"My, how terrifying! Silver Hair, Kouta."
The Yellow Monkey, standing behind the four Vice Admirals, sighed helplessly as he looked at the incoming slash, sinking his body lower.
The slash passed over his head, quickly flying towards the sky above the sea.
A red light flashed in his eyes, and he turned to look at the four Vice Admirals who had crashed heavily into the sea with a "boom," feeling a sense of relief.
"Thank goodness, they're not dead."
If these four Vice Admirals had died, it would have been a huge problem.
From a distance, hidden behind a pile of rocks, Firebird was frantically taking pictures with his camera, aiming it at the beach.
His face was flushed, and his eyes were red with excitement.
"He's too strong!"
One slash, and then another.
Unlike at Bas Island, where Kouta had killed thousands, those people were weaklings. The current display was far more shocking.
Those were four seasoned Vice Admirals of the Navy!
*Crack—!*
A sound that echoed throughout the world attracted his attention.
It made him involuntarily look towards the distant sky, where at the horizon, under the afterglow of the setting sun, the sky, the sky...
The sky had split open.
An incredibly dazzling beam of golden light projected from the cracked sky, illuminating the entire sea before it.
"This scene, this scene..."
Firebird shivered, his head dizzy, his gaze blank.
"Is this really something a human can do?"
"He actually cut open the sky."
He couldn't imagine the power behind Kouta's slash, but judging from the split sky, even the world's greatest swordsman might only be at this level.
Looking at the purple-black slash that zipped past him and the sound coming from the sky, Onigumo couldn't help but freeze.
He had only seen slashes of this intensity from the Four Emperors in the New World.
He was stunned, but Guina was not.
Facing a swordsman who wielded eight swords and whose Armament Haki was stronger than hers, she was at her absolute best.
Onigumo was the strongest person she had met and fought since she set sail.
She looked at Onigumo, her right hand moving swiftly.
"Just a little more, just a little more."
She felt she was just a step away from her Armament Haki reaching the third stage, and with her talent, she would instantly become a Great Swordsman.
*Clang—!*
Onigumo turned around, his hands braced forward, blocking Guina's slash.
"No time to pay attention to other things."
He turned to look at Guina, this woman who remained unassuming behind Silver Hair, making him feel a hint of threat.
And judging by the power from the sword, this woman's strength was not inferior to his.
Her swordsmanship was even superior to his.
In this short exchange, he could only contend with Guina using his deep Armament Haki and Life Return.
Although he had the upper hand from the start, looking at the situation of their fight.
This girl was rapidly growing during the exchange.
If she truly became a Great Swordsman, then...
"No."
He shook his head, gritting his teeth, and stared grimly at Guina. He absolutely could not let this girl succeed so easily.
"You want to use me as a whetstone, don't you!"
His hair instantly began to dance, and six swords simultaneously slashed towards Guina, "Then die!"
Looking at the six swords rapidly approaching her, a red light flashed in Guina's eyes.
"Can't dodge."
Then she quickly pushed off the ground with her legs, and with a "whoosh," she rapidly retreated.
"Trying to run."
Onigumo looked at Guina, also pushing off the ground with his feet, his body following Guina, and the swords that were slashing at Guina still pursued her.
He couldn't defeat that Silver Hair, but could he not defeat a mere pirate with a bounty of 20 million Berries?
Guina looked at Onigumo, her face still indifferent, showing no panic.
Sensing the blade edge about to touch her, time seemed to stop for her.
Everything around her slowed down.
Her pupils contracted to the extreme, and at this moment between life and death, she felt as if a lock within her body had been broken.
Then she quickly sheathed her sword, paused her body, bent her legs slightly, and stared at Onigumo.
*Clang—!*
The sword of Wado Ichimon was unsheathed in an instant.
"One Sword Style: Iai: Swallow Return!"
A flash of sword light instantly split into three, rapidly slashing towards Onigumo's head, chest, and lower body.
She had broken through.
