"The Phoenix… Marco?"
Saint Roselith Seraphina watched the blue flames disappear into the fog.
As one of the Whitebeard Pirates' core officers, Marco was someone whose information had long been stored within Marine Headquarters.
He was not merely the First Division Commander.
He was one of Whitebeard's greatest pillars.
The user of the Mythical Zoan-type Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Phoenix, a Devil Fruit renowned for its extraordinary regenerative flames rather than offensive power.
His near-immortality made him one of the most troublesome opponents on the sea.
Even among the Whitebeard Pirates, Marco was regarded as Whitebeard's right-hand man.
Defeating someone like him was never an easy task.
Just as Marco vanished with Whitey Bay…
Another presence slowly approached across the frozen battlefield.
"Marine."
"As a swordsman… you're magnificent."
A gentleman dressed in a dark blue shirt, a matching top hat, a flowing black cloak, and immaculate white gloves slowly walked across the ice.
Two beautifully crafted rapiers rested at his waist.
His elegant posture, combined with his distinctive curved black mustache, gave him the appearance of a nobleman attending a royal banquet rather than a pirate entering a battlefield.
He stopped several meters away before offering a courteous smile.
"I am Vista."
"Fifth Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates."
"They call me Flower Sword Vista."
Seraphina calmly met his gaze.
"You don't seem weak either."
The moment their eyes met, both immediately understood.
The person standing before them…
Was a Great Swordsman.
Vista smiled.
"Then…"
"How about allowing me to become your opponent?"
"I'd be honored."
No further words were needed.
A duel between swordsmen was always conducted through their blades.
Seraphina raised Winter Solstice.
Vista simultaneously unsheathed both of his rapiers.
The battlefield instantly exploded into motion.
Clang!
Clang!!
Clang!!!
Blinding sparks erupted continuously as steel collided against steel.
The speed of their swordplay was so astonishing that ordinary Marines and pirates could no longer distinguish the movements of their blades.
Only silver afterimages remained.
Vista maintained his relaxed smile throughout the exchange.
No matter how powerful his opponent became…
His sword would never lose its elegance.
However, behind that gentlemanly demeanor lay absolute concentration.
He understood immediately.
The Marine before him was no ordinary Rear Admiral.
She possessed swordsmanship worthy of standing beside the greatest swordsmen in the world.
Neither combatant gave an inch.
Every strike was met with another.
Every thrust was answered with a precise counter.
Each collision generated violent shockwaves that swept across the frozen sea.
Boom!
Their blades locked together before both simultaneously exerted force.
The tremendous recoil separated them across the battlefield.
Vista's eyes shone with excitement.
"What extraordinary swordsmanship."
"I never imagined I'd encounter another Great Swordsman in a place like this."
"What incredible fortune."
He carefully observed the young Marine standing before him.
"I've sailed these seas for decades."
"So why have I never heard of someone like you serving in the Navy?"
Seraphina smiled faintly.
"Perhaps…"
"You've spent too many years remaining in the New World."
Although her tone remained calm, inwardly she acknowledged Vista's strength.
Very few swordsmen had ever pressured her purely through technique.
Only Dracule Mihawk had ever exerted greater pressure upon her.
Yet Vista's style was completely different from Mihawk's.
Mihawk's sword was absolute.
Cold.
Overwhelming.
Unavoidable.
Vista's swordsmanship, however, resembled blooming flowers.
Elegant.
Graceful.
Beautiful.
Yet beneath that beauty hid deadly killing intent.
Vista slowly raised both rapiers.
"What flower…"
"Should bloom next?"
"Flower Sword Style "
"Rose Dance!"
A storm of crimson flower petals suddenly surrounded his body.
His twin blades danced gracefully through the air as countless slashes erupted from every direction.
The beautiful petals concealed deadly flying cuts capable of slicing through steel.
Seraphina remained perfectly composed.
"Winter Solstice…"
"Third Form "
"Blizzard!"
She swung Winter Solstice.
The silver blade completely disappeared beneath a blinding storm of sword afterimages.
Countless icy flying slashes erupted outward.
Every slash carried freezing power capable of sealing the surrounding air in frost.
The crimson petals collided with the white blizzard.
Boom!!
An enormous explosion shook the frozen battlefield.
Ice shattered.
Snow exploded skyward.
Flower petals scattered in every direction.
…
Time gradually passed.
