A Draw, Strategic Retreat

In the plaza of the Marine base, two people slowly walked in circles.

"Although everyone calls me 'Phantom' Klein," the elegant, sunny man opposite him flicked his wrist, and a card depicting a longsword fell between his index and middle fingers.

"Actually, I prefer the nickname 'Magician,' but unfortunately..."

There's already a 'magician' on this high seas, and Supernovas at that: Basil Hawkins.

"Once my bounty goes up, I'll go kill that guy and take that title I want."

After speaking, the elegant man flipped his wrist again, and the card between his two fingers transformed into a longsword.

"Displacement - Magic Sword"

"'Phantom' Klein, please!"

"Naval Captain Roman."

Then:

Boom—

Brush--

Two rapidly moving figures suddenly collided, instantly transforming from extreme stillness to extreme motion!

In the plaza, two figures, blurred beyond recognition and rapidly shifting, were entangled in each other. Wisps of light moved slowly in the air, yet seemed incredibly fast!

That was the sword light left from their instantaneous exchange of blows; before it could even erupt, the two figures abruptly separated a few seconds later. Then:

Click click click click click!

A dense array of sword marks suddenly appeared on the ground around the two, and deep, straight cracks cut the solid naval plaza into a crisscrossing 'chessboard'.

"Your swordsmanship is truly remarkable; I am no match for you."

Roman frowned at the pirate captain's 'praise'.

The opponent's swordsmanship was decent, but clearly inferior to mine. That exchange of speed should have left several wounds on the opponent, but:

"Swap-Swap Fruit? There wasn't even a gesture or interval for activation..."

The opponent was actually able to teleport out of thin air during the intense battle! This is much faster than Law's Op -Op-Op Fruit Op Fruit, which requires hand gestures and the aid of stones.

"Hey, do I need to use gestures?"

Facing Brian's feigned surprise, Roman's longsword began to emit a golden light! "Since that's the case, let me see how far your 'displacement' distance is."

Cut!

With a single swing of the longsword, a crescent-shaped flash of light swept across the entire battlefield! It cleaved the distant Marine base wall in two, but:

!?

In Roman's eyes, the pirate ship named 'Klein' suddenly vanished, as if no one had ever been there! Roman's Observation Haki instantly lost its grasp and perception of his location, and all his vigilant offensive and defensive actions froze, creating an unexpected disconnect.

Immediately following was a slight metallic scraping sound, and the opponent's presence appeared behind Roman. A rapier capable of piercing steel was pressed against Roman's lower back, the tip of which barely pierced through the navy coat, but could not go any further!

Brush,

At the same time, Roman, who had taken a sudden backstab from his opponent, turned around and swept his longsword out with a thunderous Sonic Boom.

Tear—

The sword energy carved a tens-of-meters-long arc-shaped crack in the plaza behind them!

However, Roman's counterattack, so swift it was almost a mere flash of light, missed its mark. The pirate captain vanished again, just as suddenly and unexpectedly as he had done with his backstab. It was as if:

"A Blink without cooldown?"

"What about this move then—?"

If Roman were still in his pre-upgraded Armament Haki, he might have suffered a significant loss due to the opponent's shameless use of Flash. However, now that his entire body is covered in Haki and his paper armor can withstand the opponent's rapier, then:

"Paper Dance - Maple Forest!"

A flurry of white paper flew off Roman's body, rapidly surrounding the entire plaza from all directions, then spinning at high speed as they all hurtled towards the pirate captain! — With such a dense attack, let's see how you 'flash' away.

"Tsk, you noticed my flaw so quickly."

Faced with attacks from all directions and from every angle, 'Phantom' Klein remained calm and simply flipped his wrist to take out a card.

"Displacement - Magic Box!"

Bang bang bang!!

A dense mass of rapidly spinning papers flew and slashed at him, but all in vain they produced only ear-piercing cutting and metallic clanging sounds! Where Klein stood, a tall, vertical box with three '?' shapes protected him like a magician's performance, rendering Roman's 'Maple Forest' futile.

As expected.

In that instant, Roman charged forward, sword in hand. He took a deep breath, unleashing his full Haki, coating the sword with a faint black hue. Then, he slashed fiercely at the magic box!

-

Advanced Armament Haki added!

With a single sword strike, the magic box made of high-strength alloy was silently sliced open by Roman's sword, like a hot knife through butter. But a crimson light immediately leaked out from below the cut, the destructive light released by the burning and expanding high explosive.

"Displacement-Explosion Magic Box!"

Boom!!

