The previous Getsuga Tenshō had already been able to cleave through Lao G's Armament Haki defense and injure him. Now that its power had surged even further, just how far could it go?
In the very next moment—
Smoker seized an opening and charged forward, launching a disruptive attack against Lao G. At the same time, Roya gripped his sword with both hands and, with a low murmur, suddenly brought it down.
"Getsuga… Tenshō"
Buzz!!
A half-moon-shaped sword energy—at least thirty percent larger than before—seemed almost solidified, like a brilliant full moon blooming in midair. It tore through the void and slammed toward Lao G.
Lao G repelled Smoker, but under Smoker's interference he was unable to evade the strike. He could only stack his fists in front of his body once again and activate Armament Haki Hardening, attempting to forcibly withstand it.
However—
At the instant his fists made contact with the sword energy, Lao G's expression changed drastically.
The Getsuga Tenshō, which had previously only barely managed to cut through his Armament Haki Hardening, now—after its explosive increase in power—forcefully shattered that Armament defense and slashed straight through his body!
Slash!
Blood sprayed everywhere. Lao G's face was filled with utter shock as he could no longer support himself and dropped to one knee. He looked at Roya with extreme difficulty, his eyes filled with disbelief.
This… was impossible!!
His Armament Haki defense had actually been severed head-on by Roya!
Was it because of prolonged combat and excessive Haki usage that its power had weakened?
No!
That wasn't it!
It was Roya's slash… it was stronger than before!
In other words, had this brat broken through during the battle?!
Lao G seemed unable to even feel the searing pain wracking his body. His eyes were locked onto Roya, filled with disbelief. To possess such strength at such a young age—and to achieve another breakthrough in the midst of combat—this level of talent absolutely could not be allowed to continue growing!
That was what he thought.
But at this moment, Lao G was already powerless.
His consciousness gradually blurred. The world before his eyes slowly lost its light, before finally sinking into darkness.
Thud!
Lao G collapsed completely onto the ground, lying in a pool of blood.
At the same time, Roya—standing before him—slowly sheathed his sword. As the blade returned to its scabbard, the towering flames that had spread across several streets gradually died down as well.
Donquixote Family officer, Lao G… defeated!
As the raging flames faded away, an eerie silence fell over the battlefield. No one spoke.
The members of the elite camp had their eyes fixed almost entirely on the two figures standing in the field—Smoker and Roya. The vast majority of those gazes were on Roya, filled with near-unbelievable expressions.
This… was Roya's true strength?!
Even the power of Armament Haki had been forcibly crushed by him!
At this moment—
Even Zephyr, standing at the very top of the Central Hotel, could not help but marvel. Roya's performance had exceeded his expectations from the very beginning. That last-minute breakthrough and decisive crushing of Lao G was even more dazzling.
In Zephyr's view, Roya was fundamentally different from the current three Marine Admirals—Kizaru, Akainu, and Aokiji.
Kizaru and Akainu had relied on Devil Fruit abilities and were already extremely powerful when they joined the Marines. Roya, on the other hand, possessed no Devil Fruit at all. Up to this point, all of his strength had come purely from himself!
---
The elite camp's live-combat mission finally came to a complete end with Lao G's defeat.
In this mission, the most outstanding performer was undoubtedly Roya. No one in the elite camp would raise any objection to that.
Hearing rumors was meaningless—seeing with one's own eyes was believing.
The power Roya displayed in his battle against Lao G left everyone awed and shaken. After the battle ended, the way the elite camp members looked at Roya was now filled with unmistakable reverence.
Just as they had once looked at Smoker—this was reverence toward the strong.
At this point, no one doubted Roya's strength anymore. There was no need to compare him with Smoker. They only needed to know one thing: Roya was stronger than every single one of them—strong enough to utterly overwhelm any of them. That was enough.
In this battle—
Roya pushed the power of the Soul Sword to its limit, triggering a strange force originating from his soul. He briefly entered the state of extended time perception and gained a deeper understanding of the mysteries of sword pressure.
Now, even if he were to face Lao G alone, Roya would be more than capable of fighting him head-on.
After the battle—
Due to the frequent use of the Soul Sword's abilities, Roya's stamina and mental energy were both extremely depleted. After defeating Lao G, he returned directly to the warship, went back to his room, and fell asleep almost immediately.
He slept for an unknown length of time. When Roya finally woke up, the warship had already set sail once again, beginning its return voyage to Marine Headquarters.
After waking, Roya felt no fatigue at all—only a sense of clarity and refreshment. At the same time, the minor injuries he had suffered in the previous battle seemed to have completely healed during his sleep.
"Whew. With that fight against Lao G, this mission was absolutely worth it." Roya stretched his body and stood up, a trace of excitement flashing in his eyes.
That battle with Lao G had not only refined his mastery of swordsmanship and allowed him to experience time-perception extension once more—gaining deeper insight into sword pressure—but had also caused the Soul Sword's enhancement energy to surge significantly.
Compared to before, the enhancement energy had increased by a full two hundred points!
Current Status Panel:
[Third Stage: Agile Soul Sword +2
Attributes: Attack Power +165, Strength +50, Agility +50]
Special Attribute: All Thing in the Universe, turn to ashes: Sword attacks can freely add fire damage
(evolution conditions not met)
Special Attribute: Getsuga Tenshō: Sword attacks can release crescent-shaped sword energy slashes
Enhancement Energy: 291/140]
Combined with the enhancement energy he had accumulated bit by bit over the past several days, as well as the gains from fighting other pirates such as Rhodes, he now had enough energy to perform two upgrades at once!
Earlier, he had been too exhausted and had fallen asleep immediately after returning to his room, without upgrading. Naturally, he would not delay any longer now and chose to enhance immediately.
Buzz! Buzz!!
Golden light flashed twice in succession. The Soul Sword floating in his soul space seemed to become even more crystalline and refined.
[Third Stage: Agile Soul Sword +4
Attributes: Attack Power +200, Strength +60, Agility +60
Special Attribute: All Thing in the Universe, turn to ashes: Sword attacks can freely add fire damage
(evolution conditions not met)
Special Attribute: Getsuga Tenshō: Sword attacks can release crescent-shaped sword energy slashes
Enhancement Energy: 1/160]
All of his base attributes had increased to some extent. Needless to say, both the fire damage and the power of Getsuga Tenshō had also risen due to the Soul Sword's enhancement—another comprehensive upgrade.
"The enhancement energy gained through training is less than what's gained through combat, and combat gains are still inferior to those gained through 'insight.'"
Looking at the translucent status panel before him, Roya muttered to himself.
At present, Roya was not yet certain whether he could defeat an ordinary Marine branch Vice Admiral. But if he were to face Lao G again now—even alone—he would be more than capable of cutting him down with his sword!
"Almost everyone above the rank of Marine Vice Admiral has mastered both types of Haki. Right now, compared to them, I'm only lacking Haki. Once I master both Observation and Armament Haki…" As he thought of this, light flickered in Roya's eyes.
At this moment, Roya was almost completely certain that once he mastered both Observation Haki and Armament Haki, he would be able to defeat an ordinary Marine branch Vice Admiral!
Even when facing a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, he might well have the power to fight.
And only at that point could he truly be considered to have initially gained the qualifications to wage war upon this vast sea.