On the sea surface, two warships were closing in on each other at an astonishing speed. The howling sea wind carried the heavy smell of gunpowder, foretelling the intense battle about to erupt.
"No time, Ashura Doji!" Raizo shouted. His scroll traced a graceful arc through the air, accurately collecting the incoming cannonballs. "Our only choice now is to break through head-on!"
Ashura Doji stood at the bow, his crimson hair whipping wildly in the wind. He narrowed his eyes, his sharp gaze piercing through the sea mist, locking onto the tall figure on the opposite deck. "All hands, prepare for boarding! Raizo, protect the ship!"
"Understood!" the samurai responded in unison, drawing their swords. The blades gleamed with a cold light under the sun, reflecting the resolute expressions on each person's face.
Simultaneously, arrogant laughter came from the enemy ship. "Hahaha, prepare to die, you small fry!" Bullet flexed his thick arms, jet-black Busoshoku Haki flowing like liquid to cover them. "Not a single one of you leaves here alive!"
The moment the two ships collided, a deafening crash echoed. Amidst flying wood splinters, the combatants from both sides surged toward each other like tidal waves.
"Die!" Bullet initiated the attack, his massive fist whistling through the air straight for Ashura Doji's face.
Clang! Tachi met iron fist, sparks flying. Ashura Doji was knocked back several steps, his hands numb from the impact. "Such strength... Who are you people?!"
"The dying don't need to know too much!" Bullet sneered, his fists raining down like hailstones. Each blow carried the power to split mountains and shatter rocks, forcing Ashura Doji to retreat repeatedly.
Elsewhere, Moria swung his enormous naginata, leaving carnage in his wake. "Yeehihihihi! More fear, give me more!"
"Stop!" Kin'emon leaped into the air, his blade bursting into raging flames. "Foxfire Style: Blazing Willow Flash!" The searing slash forced Moria back, saving several samurai.
"Oh? Interesting." Moria licked his lips, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes. "Reminds me of someone annoying... I'll take my frustration out on you!"
Amidst the flashing blades, Kikunojo's long sword clashed fiercely with Gavin's dual blades. "Why are you attacking us?" she demanded, her sword techniques not faltering in the slightest.
"Do pirates need a reason?" Gavin sneered, his twin blades tracing bizarre arcs. "Just obediently become our stepping stones!"
Raizo was also locked in a difficult fight. Morris's long sword was as cunning and venomous as a snake, nearly striking vital points several times. "Scroll-Scroll Technique: Return!" At the critical moment, Raizo unfurled his scroll, and the previously absorbed cannonballs came shrieking out.
"What?!" Morris hastily dodged, the cannonball grazing his cheek before exploding in a ball of fire behind him. "A Devil Fruit user?"
Meanwhile, Kurozumi Kanjuro was trading blows with several pirate underlings.
Across the battlefield, the sounds of slaughter and clashing weapons rose and fell.
Even the eight-year-old Enel swung an iron rod. Though his movements were immature, his eyes held a ferocity ill-suited to his age.
"Everyone, hold on!" Ashura Doji shouted, dark red Haki suddenly coiling around his tachi. "We absolutely cannot fall here!"
Seeing this, Bullet grinned excitedly, his mouth widening. "Finally getting serious? Let's see how much a Wano samurai is worth!"
The sea wind moaned, waves churned. This sudden encounter was developing into an even more brutal direction.
The samurai formed a defensive circle back-to-back. Each of them understood: today, they must either carve a bloody path through or perish here.
On the sea surface, the two warships were tightly locked together after the violent collision. Amidst flying wood splinters and spray, the duel between Ashura Doji and Bullet had reached a fever pitch.
"Haaah!" Ashura Doji roared, his tachi wrapped in dark red Haki, slashing fiercely at Bullet. The blade cleaved the air, emitting a sharp whistle.
"Now we're talking!" Bullet laughed maniacally, his pitch-black fist meeting the attack head-on.
Boom! The two Haki forces collided violently, the shockwave causing the deck to crack inch by inch.
On another part of the battlefield, Kin'emon and "Moonlight" Moria were locked in heated combat. Blazing flames and icy blades continuously collided, bursting with dazzling light in the night.
Kin'emon wielded his burning long sword, unleashing "Foxfire Style: Flame Slash." A wave of scorching fire surged toward the enemy like a fierce beast.
"Yeehihihihi!" Moria let out his trademark cackle, his massive body nimbly wielding his naginata. "Playing with fire in front of me? Your flames are still too green!" With a mighty two-handed swing of his naginata, he cleanly sliced apart the oncoming flames.
Seizing the opportunity, Moria launched a fierce assault. His heavy blade pressure forced Kin'emon to retreat step by step.
Their weapons clashed repeatedly, sparks flying. Though Kin'emon's swordsmanship was exquisite, he was gradually showing signs of decline under Moria's overwhelming brute strength. His arms began to grow numb, his footsteps heavier.
"Yeehihihihi! How much longer can you last?" Moria sneered, intensifying his onslaught. Every slash carried a devastating force.
"Bastard! Don't look down on me!" Kin'emon roared, fighting back desperately, but with little effect. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead; his breathing grew ragged. This fight with such a disparity in strength seemed to be developing in a direction unfavorable to him.
Kikunojo was now in an extremely perilous situation. Gavin, wielding dual blades, attacked with a storm-like ferocity, each slash precisely aimed at vital spots. His sharp blades cut through the air with an ear-piercing whoosh, chilling to the bone.
"Little girl, your swordsmanship is indeed not bad. A shame you met me today," Gavin sneered, suddenly changing his blade path. A cold glint flashed, leaving a shocking gash on Kikunojo's arm.
"Ah! I am a man!" Kikunojo endured the pain, retorting through gritted teeth, his long sword still held tightly.
"What?" Gavin was visibly taken aback for a moment, then, as if understanding something, an even deeper disgust flashed in his eyes. "A man pretending to be a woman? Even more reason to die!"
Before the words had fully faded, Gavin's attacks abruptly accelerated. His twin blades transformed into two silver flashes of lightning, continuously adding new wounds to Kikunojo's body. Blood gradually stained his clothes, but Kikunojo remained stubbornly standing, refusing to fall.
Raizo moved with the nimbleness of the wind, constantly dodging and weaving under Morris's furious onslaught. Seizing an opening, he swiftly unfurled a scroll and chanted lowly, "Scroll-Scroll Technique: Binding!" Several pitch-black chains, like living creatures, shot out from the scroll, winding and twisting toward Morris.
"Don't play these petty tricks," Morris scoffed disdainfully, his long sword tracing a fierce arc. "Wouldn't it be better to just accept being cut down by me peacefully?" The chains shattered under the blade's light, scattering across the deck.
Seeing this, Raizo immediately changed hand seals, his hands forming signs rapidly. "Ninja Art: Flower Shuriken!" Several uniquely shaped shuriken spun toward Morris.
Morris deftly dodged the concealed weapons while quickly closing the distance. Just as he was about to get close—
"Ninja Art: Clone Technique!" Raizo suddenly performed the Clone Technique, and seven or eight identical figures instantly scattered.
"What?" Morris furrowed his brow, his blade casually slicing toward one of the clones. "What kind of ability user are you?" The struck clone vanished in a puff of white smoke.
The moment Morris was distracted, Raizo seized the chance to form seals again. "Ninja Art: Lightning Shuriken!" This time, the launched shuriken were wreathed in dazzling electric sparks.
"Ah!" Morris hastily raised his sword to block, not expecting the electric current to conduct through the metal blade, instantly paralyzing his entire body and freezing his movements.
***
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