Progress

"Birdcage!"

Hina, who followed closely behind, was not as careless as Smoker. In this battle, she had a clear understanding of herself as a support player.

Iron bars, resembling a fence, extended from her arms, completely surrounding Esdeath in front of her.

Then it rapidly contracts, attempting to capture Esdeath in this way.

If they can surround her, dealing with Esdeath will be much easier for so many of them.

Esdeath remained unfazed; how could a steel fence possibly withstand a Swordmaster capable of cutting through steel?

A flash of sword light, and the entire fence was smoothly sliced open, creating a path.

His figure flashed by in an instant, breaking through the encircling fence and appearing beside Hina.

With a flick of her hair, Esdeath kicked out, aiming straight for Hina's head.

Hina reacted quickly, crossing her arms in front of her and covering herself with Armament Haki.

Suddenly, he felt a powerful force, his body shifted slightly backward, and his feet sank into the ground.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Hina's hands transformed into iron bars, forming an iron lock that firmly gripped Esdeath's foot, while simultaneously extending to further restrain Esdeath's entire body.

Seeing this, Esdeath couldn't help but sneer, then performed a somersault in mid-air, using Hina's body as a springboard, and at the same time pierced Hina's right shoulder with her sword.

Back on the ground, their positions changed; Hina was moved to the ground and Esdeath stepped on her hands.

The powerful force of the fall made Hina's chest tighten, the ground beneath her caved in and shattered, and she couldn't help but cough up a mouthful of blood.

With a swift swing of her longsword, Esdeath cleaved the fence that had been holding her leg in two, freeing herself from its grasp.

Just as Esdeath was about to deliver a finishing blow, several Marines rushed forward, each displaying their Six Powers skills— Shigan, Shave, Tempest Kick, and so on—and surrounded her.

Esdeath couldn't ignore the sharp attacks; her main offensive methods were swordsmanship and physical combat. If she were to physically withstand several blows, she would definitely be injured.

Having mastered Observation Haki Esdeath, Esdeath nimbly dodged attacks, but as she faced more enemies, her focus inevitably became diverted.

However, thanks to her formidable strength, Esdeath was by no means at a disadvantage. Although she could not be said to be an expert in Two types of Haki, she was very skilled in using Two types of Haki.

Facing a larger number of enemies, Esdeath felt pressured, but also felt even more excited.

A twisted smile appeared on her face, and she transformed into a fighting madwoman. Despite being surrounded by several people, Esdeath actually gained the upper hand.

Esdeath's remarkable adaptability led to the downfall of one Marine after another; both swordsmanship and physical combat were Esdeath weapons.

Like dancing on a knife's edge, Esdeath hadn't even suffered any serious injuries, yet seven Marines had already fallen.

"Black Spear Formation!"

Huge iron spears rained down from the sky, Esdeath nimbly dodged.

Although she missed, her objective was achieved, and the navy surrounding Esdeath seized the opportunity to attack.

Hina was seriously injured, but she could still move. She covered her right shoulder, which was soaked in blood, and went to Smoker's side.

He was stabbed twice in the abdomen, but thanks to his strong physique, he is not in immediate danger. However, if he loses too much blood, the problem will become much more serious.

He doesn't have such a powerful self-healing ability, nor can he use Life Return to control his body, which is similar to using muscles to clamp a wound to prevent blood from flowing out continuously.

"Don't move around now, or your life will be in danger very soon," Hina warned after giving you a quick treatment.

"Hmph! How can I stand by and watch at a time like this?" Smoker painfully stood up, his mind automatically ignoring Hina's warning, his gaze fixed on Esdeath, who was still fighting. Several of his comrades had already sacrificed themselves.

With lightning speed, Esdeath weaved through the numerous marines, wielding her fencing sword. Despite the lurking danger, a smile remained on her face, showing no sign of panic.

This mindset is enough to lay the foundation for Esdeath's future; she is destined to become a strong person, especially with the support of the Night Pirates.

Many people were watching, including many inside the Combat Pyramid. Saga and others also gathered together, sitting in the bar watching the live broadcast of the battle.

Esdeath doesn't have a significant advantage in strength; they value technique, combat skills, and combat awareness more, focusing on making the best choices in a crisis.

They seized upon each weakness to defeat the navy.

Combat is an art, Esdeath is now truly making her debut, using the corpses of these Marines to establish her own formidable reputation.

