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"Dangdang!!!"
"Crackling!!!"
As Ayr and Deros clashed, their blades moved faster and faster—flashes of light, steel, and shadow danced violently across the space, painting the battlefield with the chaos of their duel.
"Kill the ghost!!!"
Ayr leaped back, his blade now coated in an intense layer of Conqueror's Haki, crackling with power. The very air around him warped as his presence surged like a war god descending.
In the next instant, Ayr gripped the Demon Slayer blade and charged at Deros with relentless force.
Deros, unfazed, met him head-on.
"Boom!!!"
Another violent clash erupted. The force released from the collision generated a fierce shockwave, sending a whirlwind howling across the sky.
The ground beneath them split and shattered, unable to bear the weight of their power. Debris flew in all directions—gravel suspended in mid-air like frozen raindrops. The very battlefield crumbled like brittle parchment.
"Master has mastered Conqueror's Haki infusion? As expected of the most gifted monster to come out of the Rocks Pirates..." murmured an old man, his grip tightening on his own blade.
He could feel it—the overwhelming force in Ayr's strikes. It wasn't just Conqueror's Haki—it was Conqueror's entanglement, the advanced technique once wielded by legends like Roger and Whitebeard.
At its base, Conqueror's Haki serves to overwhelm the weak. But once refined into Conqueror's infusion, it rivals even the advanced stage of Armament Haki—Emission. Just like how Luffy learned to destroy enemies from within, Ayr's blade now delivered that same terrifying energy.
Deros had initially been the dominant force, gradually pushing Ayr back.
But now, with Conqueror's infusion augmenting Ayr's strikes, Deros began to lose that edge. No matter how brutal his power, he could no longer suppress Ayr—the gap lay in that mastery of Haki.
"He mastered Conqueror's infusion?!"
"This guy isn't just a prodigy—he's one of the most dangerous fighters in the Rocks group!"
"Still, no matter how impressive he is... he's not enough to beat Captain Deros!"
"Exactly. Talent or not, this sacred land—Mariejois—is where he falls."
CPO operatives whispered from the sidelines, their eyes wary but skeptical. They acknowledged Ayr's strength, his terrifying mastery of Conqueror's Haki at such a young age.
But in their eyes, Deros was on another level.
Even if he couldn't win outright, Ayr had no chance—not while the Five Elders loomed nearby.
"You don't disappoint, boy," Deros said with a grin. "Looks like I get to have some real fun today."
"Whoosh!!!"
Suddenly, blue flames burst from Deros's body, and massive azure wings unfurled from his back.
"A Mythical Zoan… the Phoenix?!"
Ayr's eyes widened.
Those radiant blue flames, those wings—it was unmistakable.
Deros had consumed the Mythical Zoan-type Phoenix Fruit.
In the future, this fruit would become legendary in the hands of Marco the Phoenix, first division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. But Marco, likely still a child at this point, had yet to acquire it.
"You know your Devil Fruits, huh?" Deros chuckled. "That's right. This is the Mythical Phoenix Fruit—a power among powers."
As a top CPO officer and shield of the Celestial Dragons, Deros had access to unimaginable resources. It was no surprise that the World Nobles had entrusted him with one of the rarest Devil Fruits in existence.
Now, his sword was cloaked in blue flames—flames that burned not only with regenerative power, but unbearable heat.
Initially, the Phoenix Fruit's flames had no offensive temperature, as seen in Marco's battles. But under Deros's cultivation, they had evolved into searing infernos.
(As shown in the canon, Marco later used his blue flames to counter Big Mom's Prometheus. Deros has clearly pushed this fruit beyond even that.)
"Let's continue!"
With a flash, Deros launched himself back at Ayr—this time faster, hotter, deadlier. His swordsmanship, already formidable, became wild and oppressive under the Phoenix's power.
Ayr gritted his teeth, covering his arms in layers of Armament Haki just to shield himself from the blistering blue flames.
The battle reached a fever pitch.
Blades clashed. Explosions of Haki and flame sent shockwaves in all directions. Neither side gave an inch.
Ayr held the edge in Conqueror's Haki—his infusion was unmatched. But Deros had more experience, and his raw power—bolstered by the Phoenix's resilience and heat—was overwhelming.
Without tapping into his trump card—Kurama's power—Ayr was slightly outmatched.
Yet because of Conqueror's infusion, the gap was slim.
And so, they stalemated.
"Dang Dang Dang!!!"
Every strike carried deadly intent. Ayr sharpened his Observation Haki, searching, waiting—for just one mistake.
After hundreds of exchanges, he finally saw it—a crack in Deros's rhythm.
"Shuh!!!"
Ayr dodged an incoming slash and retaliated, slicing across with a blade wrapped in Conqueror's and Armament Haki—layered, precise, deadly.
But Deros grinned.
"You fell for it, Ayr!" he roared.
It was a trap.
He had deliberately shown a weakness. With the Phoenix Fruit's regeneration, he could afford to be wounded.
"Shh!!!"
Ayr's blade landed—but so did Deros's.
"Zzzttt!!!"
Both men were slashed, blood spraying from their abdomens as they were knocked backward from the simultaneous blows.
"This kid... He may be a freakishly talented monster, but he's still not at Captain Deros's level!"
"Yeah. That Phoenix Fruit gives him insane durability. He can take a hit and heal instantly. But that guy—he can't afford to be cut like that."
"Forget the Five Elders—Deros alone might be enough to finish this!"
The CPO agents watched with renewed confidence. As both fighters staggered, wounded, they believed the end was in sight.
Because in a high-level battle, even a single wound can decide the outcome.
And Deros could heal.
Ayr could not.
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