"I may not be anyone important," Vista's voice, though not loud, carried clearly across the entire battlefield.
Each word seemed to carry an invisible weight that made everyone around him shiver.
"But I have not fallen so low as to pick fights with the Tobi Roppo."
After speaking, he slightly turned his head and nodded toward Ron, a quick flash of apology in his eyes.
"My apologies, Captain Ron."
As he spoke, the twin swords at Vista's waist were already drawn.
Under the sunlight, the blades threw off a freezing glare, looking like frozen steel pulled straight from an ice cellar, making people shiver without even realizing it.
"This 'King'—I will take him!"
Before the last syllable even faded, Vista vanished from his spot like a ghost.
The ground beneath his boots cracked with a sharp snap the moment he pushed off, sending shattered rock flying in all directions like bullets!
His entire body shot straight into the sky like an arrow fired from a bow, moving so fast that he became almost invisible to the naked eye.
As he flew through the air, Vista crossed his twin swords in front of his chest.
Armament Haki wrapped tightly around them like living creatures.
The black Haki flowed along the blades as if breathing life into them, a dangerous, freezing light dancing along the sharp edges.
"Rose Wild Dance!"
Vista shouted, unleashing two crossing slashes that tore through the sky like two roaring, crimson dragons, charging straight toward King as he hovered high in the air.
Where the slashes passed, the air itself was torn open into massive vacuums, letting out high-pitched screams as if space itself was crying out in pain.
King's black wings beat violently as he rapidly flew backward.
Behind his mask, his pupils shrank slightly.
Deep down, he was totally shocked that this seemingly normal swordsman packed such terrifying strength.
"Tired of living are you!" King scoffed coldly, his voice full of rage and the need to kill.
He instantly drew his massive katana, pitch-black flames spreading along the blade.
The fire looked like evil flames spit straight from the depths of hell, carrying a heavy energy capable of destroying everything it touched.
"Imperial Flaming Wings!"
Clang—!
The explosive sound of clashing metal echoed across the sky, sparks flying in all directions.
The scattered sparks bloomed into quick but blindingly bright lights in mid-air.
Their bodies flew past each other in the sky, then instantly whipped back around to strike again.
Vista's twin swords danced into a silver blur.
Each strike perfectly found the tiny gaps in King's defense—his eyes easily capable of reading through any block.
At the same time, King's black wings moved like they had a mind of their own, sometimes blocking, sometimes suddenly stabbing forward, working perfectly with his katana to launch brutal counterattacks.
Every single attack and block was thrown with perfect timing, making everyone watching gasp in pure shock.
"Interesting." Vista suddenly backed away after their seventeenth clash.
He was breathing slightly heavy, but his chest moved steadily.
The fighting spirit in his eyes only grew stronger.
His twin swords spun in perfect circles at his sides, showing off his absolute mastery as a swordsman.
King hovered in the air, dark flames twisting behind him. "You are stronger than I imagined."
He rarely handed out compliments.
His tone carried a tiny hint of respect, but was mostly filled with coldness and disrespect.
"But it's not enough."
Hearing this, Vista laughed loudly, his voice totally overflowing with confidence.
"Then let me show you the true 'Flower Sword'!"
Before his words even finished echoing, his body suddenly split into three, attacking King from three completely different angles.
These were not afterimages, but visual tricks created by his extreme speed, making it impossible to tell which one was his true body.
"Three-Sword Style: Chaotic Blossom Burial!" Vista roared.
The blades of light looked like a blooming flower of death, completely swallowing King up.
Each "petal" was a deadly slash, perfectly sealing off all his escape routes and leaving absolutely no room to dodge.
King's pupils instantly shrank as he felt a massive wave of danger.
At this split-second moment, the black wings on his back suddenly stretched wide, turning into a massive shield of flames.
The burning fire on the shield looked tough enough to block any attack in the world.
"Imperial Flaming Wings!"
The pitch-black flames formed a perfect wall of defense, forcefully taking the brutal attack head-on.
Boom!
Inside the exploding flames, both fighters were blasted backward at the exact same time.
Vista smoothly flipped through the air, his body as quick and light as a monkey, landing perfectly on a shattered boulder.
The corner of his sleeve was burned, showing slightly darkened skin underneath, but the fighting spirit in his eyes had not dropped at all—in fact, it burned even brighter.
King caught his balance looking a bit awkward.
A tiny, thin crack was now visible right across his mask.
He reached up to touch the crack, his tone shifting for the very first time. "Good... you have succeeded in making me angry."
Vista grinned, his smile completely packed with mockery and disrespect.
He raised his twin blades back into his starting stance, his eyes showing unbreakable determination.
"This is only the beginning, 'Calamity.'"
....
Meanwhile, down on the battlefield...
Hearing Vista's incredibly arrogant trash talk, the Tobi Roppo instantly exploded with rage like a quiet lake hit by a massive boulder.
"Bastard!!" Ulti's already wild face twisted with extreme fury.
She stomped her foot violently, the heavy kick completely shattering a thick stone pillar right next to her.
As rocks flew everywhere, her normally smooth blue hair seemed to be filled with endless anger, standing straight up like burning blue flames.
"This damned dual-wielding idiot dares to run his mouth, saying we Tobi Roppo are not worthy opponents?! Does he truly think he is invincible? Hmph, I would like to see what gives him the right to act so arrogant!"
Black Maria, normally famous for her calm elegance, now wore a look dark enough to drip water.
She tilted her head up slightly, slowly blowing out a ring of smoke.
The curling smoke filling the air did absolutely nothing to calm her boiling anger.
The cigarette holder creaked as she squeezed it without realizing it.
She narrowed her eyes, a freezing, deadly light flashing inside them as she spoke softly.
"Hehe... we are really being looked down on. It seems he does not know the true power of the Tobi Roppo. Since he does not know his place, let's properly show him what real strength looks like."
"Hey, hey, hey!" Sasaki's loud, annoying voice cut sharply through the tense air.
He threw his arms wide, wearing an ugly, crazy grin as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Is this guy for real? When did we, the Tobi Roppo, sink so low that we get passed over like trash?"
"We are famous monsters in the Beasts Pirates! Who the hell does that Vista think he is, daring to look down on us like this!"