Her keen intuition and impressive Observation Haki, along with the sheer number of people, seemed to pose no threat to Esdeath.

However, the navy's power should not be underestimated, and they possess a fierce spirit; some are willing to pay the price of serious injury or even their lives in exchange for the opportunity for other navy forces to attack Esdeath.

Surrounded and trapped, Esdeath finally encountered an unavoidable attack. A punch was aimed at her head, and Esdeath raised her sword to block it.

Behind them, two sailors quickly closed in, seizing the opportunity.

Esdeath sensed it, quickly turned around, and her longsword easily sliced through the air, simultaneously catching the attacks of the two marines.

The two unleashed their power, Esdeath's arm trembled, and she was sent flying, half-crouching on the ground, stopping her backward movement.

The battle resumed, because she had someone behind her.

This is Esdeath's disadvantage: her stamina is being depleted rapidly, and the more cautious Marines are working together to restrain her, making it not as easy for Esdeath to defeat the enemy as it was at the beginning.

With her Haki, even if she cannot completely withstand Esdeath's attack and suffers injuries, she will not be instantly killed.

Esdeath is surrounded by enemies on all sides. Observation Haki is not invincible. Most of the members who graduate from the elite training camp have received Zephyr's teachings and do not have any obvious weaknesses.

Although their individual strength might be slightly inferior, their combined power was so great that even Esdeath couldn't handle them easily.

Having recognized Esdeath's formidable nature and gradually become familiar with Esdeath fighting rhythm, the combined forces within the Navy were able to unleash even greater power.

"The battle is not over."

Being attacked was nothing; it wasn't even a minor injury. Esdeath's combat power hadn't decreased at all, and her stamina consumption was completely within her tolerance range. Preserving combat power in a prolonged battle was also a very basic requirement.

It's wishful thinking to think that just because there are many of them, Esdeath can be exhausted.

To many, Esdeath is also a monster; although she has no special physical attributes, she possesses immense potential.

Having lived in Iceland, Ice Island of perpetual ice and snow, since childhood and having started hunting, he developed an impressive physique at a young age.

A cold glint flashed in Esdeath's eyes, and the sword in her hand trembled slightly as she unleashed powerful slashes, forcing back several of the attacking marines.

Creating an opportunity, Esdeath charged straight in one direction.

Esdeath is getting stronger, her attacks are becoming more ferocious, and pressure is igniting her fighting spirit.

Previously, it was always one-on-one combat, so this kind of group battle brought her considerable pressure, but it was also very new to her.

A chill permeated the air, carrying a strong sense of impending doom.

Although he was Esdeath's teacher, Shiryu did not teach Esdeath any swordsmanship. Instead, he acted more as a sparring partner, putting pressure on Esdeath and helping her improve through combat and gain experience on her own.

Esdeath's swordsmanship is the most common on the high seas. There is no fixed style; it is entirely based on attack power and lethality, and she constantly strives to improve it.

Whether it's Dracule Mihawk or Kozuki Oden, they both use this kind of swordsmanship.

This is also the mainstream practice on the high seas.

Techniques like lightning and flame require special skills, and some cannot even be performed without instruction.

In the Night Pirates, Esdeath was quite well-read, possessing all sorts of sword manuals and having fought against various swordsmen.

Esdeath also has some ideas about her future path.

A chilling aura emanated from Esdeath.

Having lived in Ice Island since childhood and possessing mastery of the Frost Style swordsmanship, when she embarks on the path of Great Swordmaster, her swordsmanship will definitely lean towards the Frost Style.

However, the Ice Flow style is very difficult to master; how can one create ice out of thin air? Unlike the Fire Flow style, which has various techniques to create flames.

Ultimately, however, regardless of the style, the most important thing is the Sword Intent, and the flames generated are all ethereal, serving only as an auxiliary element in offense.

Only the Sword Intent is the most important thing for a swordsman.

The source of this chill was Esdeath's Sword Intent; simply standing there felt as if one were in a glacier, one's soul frozen.

If you close your eyes, you can almost feel yourself in a snowy wonderland, all of which is caused by Esdeath's Sword Intent.

Esdeath's performance caught the attention of some swordsmen.

Now, under pressure, Esdeath is preparing to unleash her true strength, or rather, to unleash her hidden swordsmanship and make a breakthrough in the battle.

