"Still going down?"
Thinking this, Vladimir didn't hesitate and stepped forward.
The moment he stepped onto the stairs, the door automatically closed. Vladimir remained calm and walked down seventy-seven steps, finally entering the second basement level.
What greeted his eyes was a spacious area.
Twelve enormous stone pillars supported this space.
It was completely empty, with nothing there. Not to mention Devil Fruits, not even ordinary gold and silver treasures.
Tap, tap, tap.
Footsteps sounded, and from behind the stone pillars, a tall figure slowly walked out.
That person was none other than one of the Five Elders!
"You've finally come."
As if anticipating everything, the old man with the sword walked, slowly drawing the long sword in his hand.
"This sword is one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Swords, the first generation Kitetsu! Years ago, I killed countless pirates with it. If I recall correctly, it hasn't tasted blood in over ten years."
"Hmm?"
Vladimir, leaning on his cane, stopped and looked up.
"Who are you?" the old man with the sword asked, his gaze sharp as a knife. "Are you Shadow Fiend? Or perhaps, a member of the Phantom Organization? How did you control this body? Is it soul possession? Or similar to Doflamingo's string manipulation?"
"Hehehehe…"
Seeing that he had been exposed, Vladimir couldn't help but chuckle twice. "Interesting. How did you find out?"
"I found out long ago! Last night, after you returned from Mynogear's, I already suspected it, but at the time, it was just a suspicion."
The old man with the sword didn't attack immediately but calmly stated, "There are mainly three points."
"Three points?"
"First, although he uses a cane, it's not because of inconvenience in his limbs, but because the cane is his weapon!"
"Second, your way of speaking is wrong. How long do you think we've known each other? Decades of acquaintance, you can't fake that."
"Of course, these are just minor details." He paused, then suddenly shouted, "Last night, I deliberately didn't tell you where the Devil Fruits entrusted to the government by the Celestial Dragons were stored. If you are truly Shadow Fiend, then you would certainly come here today."
"I see, so you're not completely foolish."
Vladimir laughed heartily. "But so what? Do you think you alone can capture me?"
Hearing this, the old man with the sword closed his eyes. After a moment, he suddenly opened them.
In an instant, his aura surged, and a phantom image of a demon god seemed to appear behind him.
"I am a person who has set foot on the path of Asura!"
The old man with the sword's eyes widened, his killing intent unmasked. With a swift stride, he lunged forward, simultaneously thrusting his long sword towards Vladimir.
"Observation Haki can't catch you, Seastone is useless against you, and even spatial sealing can barely restrain you… Your ability is very strange, but have you ever tried being struck by a demon god's slash?"
The sword's light blazed. Even before it reached him, Vladimir felt a potent killing intent, as if his heart were about to stop beating.
With a single strike, his aura locked on, seemingly impossible to evade.
Not only that, but a strange dark red light emanated from this sword, akin to the power of a demon god.
"So you're a great swordsman. My apologies!"
With a loud laugh, Vladimir didn't dodge or evade. He swung the cane in his left hand forward.
"But if you think you can capture me, you're a hundred years too early!"
...
A great swordsman, capable of cleaving mountains and splitting rocks with a single strike.
Vladimir hadn't expected that the Five Elders, despite their age, possessed such combat power.
However, he felt no fear. Raising his cane, he swung it forward.
Bang!!
The cane collided with the Supreme Grade Sword, and the impact of the two forces erupted with a dull roar.
A shockwave radiated outwards in a circular pattern, but upon touching the walls, it was inexplicably absorbed.
"What kind of material is this cane made of? Is it a treasure?"
Vladimir raised an eyebrow. The cane wasn't covered in Armament Haki, yet it remained unharmed after colliding with the Supreme Grade Sword.
"Hmph, give up your resistance obediently!"
The old man with the sword snorted coldly. "The four walls and stone pillars here contain the power of Seastone. They radiate the aura of the sea inwards. The intensity of this radiation is ten times that of ordinary Seastone handcuffs! All ability users are unable to use their powers in this room!"
In fact, it wasn't just that. These walls were extremely hard, made of the same material as the Poneglyphs, making them incredibly difficult to damage.
"What makes you think I'm an ability user? I told you long ago, I'm not an ability user."
Vladimir chuckled softly. "Since this place is so heavily guarded, I assume the real treasury is behind you."
"And if it is?" The old man with the sword's eyes flashed. The phantom image of the demon god behind him suddenly solidified.
A special aura emanated from him, rapidly enveloping the entire space.
This aura was not Haki, but under its influence, Vladimir was surprised to find that his control over the old man with the sword was suppressed by a sliver.
This sliver was insignificant in daily life, but in a high-speed battle, it represented a flaw.
"Demonic energy?" Vladimir thought to himself. "I've heard that among swordsmen, a very small number can comprehend demonic energy. With the power of a demon god, they can even slay Logia-type ability users."
If he remembered correctly, the Snow-Snow Fruit user was intimidated by Zoro's demonic energy. Before he could even manifest his Logia form, he was cut down with a single sword strike, a tragedy among Logia users.
While he was contemplating, the old man with the sword launched a second attack.
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