"I've already seen through your tricks, old man."
Redyat's voice echoed across the Shadow Domain, rippling through the darkness as it closed in around White Ghost.
White Ghost's expression did not change in the slightest.
In the next instant, countless shadow thorns erupted and pierced through the surrounding Ghost Clones. Yet there was no resistance, no impact, no result at all.
They might as well have struck empty air.
Redyat appeared immediately after, his pitch-black dragon claws tearing forward, aiming straight for one clone's head.
Again, nothing.
His claws passed cleanly through, even with Armament Haki coating them.
For a brief moment, the sensation felt wrong. Unreal.
But it was reality.
The counterattack came instantly.
Exploding Ghosts surged forward, surrounding Redyat from every direction. A chain of detonations erupted as he sank into the shadows just before the blasts consumed him.
After testing several more clones, the conclusion became unavoidable.
These Ghost Clones were true ghosts.
Armament Haki could not touch them. They existed, yet did not. They could attack, but could not be struck. Their purpose was clear: deception and substitution.
"So what if you understand?" White Ghost said with a faint smile.
His clones were limited. At Redyat's killing speed, they would eventually run out. Which meant only one thing mattered now.
Break the stalemate.
His gaze sharpened. Both hands moved forward.
A strange, oppressive force spread outward.
Dark purple ripples distorted the space around him, colliding directly with the Shadow Domain.
The battlefield shifted.
A bizarre, multicolored sea surged into existence, swallowing sections of the shadows as it expanded.
"Ghost Dominion: Nether Sea."
It pushed outward relentlessly, resisting the Shadow Domain's suppression.
Redyat's eyes narrowed.
A Domain.
Only overwhelming force or another Domain could counter one. White Ghost had chosen the latter.
Redyat immediately fought back, compressing his shadows to contain the expansion. At the same time, he moved.
He needed to interrupt it.
Ten meters.
That distance meant nothing.
His figure dropped from the shadows, entering the range of the Nether Sea. In an instant, he closed the gap and struck.
A single slash split White Ghost in half.
But the Nether Sea did not falter.
Shadow and nether clashed violently, tides colliding in a continuous struggle. One sought total suppression. The other sought endless expansion.
The Nether Sea spread rapidly.
Even under pressure, it carved out dozens of meters in mere moments.
Inside it, everything changed.
Redyat could no longer move freely as before.
White Ghost reformed instantly and retaliated without hesitation.
Exploding Ghosts flooded the area, detonating one after another. The Nether Sea amplified them, doubling their speed and destructive force.
White Ghost, in his ghost body, was unaffected.
"Ghost Dominion: Negative Medley!"
A wave of pale ghosts surged forward, each carrying overwhelming despair.
Redyat reacted instantly, his body dissolving into shadow. A streak of darkness cut through the swarm, heading straight for White Ghost.
He reappeared with a blade formed of condensed shadow, thrusting toward White Ghost's chest.
The Ghost Body was monstrous.
Only Haki or certain Devil Fruit powers could affect it. Even something like the Tremor-Tremor Fruit would likely pass through without effect.
White Ghost moved to evade, his Observation Haki locking onto Redyat as he shifted backward.
At the same time, he formed a new ghost in his hand.
Larger. Denser. More dangerous.
"Exploding Ghost: Destruction."
Redyat had already foreseen it.
Mid-thrust, his blade shifted into a diagonal slash.
He was faster.
Much faster.
But White Ghost had already chosen his path.
A trade.
The ghost swelled instantly, reaching its limit.
Then it detonated.
The explosion was catastrophic, far beyond the scale of ordinary ghosts.
Even contained within the Domain, the shockwave roared outward.
Redyat endured it head-on.
His Armament Haki held. His body endured. His shadow form weakened the impact.
When the smoke cleared, White Ghost had already reformed again.
More ghosts surged forward.
The battle escalated.
Above, two monsters clashed relentlessly.
Below, the battlefield suffered.
Negative Ghosts were knocked loose by the shockwaves, scattering across the war zone like a falling storm.
They did not distinguish between friend and foe.
"I'm… useless…"
"I shouldn't have been born…"
"If there's a next life… I want to be a caterpillar…"
"I'm pathetic… I should just disappear…"
One by one, pirates and soldiers alike collapsed to their knees, voices trembling with despair.
Those struck lost all will instantly.
Even veterans felt a chill.
Strong fighters could dodge or repel them with Haki.
The weak could not.
In the chaos of war, the ghosts came from every direction. Silent. invisible. unavoidable.
The battlefield descended into a bizarre mix of terror and humiliation.
Some wanted to laugh.
None dared to.
Above it all, the Den Den Mushi recorded everything.
For the world to see.
Yet the war did not stop.
Kronos roared as he shattered repulsion barriers, relentlessly forcing Freda back. He avoided direct confrontation, building power while searching for an opening.
Vulture pressed Marco, holding the advantage, but Marco's regeneration made him impossible to put down.
Shiryu dominated Vice Admiral Juan.
Corrosive power spread across the battlefield, but Shiryu avoided it with precision, his blade cutting through everything in its path.
Now a true Great Swordsman, every strike carried lethal intent.
Even with support, Juan was suppressed.
King overwhelmed three opponents alone, proving the gap in strength could not be bridged by numbers.
Elsewhere, new stars rose.
Clemons rampaged through the battlefield, his strength vastly improved after a year of brutal training.
Enel turned the war into a storm of lightning.
Speed. Heat. Precision.
His Observation Haki combined with electromagnetic perception allowed him to monitor the battlefield itself.
No one could hide.
His attacks struck from impossible angles.
Those who could not defend were eliminated instantly.
Even strong opponents struggled to pin him down.
War became a catalyst.
Under its pressure, the next generation sharpened rapidly.
And above it all, within the clashing Domains of shadow and nether, Redyat and White Ghost continued their relentless battle, neither willing to yield, neither able to fall.