"Admiral Issho!"
"Th-the sky! It's been torn open!"
On a Marine battleship, a soldier pointed at the heavens with a trembling hand, his voice cracking into a shrill scream.
The Marines on deck and the three CP0 agents instinctively looked up, and for a moment, their breath hitched. High above Dressrosa, at an altitude beyond measure, the dense layer of clouds had been pierced by a gargantuan, circular hole, as if something had punched straight through the atmosphere. The spectacle was as terrifying as it was magnificent.
"I feel a savage aura... a very familiar Conqueror's Haki..."
Issho opened his sightless eyes, staring toward Dressrosa as if he could see through the very fabric of the world. He sensed a presence so monstrous it had manifested as physical pressure, surging toward the skies and forcibly dispersing the heavy clouds thousands of meters above.
Issho could not mistake that absolute, overbearing ferocity; he had stood face-to-face with this specific Conqueror's Haki before, and it had left an indelible mark on him.
"Such powerful Conqueror's Haki... it seems only that man is capable of this," the CP0 agent in the white top hat muttered, bowing his head slightly.
While he lacked the monster-tier strength or the staggering Observation Haki of an Admiral, he could still sense the source of the threat within Dressrosa, a wellspring of power that made his very heart palpitate.
After a pause, the agent spoke in a low, heavy voice. "Admiral Issho, I take back what I said earlier. This situation has escalated beyond our ability to interfere. However, I still hope to receive first-hand intelligence when the time comes."
When a monster comparable to the Four Emperors was involved, a Marine Admiral and a few CP0 agents could do little more than ensure their own survival.
"This is a matter for your CP organization," Issho nodded, giving a measured response. "As long as it is within reason, we will cooperate."
…
Inner Dressrosa.
Gulp.
"Are the youngsters of this era... all this terrifying?!"
Sabo, Haunger, and the others swallowed hard, staring in absolute horror at the god-of-war figure looming over them. Aeridar stood twelve meters tall, his massive frame radiating a savage, overbearing pressure. Every slight movement he made felt like the weight of a mountain.
"Oi, oi, oi... for you lot, I had to cut my duel with Kaido short. That guy was beyond pissed," Aeridar said, stretching his arms as he let his Conqueror's Haki flare without restraint. He let out a feral grin. "Then, on the way here, I had to trade blows with the World Government's 'Strongest Shield of the Celestial Dragons.'"
"So, I hope you can provide me with some proper entertainment!"
BOOM!
The moment the words left his mouth, Aeridar stomped. The sheer force shook the earth for hundreds of meters; the ground buckled and collapsed as massive fissures spider-webbed outward.
Propelled by that same explosive recoil, his hulking body became a blur. He moved like an arrow released from a god's bow, physically breaking the sound barrier. A white sonic ring erupted behind him, followed by a violent, blade-like wind.
"Too fast!"
In the blink of an eye, Sabo's vision blurred. A massive shadow had already swallowed him, and the incoming gale bit at his skin like a knife.
"Die!"
Aeridar raised his right arm and brought a fist crashing down toward Sabo. The air itself compressed into a solid mass, making it difficult for Sabo to even breathe. His scalp tingled as his Observation Haki screamed a frantic warning; without a second thought, he threw himself to the side.
KABOOM—!
Aeridar's fist struck the earth. A terrifying force exploded outward, causing the ground to collapse into a deep crater. Thick cracks surged toward the horizon as entire tectonic plates of stone tilted upward. The shockwave swept through the area, nearly stripping the top layer of the earth clean.
Caught in the hurricane-force winds, Sabo was blown back like a leaf. Fortunately, he managed to stabilize his body mid-air and forced a landing.
Suddenly, a piercing flash of sword light cut through the billowing dust. It sliced the earth open and reached Aeridar in an instant.
"Get lost!"
Aeridar roared, swinging his arm out like a whip. It was a perfect blend of hard and soft force—CLANG!—shattering the sword beam into a shower of sparks and fading points of light.
At that moment, Haunger burst through the split clouds of dust, his estoc aimed straight at Aeridar's vitals.
"Cran Estoc Style – Secret Technique: 108 Consecutive Flashes – Radiant Starfall!!!"
With a thunderous shout, Haunger's wrist blurred. His blade transformed into a thousand points of light, resembling a dazzling starlit sky. Yet, each "star" was a thrust saturated with lethal, razor-sharp sword aura.
Fast! Incredibly fast!
It was swordsmanship pushed to the absolute limit of speed. It was a strike that Aeridar, by all rights, should not have been able to react to.
Unfortunately for Haunger, Aeridar had used his Future Sight Observation Haki to witness the lethal beauty of the strike before it was even unleashed.
In a flash, Aeridar's hands blurred, snapping together in a thunderous clap.
CLAP—!
A crisp sound echoed as the thin, snow-bright blade was caught dead center between Aeridar's palms.
Haunger's eyes widened in disbelief. His voice even shifted into a sharp, disbelieving pitch. "Impossible!"
He couldn't fathom it. His strongest Secret Technique had been neutralized so simply! Years ago, it was this very strike that had left six wounds on the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and it had nearly killed the man.
When it comes to the blade, every Grandmaster has reached the pinnacle of their craft. Dracule Mihawk's style focuses on power and dominance, yet does not lack fluidity or speed; during the Paramount War, he swung the massive Black Blade, Yoru, to mince Buggy the Clown into a hundred pieces in a heartbeat. Had it not been for Buggy's fruit, he would have been paste.
The same applied to Patrick Redfield and "Golden Lion" Shiki; their swordsmanship was a perfect harmony of hard and soft.
Haunger was no different, but unlike Mihawk, his foundation was Speed. Extreme speed brought extreme power. That was why Quiniel Vito couldn't block his blade and had to resort to underhanded tricks to defeat him.
Though Haunger's strength had waned due to age and circumstance, that strike was still the work of a Grandmaster. Even if a prime Whitebeard had tried to block it, he wouldn't have done so this easily.
"What a terrifyingly sharp style. I almost bit the dust there!" Aeridar muttered, sensing a stinging pain in his palms and chest. He looked down and saw blood trickling from between his joined hands.
On his chest, directly in line with the tip of the blade, was a thumb-sized puncture wound.
The mere wind generated by the strike had pierced through Aeridar's Armament Haki. If the strike had landed truly, he suspected he would have lost half his life.
Aeridar shook his head, looking at Haunger with a trace of pity. The muscles in his palms and chest surged as his regeneration kicked in, stopping the bleeding in a single breath.
"A shame. You were just a hair short... but I saw your sword coming."
In the next second, Aeridar unhinged his jaw and unleashed a primal roar.
"ROAAARRRR—!!!"
The massive soundwave carried a physical impact, vibrating through the air in visible rings of force that shattered the atmosphere as they expanded outward.