"...What a cheat-like ability."
Yamato tilted her head, looking at Sasuke's arm where the torn wound was now sprouting pinkish tissue under the Calamity Flames.
While it couldn't heal immediately, it at least ensured the bleeding stopped.
As for Yamato herself...
"Phew—"
Freezing air instantly covered the wound on Yamato's hand, turning the blood into red ice crystals.
Clenching her fist, Yamato nodded lightly.
"Alright, let's continue."
Though she lacked Sasuke's self-healing ability, Yamato's health pool was deep enough.
This was a matter of accumulated foundation.
After all, Sasuke was only fourteen this year.
He was even younger than Luffy.
Even with various enhancements allowing him to fight numerous strong opponents, his body was still not fully developed.
In contrast, Yamato was twenty-seven this year.
With Kaido's genes and training, Yamato's physical strength was even more exaggerated than her father's in his youth.
Yet Yamato waited a few seconds and didn't see Sasuke take the initiative to attack.
"What's wrong? Reached your limit?"
Yamato's gaze swept over Sasuke, seemingly sensing his current state.
She felt both regret and anticipation.
Undoubtedly, Sasuke had now gained her recognition.
—As that great man's 'attendant'.
One wonders if saying this directly would make Sasuke explode with rage a second time.
While Sasuke himself was a 'martial arts fanatic' who loved challenging others everywhere, he wasn't to the point of fighting an enemy one moment and immediately turning on an ally the next, like Yamato.
In Sasuke's view, Yamato's personality had a touch of madness.
Madwoman.
It's better to let Naruto handle her himself.
"...Be careful."
Of course, saying this, Sasuke seemed to have also felt Yamato's 'will' in the raw, fist-to-flesh pleasure of the fight just now.
Just as Yamato said: communicate through battle, speak with fists.
He no longer held much hostility toward Yamato, but that didn't mean he wouldn't keep fighting.
At this point, in this battle, he wanted to win.
Crackle crackle—
Lightning, flames, and the blazing aura of boiling Chakra all swirled together around his right arm.
And the two large arms extending from the right side of Sasuke's body now reformed into armor...
...No, not just the right side.
All the phenomena produced by Haki and Chakra were now slowly vanishing, transforming into the purest power gathering in Sasuke's right hand.
An attack that completely abandoned defense, counterattacks, everything.
"Betting everything on this one strike... huh?"
Feeling the sense of crisis emanating from Sasuke, Yamato also wiped the smile from her face.
This was respect for a true warrior.
"Then I guess I really have to face it with my full strength!"
As her words fell, Yamato picked up her kanabo again, and Haki instantly covered it.
'Sorry, Takeru. I'll find the best blacksmith to reforge you!'
The surrounding air seemed to grow quiet at this moment. The sky had been completely covered by dark clouds at some point.
Rumble! Rumble!
Silver snakes writhed within the clouds… the majestic might of sky felt suffocating.
Boom!
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck down, heading straight for Sasuke.
The next moment, that lightning from nature merged with the Lightning Chakra Sasuke himself created, forging his arm into an unbreakable 'blade'.
"Lightning Fire Sword—"
A certain-kill strike, not easily replicated, borrowing natural lightning!
Sasuke turned into a black shadow charging toward Yamato.
Yamato, also feeling this indomitable momentum, raised her kanabo high.
"Divine Strike—"
Terrifying Conqueror's Haki madly swirled around the kanabo, producing black lightning on par with the heavenly thunder above.
"—Kirin!"
"—Thunder Bagua!"
Their roars were deafening, but soon covered by an even greater roar.
The entire Dressrosa… no, even Green Bit island across the sea from Dressrosa could hear the sound.
…
"Wahhh! What happened?"
"Is it an earthquake?"
"Don't panic! Don't panic!"
Underground in Green Bit, the Tontatta Kingdom was in chaos.
Mansherry's father, Chief Gancho of the Tontatta Tribe, was trying to calm the other tribesmen.
But obviously, this white-bearded little person's voice couldn't cover the already chaotic tribe.
Moreover, he himself felt uneasy.
The tremendous noise clearly came from Dressrosa island.
His daughter and those elite tribesmen were imprisoned by the Donquixote Family… their 'rescue plan' wasn't ready yet.
Gancho didn't know if this was an opportunity or a disaster.
Should he lead the remaining Tontatta warriors in an all-out assault to rescue the others amid the chaos?
And the Tontatta warriors Gancho had sent to gather information in Dressrosa had also fallen into a deep sleep due to the gas, and even the roaring couldn't wake them, so they couldn't relay what was happening in Dressrosa to Gancho.
"...Everyone!!!"
Gancho suddenly roared loudly, instantly silencing the little people below.
"Cough, cough, cough… All remaining warriors, come with me to Dressrosa."
After coughing for a while, he said something that made his tribesmen's eyes widen.
Before his ministers could dissuade him, Gancho waved his hand.
"If we don't return, you continue hiding and recuperate."
After saying this, he led the way toward the surface.
The others looked at each other. Finally, the warriors, infected by Gancho's courage, regained order and followed.
…
Lightning roared! Haki clashed!
The previously oppressive dark clouds, after the tremendous roar, were blown open into a huge hole. Sunlight poured straight down, illuminating the collapsed ruins at the center of the Dressrosa Kingdom.
Whoever decided this rule, every time strong opponents clash, the clouds in the sky always have to change shape.
At this moment, Dressrosa's towering rocky platform, modeled after the Red Line, had completely collapsed under Sasuke and Yamato's strike.
Fortunately, there weren't many buildings nearby, and most snake-people had moved toward areas with signs of life outside, so this collapse didn't cause greater destruction.
Of course, the Donquixote Family's secret underground shipyard, built right beneath the castle, was buried along with the collapsing ground.
Those Donquixote Family's soldiers turned into snake-people, and some pirates and Marines who hadn't escaped in time after being changed back from toys... could only pray for luck.
Feeling the blinding sunlight, Yamato tried to raise a hand to block it, but a sharp pain from her body stopped her.
"So reckless... but, it was a good fight."
Gritting her teeth, she sat up, looking at the large hole in her shoulder pierced by Sasuke's [Kirin], now plugged with ice crystals.
"You even held back, huh?"
Yamato chuckled, then looked at Sasuke, who had collapsed from exhaustion.
Sasuke had now returned to human form, and the Calamity Flames on his body were slowly dissipating.
But his injuries were far fewer than Yamato's.
The healing effect of Calamity Flames was still too powerful. If his stamina could keep up, the one lying unconscious today would likely have been Yamato.
"Let's call it a draw."
Saying this, Yamato let out a light laugh.
She felt the sea is truly fascinating.