"What?"
Aokiji's eyes narrowed slightly. Was she really doing all this just for fun?
But at that moment, a startled cry came from the distance, as if someone had witnessed something unbelievable. Aokiji quickly turned around, and upon seeing the scene in the distance, his pupils contracted sharply!
Amid the swirling dust, Kaido strode forth, his wounds visibly healing at an astonishing speed. The gaping hole in his right shoulder was closing up, and even his severed arm was rapidly regenerating.
In just a short time, Kaido's injuries were completely healed!
Sengoku and Garp were stunned. They hadn't expected this guy to be so troublesome. If it had been anyone else, they would've died many times over by now.
Kaido's face was grim, his eyes radiating ferocity. His towering frame resembled a humanoid tank. With every step he took, the ground trembled, and the heavy thud of his footsteps pounded on everyone's hearts, increasing the tension.
Suddenly, Kaido let out a furious roar and stomped down. The ground split apart as he charged toward Garp and Sengoku like a bolt of lightning!
Refusing to back down, Garp and Sengoku's eyes sharpened. They clenched their fists and charged forward like a meteor collision, slamming into Kaido with explosive force!
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the battlefield, Momousagi and Whitebeard Jr. were locked in a fierce battle. There was no doubt about Whitebeard Jr.'s immense strength—his strikes were heavy and powerful, and his great blade swung with ferocious might.
But Momousagi, too, was a master swordswoman. Her strength couldn't be underestimated, especially after receiving special training from Kaguya. Her abilities had improved by leaps and bounds, placing her among the Navy's top-tier fighters. Even someone like Akainu or Kizaru would have a hard time defeating her now.
Although Whitebeard Jr. was incredibly powerful and physically robust, he clearly lacked the refined swordsmanship that Momousagi possessed. And being mentally challenged, he fought purely on instinct, putting him at a significant disadvantage.
If not for the Edo Tensei's ability to endlessly regenerate, he would've likely been killed by Momousagi already.
Even so, Whitebeard Jr. was being completely overwhelmed by Momousagi's torrential attacks, barely able to fight back.
Suddenly, Momousagi's eyes narrowed. She twisted her pale wrist, and her glimmering blade slashed through the air like a stream of light. It pierced through the barrage of blade shadows and struck heavily against the spine of Whitebeard Jr.'s weapon with a clang!
"Disarm!"
Clang—!
Sparks flew!
Whitebeard Jr.'s grip burst open, and his long blade flew from his hands, spinning through the air in a wide arc before embedding itself in a distant rock with a resonant clang!
As Whitebeard Jr. stared blankly at his lost weapon, Momousagi suddenly closed the distance like a phantom. With a step forward, she raised her arm and unleashed a barrage of blade strikes. Her sword flowed like water, cascading down like a storm of raindrops!
A sharp flash of light streaked by!
With a graceful step, Momousagi's lithe form descended from the air, her blade returning to its sheath with a crisp clang, the shimmering blade falling silent once more.
Behind her, Whitebeard Jr. stood stiff as a statue, his eyes dull, still frozen in the posture of throwing a punch.
Pop—!
With a soft sound, Whitebeard Jr.'s body suddenly shattered into pieces like a stack of building blocks, falling to the ground in a scattered heap!
In that brief, flickering moment earlier, Momousagi had delivered dozens of lightning-fast slashes, slicing Whitebeard Jr.'s body apart in an instant. The cuts were so fast and precise that his body remained intact for a moment before collapsing.
"Vice Admiral Momousagi has taken down Whitebeard Jr.!"
"As expected of Vice Admiral Momousagi, who possesses admiral-level strength—she's incredible!"
"Long live Vice Admiral Momousagi!"
As the crowd erupted in cheers, Momousagi suddenly turned around and said coolly, "If you don't want this guy to come back to life again, you'd better bring over the seastone cage."
Everyone froze for a moment, then quickly turned to retrieve the seastone prison.
No kidding—if he revived again, it would be a real problem. No one wanted to deal with such a persistent foe all over again.
Momousagi ignored the scrambling Marines and instead turned her gaze toward a stunning figure in the distance, an unusual glint flashing through her eyes.
That previous technique had been extremely powerful. Even an admiral would struggle to emerge unscathed from it. While people knew Momousagi was strong, what they didn't know was that this move had been taught to her by Kaguya. The technique had a poetic name—"Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon."
Boom—!
A muffled thud echoed as Aokiji was flung through the air, soaring high before crashing heavily into the ground with a loud bang, blood spurting from his mouth!
At that moment, Aokiji looked battered and disheveled, his body covered in wounds and burn marks. The charred scent in the air was pungent, and through his torn clothing, scorched skin was clearly visible.
His face flushed red, Aokiji gasped for breath, drenched in sweat. After the grueling battle, his stamina was nearly depleted. Just moments ago, he had even been unable to turn into his elemental form.
Kaguya walked gracefully across the blazing magma, her steps completely unaffected by the heat, as if she were strolling on solid ground.
It was only natural. As someone with the Kekkei Mōra, Kaguya possessed almost all elemental attributes. Ordinary natural elements like magma were clearly ineffective against her. Besides, this was her own barrier realm, so there was nothing to fear.
Aokiji's eyes narrowed in shock. He had always known Kaguya was powerful, but he had assumed that even if she was stronger than him, the gap wouldn't be too wide.
Only now did he realize her strength was beyond imagination—deep and unfathomable like the ocean. After so many battles, she was still completely unharmed. It was far beyond his understanding.
Kaguya approached and said, "Aokiji, give up. You're no match for me. Continuing to resist is meaningless."
Aokiji wiped the blood from his lips and replied, "Sorry, but I can't accept that. As a Marine, it's my duty to protect Marineford."
