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Facing the terms proposed by Daichi, Moria and Mihawk made the same choice: even if they ultimately lost, they had to vent their anger.
How could a negotiation be conducted like this?
"Let's go outside!"
Mihawk turned and left, carrying his black blade Yoru.
He was quite particular about such things.
Fujitora stood up and followed Mihawk.
"This matter began because of me, so I cannot stand idly by. I'll handle Mihawk, as I am also a swordsman."
If it weren't for him, Daichi wouldn't have provoked two Warlords like this. If he didn't do something, he would feel guilty.
Moria sneered coldly. "Kishishishi, even an admiral might not be able to defeat that man."
"Perhaps."
Daichi stroked his chin.
The title of "World's Strongest Swordsman" was enough to prove Mihawk's strength, and a battle with Fujitora would likely take considerable time.
They were both swordsmen, so let them have a proper fight.
"Kishishishi!"
Moria took out his large scissors, splitting them into two great blades. He swung them with a fierce roar, a sinister smile on his face.
"Let's begin too!"
"Us?"
Daichi looked at Moria, speechless.
This guy had lost so many times—where did he get such confidence?
Three seconds later...
"BOOM!!!"
The castle wall exploded, and Moria flew out of the castle, blood pouring from his mouth, crashing heavily in front of Fujitora and Mihawk.
The two had just walked out of the castle gate.
"Moria?!"
Watching the unconscious Moria, Mihawk's eyebrow twitched involuntarily.
Being a Warlord was enough to prove one's strength, but to be defeated in an instant was a bit too outrageous.
As far as he knew, the Shadow-Shadow Fruit ability was quite peculiar. If used carefully, it should at least be able to stall Daichi for some time.
"Moria-sama!"
Absalom and the other two officers rushed out of the castle and ran to Moria's side, their hearts filled with terror. They hadn't even seen what happened.
Just now, their eyes had blurred.
As the wall exploded, Moria-sama disappeared, and that man appeared in Moria-sama's position, his arm bent, maintaining an elbow strike posture.
With just one blow, Moria-sama was elbowed away!
"Quickly, heal Moria-sama!"
"I know!"
The three officers were in a flurry.
Mihawk paused for a moment, then continued forward with Fujitora into the open forest, his fighting spirit rising.
Daichi's strength shocked him.
But at this moment, he looked forward to the battle with Fujitora even more. It had been a long time since he'd encountered a swordsman who required him to go all out.
Mihawk raised his black blade.
"One of the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades, the world's strongest black blade—Yoru!"
"My cane sword also seems to be listed as one of the Supreme Grade Blades, named Gambler's Fireline. Mihawk, please be careful."
Fujitora slowly drew his cane sword.
In a duel between swordsmen, announcing one's blade name was a courtesy that acknowledged the opponent, usually only occurring in contests of similar caliber.
The wind rose and clouds gathered.
The next moment, both men swung their swords simultaneously!
"CLANG!!!"
An astonishing slash collided, then shot into the sky!
Daichi stood at the breach in the castle, looking out at the fierce battle in the forest. The contest between two top swordsmen was extremely dangerous.
Swordsmen, in their pursuit of ultimate mastery, generally prioritized offense over defense, so victory or defeat could be decided in an instant.
After the clash of slashes, the two engaged in close-quarters combat, with no flashy moves—just a pure contest of fundamental swordsmanship.
As top swordsmen, neither would easily reveal a weakness. Sword techniques had greater power but required specific stances, which would give the opponent an opening.
"Evenly matched."
Daichi watched for a while, then turned and left.
He wasn't a swordsman, so he couldn't discern the intricate techniques. Besides, while a winner could be decided at any moment, it was more likely to be a stalemate.
In a certain secret room, Gunko wore a Seastone collar around her neck. Other than that, she had no other Seastone restraints on her body.
After breaking the contract mark on her, besides basic interrogation, the next step was to test whether it truly worked.
Currently, it seemed that Gunko's contract with Imu had been severed. Gunko's survival was the best proof.
Daichi arrived at the secret room.
"Speed, how is the situation?"
"It's bad. This woman dares not say anything about Imu, and her mind is very confused, as if she has two personalities."
Speed replied.
Daichi nodded slightly, looking at Gunko.
"Do you remember who you are?"
"Gun-Gunko."
Gunko clutched her head. Two completely different lives were intertwining in her mind, making her unable to distinguish which was real. The more she thought, the more her head hurt.
She remembered she was Gunko, a noble member of the Knights of God. But what were these constantly emerging memories?
Crying, massacres...
And the man who held her small hand and sang with her.
Gunko's face was filled with pain, and she mumbled to herself.
"Daddy... Brook..."
"Brook?"
Daichi's heart stirred.
Could the Brook this woman mentioned be the Straw Hats' skeleton? He only knew of one Brook.
Daichi narrowed his eyes and let out a rather peculiar laugh.
"Yohohoho?"
"Brook!"
Gunko's eyes suddenly widened.
This was Brook's unique laugh!
But who was Brook?
So familiar, yet she couldn't recall.
No, she was a god. Why would she have these memories?
"There really is a connection."
Daichi pursed his lips.
Goodness, the Straw Hats each had deep backgrounds! Even a skeleton could be linked to the Knights of God.
It seemed that as the demonic contract was interrupted, the "magic" Imu had cast on Gunko was slowly wearing off. Furthermore, this girl had probably been a Celestial Dragon for quite some time, causing a conflict in her memories.
Wait.
"Even memory alteration is possible?"
Daichi gasped.
Imu's abilities were too numerous!
Could she also eat multiple Devil Fruits like Blackbeard, or was she simply the embodiment of a demon?
The unknown was often the most terrifying.
He was confident in his own strength, but facing Imu's endless abilities—especially some conceptual ones—sent shivers down his spine.
After all, his power was purely numerical.
The more he learned, the more unbelievably powerful Imu seemed.
"Transforming people into demons, twisting their will, and even altering memories to fabricate new identities for them."
Daichi thought of a possibility.
"Doesn't this mean Imu can capture strong individuals and build an incredibly powerful and loyal demon army?!"
"Minks, Giants..."
"Those powerful special races will all become her targets!"
Previously, the World Government was strong enough not to need additional combat power. But now, with the world on the brink of chaos, the World Government's strength was stretched thin.
If he were Imu, he would definitely try to increase his combat power by any means necessary, starting with special races, which could quickly boost strength.
Also, hunting strong individuals to increase the members of the Knights of God!
Daichi took a deep breath.
He'd originally thought that if Hoenn and the Beast Pirates developed steadily, facing the World Government—even if they couldn't guarantee victory—their win rate should be above fifty percent.
The advantage was with him!
But now, Imu alone had pulled the win rate back down.
He couldn't be reckless!