Rona felt like she'd been deceived.
White Wolf Moger didn't have Conqueror's Haki. As far as the higher-ups in the Navy were concerned, that was no secret. They'd dealt with him now and then, and had pretty much learned everything there was to know about him.
And now, after five years apart, he suddenly told her that he actually had Conqueror's Haki!?
"Puhahaha! If a little girl like you has Conqueror's Haki, what's so strange about an old man like me having it?"
Moger had transformed into a giant wolf. The gashes Rona had carved into his body were already scabbing over. He had one of the strongest recovery abilities among Zoan Devil Fruits—and his was a Mythical Zoan. With the debuff of old age gone, that terrifying healing ability was on full display.
He could take a beating, and he healed fast.
That was the power of a Zoan Devil Fruit!
Compared with the strange and varied powers of Paramecia Devil Fruits, or Logia Devil Fruits that let their users become forces of nature, Zoan Devil Fruits were the best fit for users who specialized in physical combat.
"Hmph. I suppose you're right."
The red-haired Marine woman didn't dwell on it. By now, she'd already thrown off her white coat of justice. She tied her fiery red hair back into a ponytail.
"If even someone like you, who doesn't care about the World Government, didn't have Conqueror's Haki, then I can't imagine who would be worthy of it."
Rona smiled. Knowing that Moger had Conqueror's Haki seemed to make her happy.
"So don't die on me, old man. Not like you did before."
"Try your hardest to stay alive."
"Then run away!"
At that moment, Rona was standing right in front of him, yet Moger felt as though she had vanished.
The next second—
Whoosh—
A flash of crimson, impossibly fast, shot out like a venomous snake springing toward its prey. Even Moger's reaction speed could only catch a streak of red as it flickered before his eyes.
His Observation Haki had seen it.
But his body couldn't react in time.
Slash—
A deep gash, nearly to the bone, ran from his left shoulder to his waist. If he hadn't shifted his body at the last possible instant—
That slash might have taken his head off.
Rona's presence had changed.
Before, she'd fought with the intention of capturing Moger. Now, she treated him as an equal.
They were on the same level.
Whoever held back would die!
Had Moger reached the level of an Admiral Emperor?
He didn't know.
But he understood that his plan to wear Rona down by dragging out the fight would never work.
Yes, he was faster than Rona.
But she didn't need to keep up with his speed. She only needed her blade to catch up with him.
So what if he disrupted her Observation Haki?
Every attack left a trail. And whatever left a trail could be pursued.
That was Observation Haki.
And it was also the swordsman's eye of the mind!
Rona had made herself perfectly clear.
Either fight her with everything he had, or run away with his tail between his legs!
"You little brat, you've gotten pretty good!"
The giant wolf dropped to all fours, then rose onto two legs and began shifting into a humanoid form. His face still bore traces of the white wolf, but Moger had otherwise fully transformed from his animal form.
He had returned to his human-beast form.
His long blade fell from his mouth into his hand. His eyes were full of murderous intent.
If she wanted to fight, then he'd fight!
If a swordswoman without Devil Fruit powers like Rona dared to face him head-on, how could he, a man who had eaten a Mythical Zoan, back down?
Zzt-zzt!
Black-and-red lightning surged upward as their Conqueror's Haki clashed once more.
At first, Moger's Haki had seemed somewhat weak.
But now, it was every bit as strong as Rona's, despite her being a Marine Admiral.
The strength of Conqueror's Haki depended on the user's own force of spirit.
Not on the hollow prestige of having ruled the seas for decades.
But on—
Strength!
The two long blades collided in the frost-covered forest. Moon-white and crimson sword lights crossed, unleashing earth-shaking booms.
Countless branches were sliced by frost and shattered by sword light.
The terrifying shockwaves had even reached the village on the forest's edge.
So the two of them rushed deeper into the forest in unspoken agreement.
"What, worried you'll hurt your companions?"
"Hahaha! They're still so green. They've got a long way to go before they can grow strong—"
Moger let out a low growl and went all out, combining Haki with his Devil Fruit powers. A slash several kilometers long cleaved the entire area where they stood in two.
A corner of Elbaf's Sunny Realm was cut away. Cold frost covered the exposed cross-section as Moger and Rona fell from the sky together. Yet even amid the collapsing earth and rocks, their battle didn't stop.
The group of giants watching from afar were already stunned.
Giants were naturally endowed with immense fighting power, and even the combat techniques that only elite giants could master were capable of reshaping the terrain.
But this was the first time they'd seen anyone batter a corner of the Sunny Realm right off.
After all, these were the branches of the Adam Tree, the strongest wood in the world!
This was also the first time Rocks had seen the top fighters of the seas in battle. In a scene like a natural disaster, someone at his level wouldn't even make a ripple if he got involved.
Throughout all of Elbaf, only one person was qualified to interfere in this fight.
"Your Majesty!"
"King Harald!"
"Forgive me, Your Majesty. Prince Hajrudin—"
Harald raised a hand, stopping the giant subordinate from continuing.
He was worried about Hajrudin being taken away.
But what weighed even more heavily on him was the arrival of a Marine Admiral.
The World Government.
Were they finally going to move against them?
"Your Majesty?"
When the old giant Aruru looked over at him, Harald shook his head gravely.
He knew what Aruru wanted to say.
If he stepped in, the two of them could drive the Marine Admiral away.
But he didn't dare take that risk.
He didn't know whether the Marine Admiral had come only for Moger, or whether she was acting on the World Government's orders—and they'd had Elbaf in their sights all along.
Elbaf was powerful.
But only Harald knew that if the World Government got serious, Elbaf would be nothing more than a slightly larger ant.
If he stayed out of it, all would be well.
But if he joined the fight, he'd be making an enemy of the Navy—and the World Government!
"Harald!"
Moger's voice carried from far away in the midst of the battle.
"Don't interfere. She's my prey, the opponent I have to face!"
In less than an hour, Moger was already covered in blood. He was clearly losing to Rona, yet his eyes, clouded by age, were growing brighter and brighter.
Moger and Rona fell from the sky together, dropping from Elbaf's Sunny Realm into the Netherworld. But Moger didn't pause for even an instant.
"I'm a Great Pirate! Moger, the Great Pirate!"
He was wounded countless times, fell countless times, and got back up just as many.
Until, at last—
Moger's blade was a fraction faster than Rona's.
"Don't lump me in with those brats who've only just set sail!"
Their blades rang out.
Blood spilled from Rona's body.
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