Flying Heaven Sword Style

Everyone around them was utterly astonished. They had never expected a treasure among the Great Grade Sword 21 Works to exist in some backwater corner of the North Blue. One had to know that, with Roy's current influence, he had not even found a second sword among the Skillful Grade Sword 50 Works. Although these famed blades were not particularly expensive on the Black Market, they were priceless rarities—there was simply no one willing to sell them.

Upon hearing that the dojo master before them had hidden the famed blade away, they finally understood why they had never heard any related news before.

A common man was innocent, but possessing a treasure invited disaster. When a person's abilities were insufficient to match the treasure he possessed, it would bring calamity upon him. Kenkon Dojo Master clearly understood this well. Only now, with his life and future uncertain, and fearing that the treasure would remain buried forever, had he chosen to reveal it.

Roy pondered for a moment before nodding. "Fine."

Quite a few people inwardly scoffed. He agreed so easily—he was clearly planning to get something for nothing. Kenkon, however, stared deeply at Roy before nodding. "Thank you, Roy. After this battle, I will naturally tell you where the treasure is hidden. For now, let us settle this in the wilderness. Please."

Although Roy knew what the others were thinking, he could not be bothered to explain. Once he reached Wano Country in the latter half of the Grand Line, Kikuichimonji would likely no longer keep pace with his growth. Only the legendary Supreme Grade Sword 12 Works were worth pursuing.

As it happened, he had long known the location of an exceptionally suitable blade. It was also one of the places he had to visit after setting foot on the Grand Line. That was why he could so easily resist Kikuichimonji's temptation.

"Please."

The two figures shot toward the outskirts of the city. Roy secretly marveled that Kenkon Dojo Master was indeed quite powerful; he could actually barely keep up with Roy's speed. Roy's speed had always been his greatest weapon for defeating enemies.

Little did Roy know that Kenkon was bitter inside as well. Their Flying Heaven Sword Style had always excelled in speed, yet today he had been utterly surpassed. Still, he quickly steadied his mind. If a swordsman fell into self-doubt before battle, there was no need to fight to know the outcome.

The two arrived at a vast plain outside the city and took their positions. Neither spoke further. After making slight adjustments to their breathing and aura, they launched attacks at each other simultaneously.

Sword Qi crisscrossed the air as violent shockwaves swept outward. Two sword gleams too swift for the naked eye to catch collided fiercely, effortlessly carving two long trenches across the ground.

Kenkon's expression was resolute, though inwardly he was groaning. The exchange just now had seemed evenly matched, but the impact had numbed the web between his thumb and forefinger. Had he not tightened his grip on the hilt in time, his sword would have already flown from his hand.

"Godspeed!"

Roy had initially been somewhat disappointed. Though Kenkon was already very strong, there was still a noticeable gap between them. Yet he had not expected Kenkon to use some secret technique that caused his speed to surge dramatically—not only catching up to Roy, but even faintly surpassing him.

A sharp light flashed in Roy's eyes. He was delighted not only to have finally encountered a powerful swordsman comparable to himself, but also because he had developed designs on Kenkon's school of swordsmanship. Such a powerful inheritance, if it fell into his hands, would surely cause his strength to soar once more.

"Good."

"Boom!" The aftermath of their clash had already turned this plain into rolling hills. If anyone saw it, they would never believe it had been caused by a battle between two swordsmen. They would only assume the area had suffered the merciless devastation of artillery fire.

If their earlier battle had already reached the limit of what the naked eye could perceive, then now not even afterimages could be caught. At least, that was true for the spectators who had come to watch. Among those present, perhaps only King, who had awakened Observation Haki, could clearly see their movements.

Of course, being able to see did not mean his body could react in time. King believed that if either of those two monsters got close to him, he would be shredded apart by their ferocious Sword Qi before he could even raise his Sniper Rifle.

"Dragon Nest Flash: Bite!"

This move was faster and fiercer than the previous one, as though a true giant dragon were madly tearing at its prey before him, intent on crushing and ripping its opponent to pieces.

After using this move, Kenkon's face turned pale. The roar he forced out sounded somewhat savage, completely at odds with his previous calm demeanor. But it was understandable—after using that secret technique to increase his strength so drastically, it was impossible for there to be no backlash.

Even Roy did not dare take this move head-on. The scattered Sword Qi entwined with the giant dragon, successfully knocking it off course. It streaked past Roy's body and ravaged the ground into a canyon, leaving even Roy with a chill running down his back.

Roy's mental energy was being heavily drained. His opponent, like him, followed the speed-oriented path. Against such an enemy, he had to maintain absolute concentration at every moment. One careless mistake would mean a broken sword and a dead man.

Yet he felt no fear at all. Instead, he was faintly excited. The swordsmanship Roy had created himself was undoubtedly unorthodox, its essence lying in speed, precision, ruthlessness, unpredictability, and illusion. Most swordsmen in the Pirate World pursued ultimate power. Their swordsmanship experience offered Roy little reference, so his swordsmanship had long reached a bottleneck that was difficult to break through.

But today, he had finally seen a glimmer of hope for a breakthrough in his swordsmanship. As long as he could obtain the Flying Heaven Sword Style and incorporate its principles into his own, his realm of swordsmanship would surely reach an unimaginable level.

Thus, although Roy's mental energy was being consumed at a tremendous rate, the more he fought, the more excited he became. A flush even appeared on his face, making him look as though he were drunk.

Against ordinary enemies, Roy's endurance in battle was exceptionally strong. Even if he was injured, he could recover through the dream's conversion between illusion and reality. But battles between top swordsmen—especially between speed-oriented swordsmen—were simply too draining on the mind. Roy's Devil Fruit Ability had not yet reached the point where it could restore even his mental state.

By now, both of them were nearing their limits. Their sweat had not even fallen before the vigorous heat within their bodies evaporated it into white mist swirling above them, making them seem almost ethereal.

"Pant, pant... I am about to run out of strength, so I will use one of the two supreme secrets of my Flying Heaven Sword Style—Nine-Headed Dragon Flash. I have never mastered this move before, but today's battle has given me some insight. In this Godspeed state, I should be able to barely use it. Be careful, sir." Kenkon had been slightly weaker than Roy from the start, so he had reached his limit sooner. At this point, he had no choice but to unleash his final trump card and gamble everything on it.

"Come." To conserve his strength, Roy even refused to waste another word. Though he felt somewhat uneasy inside, his entire body was filled with a fiery thrill he had not experienced in a long time. It was utterly intoxicating.

Kenkon's disciples had long since been stunned. They had never imagined that the swordsmanship their teacher taught could be so powerful. All of them regretted not having devoted themselves wholeheartedly to training sooner.

"Watch carefully! This is one of the supreme secrets of my Flying Heaven Sword Style—Nine-Headed Dragon Flash!"