When Werther killed Dragon, he sent Intent Blood a command: do not absorb Dragon's fruit.
Thud.
Dragon's head hit the ground. Devil Fruit Users lost their powers soon after death, so his corpse began to return to its original form, gradually shrinking.
Werther had killed Dragon not just through strength, but through sheer, unstoppable resolve.
After using several exhausting techniques in succession, Werther was breathing a little hard.
SWORD GRAVE was powerful, but moving within it placed a considerable strain on his body.
No one reacted with shock to the death of someone as famous as Dragon. They could not see a thing; they were clutching their eyes in agony.
As Werther caught his breath, a gust of wind rushed toward him. Red-Haired was attacking.
Red-Haired would give him no time to recover. The cutlass in his hand was already slashing toward Werther.
Werther forced himself to focus, took a deep breath, and met the attack.
Their blades clashed. The toll Werther's earlier attacks had taken on his stamina now showed.
Pain shot through his arms, and he nearly failed to parry Red-Haired's strike.
But in his Crimson Regalia state, his stamina recovered quickly. In about two minutes, he would be ready to fight at full strength again.
Would Red-Haired give him two minutes? Of course not. He would not even give him two seconds.
Their powerful strikes tore up the ground around them as Werther and Red-Haired fought at close quarters.
They were old opponents, so neither bothered testing the other. Every strike went for a vital point.
"Instant Might."
Red-Haired's eyes widened slightly as he faced Werther, and a surge of Conqueror's Haki swept toward him.
Werther sensed it, and his expression changed. Instinctively, he tried to retreat.
But Red-Haired's blade struck again and again, keeping Werther pinned