The End

At this moment.

The raindrops seemed to possess a will of their own, deliberately avoiding the two of them.

Blade shadows intertwined, and sword energy flew through the air.

They were like emperors among swordsmen.

One was a refined swordsman in white, gentle as jade; the other was a powerful swordsman in his prime, thirsting for blood.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Their blades never actually touched, yet the sound of metal striking metal rang out as eerie sparks burst forth.

This was undoubtedly a clash of Haki.

The battle between Rayleigh and Shiryu was precise and impossible to crack at every turn.

Neither of them showed any obvious weakness, making it impossible to find an opening and defeat the other in a single strike.

That was how duels between swordsmen went. Either one side crushed the other with absolute strength, or they advanced bit by bit, seeking a flaw.

But that was only under the premise that neither intended to kill the other and were fighting merely to test their skills.

Clearly, Shiryu did not have much time left.

"Hey! Shiryu, we can leave this place now," Blackbeard urged.

He had chosen the exact moment when the two had separated.

Shiryu glanced back at Blackbeard without saying much.

The moment Raiu was slowly returned to its sheath, Van Augur instantly teleported him to Blackbeard's side.

"There's no need to fight to the death," Van Augur advised.

He knew swordsmen were a peculiar bunch. Sometimes, they would even take pride in being killed by their enemy.

Shiryu took a cigar from Lafitte, drew on it a few times, and said, "I know. It was merely a simple probe."

Van Augur's mouth twitched. You called that a "probe"?

Anyone who did not know better would have thought the two had signed a death