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What made his heart sink even further was that his sensory field, originally spread out like a spiderweb, had now grown sluggish and indistinct. His lock on that figure kept breaking; as for predicting its movements, that was all but impossible.
Faced with this speed, which stood among the very fastest on the seas, Ochoku, black wings sprouting from his back, did not panic.
He swayed backward, and a dense shower of sparks burst from the white shell over his chest.
Immediately afterward, dazzling points of light spread toward his throat and eyes, yet were still kept at bay by that layer of pitch-black hardening force and some unknown power.
His wings beat, and Ochoku accelerated steadily, until the two became intertwined streams of black and white light-
Whoosh!!!
A piercing shriek tore through the battlefield.
Moving faster and faster, Ochoku also vanished from everyone's sight. Only the constantly splitting earth and silently collapsing buildings traced his violent path.
Unlike Rossi's nearly soundless dash, wherever he passed, it was as though an invisible giant blade had plowed through, shattering every obstacle like rotten wood.
He could actually... move this fast?
As the two streaks of light tangled at high speed, even Rossi felt a flicker of surprise.
He had never underestimated those names that had left legends upon the seas, but through years of fighting, speed had always been one of his greatest strengths. Apart from that Red Earl famed for his elegance, he had rarely met his match.
Even that mighty dragon renowned for his physical strength fell slightly short of him in pure speed.
He had not expected Ochoku to be another master in this field.
Was this a marvel granted by that Devil Fruit, or...
"Everlasting Thistle: Blood Waltz!"
The two figures repeatedly doubled back and