Whirling yellow sand swept through the air with a furious roar, while eerie bats shrieked with piercing cries.
Two figures stepped forward from opposite sides, their clashing auras sending shockwaves rippling outward.
The crushing pressure surged through the air, but instead of showing fear or anger, Yūtora grinned with twisted delight.
"Tsk tsk tsk... Not just Crocodile—now even you, Moria, have become Rogers Daren's lapdogs?"
He stared at Moria's pale, sinister face, then shifted his gaze to Crocodile. His eyes briefly stopped on their missing arms before letting out a sneering laugh.
"If I remember right... both of your arms were crippled by that guy, weren't they?"
At those words, both men's expressions darkened.
Crocodile exhaled a puff of smoke and replied coldly,
"I'm not here on Fish-Man Island because of him... I just wanted a good fight with someone strong."
As soon as he finished, a swirling sandstorm gathered rapidly in his hand. With a sudden motion, Crocodile hurled it forward.
"Sables!"
The yellow sandstorm expanded wildly in an instant, transforming into a colossal desert tornado that howled straight toward Yūtora.
Everything in its path—coral, plants—was instantly drained of moisture and crumbled to dust. The earth let out a wailing groan as it split and shattered, making Yūtora's eyelid twitch.
This guy... was a lot stronger than the intel suggested!
But still...
With a thunderous stomp from his powerful right paw, Yūtora's beast-form arms stretched forward, claws clenched tight.
He gritted his teeth, muscles bulging beneath his striped fur.
"Rokushiki Secret Technique—Rokuōgan!"
Boom!
A massive shockwave burst forth, blasting apart the raging sandstorm.
Through the cloud of scattered sand, two figures closed in fast—
Then collided with a resounding crash!
Clang!
A longsword crackling with purple lightning met the tiger claws wrapped in jet-black Haki.
Sparks flew violently, illuminating the twisted grins on both Yūtora and Moria's faces.
Boom!
An explosive shockwave tore outward, collapsing the ground beneath them several meters deep and sending coral and stone flying in all directions.
"Heh... didn't think you were this decent in close quarters."
Yūtora licked his lips with amusement, cold laughter spilling from his mouth.
Moria's eyes burned with eerie excitement as he stared at the black smoke surrounding Yūtora's body.
"Kishishishi... an awakened Zoan, huh? With a physique like yours, I could make a damn fine zombie out of you."
"You're asking to die."
Yūtora scoffed and suddenly lashed out with a vicious kick.
His foot slammed against Moria's blade, sending him and the sword flying dozens of meters.
Moria skidded across the ground before finally grinding to a halt.
"Fine then. I'll toy with you both for a while."
Both Moria and Crocodile were Devil Fruit users—and in close-quarters combat, Yūtora held the absolute advantage.
The advantage was his!
He lowered his clawed arms naturally, his posture brimming with wild, predatory dominance.
Like a jungle beast ready to pounce, Yūtora's vertical feline pupils locked onto Moria and Crocodile as he sneered,
"Before dealing with Fish-Man Island, wiping out two Shichibukai doesn't sound too bad."
Just as the words left his mouth—
A sharp, ear-splitting explosion rang out, high-pitched enough to tear the air apart.
It was like some invisible blade was screaming through the sky toward him.
Yūtora's pupils contracted, and for a split second, a chill crept across his scalp.
That feeling...
He spun around, crossing both arms over his chest, now cloaked in jet-black Haki.
The very next instant—
A grand, razor-sharp blade of deep green energy, like a hawk in a deadly dive, came crashing down and engulfed him entirely.
The sword slash struck with terrifying speed, slamming him straight into a towering twenty-meter-high coral reef.
Boom!
The coral structure exploded in a deafening collapse, clouds of dust and rubble blasting into the sky.
A massive, jagged fissure tore across the ground in its wake.
"Damn... Who is it?"
Yūtora staggered out of the rubble, blood streaming from both arms and dripping onto the ground.
He lifted his head, fury burning in his eyes, and locked onto the one-armed figure holding a massive black broken sword. His expression shifted slightly.
"Shichibukai... 'Hawk Eyes' Mihawk?"
A black cloak flapped in the howling wind as the aloof young man slowly opened his sharp, hawk-like eyes.
"And scum like you think you can lay claim to Daren-san's territory?"
Scum?
Hearing Mihawk's words, Yūtora froze.
One second.
Two seconds.
"Ha... Hahahahahaha!!"
It was as if he'd heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. He clutched his stomach and burst into laughter.
His whole body trembled uncontrollably, tears leaking from his eyes as he howled with laughter.
"Hawk Eyes, what a big mouth you've got! Hahahaha!!"
At the same time, the swirling yellow sand and twisting shadows beside Mihawk began to take shape, forming into human figures.
"Don't go stealing my lines, Mihawk."
Crocodile took a drag from his cigar and spoke casually.
"Doesn't matter to me who kills him. I just need the corpse."
Moria gave a low, eerie chuckle, though his eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Mihawk didn't even glance at them. His cold gaze remained fixed on Yūtora.
"Just don't slow me down. If you screw up Daren-san's plan, I won't forgive you."
Crocodile and Moria both chuckled.
Listening to the three of them trade lines, treating him like he didn't even exist, Yūtora let out a furious, twisted laugh.
"One... two... three..."
"You three Shichibukai nobodies think you can take me down?"
"Don't make me laugh!"
"You greenhorns have no idea what a real fight is!"
"Let me show you... true power!"
As his voice dropped, strange black smoke ignited like roaring fire.
The gashes on his arms—deep enough to expose bone—began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Hahahaha... I might not be immortal like the Five Elders, but once awakened, a Zoan is unstoppable in close combat!"
Yūtora's bloodshot eyes flared as he let out a tiger's roar.
He crouched low, lowering his front limbs to the ground, preparing to pounce.
A storm of savage, murderous intent burst from his body, stirring the air into a swirl of blood and wind.
Yes. That feeling.
With the power of awakening—
Even with a swordsman like Mihawk here, as long as it came down to close-quarters combat...
"The advantage is still... What!?"
A gleaming black combat boot suddenly filled his vision—enlarging in an instant!
BOOM!
Black and red lightning erupted.
The hard, steel-cold boot struck Yūtora's face with the force of a thunderclap, tearing through the air with a deafening shriek.
Blood exploded outward, and a tiger fang was sent flying.
The sheer impact was like a violent storm.
Yūtora's pupils dilated as his consciousness flickered.
His body shot backward like a cannonball.
"That power... it's terrifying... like I'm losing consciousness...!"
In the fading blur of his vision, he saw a figure—half god, half demon.
Golden hair flying wildly.
Black and red lightning coursing around him.
A murderous aura surged from his body like a wrathful god of war.
"Douglas Bullet..."
"The Demon's... Heir!"