"Oh? White, won?" Fujitora pressed again.
Taro also confirmed once more, "Of course."
Leaning on his sword, Fujitora slowly stood up, the smile at the corner of his mouth growing wider. "It seems this old man has indeed won!"
"Yes, you won!" Taro also let out a light laugh.
Taro's arrival as the "ink dragon" caused everyone's faces to turn pale and the place to fall silent. Listening to their simple yet somewhat baffling conversation, the crowd was utterly confused, yet they faintly sensed some profound meaning hidden within it.
"Please exchange my chips for Berries!" Fujitora "looked" toward the dealer across from him.
The dealer glanced back at the casino manager, who in turn looked back at the boss behind the curtain. The boss watched Taro with trepidation.
Taro raised an eyebrow. "Since I allowed you to come to the lawless zone, I didn't plan on giving you any more trouble!"
Taro's words eased the tense atmosphere on the spot. Soon, the chips Fujitora had won were exchanged for a large bag of money.
Only after the two of them walked out of the casino, one after the other, did Taro turn around. "You were looking for me?"
"I was gambling in the casino. It seems it was Lord who was looking for me, wasn't it?" Fujitora said calmly.
Taro glanced at Fujitora's wooden sandals and twitched the corner of his mouth. "This is Sabaody Archipelago, you know!"
The wrinkles on Fujitora's face tightened slightly. "Is there something wrong with my sandals?"
"Uh, no. I was just thinking... maybe I should switch to wearing flip-flops too!" The corner of Taro's mouth twitched violently twice. It seemed that dressing like that would indeed give him more of an expert's demeanor!
Fujitora's Observation Haki was astonishing. Taro couldn't sense any change in Fujitora's aura, yet Fujitora could detect where Taro's gaze was directed. It felt as if Fujitora's Observation Haki, like Taro's own, could operate automatically.
In Fujitora's perception, the emotional spectrum displayed by Taro's entire being showed no change whatsoever. This let him know Taro was telling the truth. Yet, it was precisely this truth that made it even stranger to him.
"Do you need me to give you a pair?" Fujitora was momentarily stunned, then his smile relaxed a little. "I just happened to win quite a bit of money today."
Taro rubbed his face, feeling utterly exasperated. Damn it, this is not the right vibe!
Who would have thought that the first formal face-to-face conversation between two masters would be about a pair of sandals.
"That's completely unnecessary!"
Taro waved his hand, ending this somewhat off-topic discussion, and then asked:
"Mr. Issho, did you come here for something?"
Worried the other might continue speaking in riddles, Taro added, "If there's something, please speak plainly!"
Mainly because I can't outsmart you guys!
"I heard about you from Sherman. That student of mine holds you in the highest regard, so I came to meet you!"
As he spoke, Fujitora casually tossed the bag of money on the ground and raised his cane sword in front of his chest. "Also, I have some things I'd like to discuss with Lord!"
Could you maybe put the sword down first? Holding your sword out like that doesn't look like you just want to talk!
Sure enough, before Taro could speak, Fujitora's expression grew more solemn, and he continued,
"However, before that, this old man would like to ask 'ink dragon' Lord for some instruction!"
Shing
Fujitora drew his cane sword with a backhand motion, holding it horizontally before his chest. Two wisps of purple energy swirled and spread across the blade.
[Gravity Command learned successfully]
At the same moment, Taro instantly felt his entire body grow heavy, as if a small mountain were pressing down on his shoulders, nearly causing his legs to buckle and sending him sprawling to the ground.
Internal Energy surged throughout his body, flowing from his internal organs to fill his limbs and bones. Taro forcefully withstood this crushing pressure.
Fujitora tightened his grip on the cane sword, causing the pressure on Taro to suddenly increase.
Thud
Taro reversed his grip on thunderstorm, planting it on the ground to support his body. The ground within a one-meter radius around his feet instantly cracked and sank by over a foot.
"Hey, Issho, no need to be so ruthless on our first meeting!" Taro lifted his head with difficulty, forcing out the words.
Fujitora's expression remained impassive. "Lord, during a duel, it's best not to be distracted. Fighting is like gambling; there's only one chance. If you lose, you lose everything!"
That's you, going all-in every time you gamble! Others don't gamble like that!
While Taro was inwardly complaining, Fujitora's cane sword had already swung through the air several times.
"Hell's Journey"
Then he slowly sheathed his sword.
[Hell's Journey learned successfully]
As the cane sword was sheathed, the pressure on Taro grew heavier and heavier.
Crack, crack
The ground beneath his feet began to fracture at an even more noticeable rate.
Snap
With the final crisp sound of the sword entering its sheath, a fissure erupted from beneath Fujitora's feet, extending toward Taro. The ground instantly shattered.
With a boom like an Earthquake, a massive fissure appeared, tearing the earth apart.
Damn, you're serious!
Taro frantically channeled his Internal Energy, resisting Fujitora's crushing pressure. His bones creaked and groaned as he transformed into a Falcon, leaping out of the fissure.
"Armament Hardening"
Bluish-white Internal Energy coated the blade. A mass of vibrational energy gathered at his wrist, transmitting to the edge. Then, Taro swung his sword.
Facing Taro's counterattack, Fujitora's eyes opened slightly, revealing the whites. He squatted down, took a step forward, leaned his upper body forward, and swiftly drew his cane sword.
Hum~
Purple ripples immediately surged from the blade, meeting Taro's slash.
Boom~ Rumble!
Taro's slash was forced downward as if its head were being pressed. The sharp Sword Qi and immense vibrational energy instantly shattered the ground between the two of them.
[Gravity Rebound learned successfully]
The corner of Taro's mouth twitched uncontrollably. An attack having its trajectory easily altered by gravity—how the hell are you supposed to fight like this?
"Issho, if we keep fighting, this place is going to be destroyed!" Taro spoke again. When masters cross hands, they should know when to stop, old man!
Fujitora remained unmoved, maintaining his previous stance as he returned his cane sword to its sheath.
Several more purple ripples appeared, gathering and stagnating around Fujitora before forming a cylindrical purple pillar of light that shot straight into the sky!
[Gravity Light learned successfully]
The purple light pillar soared into the clouds, transforming into a dazzling point of white light that cleared the sky. Immediately after, the air itself trembled. A meteorite, pulled down by Fujitora's gravity, was rapidly hurtling toward Taro.
Damn, this old fellow has gone crazy!
Taro stared, dumbfounded. What kind of grudge is this!
If this meteorite struck, Taro was confident he could dodge it, but this entire area would likely sink.
He soared into the air, flying up to meet the meteorite. Stopping mid-air, he sheathed his sword and gathered all his Internal Energy into his right arm.
"Second Gear"
"Great Eruption!"
Substantialized Internal Energy emitted scorching steam as a giant fist-shaped shadow blasted toward the meteorite.
Boom
The meteorite and the fist shadow collided, erupting in a violent explosion that scattered like fireworks.
The burning meteorite fragments were almost entirely consumed during their descent. The remaining small pieces mostly fell into the sea.
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