After all, this was merely a sparring match, not a battle of life and death.
The key lay in showcasing their respective abilities.
Therefore, from the very start, Law unleashed the largest possible range of his Room without any reservations.
With nothing to hold him back, he didn't need to worry about conserving stamina.
The Room created by the Op-Op Fruit manifested instantly, enveloping Maude in the blink of an eye.
Within this domain, Law could manipulate anything, including living beings—
This was the power born from the rules of the Devil Fruit, one of the most fearsome abilities in the world.
Just like the Hobby-Hobby Fruit, which could transform any target into a toy upon contact, disregarding all other attributes.
"To dominate everything…"
Law's eyes shimmered as he gazed at Maude, whose expression remained calm and composed.
Inside the Room, he was omnipotent.
This was the belief Maude had instilled in him from the very beginning—
Law had taken it as gospel and pursued it to the utmost.
After more than a year of relentless training—
"This time… I can definitely cut through Maude's Armament Haki!"
Brimming with confidence, Law swiftly unsheathed his sword and slashed at Maude through the air.
The strike seemed plain and unremarkable—no shockwaves, no sword aura.
Yet, the ground suddenly split open, a massive trench streaking toward Maude like lightning at extreme speed.
"Even if this is just a spar, don't expect me to obediently take your attacks head-on."
With Observation Haki, Maude clearly perceived the invisible slash rushing toward him.
In the blink of an eye, his body vanished into thin air at an even greater speed.
The formless slash, imbued with the Op-Op Fruit's properties, struck empty ground, leaving only the massive trench behind.
By the time the dust settled—
Maude had already teleported outside the Room, calmly watching Law from beyond the boundary.
He had swapped places with a Shadow Mark he had discreetly placed on the outskirts beforehand.
Such a trivial application of his ability had effortlessly nullified Law's taxing attack.
Inside the Room, Law stared at Maude's sudden appearance outside, momentarily dumbfounded.
Running away without even engaging—
Wasn't that way too shameless?
A twitch flickered across Law's face before he decisively retracted his Room, which had expanded to five times its size compared to last year.
The Op-Op Fruit's drawback was that it continuously drained stamina while the Room remained active—
The larger the Room, the faster the stamina depletion.
This was Law's current limit—any further expansion would consume his lifespan.
His initial plan was to open the Room at maximum range from the start and deliver a strike before Maude could react.
Yet, Maude had already set up a Shadow Mark for a quick escape.
Such a calculated move… was far too targeted.
Law gripped his sword before him, his sharp eyes fixed on Maude in a stance ready to strike at any moment.
"What's the matter? Not coming at me?"
Seeing Law standing his ground, Maude chuckled and raised the white flintlock pistol transformed from Bailey.
At mid-to-long range, Maude held an absolute advantage.
The muzzle lifted—
Shadow bullets coalesced in the chamber before Maude pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang!
Gunfire erupted—
Dark bullets wove a net in the air, raining toward Law.
"Room."
Law's gaze sharpened as he reopened his domain.
He was well aware of Maude's ability to swap places with shadows at any time.
Unable to discern the bullets' properties, he opted to neutralize them all.
"Shambles!"
With a flick of his left index finger, the incoming barrage rewound through space, teleporting to the Room's edge before clattering to the ground.
Maude's smile deepened.
Cautious as ever.
Though he couldn't teleport the bullets directly onto Law, Maude didn't stop firing.
As long as he kept shooting, Law's stamina would steadily drain—
All Maude had to do was pull the trigger.
"Damn it!"
Law wasn't a fool—he quickly grasped Maude's intention.
If his stamina were to be wrung dry in such a humiliating fashion, it would be a disgrace beyond words.
"Expand the Room?"
The thought crossed his mind but was immediately dismissed.
This was just a spar—there was no need to burn his lifespan.
Law shifted his plan and charged toward Maude.
The Room remained active, following him as he advanced.
Without using his teleportation ability, Law chose to close the distance by foot.
Maude didn't hold back, intensifying his barrage.
Bullets hurtled toward Law—
Forcing him to repeatedly use Shambles to divert them away.
The cost, however, was his rapidly dwindling stamina.
Yet Law pressed on, indifferent to the price.
"Your stamina has improved, if nothing else."
Watching Law maintain the Room's high intensity without panting, Maude marveled at his progress.
"Oh?"
Suddenly, Maude's crimson eyes glinted as he sensed something.
In the next instant, Law abruptly retracted his Room—
Then vanished.
He reappeared tens of meters away, closing the distance between them.
"That's… Stealth Walk."
Though Maude had explained the technique to Law before, he hadn't expected him to use it in this situation.
"Room!"
Seamlessly, Law reopened the Room—
With Maude back within its bounds.
In that brief moment, Law seized the initiative.
"Shambles!"
He teleported behind Maude, swinging his blade without pause.
Time seemed to slow.
Maude could feel Law's burning desire to land a strike.
"Then I'll humor you."
With a faint smile, Maude drew Shusui and parried Law's blade mid-swing.
Clang—!
Shusui clashed with Kikoku.
Despite his later reaction, Maude blocked the strike with ease.
"It didn't cut through…"
The expected outcome did not come to pass.
Disappointment flickered in Law's eyes.
He should have known better than anyone how powerful Maude was—
Yet he'd still hoped to end it with one slash.
How arrogant.
He chuckled bitterly in his heart.
"It ends here."
Without further action, Maude simply held his ground—
Yet several sharp tears silently appeared across Law's clothing.
Stunned, Law stood frozen.
He had no idea when the cuts had been made—
But he knew that if Maude could slice his clothes unnoticed, he could just as easily slice his flesh.
"When did he…?"
A wave of helplessness washed over him—
The gap between them remained as vast as ever, despite a year of relentless training.
As Law wrestled with his frustration—
The residual force from their clash finally manifested.
No dramatic explosion—
But the entire Grove 14 in the distance was cleaved in half.
"What…?!"
The onlooking Supernovas gawked in disbelief.
Among them, Law's bounty wasn't particularly high—
And they hadn't thought much of his strength.
Yet the sight of the Grove 14 bisected by the clash's aftermath—
Spoke volumes about the Surgeon of Death's true power.
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