"Old man, since you liked that trash Taku so much, I'll do you a favor today and send you to see your son!" Bege's eyes were bloodshot, a savage grin plastered across his face.
The moment Bege's words fell, a black streak shot forward. Andrew, with ferocious speed, shattered the ground beneath him and flashed before Bege like a phantom. A pitch-black iron fist, blasting through the air, smashed down towards Bege's head.
Bege's externalized space once again twisted the area around Andrew, instantly slowing him down. Bege, as if teleporting, appeared before Andrew. The Cursed Sword Hannya erupted with a bloody red light again, thrusting towards Andrew's heart.
"Did you think I'd fall for the same trick twice?" An astonishing power suddenly burst from Andrew, directly shattering the distorted space. His left hand shot out and caught the cursed blade. With a sonic boom, he whipped a kick towards Bege.
Bege intercepted with his left arm. The massive, dark foot struck the Fire Cloud Sword, instantly pressing it against Bege's waist. The incredible force sent Bege skidding sideways.
Bege smoothly swung his sword, unleashing a thick slash of blood-red energy at Andrew. Andrew casually punched, and the sword qi shattered. He strode forward, instantly appearing in the air before Bege, his raised iron fist hammering down from above. An invisible pressure bore down on Bege.
Bege's eyes blazed. He crossed his swords and slashed upwards violently. "Two Sword Style: Reverse Cross!"
Instantly, a fiery sword qi and a blood-red sword qi flew out in a cross pattern, tearing through the immense pressure and surging towards Andrew. BOOM! Both streams of sword qi shattered simultaneously. The iron fist passed through the flames and blood-light, coming straight for Bege's head. Bege fiercely brought his twin swords up to block Andrew's iron fist.
As the tremendous force bore down, the ground beneath Bege's feet instantly disintegrated. The earth-shattering, sea-churning power made Bege's entire body ache.
"Take another punch!" Andrew clenched his left fist and smashed down again, driving Bege into the earth. The ground within a hundred-meter radius crumbled once more. The earth trembled, cracks spiderwebbed outwards, and dust billowed into the air.
But suddenly, an utterly ferocious sword qi shot out from the dust cloud, piercing straight towards the heavens. The sheer ferocity of that sword qi made onlookers tremble. A figure was sent flying by the blood-red sword qi, tumbling through the air before crashing heavily to the ground.
The one Bege had sent flying was Andrew. A gash had appeared on his right fist; the previous slash had torn through his Armament Haki, wounding his hand.
From the shattered earth, which had been almost completely leveled, Bege slowly walked out, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Andrew's attack had also inflicted considerable damage on him.
Their gazes locked instantly. The two auras clashed again, sending dust and debris flying as they collided. The next moment, both figures moved simultaneously, bursting through the dust cloud and crashing into each other.
For a time, with the two of them at the center, the earth shook, and the surrounding landscape was torn apart. Shockwave after shockwave rolled across the plains.
"To be able to fight the Demon Lord of Fear to a standstill... The 'Demon Dragon' has already surpassed me by far." Doflamingo watched the intense battle on the video feed, his face growing increasingly livid, his fists cracking as he clenched them. It wasn't just Doflamingo; everyone watching the live broadcast was stunned by Bege's formidable strength.
Meanwhile, the other members of the two pirate crews had also engaged.
"The Three Demon Generals are about to make their move! Proceed according to the original plan! Capture them alive if possible!" As the Fire Tank Pirates' Vice-Captain, Modi issued commands in Bege's absence. The Three Demon Generals were all users of rare Devil Fruits, and Bege had coveted their abilities for a long time. To aim for their live capture spoke volumes about the confidence and strength of Modi and his men.
"Kishishishi! I've been waiting for this!" Moria cackled, drawing his giant scissors.
The thirteen airships rapidly descended. Everyone leaped from the warships and charged towards the square. On the Fear Pirates' side, the Three Demon Generals also led their captains and crew members into the fray.
"Let me take you into a world of nightmares." Zatmoro the Illusory Demon let out a sinister, eerie laugh. He spread his arms, and a peculiar wave of energy emanated from him. In the eyes of many, the entire square was instantly enveloped in black light. The ground transformed into a ghastly netherworld, dark winds howled, ghostly cries shook the heavens, and countless malevolent spirits surged forth from the void and from the earth.
However, reality was different. The actual square remained the same shattered plaza. Some of the Fire Tank Pirates' combatants suddenly stopped in their tracks, standing motionless with vacant gazes. They had been dragged into Zatmoro's dream world.
Within that dark nightmare world, figures appeared – these were all the Fire Tank crewmen who had been pulled into the dreamscape. Boundless black light coalesced into Zatmoro's form, a colossal, hideous demon. His savage laughter shook the entire dream world. "Now that you've fallen into my world, your lives are mine to control!"
Zatmoro's Illusory Dream Fruit was developed to a very powerful extent. He could directly kill people within the dream. Once these ensnared men were killed by Zatmoro in the dream, they would die in reality as well. This demonstrated the terror of Zatmoro's ability. In the dream world he created, he was akin to a god, undefeatable.
Of course, Zatmoro's ability wasn't invincible. He could only drag those with weaker mental fortitude or weaker souls into his dreamscape. It was very difficult to pull mentally strong individuals into his dreams. This was why Moria and the other commanders hadn't been affected. However, if he focused his dream-inducing ability entirely on one person, he could still forcibly drag a strong individual into his dream world.
"It's the Illusory Demon's ability! Brook, it's your turn!" Modi shouted.
"Understood, Vice-Captain!" From within the crowd, Brook quickly took out his violin and began to play a melodious tune. "Underworld Revolution Tune: Chapter One - Soul Summoning Song!" "Everyone, put in your earplugs!" Modi roared. All the Fire Tank men quickly inserted their earplugs. Brook's Soul Summoning Song could draw out people's souls; those not trapped in the dream were better off not listening to his music.
The melodious notes of the violin reached the minds of those ensnared followers. The souls of those dragged into the dream world were instantly summoned by Brook's song. In the nightmare world, their bodies began to glow with white light.
"It's Brook's Soul Summoning Song! We're saved!" The crewmen were overjoyed. One by one, they began to dissipate from the nightmare world.
"How is this possible?!" Zatmoro's expression changed drastically. He quickly attacked but only managed to kill a few of the men. The vast majority had their souls summoned out by Brook. Brook then immediately played a Requiem, allowing their souls to return to their bodies.
In and out, Zatmoro's dream-inducing technique was broken.
Since they had chosen to engage the Fear Pirates, they had naturally formulated countermeasures against their top combatants. The method to deal with Zatmoro the Illusory Demon was Brook's Revive-Revive Fruit ability.
"The Illusory Demon is mine! Brook, with me!" Moria called out to Brook, charging towards Zatmoro the Illusory Demon.