Between Two Worlds: Nen and Haki

"How is this possible?!"

The massive stone head was sent flying into the air from the explosive impact.

Pica, whose consciousness resided within the stone, stared at Manlong in disbelief.

'Isn't that guy just a subordinate of that three-eyed man?'

'Why does a mere subordinate possess such overwhelming strength?'

Propelled by the momentum of the shockwave, Manlong's figure closed in rapidly.

Before Pica could snap out of his daze,

Manlong had already leapt before him.

"Got you."

'As long as I isolate his consciousness from the ground, he won't be able to escape.'

Repelling power gathered in his fist.

Manlong shattered the airborne stone head with a heavy punch.

"I won't lose!"

Among the scattering debris, one piece of rock quickly coalesced into Pica's form.

He glared at Manlong with a face twisted in rage. Letting out a high-pitched roar, he coated his entire body in Armament Haki and kicked off the falling rubble to pounce on his foe.

'His Devil Fruit ability isn't bad, but his mastery of Armament Haki is incredibly crude.'

Watching Pica lunge at him, Manlong's eyes narrowed as he flattened his hand into a blade.

"Repulsion: 5,000-Tile Knife Hand!"

Their figures crossed paths.

A torrent of blood sprayed from Pica's chest.

A hideous gash appeared across his torso.

Wrapping one's entire body in Armament Haki might look impressive, but it was actually a sign of poor control.

Furthermore, the density of Pica's Haki was clearly insufficient to withstand Manlong's strike.

The agonizing pain reaching his internal organs caused Pica's eyes to roll back. He lost consciousness before he even hit the ground.

Using repelling force for leverage,

though he had already dealt a critical blow, Manlong didn't give his opponent any room to breathe.

He doubled back and caught the falling Pica, preventing him from touching the ground again.

Manlong vs. Pica: Manlong wins!

"Extermination Slash!"

Arms transformed into blades, swinging in a cross-shaped slash that slammed into the cloak-turned-shield.

Sparks flew in every direction.

The sheer force of the impact forced Diamante's feet to skid backward across the ground.

"Damn it!"

Hastily stabilizing himself, Diamante looked at Bones with shock and fury.

'How on earth did these Three-Eye Pirates infiltrate the island? How could neither Pica nor Monet have noticed them?'

Just a moment ago, when Manlong made his move,

Pica had recognized him and immediately sent Diamante and the others up from the hidden underground level.

He did this because Manlong's appearance led him to conclude that the Hunting Team had landed on the island without his knowledge.

He intended for Diamante and the others to track down Zane's location.

However, Pica had clearly miscalculated.

There was no need for Zane to lift a finger.

The moment Diamante and his cohorts emerged from the underground, they were greeted by the ferocity of the Hunting Team's officers.

Among them, the quick-acting Bones successfully claimed Diamante—one of the Donquixote Pirates' Top Officers—as his opponent.

"Half-Moon Glissade!"

In a fit of rage, Diamante swung his rapier, unleashing a slash toward Bones.

Clang!!

A shockwave like a surging tide tore through the earth.

Facing such an attack, Bones moved with extreme agility.

"Atomic Spar!"

His soles transformed into blades like ice skates, allowing him to dodge the strike and slide rapidly toward his opponent's flank.

"Spiral Hollow!"

His right arm morphed into a spiraling blade. Rotating at high speed, he launched a drill-like punch toward Diamante's head.

"Army Flag!"

With Diamante as the center, the surrounding ground suddenly became as light and fluttery as silk.

The sudden shift in the terrain caused Bones to lose his footing, sending his attack wide.

Clang!

A fierce thrust came at him.

Bones's expression darkened. Instead of retreating, he pressed forward, allowing the blade to strike his face as he swung his arm down toward the top of Diamante's head.

Diamante's pupils contracted.

He never expected such madness. He jerked his head aside to dodge while simultaneously restoring the cloak draped over his shoulder back to its steel-like hardness.

Squelch!

Boom!!!

"Argh!!!"

A scream of agony escaped Diamante's lips.

Even though he had tried his best to evade, his shoulder took the full weight of the drill-like arm.

Blade and steel cloak sparked violently against one another.

Though it didn't pierce through, the sheer crushing force weighed heavily on Diamante's shoulder.

This not only forced Diamante to his knees but also sent waves of intense pain through his shoulder.

Then there was Bones.

A gash had been carved into his cheek.

Beyond his Devil Fruit ability, Diamante was a swordmaster in his own right, possessing the skill to cut through steel.

Not to mention, his blade was coated in Armament Haki.

This meant that even with a body made of literal steel, Bones could not entirely block the blade's sharp edge.

Yet, it only left a shallow gash on his face.

Such an injury was far lighter than one would expect.

If it were just ordinary steel, Diamante's thrust would have at least partially penetrated Bones's skull.

The main reason the injury was limited to a single gash was Armament Haki.

In that brief exchange,

not only did Diamante use his Devil Fruit to harden his cloak for defense,

but Bones had also wrapped his head in Armament Haki the moment the blade struck.

Though he had only recently awakened his Armament Haki,

Bones's sheer willpower was second to none.

He hadn't awakened it before simply because he lacked the necessary conditions to learn it.

Spirit and will determined the strength of one's Haki.

Given Bones's iron-clad resolve, even as a newcomer to Haki, its intensity was barely inferior to Diamante's.

"Grasping Slash!"

Unlike Diamante, who was screaming in pain,

Bones remained completely unfazed by the deep, bleeding gash on his face.

Cold and decisive, he raised an arm-turned-blade and clawed ruthlessly at the other man's head.

At the critical moment,

Diamante's Observation Haki sensed the danger. He quickly curled his body, retreating into the protection of his steel cloak.

Sparks showered the air!

Hand-blades infused with Armament Haki left deep claw marks across the steel cloak.

"Serpent Sword!"

From beneath the cloak, a blade resembling a venomous snake lunged out, aimed diagonally at Bones's throat.

Sensing the anomaly, Bones looked down. Catching sight of the incoming blade, he hurriedly tilted his body to evade.

Squelch!!

A gash was sliced into his neck.

Bones immediately clutched the wound, leaping back several times to create distance.

'My mastery of Armament Haki is still too shallow. If I could have channeled it in time, I could have mitigated that damage.'

Stanching the flow of blood from his neck,

Bones kept his eyes locked on Diamante as the latter emerged from beneath his cloak.

'Then there's Observation Haki...'

'If I could awaken Observation Haki as well, I could have avoided that attack with ease.'

'It's not enough.'

'Simply awakening Armament Haki was far from sufficient; he needed to become much stronger.'

Taking a deep breath, serrated blades emerged from the wound on his neck, interlocking with each other to temporarily seal the gash.

Transforming both arms into blades and coating them in Armament Haki, Bones strode toward his opponent with unwavering determination in his eyes.

He was an assassin, and more importantly, he aimed to be the sharpest blade in his captain's hand.

Only by facing powerful enemies could he sharpen his blade even further.

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