The Demon King Strikes
The battlefield fell into complete silence.
Until the shocked voice of Admiral Akainu broke through:
"Why am I kneeling to take your blade? My abilities and Haki are out of control—what the hell did you do?"
At that moment, Akainu would have preferred to be slashed to death by Bai Yu—it would have been a better fate than this humiliation. But this? Being forced to kneel and take the blow, powerless to resist? It was an unbearable shame.
"A sneak attack on me?"
Looking at Akainu kneeling on the ground, Bai Yu calmly stepped on his head.
"How does it feel under my boot?" he asked.
"Damn it!"
Being stepped on like a dog by the Demon King, Akainu's eyes burned with rage.
"Why so angry?" Bai Yu mused, seemingly puzzled by Akainu's resentment. "I only insulted your dignity—aren't you used to that by now?"
He leaned in slightly, his voice turning colder.
"After all, the dignity of the Marines was fed to the dogs by the Celestial Dragons a long time ago. They trample on your pride, sully your so-called justice, and taint your very soul. Even dogs would rebel at such treatment."
The entire battlefield was stunned.
Sengoku, who had been about to order Garp to intervene, hesitated at Bai Yu's words.
Akainu's furious growl came to an abrupt halt, his expression flickering in confusion.
Even many Marines seemed lost in thought, suddenly feeling that Bai Yu… might be right.
Hina's eyes widened in admiration.
"Oh no… Hina finds him even more handsome now," she murmured.
Smoker: …
Hina, you've got the wrong priorities!
Bai Yu retracted his foot and spoke again, his tone indifferent.
"Do you understand now?"
Akainu snapped back to reality, his teeth clenched in rage.
"A real man stands his ground. No matter how much you talk, it doesn't change the fact that you're just a thief!"
Bai Yu ignored him, instead turning his gaze toward the distance.
"You're afraid of me, aren't you? Already preparing to run?"
There, standing frozen in fear, were three newly appointed Shichibukai.
Since the moment Bai Yu had made his move, they had been paralyzed in place, dumbfounded, their hearts filled with terror.
"No! Run away!"
Charles, the Bone King, infamous for slaughtering an entire country, was the first to react. His survival instincts kicked in, and he bolted in panic.
"Blood Shadow Flash!"
Eric, the Vampire Lord who ruled over two blood-drained islands, transformed into a flickering shadow of blood, desperately fleeing for his life.
Bai Yu's gaze sent shivers down their spines—they knew that it was the look one gives to the dead.
"Too slow."
Bai Yu released the sealed state of his blade and slashed twice at the fleeing figures.
"Whoosh!"
Sensing his power returning, Akainu immediately retreated several hundred meters, creating distance, his expression dark.
"One Line Slash."
Bai Yu's two slashes condensed into thin, nearly invisible threads of destruction. The compressed sword energy drastically increased the speed and cutting power of the attack.
"Pfft!"
Once again, the battlefield fell into stunned silence.
Bai Yu had merely lifted his blade and swung it twice—most people hadn't even seen the attack, only catching a glimpse of a cold glint before the Bone King and the Vampire Lord collapsed to the ground, their legs severed.
"Ahhhh!"
Charles and Eric screamed in agony, their eyes filled with unfiltered terror.
"What incredible swordsmanship!"
Watching from afar, Dracule Mihawk couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, startling Crocodile and Cavendish.
Even Silvers Rayleigh was amazed.
"Bai Yu's slashes… even through a live broadcast, we can't see them properly," he murmured.
"This means he has perfectly refined his sword energy into a thread," Rayleigh continued, eyes gleaming. "By condensing his attacks like that, the speed and cutting power increase severalfold—perhaps even dozens of times."
Enel asked in shock, "Then… can either of you do that?"
"No."
Mihawk's answer was simple, his excitement evident in his gaze. He had just glimpsed a new path forward—one that could take his swordsmanship to the next level.
Speed. Cutting power.
If he could master sword threads, even the toughest defenses would be meaningless.
"Condensing sword energy is a fundamental skill for every great swordsman," Rayleigh mused. "But refining it into a thread… that's something only found in legends."
Back at Marineford, Bai Yu's gaze shifted again, this time to a flickering shimmer in the distance.
In that moment, Kizaru held his breath.
That light—Aurora Sword Hauscott.
A Logia user with the power of the Aurora-Aurora Fruit, his movement ability was nearly identical to Kizaru's.
But now… there was only a dim shimmer remaining.
That meant Hauscott had already run far, far away.
Could Bai Yu strike him from this distance?
"You must escape… Aurora Swordsman…" Kizaru prayed inwardly.
If Hauscott managed to flee, then Kizaru could too. If not…
Kizaru felt an unfamiliar sensation creeping over him—anxiety.
"Ching!"
Bai Yu calmly sheathed his blade.
Then, in an instant, he drew it again.
The sharp sonic ring of the unsheathing was all the warning the world had.
"Get back on your knees and repent. You only know how to kill women."
?!
Hearing those words, Akainu—who had been keeping his distance—stiffened.
For once, the normally rabid attack dog of the Marines remained completely still. He needed to observe—he had to understand Bai Yu's ability to force people to kneel.
Could there be limits to it? Could there be a way to counter it?
"Whoosh!"
Before the stunned eyes of the entire battlefield, as Bai Yu drew his sword, a dazzling aurora streaked toward him from the horizon.
"No… no, stop! Don't kill me—!"
The brilliant light condensed into a figure—the Aurora Swordsman Hauscott.
To the shock of countless onlookers…
He ran toward Bai Yu in fear.
And then—mere meters away—
He dropped to his knees and offered his sword with both hands.
Bai Yu's blade was no longer just making people kneel.
Now, it was forcing them into submission.
With a single slash, Hauscott's body was shattered. He barely clung to life.
Hiss…
Even Akainu felt a chill down his spine and instinctively retreated further.
The entire world fell silent.
Since Bai Yu had arrived, Marineford's elite soldiers had known nothing but shock.
One punch to crush a Yonko.
An Admiral forced to kneel.
Three slashes—three Shichibukai destroyed.
And, perhaps most terrifying of all…
He hadn't moved from his original position.
Hina gasped.
"Oh my god! Hina just realized—he hasn't taken a single step!"
"What?!"
Her exclamation triggered a wave of realization across the battlefield.
The Demon King hadn't moved?
Smoker, stunned, muttered, "I see… his ability must require standing still!"
A wave of unimpressed gazes turned toward him.
Hina looked at him with disgust.
"No, Hina thinks your IQ is the problem."
Smoker: …
The battlefield had turned into a graveyard of shattered pride.
And Bai Yu?
He turned his gaze toward a darkened corner of the ruins.
"For the third time, Teach… I still love the gift you gave me."
Silence.
Then, a deep, rumbling laugh echoed from the shadows.
"Zehahaha…"
Blackbeard Teach finally stepped forward.
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