Both her swordsmanship and Haki broke through simultaneously, allowing her to unleash the "Three Slash" that she had always been unable to execute before.
"Swallow Return," Kouta had taught her long ago, but she had never been able to execute it. Even when she did, only one slash of light was real, while the other two were illusions.
Now it was different; all three slashes of light were real.
"Hmph!"
Onigumo looked at the three incoming slashes, the red light in his eyes intensifying.
"Impossible."
He roared at Guina, "How could you have advanced so quickly?"
"There's nothing impossible."
A hint of a smile appeared in Guina's eyes, her lips curving slightly. She then looked at Onigumo, her gaze turning cold.
"Next up! If you can't take it, you die!"
"Don't joke, with you."
Onigumo's forward-charging swords instantly retreated, encircling his front.
*Clang—!*
*Clang—!*
*Clang—!*
The triple impact simultaneously struck the swords in front of him, sending his body flying backward.
*Screech—!*
He gouged a long trench in the sand.
Onigumo exerted force with his feet, stabilized himself, and felt the power from the swords.
He raised his head and stared at Guina with a grave expression.
"Her strength has increased so much."
No wonder she could keep up with that Silver Hair. This girl is also a monster!
Guina held her sword in front of her, looking at the Armament Haki on it, a flicker of joy in her eyes.
Although she had always known she could advance to Great Swordsman, the promotion coming so quickly and so suddenly filled her heart with immense satisfaction and happiness.
In fact, her breakthrough was a natural progression. Since she set sail, she had had the most battles.
Coupled with her already excellent talent and the constant guidance from Kouta, a Great Swordsman, it was only natural that she would advance quickly.
Guina sheathed her sword and looked at Onigumo in the distance. She leaned forward, her legs slightly bent, assuming the stance for iai, and then drew her sword with her right hand, slashing rapidly.
"One Sword Style: Iai: Slash Wave!"
A huge crescent-shaped, silvery-white slash rapidly moved towards Onigumo.
It carved a deep crevice in the sand between her and Onigumo.
"She's truly advanced to Great Swordsman."
Onigumo looked at the incoming slash, his brow furrowed, his pupils contracting.
If he had had any hesitation before, seeing Guina unleash the massive slash that only a Great Swordsman could, he couldn't help but feel as if he had lived his entire life in vain.
He, a dignified Marine Vice Admiral, known as the Eight-Sword Style Swordsman, had slain countless pirates with his swords. It took him nearly thirty years, in middle age, to truly reach the realm of a Great Swordsman.
Although his Great Swordsman skills couldn't produce the ultra-long-range slashes that Guina was now unleashing, there was no doubt that he was a Great Swordsman.
And then there was Guina, so young, possessing both types of Haki, with supreme swordsmanship, and now advanced to Great Swordsman.
"Sigh! This is difficult."
However, there wasn't much time for him to ponder. Seeing the slash nearly upon him, his eight long swords were instantly wrapped in Armament Haki, and he fiercely met the attack.
Even if she was a newly promoted Great Swordsman, he didn't believe he would lose to her. He was also a Great Swordsman!
*Clang—!*
Guina's slash instantly collided with his swords and then rapidly pushed him backward.
Onigumo felt the power of the slash, veins bulging on his arms, which instantly thickened.
"Stop!"
*Bang—!*
He anchored his feet to the ground with all his might, then used his hands to push against the slash, swinging upwards.
Guina's slash, under his power, instantly changed direction, grazing his blade and, amidst a shower of sparks, shot rapidly towards the sky, finally disappearing at the horizon.
"Hoo~"
He exhaled slightly, staring at Guina, his eyes more solemn than ever.
"It's not over yet!"
"You're still a long way from defeating me!"
He pushed off the ground with his feet and rapidly charged towards Guina.
Now, he could only fight Guina in close combat; he couldn't let her unleash such slashes again.
Looking at Onigumo rapidly charging towards her, Guina pushed off the ground with her legs, holding her sword, and met him head-on.
She wouldn't be forced back by Onigumo now!