At the center of the battlefield.
On the surface, it looked as though Yemu's slash with Shishimaru had stopped Galahad Anne's sky-filling assault.
But the fight had only just begun…
The reach of that slash was ultimately limited. Compared to Galahad Anne's attack, which spread like an all-encompassing net, it was still not enough.
Moreover, Yemu's swordsmanship had its limits. Blocking was already pushing him to the edge. Cutting through it outright was impossible.
Sure enough, Galahad Anne's lowered gaze was filled with icy calm. In the next instant, countless strands of hair slipped past the slash, thrusting in from all directions and sealing off every possible path of retreat.
"What a terrifying technique!"
With nowhere left to dodge, the only option was to face it head-on.
Even if he couldn't cut through it, brute force overwhelming technique was still extremely effective at this moment.
With that thought, Yemu tightened his grip on Shishimaru. In what had been a deadlocked clash, the balance of power began to tilt in his favor.
"What?!"
For the first time, surprise appeared even in Galahad Anne's eyes.
She could feel the immense power erupting from Yemu's blade. It wasn't skill or technique, but pure physical strength. Her Great Black Heaven was being split apart.
No… it wasn't just a feeling.
It was truly being cut open.
In the next instant, Yemu swung Shishimaru, cleaving through the pitch-black sky and sending the slash straight toward Galahad Anne in the distance.
At the same time, his voice rang out.
"I've taken enough hits already. Now it's my turn. Don't expect me to go easy on you!"
At that moment, Yemu finally released his killing intent, erupting without restraint. His eyes burned crimson as he charged toward Galahad Anne at an unbelievable speed, splitting Great Black Heaven in two wherever he passed.
For the first time, Galahad Anne's pupils widened. She truly felt death closing in.
Even so, her expression barely changed. Her brows drew tight, her arms spread wide, and the long hair behind her danced wildly.
"Demon Bind: Yamata no Orochi."
Countless black strands converged, forming eight towering black serpents that reached toward the sky.
Wrapped in Armament Haki, they seemed to come alive, as if possessed of their own will, lunging toward Yemu to tear him apart.
"So there's still a move like this!"
Even from a distance, Yemu could feel the terrifying power rushing toward him.
"Boom!"
In an instant, one of the black serpents collided head-on with Shishimaru.
The impact felt like being struck by a small mountain.
Yemu's advance was stopped cold, and that was only the first blow.
The next moment, all eight serpents came crashing down like eight massive mountains, hammering Yemu again and again with overwhelming force.
He could only endure the onslaught passively. Under that crushing power, the ground beneath his feet began to cave in.
His figure vanished into a pitch-black crater, leaving behind only shattered earth, churning dust, surging magma, and the deafening roar of power…
...
"That's great! Anne-sama won!"
The Kuja warriors watched in excitement. After the frustration of the first two setbacks, it finally seemed that man had been defeated.
Some of them even started to worry that, if this continued, their empress might actually kill him. But when they turned to look at the pirates, they found their expressions strangely calm.
That only confused them more.
As if sensing their confusion, Flare laughed awkwardly and explained,
"Relax. This level of damage isn't enough to kill that idiot Yemu."
"!!!"
Everyone froze, and then Enel's arrogant voice rang out.
"Your empress is indeed strong, but compared to that monster called Bullet, she's still a bit short."
"Bullet…"
The other Kuja warriors didn't recognize the name, but Gloriosa did. Her eyes widened instantly as she looked uneasily toward the nearby battlefield.
And at that moment, amid the thunderous impacts of Galahad Anne's Yamata no Orochi, another sound seemed to emerge in the air.
"Boom… boom… boom…"
The tremors that followed shook both the ground and the air.
Everyone stared in shock reminded by an unbelievable sight.
"Anne-sama's Yamata no Orochi is getting pushed back again!"
It was true. The eight black serpents formed from Galahad Anne's jet-black hair, which had been advancing without hesitation, seemed to run into a powerful counterattack. Their assault slowed, inch by inch.
This time, the detached calm that never seemed to leave Galahad Anne's face finally cracked, replaced by open disbelief.
From the very tips of her hair, she felt a heavy, forceful pushback surging back along the strands.
Her brows knitted tightly. She couldn't understand where that strength was coming from.
Then, with a furious roar, a massive force slammed into her Yamata no Orochi.
One of the serpent heads exploded apart on the spot.
Galahad Anne's pupils widened as she watched strands of hair scatter through the sky, fall into the magma, and burn into a shower of sparks.
...
Yemu burst up from the crater, leaping out and dropping from above.
He looked a little disheveled, but there were no serious wounds on him, just a few superficial cuts and scrapes.
Just as everyone had said, Galahad Anne was indeed formidable, but compared to Bullet, she was still a step behind.
Back then, Yemu had dared to trade blows head-on. Now his strength had improved by leaps and bounds, so this much wasn't enough to put him down.
Still, it seemed there was no need to keep fighting…
Not far away, Galahad Anne's face was filled with disappointment. She stared at the flickering flames as her long hair slowly drew back.
But the section that had been blown apart left a visible trace, a small blemish in what had once been flawless, beautiful hair.
Suddenly, Galahad Anne asked,
"Why? From start to finish, you never used your Devil Fruit power. Did you really think it wasn't necessary?"
Yemu paused, as if he finally understood what her disappointment was about, and answered,
"No. Devil Fruit abilities are just support for me. The strength I want is strength of the body."
Galahad Anne caught something in his words at once. She tilted her head, studying him closely, and asked with faint confusion,
"You don't seem to trust Devil Fruit power."
Yemu shook his head.
"No. It's not about trust. It's like the sword in my hand."
As he spoke, he raised Shishimaru.
"A blade, a Devil Fruit, anything else… to me, they're all just tools. There's no trust or distrust. If it's useful, that's enough. What truly matters is the person. And like I said earlier, when someone becomes stronger, their swordsmanship and their Devil Fruit abilities become stronger too."
"I see… no wonder you're so strong. I lost."
Galahad Anne let out a long sigh.
That phrasing immediately rubbed Yemu the wrong way.
"Lost? Why are you calling it a loss?!"