"Wee-ha-ha-ha..."
Jesus Burgess remained silent, his legs suddenly exerting force as he shot up like an arrow from a bow, leaping high into the air above Lancelot in the blink of an eye.
Then, mustering all his strength, he descended like a falling mountain, carrying overwhelming force as he swung his thick, powerful fist fiercely toward Lancelot below.
"Stop... You're no match for him right now!"
Blackbeard, who was controlling Lafitte on the other side, caught sight of Jesus Burgess recklessly charging straight at Lancelot and launching an attack.
His expression changed abruptly as he shouted to stop him.
However, it was already too late to intervene.
Meanwhile, facing the oncoming Jesus Burgess, Lancelot showed no fear.
Instead, the corners of his mouth curled into a contemptuous sneer as he mocked.
"I gave you a chance... Too bad you couldn't seize it!"
Before his words faded, with a slight flick of his wrist, the renowned sword Shusui at his waist instantly left its sheath, gleaming coldly.
Immediately, Ryuō surged from his body, swiftly Entangling the sharp blade.
This made Shusui, already a black blade, even more formidable.
The next moment, Lancelot swung his arm, Shusui carrying an overwhelmingly sharp aura as it traced a beautifully elegant arc.
With this motion, a dazzling slash instantly burst forth, like lightning splitting the night sky, so fast it was breathtGing.
Before Jesus Burgess could even react, that terrifying slash had already pierced through his body like a storm.
A dull "thud" sounded as an enormous, bone-deep gash appeared horrifically on Jesus Burgess's chest.
Instantly, crimson blood gushed out like a burst dam, transforming into a shocking blood mist in the air.
Dealt a heavy blow, Jesus Burgess let out a piercing scream, his previously fierce and domineering assault abruptly halted.
His body lost balance, crashing heavily to the ground like a fallen meteor, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Despite the immense pain wracking his body, Burgess's tenacious will to survive drove him to struggle desperately, trying to rise again.
"Still alive?"
Lancelot stared in astonishment at the scene before him, then chuckled softly, thinking to himself.
'Well, it makes sense. After all, he's a key captain in the future renowned Emperor's Pirate Crew.'
However, Lancelot had no intention of letting him off easily.
With Shusui gripped tightly in his hand, Lancelot raised it high and swung it down with lightning speed.
"Bang…"
But at that critical moment, a sudden gunshot rang out.
A bullet flew swiftly, aimed directly at his temple.
At the same time, Blackbeard, seeing the situation turn dire, immediately released his hold on Lafitte and dashed toward Lancelot like a flash of lightning.
Simultaneously, his massive fist, like a sandbag, carried a fierce gust of wind as it slammed straight toward Lancelot's face.
Faced with this sudden attack, Lancelot showed no trace of panic.
He let out a soft cry, "Soru!"
In an instant, he vanished from his original position like a ghost.
The next moment, when he reappeared, he was already on the other side of Jesus Burgess.
Just like that, Lancelot effortlessly dodged both the bullet and the punch.
And at that moment, the Shusui in his hand continued its motion unabated, descending with an unstoppable momentum.
"Swish…"
Shusui, one of only two black blades in the pirate world, possessed a sharpness that was unparalleled.
Splitting a hair with a gentle blow was merely its most basic capability.
When the Ryuō enveloping the blade merged with it, the destructive power it displayed was truly astounding.
It was no exaggeration to say that few things in the world could withstand Shusui's keen edge.
Even in the original story, two years later, when Jesus Burgess had awakened powerful Armament Haki and donned shockwave armor with astonishing defensive capabilities, he would likely struggle to withstand such a terrifying attack.
Let alone the still-developing Jesus Burgess of this moment?
"Thud…"
Shusui's gleaming blade swept across Jesus Burgess's neck like a flash of lightning.
For a moment, it seemed as if time had frozen, and everyone's gaze was riveted.
Jesus Burgess's head was cleanly severed, as effortlessly as slicing through soft tofu.
The detached head rolled with its momentum before coming to a stop right at Blackbeard's feet.
Blackbeard instinctively glanced down, and that brief look left him completely frozen in place.
His pupils contracted sharply, shrinking to the size of pinpricks in the blink of an eye, trembling uncontrollably as if shaken by a violent earthquake.
The indescribable fear and shock deep within Jesus Burgess before his death were all clearly expressed through his eyes.
Yet this gaze was also etched into Blackbeard's heart.
It made Blackbeard feel a trace of terror himself.
At this moment, Lancelot raised his head to look at Blackbeard and said coldly.
"I want to kill him... you can't stop me!"
"I'm going to kill you..."
Blackbeard completely lost control.
Jesus Burgess was a companion he had searched for a long time to find.
Moreover, they shared the same ambitions, and it wouldn't be long before he became his most capable subordinate.
He never expected him to die just like that on Lancelot's blade.
This was absolutely unacceptable to him.
Dark energy gathered in his hands, clearly intending to crush Lancelot to death.
"Heh..."
Seeing this, Lancelot sneered, then turned to look in the direction the bullet had come from.
"Our fight can wait... Including the last time, your sniper has shot at me twice now. I won't rest easy until I send him to the afterlife!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lancelot pushed off with his legs, shooting straight into the air.
Without giving Blackbeard any chance to react, he directly used Moon Walk to charge toward the direction the bullet had come from.
'Not good...'
Blackbeard's expression changed drastically.
He wasn't stupid—he knew exactly what Lancelot intended to do.
He was greatly alarmed.
Having already lost one companion, he absolutely couldn't afford to lose a second.
Lafitte: "..."
Well then, he had directly become a spectator.
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