The Holy Wheel and the Clone

In other words, as long as he was surrounded by a large number of trees and connected them all with branches or roots, he could use contact to move around as though appearing and disappearing at will.

The same applied to other wooden objects, such as the deck of a ship!

He had named this move "Wood Release," meaning travel through wood.

It was an excellent lifesaving technique. Used properly, it was in no way inferior to a spatial ability.

The body that had drawn World's attention was, in fact, a simple "Wood Clone."

Many ability users in this world could use moves similar to the Shadow Clone Technique, such as Nico Robin with her Flower-Flower Fruit and Doflamingo with his String-String Fruit.

As for how these clones, formed from nothing more than a mass of arms, fine strings, or wood, could take on such incredibly lifelike colors, he did not really understand.

It was probably due to the rules governing Devil Fruit abilities, just as many fruit abilities did not damage their users' clothes when activated, and some even transformed the clothes along with them.

To be fair, though clones created with Devil Fruit abilities had physical bodies and fighting power like shadow clones, their range of control was actually very limited.

In that respect, they could not compare to shadow clones at all. Nor did they share memories or intelligence, which meant they could not act independently.

Strictly speaking, they were more like the puppetry techniques in Naruto. He and Nico Robin controlled theirs wirelessly, while Doflamingo used strings.

Although they could not serve as a main combat technique, they could be highly effective in certain situations, just like the one moments ago.

"You tricked me?!"

Anger rose in World's heart, but he immediately suppressed it. As he had said before, why get angry with a brat who was about to die?

"You can dodge with that move, but what about this brat?" World turned his gaze mockingly toward Yixiao beside him.

Those words made both Vidal and Yixiao realize they were in trouble. Vidal immediately used his ability to reassemble the Apis Divine Bull that had been destroyed earlier.

"This damn bull again? Now I'll show you my strongest power!"

Byrnndi World hurled the great blade in his hand away, clenched his bare fist at his waist, and bent his legs slightly to gather strength. His aura surged wildly like a raging fire.

"Momo 70x Speed!"

"Momo 80x Speed!"

"Momo 90x Speed!"

Finally, under the shocked gazes of Vidal and Yixiao, he roared, "Momo 100x Speed!!!"

But he did not seem to be finished. Immediately afterward, his entire body took on an inky black sheen.

"Armament Haki: Hardening!"

"It's over," Binjack and the pirates aboard the World Pirates' ship murmured at the sight.

"It's over, brats!" Byrnndi World looked down at the bull and the two men below, his face dark and his gaze cold.

"This doesn't look good, Vidal," Yixiao said heavily. Skilled in Observation Haki, he felt the greatest pressure.

"Yeah. Looks like this move will decide the fight."

There was not a trace of fear on Vidal's face, only an incomparably resolute fighting spirit, defiance, and a gentle smile.

He firmly believed he would not die here. His life had only just begun, so what was there to fear?

"Use whatever other moves you have."

Yixiao gripped his sword hilt tightly, his eyes fixed on World. He was preparing to unleash his strongest iai slash, combined with his fruit ability.

But he knew full well that would not be enough. In the end, it would still come down to Vidal!

"Of course!"

"Ha!"

Vidal once again brought his palms together heavily before him with a clap and shouted, "The strongest spear bestowed upon the Apis Divine Bull by the sun."

"Sun's Holy Wheel!!"

Before his voice had fully faded, Byrnndi World made the first move. The air around him was torn apart in an instant, and the intense friction immediately ignited scorching flames all over his body.

With a deafening sonic boom, his muscular, pitch-black body turned into a terrifying meteor and hurtled downward with unstoppable force.

At the same time, densely packed green points of light gathered around the Apis Divine Bull, so numerous that they joined together.

The light seemed to come from both the blazing sun overhead and energy drawn from the nearby light. In the end, it gathered in the bull's open mouth, forming a dazzling, enormous sphere of golden light.

As Vidal finished shouting the name of the move, all the light erupted outward in a beam more than four meters wide!

Yixiao did not hesitate either. Shinra flashed from his waist toward the sky in the blink of an eye, sending a crescent-shaped Flying Slash soaring upward with a trail of violet-blue light!

One second—no!

One second was far too slow a description for the attacks of the three men on the two sides. The moment their light burst forth was the moment they met head-on!

[Boom------]

A blinding radiance swept across the entire area in midair, so intense that it brought endless tears to the eyes. The violent shock wave swept away all the mangroves below.

The sea, filled with blood and corpses, looked as though it had been swept by a storm, with towering waves constantly rising and falling!

Fortunately for the pirates aboard the World Pirates' ship and Bullet, who had remained on the small boat, the aftershocks from the three men's fierce battle had already pushed them a safe distance away.

Otherwise, with no one to protect them, they might have been caught in the crossfire and perished along with their boats in this final clash.

But Vidal and Yixiao, at the center of the clash, now faced the greatest threat to their lives yet!

For they could clearly see the meteor gleaming with black light, a long trail of fiery light streaming behind it.

Like a slender chopstick, it plunged into the beam of the Sun's Holy Wheel, seemingly meeting no resistance at all.

Unstoppable, it smashed headfirst through the Apis Divine Bull's head and continued toward them!

The hundredfold speed boost was still too powerful for Vidal and Yixiao.

"Repulsion Defense!" Yixiao stepped forward at that moment and used his fruit ability with all his strength, performing even beyond his usual limits.

He swept his sword forcefully forward, sending a pale violet glow spreading outward. It slowed the meteor somewhat, and he immediately followed with a fierce downward slash.

"Gravity Suppression!"

This time, a purple halo descended from the sky and slammed down on the meteor with the weight of a mountain, slowing its momentum further!

Finally, he used the motion to return the wooden sword Shinra to his waist. But in the next instant, the waves beneath his feet suddenly shimmered with a soft purple light, forming a massive wave in front of the two men.

"Buoyancy Sea Lift!"

As a swordsman, Yixiao drew his blade with astonishing speed. The three slashes flashed out in the blink of an eye.

But the moment the wave formed, a tremendous boom rang out, and it began to bulge toward the two men.

Then a black figure, no longer wreathed in flame, burst through the wave amid a vast spray of shattered water.

Through the hole in the wave behind him, the shattered remains of the wooden bull could still faintly be seen.

It was Byrnndi World, boosted to a hundred times his speed. But his momentum was visibly weaker than before, and much of the Armament Haki on his body had dissipated.

Vidal and Yixiao had taken the opportunity to put several hundred meters between them and him.

It's midnight! Everyone, get some good rest after reading and have a good dream.