It can be said that Esdeath has embarked on the path to Great Swordmaster, although she is still quite far from it, after all, she is under the tutelage of a Great Swordmaster.

Whether it's the swordsmanship she's shown before or the hidden Frost Style swordsmanship, Esdeath has embarked on her own path.

But this was not the true formation of her swordsmanship; rather, it was a fusion of the two.

Esdeath originally planned to take this step after obtaining the Temperature Fruit, since could a swordsman who doesn't possess the power of cold air truly be called an Ice Style swordsman?

This is actually a misconception on the high seas. Just like the Flame Stream, what's scorching isn't the flames themselves, but the burning Sword Intent; the flames are merely incidental.

However, many people think so, and Esdeath is no exception.

It's not difficult to get to this point now; Esdeath had simply wanted to hone her swordsmanship further.

Esdeath's attacks were even more terrifying, possessing the sharpness of a cold wind and the dread of frost.

Ice Island is known for its blizzards that sweep across most of the island every three days. Hersi, one of the Thirteen Demon Generals and a Logia Snow-Snow Devil Fruit User, would travel to Ice Island to experience the power of nature and develop her fruit's abilities.

Ice, cold wind, and chill had long since seeped into Esdeath's very bones and were etched into Esdeath genes.

What's going on?

An ominous premonition arose in her heart as she watched Esdeath, her enemy, change.

They instinctively sensed that this woman was even more dangerous, and the image of Admiral Kuzan displaying his abilities involuntarily flashed through their minds.

As a swordsman, Shiryu could clearly sense Esdeath's changes. Looking at Esdeath's transformation, a satisfied smile appeared on his face. The blood mist could not obstruct Shiryu's vision.

However, Shiryu was not too distracted during the battle. He unleashed another Raiu, slashing out a blood-red attack, with his figure following closely behind.

Gion was slightly out of breath, gritting her teeth, keenly observing her surroundings. The pressure of fighting Shiryu was simply too great.

She now had many more wounds, all knife wounds, inflicted by the Demon Sword Thunderstorm.

With a single slash, the Raiu and rain, driven by a thirst for blood, instantly drained a significant amount of the blood around the wound.

As a demonic sword, these wounds cannot be healed by its own healing ability; in other words, they will leave scars. This is a problem to be considered later, and there are quite a few ways to remove scars.

Her senses were suppressed, making it impossible for her to perceive the outside world, let alone the commotion on Esdeath's side.

If she can't break free, she really will die here.

And now, she still hasn't found a way to break through the blood mist. With Shiryu watching over her, she can't move freely, and the position of the blood mist is also moving under Shiryu's control.

She could only roughly judge her location by the ice beneath her feet; the presence of the blood mist fundamentally extinguished any hope she had of turning the tide.

Moreover, the probability of her defeating Shiryu was already very small, without external help.

The scars on her body were particularly glaring. In her heart Gion hated Shiryu to the core. In the midst of the crisis, she couldn't think of anything else.

Kuzan was completely immobilized; the moment he even considered leaving the battlefield, Enel would catch up.

In terms of physical strength, Enel is no match for Kuzan, even though he has made significant progress over the years through tempering his body with lightning and enduring the harshness of gravity.

To conserve his energy, Enel refrained from using wide-ranging attacks. Wielding his Dragon Staff, he constantly appeared around Kuzan, engaging in fierce close combat.

In a single second, the two exchanged more than a dozen blows.

Continuous shaving involves stomping on the ground dozens of times in quick succession to generate explosive reaction force for high-speed movement.

Such a powerful individual can unleash even greater speed; it's not just a contest of strength, but also a clash of techniques.

The two were so close together that their movements were so intense that even their shadows were barely visible, indicating that the fight had already reached a fever pitch.

If Enel was still somewhat naive when he became one of the Seven Demon Kings more than two years ago, he relied more on his speed and the advantage of being able to fly.

Now, Enel has accumulated more strength and is even more terrifying. He truly lives up to the title of Demon King and has no weaknesses in any aspect.

Despite his advantage in ability, the fact that he could hold his own against Admiral Aokiji in a head-on confrontation is enough to demonstrate his strength.

The Night Pirates openly have seven members like Enel, who are considered Seven Demon Kings.

Even a little speculation is enough to glimpse the terrifying power of the Night Pirates, and this is just the tip of the Iceberg.