"Revolutionary Waltz: Charge!"
Ryuma took a step to the side, and suddenly thrust out the Shusui sword in his hand.
A barrage of spikes, like cannonballs, rained down upon Bai Yu.
With each strike, the speed increased dramatically, until finally, the speed of the thrusts became completely imperceptible to the naked eye.
It left many people speechless.
Most importantly, in the clashes and dodges between the two, those missed thrusts, like cannonballs, easily pierced through rocks, trees, and everything else.
It was as if everything was made of paper.
If anyone else had gone up there and taken a single blow, their limbs would probably have been pierced through with a huge hole.
However, this seemingly evenly matched battle gradually turned ugly in the eyes of Gecko Moria and the others.
They knew perfectly well that Ryuma's strength during his lifetime was absolutely enough to qualify him as Great Swordmaster.
But now he is just a corpse, and his fighting skills come from the shadow within his body.
They simply cannot sustain a duel of this magnitude; defeat is only a matter of time.
Bang!
The blades clashed instantly, Ryuma quickly retreated, landing seven or eight meters away. Shusui in his hand was pointed diagonally at the ground as he laughed loudly.
"Haha, that was exhilarating! It was a wise decision to come along this time. That kind of dreary, lifeless existence and those tedious, exhausting battles were enough to make anyone drowsy. To finally encounter the World's Greatest Swordsman makes this life after death all worthwhile."
"Young man, put away your pity and fight me seriously!"
"This is my final blow!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ryuma raised his hand and gripped Shusui tightly, his aura instantly soaring to its peak.
Seeing this, Bai Yu unusually put away his bloodthirsty smile, and with crackling lightning flowing in his hands, the two suddenly moved.
"Nose Song Three-Strike - Arrow Tail Slash!"
" Thunder Breathing: Thunderclap and Flash!"
Boom!
The two afterimages collided instantly, and as the massive shockwave rippled outwards from the center, invisible blade-like energy shredded everything within a radius of tens of meters.
Once the dust settled, everyone came to their senses and looked back at the battlefield.
Bai Yu had already Zanpakuto with a backhand motion, and a new tear appeared on his navy robe. At the same time, he tossed a bottle of strong liquor over.
Ryuma, standing in the opposite direction, casually accepted the strong liquor, stumbled slightly, and then burst into hearty laughter.
"Good, very good. I never expected you to be this powerful. Calling you a monster wouldn't be an exaggeration. If I could have encountered a strong person like you in my lifetime, I could die in peace even after a battle."
"I thought this knife would remain buried in the hands of a dead body forever, but since I've met you today, I'm entrusting it to you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ryuma sheathed Shusui and tossed it to Bai Yu.
A wisp of flame suddenly burst forth from Ryuma's body, instantly engulfing him.
Gecko Moria's expression changed drastically, but he did not intervene in the face of what was happening.
He knew perfectly well that the Ryuma's corpse before him was a complete embodiment of despair.
Having extinguished all worldly thoughts and desires, even if the flames were put out, they could never be revived.
At the same time, a soft voice rang in Gecko Moria's ear.
"Thank you for allowing me to fight such a powerful figure across the vast expanse of time. However, I must remind you of one thing: he is very strong, unfathomably so. Unless you are prepared to die, you must never fight him, or you will die!"
Bang!
The burning corpse eventually turned to ashes and drifted away with the sea breeze.
A black shadow flew out of Ryuma's body and disappeared into the sea.
Bai Yu did not intervene in the face of all this.
Once a zombie is destroyed and loses its container's shadow, it will fly back to its original owner, no matter how far away it is.
The shadow that's currently in the air belongs to Humming Brook. Unless he's as confused as Brook and can't even find his way, he should be able to escape the Thriller Bark waters.
" Gecko Lord Moria, what about us?" Absalom's expression changed slightly, and he was the first to lose his composure.
As one of Gecko Moria's three top executives, he was well aware of Zombie Ryuma's strength, Absalom believed that he would be no match for him in a one-on-one fight.
However, such a powerful zombie was defeated so easily by Bai Yu.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that the gap between the two sides could be so vast.
"Let's go. I believe Admiral Bai Yu would never go back on his word."
After glancing back at Bai Yu, Gecko Moria felt a pang of pain at the loss of Zombie Ryuma.
However, faced with Bai Yu's unfathomable strength, and Ryuma's final words, he was still impressed.
In an instant, Gecko Moria made a decision.
" Admiral Bai Yu, what do we do?"
Bastille couldn't help but speak up as well.
Bai Yu tucked Shusui into his waistband, took out the bottle again, took a swig of strong liquor, and said.
"Of course we must keep our promise; this is a duel of honor between swordsmen."
"There are still several hours until the World Affiliated Nation Conference; it is not advisable for us to create any unnecessary complications."
It's not advisable to create unnecessary complications.
Bastille smiled helplessly.
He knew perfectly well that without Ryuma's request...
Bai Yu doesn't care about the occasion; he'll definitely cut you down first.
However, it is precisely because of this principle of conduct that Bai Yu was able to rise from an initial parachuted-in general to Admiral in just over half a year, a feat that drew the ire of everyone.
They have now conquered the entire Marine Headquarters.
That's the charm of a personality!
"What's wrong? Don't look at me like that, it's really disgusting."
Bai Yu rolled his eyes helplessly.
" Fleet Admiral Sengoku just called me, asking me to meet with him before I arrive in Holy Land Mary Geoise."
"You'll need to take care of the people I brought. If anything happens, remember, I'll handle it."
Bastille's expression changed drastically, and a hint of solemnity appeared on his face. He knew clearly that Bai Yu's sudden words meant that the Five Elders were likely to take action.
Thinking of the power struggle between Bai Yu and the Five Elders, Bastille nodded heavily.
" Admiral Bai Yu, please rest assured, I, Bastille, will protect your lives even at the cost of my own. Unless I die, no one will be able to harm a single hair on their heads."
Looking at the solemn-faced Bastille, Bai Yu patted him on the shoulder helplessly.
" Vice Admiral Bastille, you don't need to answer me so formally; it puts pressure on me."