Kreeler and Kaguya had already stolen the spotlight, yet the true clash was only beginning. Kaguya had not even revealed everything he could do.
His gaze flicked toward Kreeler for a brief moment before he made his decision. Compared to Kreeler, the others posed less of a threat. Removing them first would simplify everything.
With a sudden burst of speed, Kaguya dashed toward Haruta and Izo, bone matter flowing along his arms as two sharp blades formed in his hands once more.
Haruta raised his sword to block. Izo had just taken damage and needed time to recover.
Steel met bone in a rapid exchange. At first, Haruta held his ground, but Kaguya quickly identified a flaw. His offensive pressure increased sharply, forcing Haruta to shift sideways while defending, barely managing to keep up.
He was buying time, nothing more.
In battles like this, a single mistake decided everything. Haruta overestimated himself and underestimated Kaguya. The gap between them was far too large.
Bone spurs suddenly formed across Kaguya's body.
In the middle of his assault, they fired.
At this range, there was no avoiding them. Even Observation Haki could not save him.
The spikes tore into Haruta's limbs in an instant. His body trembled as the impact disrupted his stance completely.
Kaguya had already moved before the attack even landed.
His blade stopped at Haruta's throat.
Cold bone pressed lightly against skin.
"You've lost," Kaguya said, his tone calm and absolute.
Haruta froze. The outcome had been decided.
Without hesitation, Kaguya shifted targets and surged toward Izo, aiming to eliminate him before he could recover.
Haruta became the second to fall.
For many spectators, it was shocking. His strength was not weak, yet he had been defeated so quickly. Still, in a melee, order of elimination did not reflect true ranking. Against someone like Kaguya, who combined two forms of Haki, refined close combat, and a deadly Devil Fruit, Haruta never stood a chance.
Kaguya had created that opening deliberately.
At the same time, Kreeler finally moved. He could not allow Izo to fall yet.
If Izo went down, he would be forced to face Kaguya alone far too early. That was not a situation he wanted.
A streak of icy blue flashed across the arena as Kreeler intercepted, sharp icicles launching toward Kaguya.
Kaguya did not slow.
White bone armor spread across his body, the hardened surface deflecting the incoming ice with ease.
Izo realized his position instantly.
Retreat.
He shifted backward, buying time, his mind racing. Charging blindly would only turn him into the next casualty. A melee was not about defeating enemies one by one. It was about surviving until the end.
Kreeler appeared beside Kaguya in a blur.
His nine tails, coated in Armament Haki, lashed out with crushing force.
The impact landed cleanly.
Kaguya's body was sent flying, his blades digging into the arena floor as he slid backward, friction grinding against the hardened surface before he finally stabilized.
That single exchange revealed Kreeler's strength.
Izo exhaled, but his guard did not drop. Instead, he stepped away from Kreeler as well. Someone who had hidden power like that was just as dangerous.
Kreeler's gaze remained fixed on Kaguya.
He had underestimated him.
That strike should have done more, yet it had not even injured him. The bone armor had absorbed everything. Breaking through that defense would require overwhelming force.
The same applied to Clemons on the other side.
Both of them were monsters in endurance.
In the viewing hall, Teach and the others watched with interest. Among all participants, only four truly held their attention.
Kaguya.
Clemons.
Smoothie.
Kreeler.
Only these four had the qualities to become pillars of a Yonko crew, the kind of fighters who could shake the seas.
The rest still lacked something, unless fate granted them extraordinary abilities later in life.
Even so, exceptions always existed. Some late bloomers rose in their twenties or beyond and carved their names into history.
For now, none of the others showed that potential.
As for the masked girl from the Beast Pirates, a few had already noticed the resemblance in her fighting style.
The way she swung her kanabo was far too familiar.
Kaido said nothing. He only watched.
Back in the arena, Kaguya narrowed his eyes.
"What a nuisance," he muttered, focusing on Kreeler.
Izo and the masked girl were secondary. Kreeler was the real obstacle.
Across from him, Kreeler steadied his stance.
There was no more room for hesitation.
The two moved at the same time.
Their figures blurred as they clashed, speed pushing to the limit. Bone blades met steel, tails swept through the air, and every exchange carried lethal intent.
Kaguya pressed forward relentlessly, his attacks sharp and continuous.
Kreeler held the line.
His sword parried while his nine tails moved like living weapons, each one acting with precision. Reinforced with Haki, they blocked, struck, and searched for openings all at once.
