Chapter 261: The Duel
"Hahaha!"
Jiang Qize withdrew his Conqueror's Haki, laughing heartily.
Whitebeard did the same.
"Gulalalala… Kid, your strength is impressive!" Whitebeard laughed, though the brashness of his usual confidence had dimmed.
"Whitebeard, still want me to be your son?" Jiang Qize asked with a smile.
"Gulalalala, if you want, it's fine too," Whitebeard replied.
As soon as those words left his mouth, the Canglong moved.
Whoosh!!
A massive fist of molten lava slammed toward Whitebeard. Space itself twisted, leaving a vacuum in its wake.
Clang!
Whitebeard's right hand gripped his bisento, which trembled violently. The blade wrapped with the power of his quake ability sliced toward the enormous magma fist.
They collided.
In that instant, space itself seemed to freeze.
Crack… crack…
It shattered like glass.
Rumble!!
A horrifying shockwave spread outward, tearing through the surroundings.
Boom boom boom…
The surrounding sea erupted violently. Clouds above were blown apart, and sunlight poured down.
"All right, Canglong," Jiang Qize said with a smile.
Whitebeard was still Whitebeard—a single casual strike carried immense strength, and his quake ability was powerful as well.
"I wonder… if the quake ability awakens, could it punch a wormhole?" Jiang Qize's eyes lit up at the thought.
The Canglong withdrew its fist, coldly eyeing the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Whitebeard, my crew wants to spar with your division captains. What do you think?" Jiang Qize asked, smiling.
"Just what I was thinking!" Whitebeard nodded.
Since the summoner hadn't made a move against him, there was no reason for him to worry.
"Then let's find an island," Jiang Qize said.
"Fine," Whitebeard replied.
The two pirate crews departed from the sea they had just crossed.
…
Two hours later.
On a vast, wild island, both massive ships were anchored along the shore.
Roar! Roar! Roar…
The creatures on the island seemed to sense the arrival of formidable warriors. They roared and scattered in frenzy.
Plop…
Crew members from both ships began disembarking.
They stepped onto the shore, just before a vast, tall, dense forest.
"Clear out the forest," Jiang Qize quietly commanded.
"I'll take care of it!" A voice rang out from the Whitebeard Pirates' side, and Flower Sword Vista stepped forward.
On the Dragon Flame side, Jonathan stepped up.
Two swords hung at his waist—one his original blade, the other the demon sword Emma.
Yes, Jiang Qize had entrusted Emma to him. Originally, controlling the cursed blade was a challenge, but Jiang Qize had also given him the Golden Mane Wild Lion Devil Fruit.
The fruit carried the might of a beast king. After consuming it, Jonathan could quickly master Emma, making it truly his own blade.
Jonathan now possessed strength comparable to a vice-admiral, on the level of someone like Marco.
With further growth in the Golden Mane Wild Lion ability, or a breakthrough in swordsmanship to the peak of a great swordsman, he could attain full admiral-level strength.
"Emma… Slash!"
Jonathan stepped forward and drew Emma. A black ghostly demonic figure emerged, radiating crimson infernal energy, transforming into a hundred-meter-long slash cutting toward the forest.
Boom boom boom…
Everything in the path of the slash turned to ashes.
Seeing this, Flower Sword Vista's eyes narrowed.
"The cursed blade Emma…"
For a swordsman, a blade is a partner. Legendary swords are something they must study thoroughly; encountering a powerful sword without understanding it would be embarrassing.
Cursed swords, however, are rare—few exist outside of the famed blade lists yet are known throughout the world. Vista recognized this immediately.