Vice Admiral Dolo's blade stopped three inches above Itachi's head.
His eyes went blank for a moment, then were pierced by an even more violent fury!
"I am a Marine vice admiral!!"
Vice Admiral Dolo roared hoarsely, veins bulging on his neck. The blade coated in jet-black Armament Haki shuddered violently and forced its way down another fraction!
The Armament Haki clinging to the blade seemed to grow more solid, carrying the resolve to cut through all illusion.
The blade touched Itachi's black hair.
Then—
Bang!
Uchiha Itachi, struck by the blade, suddenly transformed into countless black crows that scattered in every direction with harsh caws!
Crow feathers drifted through the air, several brushing across Vice Admiral Dolo's stunned face.
"A Zoan Devil Fruit user?"
Vice Admiral Dolo's pupils contracted, but his battle instincts made him immediately sweep his blade sideways, slashing toward the densest cluster of crows!
The crows nimbly scattered, then gathered again some distance away, condensing into Uchiha Itachi's calm figure.
He was still standing where he had been, as though he had never moved. Only the hem of his black robe swayed slightly.
"Playing tricks!"
Vice Admiral Dolo roared, stomped down, and shattered the ground beneath his feet as he shot forward once more!
Soru and Geppo combined, tracing a twisting path through the air. Blade light formed a net that enveloped all of Itachi's vital points!
This time, he unleashed his Observation Haki to its fullest, trying to lock onto Itachi's real body.
Itachi moved.
His movements did not seem fast, yet at the very instant before the blade reached him, he always managed to shift aside, tilt his head, or simply take half a step back by the narrowest margin.
The Three Tomoe in his Sharingan turned slowly, precisely predicting the path of every