"Rose Rondo!"
Vista's twin swords traced through the air like a blooming rose, a beautiful and deadly dance.
His movements were graceful yet swift, his sword energy twisting and curling like a storm of scattered petals, each one a razor-sharp blade surging toward Mike.
"..." Mike stood silently in the sky, his cold gaze fixed on the incoming attack.
'Everyone wants to see me perform, huh?' he thought, a faint, dangerous smirk tugging at his lips.
'You've all seen the Breathing Style. The Zanpakuto Style's 'Mugetsu' is on cooldown after the fight with Dragon. Then let's use... the Fang Style.'
He gripped the Kusanagi tightly, the blue-green hue of its aura fading, replaced by a faint, pure white glow.
With this transformation, the atmosphere around him shifted.
Mike's demeanor instantly turned from relaxed and cheerful to sharp and cold.
A mysterious, blue crescent mark suddenly appeared between his eyebrows.
A gentle breeze swept by and Mike's black hair instantly transformed into long, flowing silver strands.
Two crimson, demonic patterns emerged on his cheeks, symbols of an extraordinary and formidable power.
He slowly opened his eyes.
His pupils, once pitch-black, were now a dazzling gold.
The onlookers below were utterly stunned by the sight, a collective gasp echoing through the oasis.
The corners of Mike's lips curled slightly, a wicked glint in his golden eyes.
"Beneath the Azure Dragon," he declared, his voice a low, commanding rumble.
"All things shall shatter!"
With his shout, Kusanagi trembled and an overwhelming surge of sword energy erupted from it, coalescing into a massive, swirling tornado.
A colossal, azure dragon of pure energy formed within the tempest, twisting and writhing, its roar a silent scream that promised annihilation.
"BOOM—!"
The Azure Dragon surged forward, crashing into Vista's delicate, rose-shaped storm of sword energy.
The petals were not just blocked; they were utterly obliterated, torn into countless fragments and scattered to the wind, powerless against the dragon's might.
"Dammit…!" Vista's face paled as the unstoppable flood of energy surged toward him.
He tightened his grip on his rapiers, his muscles trembling.
'What... what kind of swordsmanship is this?!'
'I've never seen it before! I can't read it... I can't fight it! This pressure... there's no dodging this...'
"VISTA, GET OUT OF THERE!" Whitebeard's urgent voice boomed from the Den Den Mushi, a sound of pure, deafening panic.
Almost instantly, Jozu launched himself like a cannonball from the ground, his diamond arm radiating a brilliant light as he charged headlong toward the Azure Dragon.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!" he roared, his diamond-clad fist aimed straight at the oncoming attack.
At the same time, Ace followed closely behind, his entire body wreathed in scorching flames.
"Great Flame Commandment: Flame Emperor!"
A colossal fireball, like a miniature sun, crashed toward the Azure Dragon.
The fireball and the diamond fist collided with the Azure Dragon in a cataclysmic explosion.
"BOOM—!"
The shockwave thundered across the battlefield, shrouding the sky in flames and dust as a searing heat wave swept through the area, engulfing the three commanders.
"Drip— Drip—"
With a few crisp dripping sounds—blood falling from wounded men—the tension in the air abruptly settled.
Jozu, his diamond arm cracked and smoking, clutched his wound, his face pale.
Ace and Vista, covered in dust and burns, their clothes tattered, collapsed to the ground, their breathing ragged.
"Almost... too late," Ace gasped, his lips parched. "Glad we made it."
"Tap—"
A light footstep sounded.
Mike descended gracefully from the sky, his movements as fluid as a dancer's.
As he landed, the silvery glow of his hair faded, his locks returning to their usual black.
His golden eyes dimmed, reverting to their inscrutable dark orbs.
The playful smirk returned to his face.
He sheathed Kusanagi with a soft click.
"So.... Whitebeard," he said, his voice calm, "how was that?"
"..."
The silence from the Den Den Mushi was soon shattered by a furious roar.
"MIKE, YOU BRAT! WERE YOU TRYING TO KILL MY SONS?!"
"You're the one who wanted to see my real strength," Mike shrugged lazily.
"Now you're blaming me for going all out?"
'Besides,' he thought, 'even if I had accidentally cut him down, a Senzu Bean would have fixed him right up. What's the panic for?'
"..."
Whitebeard fell silent, his rage giving way to a profound, calculating gravity.
He had seen the power of the Golden Lion in his youth.
But that slash just now... it was something else entirely. After a long moment, his voice returned, heavy and final.
"Mike, you brat... I acknowledge you."
He paused, the question hanging in the air.
"Now tell me. Why do you really want Fish-Man Island?"
A sly grin spread across Mike's face.
"Whitebeard," he said, his voice turning smooth and persuasive.
"Have you ever heard of the 'Fish-Man Island Reform and Opening-Up Plan'?"
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