to ascend with his Smoke Propulsion, simultaneously repositioning his weapon.
"Spinning White Spears!"
The jitte split into three smoke-propelled spears, each accelerating toward McGuy, forcing him to defend.
Slash! Slash!
McGuy shattered the white spears with precision slashes, sending his own flying blade attack toward Smoker.
Smoker exhaled a plume of smoke, evading with practiced agility. "These swordsmen and their ranged slashes—they're all the same," he muttered around his cigar.
"White Gale: Ground Lock!"
As McGuy prepared his next move, smoke coiled around his legs, binding him to the ground.
"!"
McGuy reacted instantly, swinging his blade to sever the smoky restraints. But before he could escape, Smoker's cold voice rang out from above:
"White Cloud Explosion!"
Boom!
The bindings detonated violently, enveloping McGuy in a plume of smoke. Though he reinforced his legs with Haki, the force of the explosion still rattled him.
Bang!
A powerful slash dispersed the smoke. Smoker frowned slightly—McGuy was no ordinary swordsman. His physical endurance and Haki defense far exceeded someone like Pica, who had relied on his Devil Fruit.
"Not bad for a Logia user," McGuy said with a faint smile. "But is this really just smoke?"
"White Dual Jitte!"
Smoker summoned two massive jitte constructs, employing a strategy Wright had once criticized as "shameless."
Hovering in mid-air with Smoke Propulsion, Smoker manipulated the twin weapons remotely. One jitte attacked, the other defended, while his White Gale: Ground Lock continued to harass McGuy, who lacked airborne combat skills like Moonwalk.
Smoker's approach was simple: this wasn't a duel—it was a battle. His mission was to stall McGuy, not defeat him outright. Using dirty tactics was perfectly justified.
McGuy remained composed despite the barrage. He'd seen far more underhanded opponents in his time. Compared to them, Smoker's tricks were almost quaint.
But while Smoker and McGuy were locked in a stalemate, Wright and Vista's duel had reached its peak, and the Marines on the battlefield faced overwhelming odds against the Fifth Division of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Despite the Marines' training, they were no match for the elite members of Whitebeard's crew. Even with Hina and Ain's exceptional support abilities—Ain being a dual-sword style swordsman herself—the fight was far from one-sided.
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