Red Hair vs. Nightmare

"Then come on over, and don't let me down!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Red Hair's figure flashed, like a blood-red rainbow streaking across the sky, bringing with it a whistling Sword Qi.

Before anyone knew it, the Seven Star Sword had appeared in Roy's hand, held horizontally in front of him, blocking the Red Hair's attack.

Roy suddenly raised his right hand, which was gripping the Seven Star Sword, and flung the Red Hair who was suspended in mid-air away. At the same time, he stomped on the ground and used the recoil to blast the Red Hair like a cannonball.

The Red Hair man, still in mid-air, had his pupils contract violently. Without thinking, he swung his sword horizontally in front of him.

The two swords clashed, remaining locked in a stalemate for a moment before ending in the defeat of the Red Hair, who was slammed into the ground. The earth trembled violently, kicking up clouds of dust, and large swaths of fiery red sunflowers drifted into the sky before falling again, as if a rain of flowers was falling.

"Is this guy's power really endless?!" The Red Hair secretly moved his hands, which were slightly numb from the shock, and was shocked. In the past, he could only wield the sword with one hand, and it was understandable that he was not as strong as his opponent. But after abandoning his former pride and wielding those cold arms, he was still no match for Nightmare, which made him somewhat disappointed.

"Since that's the case, then let me show you the power I've gained after betraying my own principles, Dark Vortex!" The Red Hair's eyes were cold. In his pursuit of revenge, he had forgotten the captain's warnings to them years ago.

A terrifying force of attraction emerged from the dust, catching Roy off guard and nearly pulling him away.

"Tsk tsk, this power is indeed much stronger than what Blackbeard used back then. It seems you weren't lying after all; you've developed this fruit to its limit in just two years!"

After a while, seeing Roy still hovering in mid-air, and his invincible Devil Fruit Ability seemingly losing its effect on him, Red Hair couldn't help but ask, "Why are you alright?"

"Do all you Dark- Devil Fruit User ask this question? It's nothing more than using repulsive force to cancel out your gravity. I'm even more familiar with this power than you are!" Roy shook his head. Did you expect me to tell you that I used to use dream simulations of Almighty Pull and Almighty Push to show off?

Red Hair a deep breath, and with a swipe of his left hand across the sword, darkness instantly enveloped and corroded it, faintly emanating an aura of ominousness and curse.

"Dark Wave!"

A jet-black sword light ripped through the sky, like the darkness that swallowed the sky after dusk, inspiring fear in all who beheld it.

Roy lightly touched the ground with his toes and swiftly leaped backward, simultaneously wielding the Seven Star Sword, its dazzling Sword Qi flying into the deep darkness.

Sizzle!

Roy's casual slash melted and was swallowed up in the darkness, disappearing in an instant.

"The ability to corrode and destroy?" Roy was slightly surprised. Even his casual slash still possessed immense power. The darkness could devour it silently, which was not to be underestimated.

"Unfortunately, no matter how powerful the attack, it is meaningless if it cannot hit!" With a thought, Roy expanded the range of his Dream Domain infinitely, and then swapped positions with the sunflower behind the Red Hair.

The sunflower was swallowed by darkness, but Roy instantly appeared behind the Red Hair, his Seven Star Sword, imbued with Dark Netherflame, slashing forward at the perfect moment.

The Red Hair, locked on by the Sword Qi behind him, felt a chill run down his spine, as if he would be torn to pieces at any moment. Without thinking, he rolled to the side.

Unexpectedly, the sword light followed him like a leech, and the aura of shattering space made the Red Hair's scalp tingle. If he were to be hit by such a sword without any precautions, he would probably be done for today.

"We can't just sit here and wait to die!" The Red Hair's eyes narrowed slightly, and a dense darkness instantly gathered behind him, as if he were shrouded in an ominous aura.

In an instant, the darkness was severed, as if sunlight had dispelled the night.

However, this gave Red Hair a moment to turn around and swing his sword, instantly shattering the ever-present sword light in one fluid motion.

The exchange between the two was only a matter of seconds, but it Red Hair feeling exhausted. When facing an enemy like Nightmare, even the slightest hesitation could have devastating consequences.

However, before Red Hair could catch his breath, Roy appeared beside him again as if by teleportation. He had used a dream to distort Red Hair's senses, leaving him no time to react. He could only cover his entire body with Armament Haki, and the dark aura wrapped around his body made the black luster appear even deeper.

Boom!

The Red Hair, who was slashed away by the Seven Star Sword, felt as if all his internal organs had shifted and were on the verge of destruction. Blood gushed from his mouth and splattered in mid-air like a brilliant crimson agate before falling to the ground like a falling star.

The earth cracked, and the air surged.

Before Red Hair could react, another sword strike that could cleave through the Milky Way descended from the sky with overwhelming force, as if to crush him into dust.

Red Hair had no choice but to swallow the sweet, metallic blood in his mouth and hurriedly moved to the side. Although he avoided being disemboweled, he was once again blasted away by the scorching air currents and slid for over a hundred meters before finally coming to a stop, his back burning with pain.

"The Dark-Dark Fruit indeed powerful, and can be considered the nemesis of most Devil Fruit users. However, as long as it is not touched, its double pain and inability to Elementalization make it less of a threat to me than a typical Logia-type Fruit." Roy landed in front of Red Hair and looked down at him.

Red Hair Shanks struggled to his feet despite his injuries and asked incredulously, "Is this your true strength? Could it be that your true form wasn't restricted at all, and that your two years of silence were just an act for us?"

"Ridiculous. What qualifications do you have that make me want to put on this show? However, you weren't wrong. My physical body is indeed restricted."

"Then, why..." The Red Hair's expression changed drastically, and fear flickered in his eyes.

"Did you guess that? My main body has indeed been in a dormant state all along. So, whether it's the one who defeated you and Scopper Gaban, or the one who orchestrated the destruction of the Marine Headquarters, or even the one standing in front of you now, they are all just clones of me."

"This... this is absolutely impossible! How could a person be so powerful? I refuse to believe it!" The Red Hair's eyes were fierce as he stumbled and charged towards Roy, using his sword as a crutch.

"What do I care if you believe me or not?" Roy flicked his finger, compressing the air and sending it flying hundreds of meters like a Red Hair.

However, the Red Hair in mid-air instantly regained his clarity in his eyes. With full force, a small dark vortex reappeared beside him, as if it would devour him at any moment.

Red Hair sighed inwardly. He had originally planned to die here, but after learning about Nightmare's true strength, he dared not die. He was worried that Beckman and Luffy would suffer the same fate as him. So, even if he had to die, he had to pass on this information before he could die!

However, the moment he came into contact with the dark vortex, he saw the extreme darkness disintegrate before his eyes, and his body was completely imprisoned in mid-air, unable to move.

"As expected of Red-Haired Shanks, I almost fell for your trick! As for now, you might as well just be my prisoner!"