"A Devil Fruit user…"
Boss Dars furrowed his brow as he looked down at the pile of unconscious pirates, then calmly drew the sword at his waist.
Rosinante did the same, his blade sliding free with a steely whisper, but before he could make a move, the four Marine cadets behind him suddenly charged forward.
"Blue Eagle, take a break first! This bastard's ours!"
"Finger Pistol—Nail!"
"Tempest Kick—Slash Wave!"
"Shave—Instant Kill!"
"Finger Pistol—Yellow Lotus!"
The cadets unleashed their Six Powers techniques in rapid succession as they rushed Boss Dars. But Dars simply raised his blade slowly and muttered:
"One-Sword Style—Wind Cleave."
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
"Aaargh!"
In the blink of an eye, Dars vanished.
The only thing the others saw was a blur, and then came the screams. In a single instant, the four Marine cadets were all struck down, defeated in just one move. It was a chilling testament to Boss Dars' terrifying strength. No wonder his bounty was 70 million Berries.
"Die—One-Sword Style: Blood Kill!"
Having effortlessly injured the four cadets, Dars didn't pause. With a stomp of his foot, he twisted his body mid-step and prepared to deliver the finishing blow.
The cadets couldn't even respond. It wasn't that they were incompetent, they simply weren't fast enough to react. The truth was clear: Boss Dars was a swordsman of master-level skill.
For someone of that caliber to have a mere 70 million bounty? It felt shockingly low. But considering this was before the true "Age of Great Pirates," bounty values were still relatively conservative. Even Crocodile, a Logia user, had only been worth 80 million at the time, so 70 million for a swordmaster was hardly unfair.
"Die!"
Dars roared as he raised his sword, red energy dancing along the blade. The tip shot toward the cadets' exposed necks—
But just before the sword connected—
"Shave!"
CLANG!
"Hey hey… what do you think you're doing to my comrades, you sword-swinging bastard?"
Rosinante appeared between them in a flash, his own blade intercepting the strike with perfect timing.
"What do you think I'm doing? Obviously, I'm going to kill them. What else would a pirate do with Marines—take them on a date, you clown in uniform?!"
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Their blades clashed in rapid succession. Rosinante and Dars locked swords for several furious exchanges.
The four cadets wiped the cold sweat from their brows, relieved.
"Phew… we're saved. Thank goodness Blue Eagle's here."
"Yeah, without him we'd be dead meat. These damn pirates are seriously tough!"
"Tch. Maybe if you trained as hard as Blue Eagle, you wouldn't be lying on the ground like this."
"Alright, enough bickering. They're fighting now, who do you think will win?"
"My money's on Blue Eagle!"
"Same here! I'm with Blue Eagle!!"
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Rosinante and Boss Dars moved like blurs, blades slicing through the air. In just seconds, they exchanged dozens—no, hundreds of blows.
And despite Dars' furious pace, Rosinante didn't fall behind.
His footwork, timing, and sword control were razor sharp—refined by hundreds of thousands of swings. His foundation was unshakable.
"Tch... You're a tough little brat. One-Sword Style: Quick Slash!"
Boss Dars wasn't someone who could be taken lightly. Realizing that speed wasn't working against Rosinante's rock-solid technique, he shifted gears.
He launched his strongest technique.
SLASH!
A blinding arc of light streaked forward like a bolt of lightning, slamming down on Rosinante's Marine-issued longsword with a deafening crash.
CRACK!
The blade shattered.
"Hahaha! You're finished now!"
Dars let out a triumphant roar. To him, a swordsman without a sword was a cripple. With their primary weapon destroyed, most swordsmen saw their combat effectiveness drop by over 70%. And in a fight where every second mattered…
That meant death.
"One-Sword Style—Blood Flash Slash!"
Dars raised his blade for the killing blow.
Rosinante tossed aside the broken grip without hesitation, sidestepped with Shave, and then retaliated—
"Tempest Kick!"
A slicing wind projectile shot straight at Dars.
"Sorry to disappoint," Rosinante said coolly, "but I'm not just a swordsman. My hand-to-hand combat skills are stronger than my swordsmanship. Shave—Finger Pistol: Tenfold Barrage!"
TING! TING! TING! TING!
Rosinante's fingers became a blur as he launched a barrage of piercing strikes toward Boss Dars.
But Dars gritted his teeth and countered with sword in hand, expertly blocking every blow.
"Tch! You may be good with martial arts, but don't think you can beat me so easily! One-Sword Style: Quick Slash!"
"Hand-to-hand isn't all I've got... Don't forget, I'm also a Devil Fruit user."
"Room: Domain of Death—Impact!"
"Aaargh! My heart!"
Rosinante expanded his spatial ROOM and unleashed his signature ability.
Dars suddenly froze, agony etched into his face.
"An opening! Shave—Tempest Kick: Gale Burst!"
Rosinante dashed forward and delivered a powerful kick to Dars' wrist. The pirate's blade went flying, his body still paralyzed from the earlier attack.
Seizing the moment, Rosinante dashed again with Shave, leapt into the air, and caught the spinning blade mid-air.
The moment he grabbed the sword, he knew—it was far superior to any Marine-issued blade. A famed sword, no doubt.
But he had no time to admire it.
Still mid-motion, Rosinante twisted his body and brought the blade down in a brutal strike, aiming for Dars' head.
"Quick Slash—Hardening!"
CLANG!
The blade slammed into Dars' neck—but instead of flesh, it struck something hard.
Rosinante was thrown back by the recoil.
When he looked again, Dars' neck had transformed into a steel blade.
"You little brat… you think you're the only one with a Devil Fruit?"
With a sneer, Dars tore off his shirt and raised his arms.
His limbs… his fingers… even his torso began to transform, his entire body turned into blades.
"Since I first set sail, no one's ever forced me to use my Devil Fruit power. You're the only one."
Dars bared his teeth, a sadistic gleam in his eye.
Rosinante, sword in hand, furrowed his brow.
"A Devil Fruit user... and the Navy intel didn't mention it. That's a major oversight."
He raised the sword slowly.
"But even if you're a Devil Fruit user, Boss Dars… it won't change the outcome.
I will cut off your head with my own hands."
(End of Chapter)
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