"So stubborn," Kaguya sighed, lifting her gaze. "In that case, don't blame me for being ruthless." As she spoke, she raised her flawless arm, and a formless force began to gather in her palm.
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared behind Kaguya. A long blade slashed through the sky like a streak of white lightning, slicing down toward her!
Just as the shimmering blade was about to strike, a pale, slender finger suddenly extended from the void. The finger pinched the sharp blade between its tips!
"What?!"
The attacker was shocked. Kaguya had her back turned—how had she blocked the attack so easily?
Aokiji, watching from the side, saw it clearly. Kaguya's pale arm had emerged from a black hole in front of her and extended through another black hole behind her, intercepting the attack.
This was a spatial ability!
Kaguya turned around, her expression playful. "When did the Navy resort to sneak attacks? Fujitora." With a flick of her white finger—clang—the blade was deflected.
The attacker stepped back quickly to dissipate the force and came to a halt, revealing his identity.
With a firm grip on his sheathed blade, Fujitora said in a deep voice, "Kaguya, this ends here. Continuing this will only cause more innocent casualties."
Kaguya tilted her chin, looking down at them from above. "Then let's see if you can stop me."
"Seems we can't settle this peacefully. Let this old man test you." Fujitora pressed his hand to his sword hilt. "Kaguya, prepare yourself!"
As soon as he spoke, Fujitora lunged forward with a burst of speed. Shing! His sword drew from its sheath, unleashing waves of violet gravitational energy. The surrounding rocks, affected by the pressure, tore from the ground and gathered, forming a massive boulder several hundred meters wide, which fell toward Kaguya with the weight of a mountain!
"Gravity Beam!"
"Using a move meant for small fry against me? You're just wasting time." Kaguya raised her hand, and a formless force erupted from her palm!
"Shinra Tensei!"
Boom—!
A deafening explosion followed as the giant rock shattered into countless fragments!
Just then, Fujitora burst forth from the cloud of dust. Both hands gripping his sword, he brought it down like lightning from above!
"A flash of cold steel!"
Clang—!
A sharp metallic sound rang out as sword and blade clashed, scattering dazzling sparks!
In Kaguya's hand was the long-missing sword—Liuli!
Fujitora pressed his blade against hers and said solemnly, "It's an honor to draw my blade against the world's strongest swordswoman."
"Then allow me to experience your gravity swordplay," Kaguya replied with a grin, her clear eyes turning razor sharp. "Admiral Fujitora."
Fujitora paused, then said after a moment of silence, "There's something I've always wanted to say."
Kaguya raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"I'm not actually an admiral." Fujitora said
"Is that so?" Kaguya blinked, then waved her hand dismissively. "No matter. You will be, eventually."
Fujitora was stunned. He didn't understand what she meant. Before he could say anything more, Kaguya spun her wrist, her sword dancing into a flourish before thrusting forward!
Fujitora's expression darkened. He tightened his grip on his blade and launched himself forward like an arrow released from a bow!
Clang—!
A crisp clash echoed as blade met sword, sparks flying!
Fujitora and Kaguya collided fiercely, separating in midair before clashing again like streaks of light!
Fujitora swung down with heavy force, but Kaguya dodged like a graceful dragon, countering with a spin and thrust aimed at Fujitora's side!
Clang clang clang—!!
Kaguya and Fujitora battled fiercely, their blades creating brilliant arcs of sparks as they clashed!
Everyone present was dumbfounded. They hadn't expected this usually mild-mannered old man to possess such overwhelming strength, nor that his swordsmanship would be so formidable—enough to go toe-to-toe with Kaguya!
Fujitora's sword strikes appeared wide and sweeping, yet were meticulously calculated and as steady as a mountain—nearly flawless.
Meanwhile, Kaguya's swordplay was unorthodox and unpredictable, with no fixed form or style. Her attacks came like a torrential storm, impossible to guard against.
Fujitora gripped his sword tightly, his body radiating a fierce aura. With a low shout, he unsheathed his blade and swung it in a diagonal slash, a flash of cold light cutting through the air!
Kaguya quickly retreated, thrusting her sword forward at lightning speed, tapping it against the spine of Fujitora's blade at its weakest point!
Clang—!
A sharp clash rang out, and sparks flew!
Fujitora staggered back a few steps, startled. He hadn't expected her swordsmanship to be this refined. In a mere instant, she had pinpointed the weakest point in his attack!
The legend of the world's strongest swordswoman was clearly no exaggeration.
Fujitora's heart sank. Defeating her would not be easy.
But if she thought she could take him down that easily, she was mistaken!
With a snort, Fujitora advanced instead of retreating. Pressing a hand to his blade, he shot forward and swung his arm. A purple gravitational slash burst from the blade, tearing through the air!
"Gravity Blade: Fierce Tiger!"
Boom boom boom—!
Under the immense repulsion force, the ground cracked and shattered, rocks exploded into fragments, and like a bulldozer, the attack tore through everything in its path!
"Is that all you've got? How disappointing!"
Facing the incoming assault, Kaguya's eyes flashed coldly. She gripped Liuli with both hands, raising it high. A dazzling light enveloped the blade, and with a focused gaze, she swung it down!
"Excalibur!"
As soon as the word left her mouth, an incredibly brilliant white beam of light erupted from the blade, surging toward Fujitora like a thunderbolt!
Boom—!
The purple blade energy clashed violently with the white beam, causing a massive explosion. The resulting shockwave rippled outward in waves, shattering the ground, breaking rocks, and reducing ruins to rubble like scattered toys.
The Marines on the battlefield were caught in the blast. Unprepared, many were hurled into the air like dumplings, slamming heavily to the ground—broken bones were inevitable. Some unlucky ones were torn apart by flying debris.
At that moment, Fujitora was flung from the cloud of dust.
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