A figure holding a sword strolled out, casually swinging the blade once more.
One Sword Style: Crushing Pressure!
A mountain-like pressure accompanied Shusui's horizontal slash, acting like an invisible blade that swept across the entire field.
The thousands of Marines present felt as if they were being stared down by some ferocious beast, and their entire bodies froze in place. The hearts in their chests beat wildly until they finally fainted, unable to bear it.
With just one strike, only a few scattered individuals remained out of the thousands of Marines present.
Conqueror's Haki?
Not exactly, it was the combination of Shusui's characteristics and Hiroto's entries.
The aura of intimidation brought by [Local Celebrity] and [Sea-Cleaving Swordsman], along with the characteristic of [Generating a deterrent effect against weaklings with unsteady minds] and the integration of Shusui's Great Trend.
They combined to form this soul-shaking technique.
Under this single strike, these Marines, who had never even been to Marineford, didn't even have the qualification to join the battlefield.
Even if there were Marines who had followed Dalmatian and were still standing, they were torn apart by the slash Hiroto casually unleashed as they rushed over.
The only person on the field he cared about was Dalmatian.
In the exchange just now, Hiroto clearly sensed that this Marine Vice Admiral was a completely different matter from Moria.
Moria relied entirely on external things. Rven when he took the field, he first relied on his shadow.
Dalmatian was different. His combat instincts were very sharp, and he was highly experienced.
Combined with his physique, endurance, and speed as a Zoan Devil Fruit User, it could be said that he fully utilized the strength of his stats.
Furthermore, he possessed both types of Haki. Setting aside Armament Haki, just his Observation Haki alone was troublesome enough.
In the battle just now, Hiroto's slashes had been seen through and evaded by him.
His overall strength level should be around the B- level.
No, it might even be a bit higher.
Hiroto raised his eyes, and Dalmatian's figure appeared at the end of his line of sight. His hands were hanging low, and two shallow wounds were clearly visible on his arms, with blood constantly flowing out.
"Only this level of injury?"
"..."
Dalmatian did not answer, his expression only becoming more solemn.
Strong, very strong.
It was different from the initial thought that there was an opening.
When they first clashed, both sides used Armament Haki, but Hiroto's power and speed were clearly inferior.
He thought the opportunity had come at that time, but then his speed and power immediately increased by an incredible margin.
Looking at it now, Hiroto had most likely done it on purpose, perhaps through some technique or Devil Fruit Ability.
Up to this point, it was still fine. Dalmatian could definitely handle it. He was, after all, a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral. Even if he was in the bottom tier, his combat power was by no means weak.
But that strike just now...
Its power was a bit terrifying, a completely different matter from the previous slashes.
If he hadn't expended a large amount of Armament Haki to block it, he would probably have lost at least one arm by now.
Most importantly, Hiroto was young, too young.
Sure enough, Sengoku was right. A monster like Hiroto could not be allowed to leave the East Blue.
It's just...
Dalmatian's gaze drifted, his Observation Haki searching, yet he still could not find a second enemy.
The only thing worth noting was perhaps that Hiroto's shadow was gone.
"Stop looking, your only opponent is me."
Hiroto seemed to guess the other party's thoughts. "Rather than being timid, why not give it your all?"
"Heh, Hiroto, your evil ends today."
Dalmatian's voice was low as he arched his back and crouched, his muscles bulging with a sense of explosive power.
He had to go all out. Facing an enemy of this intensity, all he could do was fight as hard as possible.
Soru!
Shigan!
These were the two techniques among the Six Powers Dalmatian was most proficient in and the only ones he knew. He combined these two moves very well with his powerful body as a Zoan Devil Fruit User.
His explosive power instantly stepped up a level compared to before.
Ordinary pirates with bounties in the hundreds of millions would have no way to survive more than a few moves against this combination.
In fact, in the original story, this combination heavily injured Luffy.
Dalmatian's figure vanished, thick Armament Haki wrapping around his index finger as he lunged forward for a thrust.
This time, even with Observation Haki active, Hiroto couldn't fully react. After dodging, a bloody hole still appeared on his left shoulder.
But immediately, he gripped Shusui's hilt and delivered a direct horizontal slash. The blade rubbed against the Armament Haki on the waist and abdomen, producing sparks.
Immense force was transmitted, and Dalmatian took the opportunity to retreat, using Soru again for high-speed movement. Hiroto stepped with Shunpo and vanished as well.
Two figures clashed in the open space, the roaring booms accompanied by expanding airwaves that swept across the ground like a typhoon.
Shusui and claws clashed, Armament Haki meeting Armament Haki head-on.
But visibly, Hiroto's speed was clearly lagging behind Dalmatian, who was using Soru.
Shunpo's explosive speed was C+, and its normal movement speed was C, which was starting to fall short of Hiroto's needs. Fortunately, Hiroto had other methods.
Wind and fire converged under his feet, and with the acceleration, he could barely keep up with Dalmatian's Soru. Even so, he was in a suppressed state.
Shusui's slashes were captured by Observation Haki and then evaded. Eight out of ten strikes missed, and the two that could hit were blocked by Armament Haki.
Both sides were evenly matched in their mastery of Armament Haki. However, Dalmatian's Shigan, because of the speed boost and being fast enough, could still cause injuries to Hiroto even if its trajectory was captured by Observation Haki.
Judging solely from the situation, Dalmatian held the upper hand.
However...
(End of Chapter)
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