"Who blocked my slash just now?" The moment the man appeared, his presence swelled like a tide, and he addressed Bowen and Chad.
"Saxon-sama!!!"
Seeing this man, Bowen and Chad hastily retracted their weapons, their faces etched with horror.
Elvish Saxon, fifty-two years old, a powerful swordsman nicknamed 'Sea Splitter,' had once been saved by King Dasco XI. Since then, he had resided in the royal palace in a semi-reclusive state.
Both the First Prince Byrd and the Second Prince Bolton had studied swordsmanship under him.
"Hmm?"
Saxon's gaze sharpened, and his brow twitched. As if sensing something, he immediately looked over.
Before him stood a group of people, some familiar, others unknown.
"Casey, you ordered the bombardment of the royal palace, didn't you?!" Saxon asked coolly, holding his cross-shaped longsword.
"S-Saxon-sama," Casey stammered, shrinking back upon seeing the man, unable to meet his gaze directly.
Saxon's temperament was quite eccentric; all the princes and princesses in the palace feared him. Especially Casey, who, as a child, had deliberately trespassed into Saxon's room and was subsequently dealt with. When his father, King Dasco XI, found out, he punished Casey even more severely, leaving him with a deep psychological shadow.
"You're looking for me, aren't you, Saxon the 'Sea Splitter'?" Oliver stepped out from behind Casey, staring intently at his opponent.
"Hm?!" Saxon's gaze shifted, fixing on Oliver, whose face was still somewhat pale.
After a few seconds, a smile appeared on Saxon's face: "Good. The aura is right. Four years ago, there was Hawk-Eyes Mihawk, and now you. Today's younger generation is truly remarkable."
"Although I don't want to admit it, there's still a gap for me to bridge," Oliver's tone held a hint of reluctance.
"It's good to know your limits. What can I say, we've just lived a few more years," perhaps seeing an excellent young swordsman, Saxon's expression softened considerably compared to before.
"You don't need to feel regret. Although I'm not a swordsman, I can still have a fight with you." Aeridar walked up to Saxon, his expression a little excited, eager for a good fight.
"Not a swordsman?" Saxon frowned, angrily scoffing, "Then what exactly are you?"
Before his words even finished, the sword in his hand slashed down, like a flash of white lightning, passing in an instant.
Clang!
Rumble~
A black fist collided with the gleaming sword blade, and a distorted air ripple swept out, creating large, spiderweb-like cracks on the ground. This was followed by a surging burst of air, causing many soldiers to be blown off their feet.
"I give you a little courtesy, and you act like a ray of sunshine, you ungrateful wretch!" Aeridar pressed his fist against the cross-shaped longsword, his face darkening.
He had been fine just a moment ago, but suddenly his expression changed. Was this guy's face made of a dog's?
"Quick! Get back, or you'll die!"
Seeing Aeridar's darkened face, Arlan and Oliver's hearts skipped a beat. They quickly motioned for everyone to retreat.
When their captain, that monster, went berserk, destroying the royal palace would be a minor matter. If things went really wrong, the entire capital could be annihilated.
Rumble~
Another roar, and thick dust clouds shot into the sky as a section of the ground immediately shattered.
"Still got some skill. You're worthy of giving your name," Saxon said with an arrogant expression, holding his cross-shaped longsword.
Swoosh~
Aeridar pulled his arm out of the ground, bits of shattered rock falling, then sneered disdainfully, "Tch, you bastard! When I beat you down, I'll take your sword and lop off your head!"
"Is that so...? Then you won't get the chance."
Saxon revealed a ferocious expression, his body flashed, and countless sword lights filled the air.
Meanwhile, the Third Prince Casey encountered the First Prince Byrd and the Second Prince Bolton.
"Casey, you scoundrel! How dare you bombard the royal palace?! Don't you know Father King's body is still in there?" The First Prince Byrd pointed at Casey, roaring furiously.
"Are you insane?! The Clifford Royal Palace, hundreds of years old, destroyed by your hands!" Bolton said with heartache and indignation. A royal palace of such grandeur, ruined by cannon fire—how much money would it take to rebuild it?!
"To the victor go the spoils! If I win, who dares to say anything, my dear brothers?" Not one to concede even in appearance, the Third Prince Casey naturally wouldn't admit it was due to overwhelming pressure from the enemy.
"Damn you!"
Byrd and Bolton gritted their teeth, wishing they could tear him to shreds.
"Chad, take them down!" Casey turned his head and added, "Galan-san, I'll leave it to you all!"
"Leave it to us, Your Highness the Third Prince."
Chad gave a knight's salute, while Galan patted his chest in assurance.
"Charge! Block them! There will be heavy rewards!"
Byrd and Bolton also drew their longswords from their waists and roared.
"Moooo~"
Bowen, transformed into his Minotaur warrior form, charged out first, his great axe a blur of motion.
"Hah! Your opponent is me!" Chad spurred his horse forward, meeting him with his cross-shaped spear.
"I hear you're a swordsman too. Let me test you!"
Oliver held his twin blades, and with a flash of his body, he appeared before Byrd, his twin blades slicing down diagonally with a "clang."
Clang!
Byrd extended his cross-shaped sword, parrying Oliver's twin blades. The clash of their weapons instantly transformed into a fierce whirlwind, blowing away nearby debris.
"Damn it, such heavy blades!"
Upon contact, Byrd immediately felt the pressure, and cold sweat broke out. This man's sheer strength was already beyond his expectations.
"First Mate, you oversee the command. I'll handle the Second Prince."
Arlan was about to make his move when he found himself pulled back. He turned and saw Angus Abel.
Seeing Abel's expression, Arlan understood his meaning and nodded, "Then I'll leave it to you."
"No problem!"
Abel grinned, ran a hand through his purple hair, and walked towards the Second Prince Bolton.
Then, a wisp of heat rose, and the skin on his hands began to glow hot and red.
The Chris Pirates had many skilled fighters. Being defeated by a single strike from Oliver had been a great embarrassment for him, so he had always wanted to prove himself.
"Armament Haki: Hardening—High-Heat Steel Fist!"
Abel roared and charged forward. From his hands to his wrists, he was covered in a layer of black. Combined with his Devil Fruit ability, his Haki took on a somewhat dark-red, heated appearance, as if his fists were glowing like a red-hot piece of black iron.
It's worth noting that Abel hadn't been idle these past few months. His hellish training had allowed him to fully master the use of Armament Haki. Combined with the power of his Hard-Hard Fruit, his strength had increased significantly.
Even Oliver couldn't claim to defeat him in a single blow anymore.
——————
TN: For those who don't remember, Steel-Steel Fruit is Hard-Hard Fruit or Kachi Kachi no Mi. I opted for the former as the author wrote it that way and it was to preserve the narrative flow when this was introduced in one of the chapters.
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