Spirit Pressure

"How ruthless!"

His fingers clamped down on the slender Flower Sword.

Aleus clicked his tongue in admiration. "Aiming straight for my kidney—don't you have any swordsman's honor?" He looked at Venkura, whose face had gone pale, and demanded an answer.

"You..."

Venkura felt like he was dreaming.

He stared at his slender Flower Sword, caught between two fingers, and had the sensation of not yet waking up.

His sword wasn't a famed Great Grade Sword, but this nameless Flower Sword was a blade no less sharp than those so-called Great Grade Swords.

The so-called Supreme Grade Swords, Great Grade Swords, and Good Grade Swords were all famous works forged by ancient swordsmiths of Wano Country. It was their long history and years that earned them such renown, but in truth, there were plenty of swords today that could rival those ancient masterpieces.

The sword in Venkura's hand, for instance, was forged by a renowned swordsmith in the New World. Umit had bought it at a high price and bestowed it upon him. Lacking only the fame accumulated over centuries, its sharpness was in no way inferior to those Great Grade Swords.

But today, he began to doubt whether his Flower Sword could truly match a Great Grade Sword.

Even with Armament Haki reinforcing it, his sword had been caught with ease—and by just two fingers.

"Victory is a swordsman's honor; defeat brings only shame... Besides, who ever said a swordsman can't strike at an enemy's kidney?" As he retorted, Venkura suddenly released the sword hilt, fingers of his right hand pressed together like a sharp blade, and thrust fiercely at Aleus's chest.

But, his right hand was caught.

Not with two fingers this time, but with a firm grip around his wrist.

The terrifying force nearly crushed his wrist bones. The searing pain drained his face of even more color, but his willpower held, and he gritted his teeth without crying out. Yet the storm inside him refused to settle.

Too fast.

He was called the Ghost Sword because of his blinding sword speed and eerie techniques. His extraordinary speed was the foundation of those strange skills, but now, his proudest asset had been utterly crushed.

Beaten in speed by a prince the intelligence reports claimed was skilled in politics but mediocre in combat.

Two strikes, two blocks.

The second had even shattered his wrist bones.

"Oh! A tough one, huh?"

Aleus let go.

The hand, no longer supported by its wrist bones, drooped at an unnatural angle.

"I don't dislike men with backbone, but unfortunately, backbone isn't a miracle cure. Broken bones don't heal just because of grit. You're lucky this time. Go back and tell Umit: I remember his offense. Tell him to wash his neck and wait. It won't be long before I take his head."

The moment the words fell, "Swoosh!"

A crimson beam shot from Aleus's palm.

Fast as lightning.

A sound like a ripe watermelon smashing apart rang out. A headless body tumbled limply from the tower top, landing at Venkura's feet. Hot scarlet blood splattered along the way, a few drops landing on Venkura's face. Their scalding heat made it hard for him to breathe.

Dead.

The bounty of one hundred and twenty million Berry, the only Devil Fruit user in this operation—the Magic Ball Sorcerer—had died just like that, without even a chance to show himself. Truly no chance to appear; his head had been blown clean off.

A chill crept up from the depths of his heart.

He seemed to have gotten something wrong.

Killing a pirate with a bounty over a hundred million so effortlessly, combined with the agony in his wrist—

It wasn't just him.

Umit-sama had also misjudged the situation in the Ekmondo Kingdom.

This wasn't an easy bone to chew.

Maybe this time, Umit-sama had truly kicked an iron plate. He might even lose a few teeth.

"The game ends about here."

Aleus openly turned his back to Venkura.

He leaned against the parapet, carefully surveying the crowded masses below. Everyone who was supposed to come had already come ashore. Waiting longer would yield no more gains. It was time to close the net.

"Watch closely! This grand feast."

Aleus laughed.

He spread his arms wide in an embrace. From his back sprouted two enormous black wings, and atop his head grew two pale, twisted horns. His inhuman form clearly marked him as a Devil Fruit user.

But what made Venkura's eyes go wide was this:

The moment those two enormous black wings fully unfurled, an intangible, invisible, yet unmistakably palpable pressure erupted like a tsunami, surging in all directions, covering dozens of miles.

Twenty thousand soldiers and pirates advancing toward the port town of Whale Tail Island fell like wheat at harvest time, collapsing in unison.

In a vision unseen by ordinary eyes, over twenty thousand living souls floated out of their bodies, drifting aimlessly in the air. Before they could head to the underworld, a massive pull from the tower dragged the spirits toward it.

The blue-black halo within the Hogyoku embedded in Aleus's chest churned violently like rippling water.

Over twenty thousand fresh souls—even if most were of Not High quality—still made for a fairly decent feast when piled together.

"Conqueror's Haki?"

Venkura wasn't knocked unconscious by this oppressive force.

He held firm against the spiritual assault with sheer willpower, staring at Aleus with eyes full of shock and dread.

Having roamed the New World for so many years, he knew exactly what Conqueror's Haki meant. There were no shortage of powerful figures with Conqueror's Haki in the New World, but every single one was a notorious heavy hitter—the cream of the crop being the Four Emperors of the Sea.

"Not quite."

Aleus raised his index finger and gave it a slight shake, denying Venkura's guess.

Then, he gave the answer.

"It's Spirit Pressure."

"Spirit Pressure?"

Venkura repeated the cryptic term.

He looked at Aleus in confusion, unable to grasp what it signified from the word alone.

"You don't need to know too much. Knowing too many things you shouldn't will get you killed." Aleus didn't bother explaining. There was no need to elaborate for a defeated opponent. It wasn't about secrecy—he just found it troublesome to explain.

Spirit Pressure was essentially the special ability of the [Bat Fruit Zoan Winged Great Demon Form]. Just like Marco the Phoenix's 'Reviving Blue Flames,' Spirit Pressure was Aleus's Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit's unique power.

Things like Steel Skin, the Hollow Bullet he'd used to kill the Magic Ball Sorcerer, and other unrevealed techniques were all byproducts of Spirit Pressure.

There were plenty more such byproducts.

The Hogyoku, obeying Aleus's will, had nearly perfectly replicated the power of the "Black Winged Great Demon."

Granting Aleus the power to live freely in this world!