Absolute Stillness.
Pica still clung to the hope that he would not be discovered so easily. Indeed, with his real body hidden inside the Stone underground, even Observation Haki would have difficulty detecting him. The fact that he had escaped the battlefield where Loa's double fought Moria was proof enough of his ability to hide.
So he assumed the man aboveground had noticed something odd while he was in Motion. Now that he had stopped his Motion, the man could no longer locate him and was trying to lure him out with words.
That was what Pica believed. The truth, however...
The Swordsman sensed that the source of his anger had stopped its Motion and had no intention of coming out. A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
"Hmph! Obstinate to the end. Do I really have to drag you out myself?"
Clang!
Gripping the gray-white hilt, the Swordsman held his sharp longsword at an angle by his waist and took a Draw-Cut stance.
Hum!
The sword had not moved an inch, yet a clear hum suddenly rang through the air. An invisible pressure spread outward, thick with killing intent, as though some savage beast were about to awaken.
Watching the ground ahead, the Swordsman slowly breathed out.
"One Sword Style: Moon Slash!"
He swung. The light all around him dimmed, and the desert, scorching beneath the midday sun only moments before, suddenly turned cold. A full moon appeared above the sand, bathing it in a beautiful, shimmering glow.
Shhk!
As the moon appeared, the desert split open without warning. It happened soundlessly, as though invisible scissors had cut through a vast sheet of yellow-brown paper. A deep trench stretched across the sand beyond sight. The sand on either side held Stillness for a moment before gravity pulled it down