Avery Barbossa, Redbeard. A Man who was devoted only to his family and Territory Understanding his role in the world. Enforcing peace through threat of violence because it extended to harming his family. He didn't care about the world at large. Only thing he wanted was to make sure it didn't shake and tremor unless it was from him
If it did, he would make sure his tremors would shake the world. And all those who wanted to shake the world and put his family at risk. Would feel the emperors reach. His grasp. The power of his tremors. And the strength to keep you in your place.
Redbeards Injuries were as followed; Damaged Lungs. With one being unusable. Large intestine damage and rupture. Liver Damage. And Failure of his kidneys. Shattered Ribs. Heart Attack. Arterial Damage in his neck. Trapezial destruction. Shoulder and rotator cuff strain and damage. Skull damage and brain damage directly to the organ. Loosing his pattern recognition, facial recognition. And damage of his extrasensory abilities and area in space. On top of the new wound to his bicep.
But despite that. He had given himself a condition. His mentality and strength was so strong. That right now. All of his willpower. Allowed him. For just these next few minutes.
To operate at his peak strength
Returning him to his prime. At the cost of his heart, organs. And Stamina.
Asashi, The Black Dragon. The Man who represented 'Supreme Justice' on the other hand…
Stood far better. His clavicle was shattered. Right ulnar was fractured. Three ribs bruised and suffered from internal breathing. Left hand had most of its knuckles suffering from hairlines. Then there was his skull. A split hairline across the skin, and a linear fracture across the skull itself.
He wanted this man dead. At any cost. Above all else. Justice was what ever was most supreme in the world. Justice was what ever was strongest. Whether in idea, concept, physical power, or otherwise. If it was the system. If it had rules. That was what he would preserve. And would destroy everything in its path
"Wheres that pragmatism that I heard so much about?" Kuroryu sneered. His lip curling into a snarl while his hands adjusted the black glove adorning his hands
"Pragmatics? Gotta be shittin me…there aint an Emperor that's Pragmatic. Not even Sparrow. Even if he's a pacifist peacemaker…Even he, as all the strongest do, has a massive ego. Doing things logically and pragmatically practically all fades away when your ego comes into play"
Redbeard's face narrowed. Brow etching deep like a chisel into stone. Veins like cables beneath a thin silk sheet.
"That ego of yours…even if you have the strength to back it up now…just how long is it going to last? You contracted a Vow right? Only those with nothing to lose would make such a foolish use of Haki…" Leather squeaked, his fist tightening. Aura covering, hardening, glistening and crackling with power
"You'd never understand. We are two similar men. Both selfish…but you would never get it. Never understand why I would do this. After all Ive lost today. I dont have the self preservation in me."
"I'll end this era…My Era. The Dusk of The Old Era…" Barbossa released his Poleaxe. Allowing his grip to shift. Bringing the weapon up. Hammer end facing down to the ground, non dominant hand loosely held the bottom portion. A perfected pose meant for fighting with such a polearm
For a moment that seemed almost like a gunmen's dual. Where a singular second felt like moments that lasted for far longer. They both waited. Redbeard would need to fight with more intensity, more intelligence, more strategy than he had ever used before.
He had half an hour…
Suddenly! Kuroryus fist glowed! Plasma leaking and transforming beneath and apart of that glistening black skin and aura! Signalling the start of their fight!
At once, both leapt forward. Crossing the only dozen or so meters of distance between the two in under a microsecond! Crackling energy trailing behind them like cloth fluttering through the air! The sonic boom reverberated for miles around! The shock wave from just their movement, condensed air around their bodies known as a mach cone right as they moved faster than sound, stretched for miles into the air! Like a solid white surface standing straight up and stretching for kilometers across!
The shock wave was double that! All the air displacing and expanding in a monstrous manner was like a saw blade! Just their movement collapsed hundreds of buildings around!
"Grah!" The Emperor boomed! Raising his weapon high!
"Ragh!" The Admiral cocked his fist back!
The attacks soared through the air! Colliding together with monumental strength that shook and quaked the ground! The recoil of the momentum causing the ground beneath them that had already been heavily damaged, to crack and form a crater beneath the two.
It wasn't just a divet. It was a massive concave where instead of going down went wide! Hundreds of meters around. The ground sunk only a few inches!
Mind boggling above all else. Much like what had strangely happened time and time again in this war. Their attacks did not connect! A strange rippling vortex separating them as if an atmosphere had formed. In its center, a warbling energy twisted tangled with bolts of lightning streaking around!
These clashes were meant to put as much effort. Like an initial arm wrestling or grappling match before the fist were thrown. Seeing just how much one could wear out the other before continuing! An amazing strategy if the point was to finish the fight as quick as possible…But the opponent could always use this against their enemy. And use this to drag out the fights. Like breaking from a rear naked choke with little effort. Forcing the fighters to draw the brawl out
The Admiral shuffled back suddenly! His aura erupting. It was sinewy, like thin pillars as if the Aura could not expand. But was so viscous that it could only act like oil in water. A murky black and dark black red color.
Redbeard's eyes zipped around the admirals body. His sense unique. Allowing him to 'Slow' his perception and take in an intense amount of info. At the cost of his body not being able to keep up in those moment.
'A Augmentation Type…Hes funneling his Haki back into him to boost his strength. His aura is manipulated. Bypassing the weakness of Armament Haki being to spread out caused fragility to its armor. Such an ability…A loop hole. Unheard of. He's a genius in his application to bypass such a fundamental balance…'
His perception returned! Zipping forward! Raising the hammer side up and infusing power of his fruit and strength into it!
'My Volta can only be active in short burst. If I leave it on for too long. It drains me exponentially. If I deactivate it, I'll be able to recharge my energy, and then restart the clock…' Kuroryu leapt up! His long coat flapping and fluttering behind him! Aura disappearing!
"Ellerman Bomb!" He formed spheres of plasma, and hurled them down like a pitcher throwing a dozen speed balls one after another!
Barbossa bobbed and weaved from side to side! Dodging the projectiles. His poleaxe swatting some out of the air as his forearm came up to smach one away! Only for it to-
Stick!
His eyes widened! 'Shit! Theres no way to get it I could cover it in Haki and-'
Kuroryu splayed his hands! The Ellerman Bombs Exploding just as they had done within Rhico!
Plasma spewed! Like a torrent jet of scolding water! His hand instinctively came up to block! Plasma burning his hand! And yet still it seemed to pierce through him! How it shouldn't-
"Agh!" Sharp pieces of hardened plasma like volcanic rock shrapnel pierced his face!
'He conducted it?! Layering hardening, his fruit, and elemental work onto it?! Such fine tuning of his Haki!! Only someone of the highest dan could be able to accomplish such a thing! I shouldn't expect less from an Admiral!'
In a flash! Both were on the ground! Barbossa swinging his blade! Asashi ready to go for the Emperors head! Hand burning bright! Their two attacks impacted one another at the same moment! Another earth shaking impact!
Barbossa had slammed the hammer side into the ribs of the Admiral! His internal organs rupturing! Blood forcing from his mouth! Ribs bursting and cracking!
But Barbosa suffered an immense loss! The plasma, which had formed into a snarling face with massive teeth and ears! It was like a humanoid wolf eagle!
It had shredded through the side of Redbeards skull! Beard burning away! Skin melting, muscle blackening, all the way down to the bone!