One hour.
Then another.
Neither side noticed.
Neither side cared.
For true swordsmen…
Time ceased to exist once swords crossed.
Only victory remained.
Throughout the battlefield, sword energy raged endlessly.
The surrounding Marines and pirates instinctively retreated farther and farther away.
No one dared approach.
Even the residual flying slashes alone possessed enough power to seriously injure experienced fighters.
Meanwhile, the duel only grew fiercer.
Neither combatant showed signs of fatigue.
Neither allowed the other a single opening.
Every exchange deepened their understanding of one another's swordsmanship.
It was no longer simply a battle.
It had become communication between two Great Swordsmen.
The purest dialogue possible.
Seraphina hadn't experienced such exhilaration in years.
This…
Was the joy of swordsmanship.
To encounter an equal.
To cross blades without reservation.
To seek victory through nothing but skill.
Vista laughed heartily.
"Saint Roselith Seraphina!"
"You truly are a worthy opponent!"
"Let us settle this…"
"With a genuine duel between swordsmen!"
"To the death!"
His eyes blazed with excitement.
Throughout his life, only a handful of people had ever earned such respect from him.
Yet the silver-haired Marine standing before him undoubtedly deserved it.
Looking upon her youthful appearance, Vista couldn't help but marvel.
Perhaps…
She was the youngest Great Swordsman in history.
Perhaps…
She would someday become the greatest female swordsman the world had ever seen.
Never once did Vista underestimate her because she was a woman.
The sword recognized neither gender nor age.
Only strength.
Only conviction.
His respect for Seraphina only grew stronger.
Seraphina answered calmly.
"I never intended to hold back."
The atmosphere instantly changed.
Both warriors abandoned all restraint.
Their Armament Haki surged across their blades.
Invisible pressure spread across the frozen battlefield.
Even veteran pirates instinctively stepped backward beneath the overwhelming presence.
Cold light flashed.
Crimson petals danced through the air.
Vista crossed his twin rapiers before his body.
This strike would determine everything.
Victory.
Or defeat.
Seraphina slowly raised Winter Solstice.
The silver blade reflected the pale light one final time.
Then
She vanished.
Her body transformed into a streak of white light.
Her sword thrust directly toward Vista.
"Flower Sword Vista…"
She spoke softly.
"Your reputation…"
"Is well deserved."
Slash!
Vista's twin blades crossed simultaneously.
Both rapiers cut into Seraphina's shoulders.
Fresh blood stained her white coat.
However
The attacks failed to penetrate deeply.
The protection granted by her manifested armor absorbed the overwhelming majority of the impact.
Almost at the same instant…
Winter Solstice pierced straight through Vista's chest.
Silence fell.
Vista stared blankly downward.
Then slowly looked back at Seraphina.
A bitter smile appeared across his face.
"I…"
"Lost."
His crossed blades had only managed to wound her shoulders.
Her sword, meanwhile, had reached his heart.
There was no clearer result than that.
Yet no regret appeared in his eyes.
Among swordsmen…
Life and death had always accompanied every duel.
To fall before an equal…
Was not disgrace.
It was honor.
His breathing gradually weakened.
"Marine…"
"Tell me your name."
Seraphina looked calmly into his fading eyes.
"Saint Roselith Seraphina."
Just as she prepared to withdraw Winter Solstice
A pair of blazing blue phoenix claws suddenly descended from above.
Marco.
Without hesitation, Seraphina released her grip on Winter Solstice.
She immediately retreated using Soru, widening the distance before placing one hand upon the hilt of Awakening Sparrow, prepared to draw it at any moment.
Boom!!
Marco's talons smashed into the frozen battlefield.
The thick ice shattered instantly beneath the impact.
Vista frowned slightly.
With Seraphina releasing her sword and retreating, his heavily wounded body nearly collapsed from the sudden loss of support.
Grimacing in pain, he gripped the hilt of Winter Solstice.
With considerable effort, he slowly pulled the blade free from his chest.
Blood flowed freely, staining the frozen ground beneath his feet.
Using the sword as support, he planted it into the ice to steady himself.
Only then did he regain his balance.
Deep within his heart, Vista disliked Marco's intervention.
A duel between swordsmen should never be interrupted.
Especially not at its conclusion.
However…
Marco had acted to save his life.
As brothers under Whitebeard's flag…
As family…
Vista could never blame him for that.
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