The entire Marine base trembled violently! A massive Explosion Cloud, the size of a fist, rose into the air, instantly silencing the shouts, screams, and commotion throughout the town. The shockwave, spreading like a whirlwind, demonstrated the terrifying power of the explosion!

"Which direction is it?"

Isca Colonel Iska cleaved several pirates to the ground with a single stroke, then looked up towards the Marine base.

"Sister-in-law, is the eldest brother alright?"

Faced with the blonde Borgin's question, Nami suppressed her inner worry and waved her hand dismissively.

"How could that be? Roman is very capable."

And:

"Big sister, is my mom alright?"

Nami nodded earnestly at the little girl who was looking up with teary eyes.

"It's alright, your sister will definitely heal your mother. I promise!"

As Nami turned to the page about the Mythical Beast Giant Bird, a vibrant blue flame appeared in her palm. She then placed it into the back of the woman who had just been bandaged on the ground, gradually easing the pain on her face.

"Mom has fallen asleep. Don't disturb her. She'll be healthy again when she wakes up."

"Thank you, thank you so much, big sister~~~"

Facing this little girl who was the same age as her younger self, Nami gently knelt down and ruffled her hair.

"You can't always rely on Mom to protect you; you have to protect Mom too in the future."

"Yes, definitely!"

The little girl nodded vigorously in a clear voice.

That's great...

Splash splash~~

The sheets of paper, covered in Haki and blown away by the explosion but unharmed, suddenly closed up and transformed into Roman. He turned to look at the sunny young captain Brian beside him.

"With your abilities and intellect, how come you're not a 'Supernovas'?"

"With your strength and Devil Fruit ability, you're only a colonel?"

·······

"Okay, actually, if I take you down, I'll be the 'Supernovas'."

Seeing Brian shrug, Roman stretched his arms as well.

"Very well, I'll arrest you, and I can be promoted to general now."

Words fail them, and the two figures locked in high-speed combat became entangled once more.

"Replacement - Scare Box!"

"Paper Dance - Heavy Pressure!"

"Displacement - Vanishing Cloak!"

"Paper Dance - Repeating Crossbow!"

······

The two fighters, locked in a fierce and tumultuous battle, were locked in combat. One side wielded swords with unrestrained swordplay, the other moved with lightning speed; one used paper weapons in countless variations, the other employed a multitude of magical props. They appeared evenly matched, but:

Soon, the equilibrium was broken—

"I've seen through your tricks, 'magician'."

After another fruitless exchange, Roman did not rush to attack again, but instead stood calmly in place.

"Oh? I'd like to hear more about it."

"Your ability seems to allow you to 'displace' objects, or even yourself, out of thin air. But there is actually a process of 'exchange' involved, otherwise it wouldn't be a 'Swap-Swap Fruit' but a 'Space-Space Fruit'."

Amidst the traps, bombs, and arrows strewn across the battlefield, Roman slowly crouched down and picked up something from the ground:

A single hair!

"Just like how cards appear every time you 'take out' an item, you're actually using cards and the distant horizon—" Roman said, glancing at the largest pirate ship in the port.

"... The props prepared in the cabin are 'replaced'."

"And the secret to your ability to 'teleport' out of thin air is that you yourself are 'exchanging' with the hair scattered throughout the battlefield!"

Upon hearing Roman's words, the elegant man opposite him paused for a moment, then clapped his hands.

This time, it's from the bottom of my heart.

"You discovered my magic 'secret' so quickly. No wonder you're a naval captain. Looks like I'm still a long way from being a 'Supernovas'."

Well, I'm sorry, but what you're standing in front of you is a genuine 'Supernovas'.

Actually, Brian is quite strong, and he has a wide variety of gadgets, making him a formidable enemy. However:

This isn't a world where everyone is fragile and wins by surprise; it's a planet where the mind and body are strong enough to cleave mountains and break seas! Relying too much on external forces will lead to the embarrassing situation of being unable to defeat true masters.

Just like Brian now, just like Roman back then!

"It seems my cultivation is insufficient, then—"

With a flick of his wrist, Brian, whose longsword transformed into a card, gracefully gave a slight bow.

"Please allow me to take my leave, Colonel Roman."

Brush,

The moment he finished speaking, the other person vanished from their spot and reappeared on the Marine base wall. Roman didn't even try to give chase, because someone with a personality so similar to his own must have already prepared to retreat—?!

Bang!

With a powerful leap, Roman transformed into a cannonball, hurtling out of the Marine base and chasing after Brian was constantly flashing around! Because:

The direction the other party was moving was clearly towards where Nami was treating civilians.

You--

Court death!