Fast. Powerful. Precise.
This single, dazzling sword slash from Squard shattered everyone's prior image of him—utterly and completely.
Even Marco, who had already reevaluated Squard's strength, was stunned all over again.
Unlike the other Supernovas present, Marco knew Squard's previous level—and that made the shock hit even harder.
Compared to just a few days ago, Squard's swordsmanship had improved so dramatically it could only be described as a complete rebirth.
And the most outrageous part? It all came from just a few casual pointers Roya had given him.
To top it off, the guy had even caught up in Observation Haki.
"Just for being Roa's 'sword slave,' the perks are that good?"
"Excuse me, Fifth Emperor, are you accepting personal doctors as attendants by any chance…?"
Just as the thought passed through Marco's mind, a voice echoed beside him, echoing that very sentiment. He tensed and turned immediately.
Standing beside him—Law, who had somehow appeared without a sound.
"No need to be so jumpy, Phoenix," Law said calmly.
"I recently saw the Great Whirlpool Spider in combat myself, so I know exactly what level he was at."
"If he's improved this much, it can only be Roya's doing, right?"
"Also, I recognize the guy hanging from the mast."
"That's Gecko Moria, isn't it?"
"Beating a shadow with a shadow... That's definitely not Whitebeard's style."
Marco took a deep breath. He suddenly realized—he had a real competitor for Roya's favor standing right next to him.
This guy really is a cut above the rest of the Supernovas.
He's nothing like a brawler idiot like Kid—his mind is sharp and always working.
Trying to remain calm, Marco replied in a steady tone:
"Vice-Captain Roya's power is beyond what you can imagine."
"Whether or not you impress him... that's up to you."
As the two quietly exchanged veiled thoughts, Killer finally regained his senses.
He slowly raised a hand, covering his now-exposed face and hiding it once more behind his helmet remnants.
"I lost. Fair and square," he muttered in a muffled voice.
Despite the concession, Squard showed no reaction at all. Without hesitation, he turned to his next target—X Drake.
"You're next, disgraced Marine Rear Admiral."
"You'd better go full hybrid right away. In human form, you're too slow and weak for me to bother cutting."
Squard's domineering confidence only made Drake more composed.
"As you wish, you little spider."
With a sharp shout, his transformation began.
Green, dense scales rapidly spread across his skin, covering half his face. His muscles bulged to nearly double their size, and his legs bent backward into the reverse-jointed form unique to allosaurus.
Ancient Zoan: Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Allosaurus!
Fully transformed into his hybrid form, Drake didn't rush forward recklessly.
Instead, he cautiously drew his weapons—Western longsword in his left, a heavy four-bladed battle axe in his right—and slowly advanced, watching Squard for any opening.
Squard smirked in disdain.
"Relax. I'll stick with a straight iaijutsu draw again. I won't change it up."
"Come on, traitor boy."
Drake flinched. That word—traitor—stung.
He didn't fully understand the term, but his instincts told him it was deeply insulting… and likely came from Roa himself.
Squard was merely the mouthpiece.
Suddenly, a chill ran through Drake.
"Could it be… my secret as a Marine spy has been exposed?"
"Has Roya's Observation Haki really developed to the point of reading minds?!"
His heart spiraled into chaos, and he instinctively glanced toward the ship's entrance.
From the shadows, it felt like Roya was standing there—watching him with a mocking smile, peering right through his soul.
A line of cold sweat rolled down the back of Drake's neck.
He almost lost control of his hybrid form, his breathing faltering under the sheer pressure.
Kid frowned and barked out,
"Red Flag! What the hell are you doing? If you're scared, just admit defeat and get lost!"
Drake gritted his teeth. He couldn't explain, and he couldn't back down.
With a roar, he summoned his beastly instincts to reignite his courage and charged at Squard with all his might.
As he took his first step, Armament Haki enveloped his body and both weapons.
His second step—optimal striking distance.
X-Hunt!
Blackened by Haki, his sword and axe crossed and carved a series of dark X-shaped arcs in the air, slashing from every angle toward Squard.
Squard responded by closing his eyes.
"Without the limits of sight, I really can swing even faster…"
Iaijutsu – Draw Slash!
His blade flashed like a silver lightning bolt.
Silver sparks burst from the tip of his sword as it struck—each dark X that Drake had sent was shattered, one by one, like brittle glass.
Then, with a sudden surge of light, Squard's sword shot forward like a silver dragon from the sea—racing straight toward Drake, who had no follow-up move left.
Drake was forced to stumble backward, retreating several meters.
Everyone immediately noticed—his Armament Haki had been forcibly dispersed from his weapons!
Using a regular weapon and regular strike… to break through Haki reinforcement?!
Squard had just shattered their understanding of him again.
Drake stared down at his weapons in disbelief.
He wanted to admit defeat… but couldn't bring himself to say it.
After all, even though he was acting as a pirate to maintain his cover as a spy…
In his heart, he'd always seen himself as a future Emperor-level figure.
And now?
He'd just been defeated with a single slash… by Roya's sword slave?
To make it worse, Roya, the one who had trained this sword slave to such a level in just a few days, was only being called the "Fifth Emperor" by Marine Headquarters?
Even Roger, the Pirate King himself, might not have achieved that.
"And you people sent me to spy on him?!"
"You want me to infiltrate this guy?! Are you kidding me?!"
Drake was utterly terrified.
He wanted nothing more than to flee from the Whitebeard Pirates.
Just then, a calm voice echoed across the deck.
"Nice work, Squard. You've improved."
Everyone instinctively turned to look.
Roya stood atop the front deck command platform, wearing a relaxed smile as he strolled into view.
Without needing to say a word, every single person on the ship instinctively lowered their heads in respect.
Roya gave a fleeting glance toward the northeast horizon and then chuckled:
"Carry on."
Squard, overwhelmed with pride at Roya's praise, let out a wild laugh.
In a flash, he shot forward again—charging directly at Drake with blinding speed!
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