Neither side gave ground.
The battle had already reached the level of New World elites.
Both wielded Observation and Armament Haki. Both fought with killing intent honed through real combat.
If not for the constraints of the arena, the destruction would have been far greater.
Even so, the spectacle was enough to leave the audience breathless.
Compared to this, the fight against Clemons felt different.
There, three fighters struggled to hold one man back.
Here, it was a true duel.
Kreeler's strength surpassed the Wolf-Tiger Brothers and even Smoothie. Against Clemons, they were barely keeping up. Against Kaguya, Kreeler stood as an equal.
Meanwhile, Yamato had grown restless.
Her attention shifted to Izo.
She knew she could not interfere in the clash between Kaguya and Kreeler. That battlefield belonged to monsters.
Izo had reached the same conclusion.
If he could eliminate the masked girl first, he could tilt the balance.
They moved at the same time.
Their clash erupted instantly.
The moment their weapons met, Izo's expression changed. Even through Armament Haki, the force of Yamato's strikes sent numbness through his arms.
Her strength was overwhelming.
Yamato, on the other hand, grinned beneath her mask.
At last, a fight she could enjoy.
Her kanabo swung again, this time carrying even greater force, the air itself whipping into a gale as it crashed down toward Izo.
With three battlefields fully formed, the arena descended into chaos.
Kaguya versus Kreeler.
Clemons versus three opponents.
Yamato versus Izo.
Each clash carried its own rhythm, its own intensity.
For the Marine trainees watching from afar, the impact was profound.
Many could barely follow the movements of Kaguya and Kreeler. They were around the same age. Yet the gap felt insurmountable. If they faced opponents like this on the sea, they would not last a moment.
That realization crushed their confidence.
"So this is the New World…" someone whispered under their breath.
Back in the arena, Kaguya's eyes burned with excitement.
It had been a long time since he fought like this.
"Spear."
Bone surged across his arm, forming a sharp, elongated spike.
It shot forward.
Kreeler twisted aside at the last second, narrowly avoiding the thrust.
Kaguya did not stop.
Bone matter spread rapidly across the ground beneath his feet, flowing outward as he advanced.
A domain.
He rarely used it like this. The cost was high, and it had once been reserved as a finishing move.
Now, he used it without hesitation.
Kreeler felt the danger instantly and leaped backward.
Too late.
Spikes erupted from the ground in every direction, transforming the arena into a forest of white bone. There was nowhere safe to land.
In response, Kreeler released his power.
Cold surged outward.
Frost spread across the rising spikes, freezing them mid-growth. Within seconds, an icy field formed around him, clashing directly with Kaguya's domain.
Two forces collided.
Bone and ice.
On the other side, the battle against Clemons reached a breaking point.
Despite fighting three against one, the Wolf-Tiger Brothers were heavily injured. Smoothie remained in better condition, but even she had begun to tire.
Clemons, in contrast, showed only minor damage.
It was unacceptable.
They had gone all out, burned stamina, and still failed to bring him down.
Smoothie's teeth clenched.
"What a monster…"
Clemons glanced briefly toward Kaguya's battlefield.
He had no intention of dragging this out.
A quick victory would prove the strength of the Nightfall Pirates far better than a prolonged struggle.
With a sudden feint, he leaped backward, creating distance.
Smoothie and the others tensed immediately.
Something was coming.
"It's your honor," Clemons said, his voice steady, "this is the first time I've used this form."
Their expressions darkened.
Steam began to rise from his body.
White mist coiled around him as his muscles shifted.
This was Life Return.
Not perfect, not yet. The excess energy spilled outward in visible waves. For Clemons, it was not a technique of refinement, but a method of control.
His fruit granted overwhelming muscle growth, but that power came with drawbacks. Size slowed him down. Strength increased, but efficiency suffered.
So he learned to control it.
He studied anatomy, muscle structure, the function of every fiber in the human body. Through that knowledge, he refined his power instead of letting it run wild.
Now, he revealed the result.
His oversized frame shrank.
The monstrous bulk receded until his body returned close to its original proportions.
Then the mist cleared.
Armament Haki coated his entire body in black. Every muscle was compact, dense, and perfectly controlled.
On his back, the muscles formed a terrifying shape.
A demonic face.
Eyes.
Fangs.
A presence that radiated pure destructive power.
Clemons stood there, transformed. And the pressure he emitted was far greater than before.