Huff... hiss...
The cold autumn wind of the night lashed against his face. After many years of fighting on the Grand Line, Momonga no longer knew how many years it had been since he had experienced the normal changing of the seasons.
Crack...!
The hand gripping the Plum Blossom Katana trembled slightly as it tightened around the hilt. Momonga murmured softly.
"Do you understand now?"
"This is the darkness... and pain we must bear."
"Black Count Lowett!!!"
The instant his roar fell, a vacuum slash shot forth, tearing along the deck and ripping apart the ground as wood chips flew.
Hiss!!
A corner of his clothes was torn away. Even though the butler had desperately dodged while holding his master, at a distance of less than ten meters, it was ultimately too close for a swordsman.
The torn fabric left a bloody gash at Lowett's waist.
As for him, one of his legs was severed outright, breaking off twenty centimeters below the knee.
"For the fallen soldiers, give me your life!"
When the first strike missed, Momonga immediately swung his second sword.
At close range, the terrifying speed of a Headquarters vice admiral was fully revealed!
Even Kuro, using Silent Step, had been unable to escape his Mental Power detection long ago. Yet now, facing Momonga, Lowett experienced losing track of his target for the first time.
He knew what Momonga had done and where his attack was headed, but he could not "see" where Momonga had moved to or how he would attack.
This was a clear sign that his soul's processing speed could not keep up. Otherwise, the sword strike to his chest would not have hit him either.
"Left!"
A sense of danger surged into his heart, stabbing between his brows.
Losing track of his target was