A furious roar echoed from the air behind him. William turned to see a figure seemingly walking on air, stepping rapidly with incredible speed as it charged toward him.
"Dalmatia?"
William touched his chest. Back during the battle at the port, when he was fending off three vice admirals to cover his companions' retreat, Dalmatia had left claw marks across his chest. Even now, with William's recovery abilities enhanced by the Robust feat, faint scars still remained.
The corners of William's mouth curled into a grim smile. With a powerful push of his legs, he launched himself upward, stepping through the air with Moonwalk. However, with each step, high-pressure steam erupted from beneath his feet, propelling him upward even faster than Dalmatia's descent.
Dalmatia's face was full of fury, his beard and hair bristling. Meanwhile, veins bulged on William's forehead, his expression fierce. The two figures, one ascending and the other descending, hurtled toward each other and finally collided mid-air above the city. At the moment of impact, Dalmatia heard William grit out a few words through clenched teeth:
"Eye of Horus!"
The next instant, a deafening explosion shook the entire city. Those far away only heard the sound roll like muffled thunder through the clouds, but for those nearby, it was an ear-splitting roar.
Along with the explosion came a massive, dense cloud of steam that spread across the sky like a heavy blanket. Within the mist, the faint outline of a colossal single eye could be seen.
Oliver, who had just led the garrison to the noble district, stopped in his tracks and looked up at the overwhelming cloud in the sky. He froze for a moment before bursting into laughter. Turning to his troops, he shouted excitedly, "Change our target! We're heading to the prison!"
He then called over Sabo, gave him some instructions, and watched as Sabo broke off from the main group, heading quickly toward William's former estate.
Meanwhile, after the explosion subsided, Dalmatia, his body steaming, plummeted from the sky.
This high-pressure steam explosion, a technique William had once used to leave Shiki battered and severely injured even through layers of rock and earth, now struck an unprepared Dalmatia directly.
Fortunately, Dalmatia was a Zoan Devil Fruit user. Unlike Paramecia or Logia users, Zoan users were renowned for their physical resilience. Though he hadn't lost his ability to fight, the impact left him severely weakened. As he neared the ground, Dalmatia managed to claw onto the side of a small building, slowing his descent and landing somewhat steadily.
However, as soon as he knelt on the ground, he involuntarily spat out a mouthful of blood.
The steam cloud in the sky gradually dissipated, revealing William's figure. He looked down at the battered Dalmatia and suddenly unleashed a Rankyaku, sending a vacuum slash wave hurtling downward.
Dalmatia spat more blood but gritted his teeth and stood up. His right hand, now imbued with Armament Haki, swiped at the vacuum slash, shattering it. He roared, "Don't think you can take down a Marine Vice Admiral so easily! If I captured you once, I can do it again!"
William grinned, his teeth gleaming menacingly. "If it weren't for Garp and Strawberry helping you back then, do you really think you could've captured me on your own!?"
Dalmatia's uniform was in tatters, his body covered in blood. His left arm hung limp at his side, and blood streamed from his left eye, which was now closed. Though William had expended some energy using the Eye of Horus, his condition was still far better than Dalmatia's.
Dalmatia wiped the blood from his left eye with the back of his right hand. At that moment, William lunged downward. Dalmatia swiped his claws at him, but William anticipated the move. His hands deftly grabbed Dalmatia's right arm, and with a nimble twist, he spun to Dalmatia's left side. At close range, William drove his elbow into Dalmatia's limp left arm.
Dalmatia cried out in pain, staggering back two steps before quickly turning to swipe at William with his right claw, creating gusts of wind in its wake.
William didn't meet the attack head-on. Instead, he leapt back, steam erupting from his feet to propel him rapidly away.
Dalmatia clutched his left arm, his eyes fixed intently on William.
At that moment, Oliver and Sabo appeared in the distance. Having temporarily separated from the main force, they had rushed to the scene as quickly as possible.
Sabo carried a simple, white katana with an ornate design. Oliver snatched it from Sabo and hurried to William's side, presenting it respectfully with both hands. "Your Majesty, your sword!"
Being as perceptive as Oliver was, he understood that after this escape, William could no longer keep Norton I as a figurehead while remaining in the shadows as a mere regent. Naturally, he adjusted his address accordingly.
William glanced at Oliver, then at Sabo, who remained standing quietly in place, showing no intention of involving himself in William and Dalmatia's fight. Finally, William took the katana and said to them, "You've done well. Now, fetch me the Wado Ichimonji."
It turned out that Oliver had sent Sabo to William's former estate to retrieve his sword, the Wado Ichimonji, to return it to him.
After William took the Wado Ichimonji, Oliver tactfully stepped back.
William didn't spare him another glance. Gripping the Wado Ichimonji, he slowly adopted an iaijutsu stance. Though William's martial arts were formidable, his longest and most dedicated training had been in swordsmanship. With a blade in hand, his aura sharpened, like a sword being slowly unsheathed, its glint growing ever brighter.
When William's aura reached its peak, he suddenly dashed forward, his body leaning so low it was nearly parallel to the ground. The Wado Ichimonji, accompanied by a burst of steam, shot out of its sheath, slashing from left to right toward Dalmatia's side.
Clang!
Dalmatia's right hand, coated in Armament Haki, blocked the blade. The impact produced a metallic clash. Unfazed, William withdrew the blade and slashed again. Dalmatia tried to grab the Wado Ichimonji, but his attempt failed. His sharp nails scraped against the blade, sending sparks flying.
Another metallic clash rang out as Dalmatia blocked William's attack again. In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged over a dozen blows. With every step William advanced, Dalmatia was forced to retreat. Dalmatia's expression grew increasingly grim, while William's smile became ever more ruthless.
Finally, William abruptly stopped his relentless assault. His aggressive momentum receded like a coiled serpent, only to explode again in the next breath. Steam burst from his elbows, propelling his blade forward like a striking viper toward Dalmatia.
Dalmatia reached out with his right hand to grab the Wado Ichimonji. As the blade's tip touched his palm, a twitch crossed his face. However, his Armament Haki held firm, preventing the blade from piercing his skin.
William growled as he pressed forward, forcing Dalmatia to retreat step by step until his back hit a wall.
"No!"
Dalmatia's heart sank. At that moment, William exerted more force, the final straw that broke the camel's back. Dalmatia's Armament Haki receded like a tide. The razor-sharp Wado Ichimonji pierced through his palm, then continued through his right shoulder, pinning half his body to the wall.
William twisted the hilt and swung forcefully. In the next instant, a spray of blood erupted into the air, and an arm flew off, landing several meters away.
(End of Chapter)
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