Werther closed his eyes. One hand gripped the Sword Sheath, the other the Sword Hilt, as he held Intent Blood horizontally before him.
Everything around him seemed to vanish. The air fell utterly still. Kaido's terrifying pressure and the shouts of the spectators along the shore disappeared alike.
Werther felt himself enter a strange state. Apart from a few drifting specks of dust, everything around him had turned pure white.
Only the sword in his hands remained in his heart.
As Werther gathered his strength, black-and-blue Armament Haki slowly spread across the surface of Intent Blood.
This Armament Haki was born from the fusion of Lightning and Armament Haki. It served only one purpose: to make Intent Blood as sharp as it could possibly be.
Werther slowly opened his eyes and looked at Kaido. His voice was utterly calm.
"Kaido, this is my final strike. Whether we live or die is up to fate. Let's settle this."
Kaido's expression turned solemn, and his presence swelled further.
They charged each other without a word, though neither moved particularly fast this time.
Werther did not know why Kaido held back his Speed. He himself had poured all his Armament Haki and Lightning into this one attack, leaving his body thoroughly exhausted.
Everyone on the shore stared wide-eyed at the two on the Island, afraid to miss a single moment.
Red-Haired narrowed his eyes. Something felt wrong.
"Pull the ship back. Quickly! Get away from shore before they clash!"
Though the Red Hair Pirates were usually all smiles and laughter, they grew serious at this critical moment. Each took up their task, and their ship began retreating as fast as it could.
They were moving backward. There was no time to raise the sails, so they could only pull away by sheer manpower.