In an alley in the town on Sphinx Island, Page One, transformed into a half-dragon, was fighting a man of peerless beauty.
Most of the nearby residents had fled, though a few brave souls had hidden away, secretly watching from corners and windows.
Some of them were female fans of the Pirate Prince. Rationally, they knew "Cavendish" was an enemy, but emotionally, they still wanted to watch.
Above the alley, Sephiroth looked down on the battlefield under Optical Stealth.
Paramecia fruits could be absurdly unreasonable, after all. To avoid being touched by Carmel, Sephiroth planned to give him no opportunity to resist if intervention became necessary.
But one thing struck Sephiroth as interesting. On Apricot Island, women with insufficient willpower had fainted from excitement upon seeing Cavendish in person.
Yet the "Cavendish" Carmel had become, despite looking exactly the same, had none of that almost supernatural effect.
In the alley below, "Cavendish" thrust his sword.
"Beautiful Sword: Bluebird!"
The attack was blindingly fast. The thrusting blade produced a brief sonic boom, and the surrounding air spread outward in concentric rings.
Facing that thrust from "Cavendish," Page One could not dodge in time, even with all his effort.
He could only swing a claw, colliding with the rapier with his Armament Haki-coated dragon claws.
Blood sprayed from his claw. With his inferior Armament Haki, Page One suffered some superficial wounds against the swordsman's thrust.
"...No... What exactly are you planning?"
Page One retreated some distance and looked at "Cavendish" in confusion.
From what he had learned earlier, Rommel's Kamaitachi should have been evenly matched with Marco.
Page One had a clear understanding of his own abilities. Never mind the Phoenix-he could not even beat Diamond Jozu or Flower Sword Vista.
Those three were roughly comparable to the Beasts Pirates' All-Stars. The