"Hell? I see it all the time!"
Zoro grinned, his tone nonchalant. Although he didn't know what kind of person Shura was, he could hear the ruthlessness in Shura's words and feel the intense killing intent emanating from him. Yet, he felt no fear whatsoever; instead, his grip on his sword became even firmer.
Over the years, countless people have made threats against him, but how many have actually followed through? Verbal sparring is meaningless; only real action proves the truth!
" Two-Sword Style: Seventy-Two Troublesome Winds!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Zoro chose to take the initiative and launched an attack. His twin swords drew two sharp arcs in his hands, and with a loud shout, a slash carrying the domineering Conqueror's Haki tore through the air!
The slash was bluish-black, wreathed in crimson Inazuma, its sharp aura tearing through the air, instantly cleaving through the Iceburg blocking its path as it struck the Shura.
Almost at the same instant Zoro launched his attack, Shura also moved.
With a slight lift of his withered fingers, a large expanse of pale purple mist instantly rose around him, swirling and churning like a monstrous beast ready to devour its prey, enveloping his entire being.
This mist is one of his prized Phantom Poison, a terrifying weapon capable of corroding everything with mere imagination!
"Sizzle sizzle sizzle..."
A piercing sound suddenly exploded, like a scalding hot iron being plunged into cold water, or like thousands of army ants frantically gnawing at the flesh of their prey.
Zoro's unstoppable slash emitted a shrill scream the moment it struck the purple mist.
The domineering Conqueror's Haki was stripped away layer by layer by the poison gas, and the sharp sword energy melted and dissipated at a speed visible to the naked eye. The overwhelming power of the slash vanished in an instant.
When the slash barely pierced through the mist and reached Shura, it was already tattered and broken, like a candle flickering in the wind, with not a trace of decent force left.
Seeing this, Shura merely gave a disdainful snort and casually clapped his withered hand.
"Bang--"
With a muffled thud, the once unstoppable slash vanished completely into thin air, like a bubble.
"What is this thing? It can even devour Sword Qi and Conqueror's Haki?"
Zoro frowned, a gasp escaping his throat, a look of surprise flashing across his angular face.
This was the first time he had ever encountered such a situation—his previous strikes were either narrowly dodged by the enemy, blocked by thick defenses, or simply shattered by sheer brute force. But he had never seen anything like this before!
But the pale purple poisonous mist before him devoured his Conqueror's Haki Sword Qi like Sanjuan Wolf pouncing on its prey, leaving less than a tenth of its original power.
He had suspected that the other party was using poison, but he had never even heard of a poison that could devour Haki and Sword Qi, let alone seen it!
Even Magellan, the so-called "Poison Man" of Impel Down, whose venom can corrode steel and rock, does not possess such terrifying power!
"It's probably the corrosive nature of the toxin, just like how it corrodes stone and metal, only its toxicity is very unique, so we need to be careful!"
Aokiji knew Magellan; the two had even interacted before. He knew how potent Magellan's venom was—capable of melting solid rock into a puddle of mud and etching countless holes into fine iron. This led him to connect the Shura's abilities!
Both of their abilities are related to poison, but they are different Devil Fruit abilities. So it's not surprising that their poison effects are similar yet different!
If this poisonous mist can even devour Conqueror's Haki and slashing techniques, then how terrifying must its corrosiveness to flesh and blood be? Perhaps even a tiny speck would instantly melt one into a pool of blood?
There's also Armament Haki Hardening —if one were to wrap their entire body in Haki, could they withstand the corrosive effects of this poisonous fog? These unknown dangers must be explored one by one in the upcoming battles; the slightest mistake could lead to utter destruction!
"You do have some knowledge. My poisonous fog can cover the entire valley, turning all the creatures inside into blood. Even if your Haki is stronger than mine, you will eventually perish in the poisonous fog!"
The Shura chuckled eerily, its voice like sandpaper rubbing against rotten wood, so grating it sent chills down one's spine.
Although Shura spent a lot of time searching for a way to grow taller, he lived long enough to traverse the mountains and rivers of this planet and have seen at least eight hundred to a thousand poisonous creatures. All of these experiences became the nourishment for him to develop his fruit abilities!
To test the power of the poisonous fog, he once wiped out a country in a single day—this was not just empty boasting, but a bloody fact.
This is the lethality of toxins—wide-ranging and fast-acting, especially effective against the weak. So he wasn't joking; he was stating a fact!
Of all the Celestial Dragons, he was the only true executioner with blood on his hands. Millions of wronged souls surrounded him, and just by standing there, the chilling aura emanating from him was enough to send shivers down one's spine. Even the tone of his voice carried an icy chill.
He was a hundred times more cruel and cold-blooded than that deer-headed man who only knew how to hide in the shadows and shoot arrows.
For him, destroying a country was like pouring molten iron into an anthill; he didn't hesitate for a second, nor did he feel any guilt whatsoever!
"Is that so? Then let's see if my ability can freeze your poison, or if your poison can corrode my ice!"
Aokiji could also destroy a country with a single move. He could freeze an entire country in a few breaths, leaving the dead standing intact in the ice, their eyes wide with fear and despair.
Aokiji could easily destroy a nation with a single move. He only needed to raise his hand to condense frost, and in a few breaths, he could freeze the vast country into a frozen inferno, with countless people frozen in terror and despair until their deaths, forever trapped within the thick layer of ice.
But he disdained to do such a heinous thing. Shura's poison could corrode metal and stone, and his ice could also freeze and crack steel and solid rock. He had absolute confidence in the Ice-Ice Fruit ability that he had spent decades developing.
However, when he glanced at Zoro beside him out of the corner of his eye, a trace of worry still flashed across his eyes—this guy's fighting style is entirely supported by Haki!
As soon as Aokiji finished speaking, the pale purple poisonous mist that had been swirling around Shura for several feet suddenly surged up like boiling water, turning into countless waves of poison that swept towards the two of them in an overwhelming manner!
Zoro and Aokiji reacted extremely quickly, their toes slamming into the ground, and their figures shot back dozens of meters like arrows. But the poisonous mist seemed to have eyes, following closely behind without any sign of stopping.
The two of them simultaneously looked up, scanning the movements of other battlefields in the distance!
Luffy is locked in a fierce battle with a feathered monster and several Primordial Demons, Sanji's fiery kicks are crackling the air, and Nami's Clima-Tact is gathering thunderclouds...
After exchanging a glance, both of them understood each other perfectly, and neither chose to back down.
Zoro let out a low shout, and jet-black Armament Haki surged out like a tide, spreading from his limbs to his entire body, enveloping him like an obsidian war god, every inch of his skin gleaming with a cold, hard metallic luster.
He knew this move by heart; several of the enemies he had defeated in the past knew it!
On the other side, Aokiji's body was filled with a surge of cold energy. In the blink of an eye, a layer of crystal-clear ice armor covered his entire body. The ice armor shimmered with a faint blue light, and even the tips of his hair were covered with tiny ice crystals.