Flames suddenly flared up, dust splashed high, and countless rubble pieces flew out.
The building where the Branch Chief's office was located looked as if it had been hit by a bomb.
A large amount of rubble was thrown into the air as the building collapsed and shattered, turning into a field of ruins.
In the ruins, Dalmatian, with both feet crushing the ground, had already transformed into his hybrid beast form. Beastly characteristics merged with a human body, possessing both the agility of a human form and the brute strength of a beast form.
His arms were covered in Armament Haki, crossed over his head to block that incomparably sharp blade. Scorching sparks erupted from the point of contact, two different sources of power were locked in a struggle of strength.
"You really did come, Sea-Cleaving Swordsman Hiroto." Dalmatian grinned, his eyes incredibly fierce.
At the same time, he was gauging the other party's depth. This strike wasn't much to him, but his opponent didn't seem to be getting serious either. At the very least, he didn't see Hiroto using Armament Haki.
"Aren't you going to run?"
Hiroto pressed his blade down from above, wind and fire swirling around him and converging on the edge.
"Run? With just this level of power? Don't underestimate a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, brat."
Dalmatian suddenly exerted force, raising his hands to shove the long blade aside. Armament Haki wrapped around his fingers as he swung out.
As someone who had spent years in his hybrid form, and was proficient with Shigan and Soru, he had no need for weapons. His palms and claws were the sharpest and sturdiest weapons. Even steel would be easily sliced through by his swinging claw strikes.
Hiroto took the opportunity to retreat to a comfortable swinging distance. Wind and fire intertwined with Armament Haki to coat the blade of Shusui, and then a sharp slash appeared.
Boom!
The collision of immense forces set off a deafening roar, and the surging shockwaves kicked up billowing dust.
But in the blink of an eye, the smoke screen was swept away by the subsequent cold light, and a continuous wave of air pressure blasted out like a passing typhoon.
At the center of the airwaves, Dalmatian's claw strikes and Hiroto's slashes clashed fiercely.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The claws and Shusui clashed hundreds of times in an instant, and amidst the sharp screeching of friction, the air erupted with a massive amount of sparks.
As expected, Moria wasn't as strong as anticipated.
After only a few seconds of clashing, Dalmatian believed he had gauged Hiroto's true strength.
He was strong, but not as strong as Moria was expected to be. Sure enough, Moria must have been killed by Hiroto because his strength had declined.
At this level, if he got serious, he could resolve Hiroto by himself.
A bold idea surfaced in Dalmatian's mind.
He exerted force suddenly, and the power and speed of his claw strikes instantly stepped up a level. The claws, which had suddenly surged in speed, grazed Hiroto's shoulder by a hair's breadth before being shaken off by his blade.
There's a chance!
A flash of joy crossed Dalmatian's eyes.
He was still hiding Shigan. The speed of Shigan was much faster than simple claw strikes.
However, as the second probing claw strike swung out, it was suddenly parried by the long blade, which had become much faster, and it slashed across.
His speed and power both increased?!
Dalmatian immediately sensed something was wrong. Then, the hair on his body stood on end as he felt a sense of crisis.
Hiroto's offensive suddenly intensified. His slashes were sharp and unrestrained, and the residual power dissipating between swings crisscrossed and sliced everything in its path.
Hundreds of strikes completely dismantled the remnants of the building, turning the area into worthless ruins and debris.
But subtly, no matter how Hiroto unleashed his slash, it was always evaded by Dalmatian's slight shifts in position.
This is Observation Haki!
It was also at this moment that Dalmatian finally realized what was wrong. Each of Hiroto's strikes was heavier than the last, and each was faster than the last. He was being pinned down in place, and by the end, Hiroto's speed and power had doubled. It had reached a level that could not be ignored.
Damn it!
Dalmatian suddenly realized something.
He blocked and parried the slashing blade with both hands, then used Soru to pull back and open some distance, no longer engaging in close-quarters combat with Hiroto.
"Decent reaction time, but unfortunately, it's too late."
With [Fearless] fully stacked, Hiroto gave Shusui's blade a flick. Roaring flames accompanied by a gale emerged and poured into the blade.
Flying Slash: 5x Power Multiplier!
A hundred-meter-long crimson slash rose from the ground, slamming into Dalmatian, who was blocking with both arms.
Boom!
A massive roar echoed through the Marine base.
"Enemy attack!"
Inside the base, Marine soldiers who had long since received orders appeared at this time.
They shouted about an enemy attack while approaching the place where the loud noise originated.
However, before they could arrive, a figure crashed through the smoke screen, flying backward and slamming into the base's main building. The building shuddered violently, and dense spiderweb cracks appeared on the wall, with a person embedded inside.
"It... it's Vice Admiral Dalmatian!"
"Protect Vice Admiral Dalmatian!"
"Where is the enemy?! Find the enemy!"
A crowd of Marines shouted as they prepared to move. However, before they could do anything, the distant smoke screen was torn open by a single slash.