The battle between Mr. 1 and Ryuma in the grand hall had reached its climax.
Mr. 1 crossed his arms in front of his chest, the blades on his forearms shimmering with a faint white glow, cold and sharp. "Dust Cut!" he roared.
With a swift downward motion, an "X"-shaped slash surged forth like a raging tide, barreling toward Ryuma.
The zombie Ryuma swung Autumn Water horizontally to block. The moment the black blade clashed with the slash, a metallic clang rang out, sending a numbing shock through his hands and forcing him back three steps.
A flicker of confusion flashed in his eyes, but as he landed, he spun and thrust, a green sword aura shooting straight for Mr. 1's back.
"The same move won't work on me!" Mr. 1 turned, his arm blades now coated in Haki, and forcefully parried Autumn Water. The instant the two blades met, Ryuma felt an overwhelming force surge through his sword, as if he had slammed into an iron wall.
He tried to withdraw and change stance, but Mr. 1 closed the distance in an instant. His palm blade scraped diagonally down the surface of Autumn Water, the Haki wrapping around it like sharp sandpaper, sending sparks flying across the black blade.
"This is…" The zombie Ryuma's pupils contracted sharply, his stiff body freezing in shock.
Seizing the opening, Mr. 1's blade suddenly gleamed with a dark cyan light. With a clean "thwip," it sliced through Ryuma's chest.
The zombie Ryuma slowly lowered his head, staring at the wound where rotting flesh curled outward. A wave of utter humiliation surged through him. "To think… I've brought such shame upon this warrior's body…"
Before he could finish, a black shadow shot out from his mouth with a "whoosh." The now-shadowless corpse collapsed with a "thud," and Autumn Water clattered to the ground, its blade still gleaming like a mirror.
Mr. 1 wiped the blood from his lips, panting heavily. Staring at his Haki-coated hand reflected in the blade, he murmured, "So this… is the key to true strength…"
This battle had finally allowed him to truly grasp the threshold of Haki.
Suppressing his excitement, he stepped forward steadily, picked up the fallen Black Sword Autumn Water, and presented it to Bahr with both hands before silently retreating to stand aside.
Bahr took Autumn Water, immediately feeling its substantial weight—truly a legendary blade.
He examined the scabbard closely: the deep black wood was sturdy, its surface finely textured and cool to the touch. The hilt was wrapped in white cloth, its checkered pattern simple yet exuding an ancient charm.
Grasping the hilt lightly, he slowly drew the blade.
In an instant, a cold gleam flashed as the blade was revealed. The sword was a dark purple, adorned with red serrated patterns, mysterious and imposing. The Chaotic Blade Irregular T-Pattern on the edge seemed to tell the tale of countless battles.
Bahr gave it a slight swing, the blade slicing through the air with a faint whistle.
The sword was incredibly resilient—just as the legends said, it wouldn't bend even a millimeter under the weight of a dinosaur, its density far surpassing ordinary blades.
Suddenly, he tightened his grip on Autumn Water and swung horizontally. A purple-black slash shot forth, so fast it was barely a blur. The slash struck the castle's main tower a hundred meters away, splitting the entire structure from top to bottom in a perfectly straight line.
As he sheathed the sword, the three-story castle collapsed with a thunderous "boom," breaking cleanly in two. The severed walls were as smooth as if cut by a blade, the brick seams perfectly aligned, the cross-section gleaming under the moonlight.
"This blade actually enhances destructive power—how sharp!" Bahr tapped the stone pillar with the flat of the blade, thoroughly satisfied. A weapon of this caliber was the only thing worthy of his status.
Nearby, Mr. 1 clenched his fists, silently acknowledging how far he still had to go.
Perona, who had been hiding behind a pillar after Robin's earlier remarks left her flushed and fuming, now gaped as the castle was sliced clean in half. Her stuffed rabbit doll slipped from her arms and fell to the ground.
This guy… is terrifying!
Just as Bahr was admiring Autumn Water, a flash of blue light split the air, followed by the acrid stench of burning. Enel landed amidst crackling electricity, his clothes in tatters, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Well, well, did Moria beat you up this badly?" Bahr raised an eyebrow, tapping the blade against his palm as he looked Enel up and down. "Even the mighty 'God' has his off days, huh?"
"Nonsense!" Enel sprang up, electricity crackling violently around him. "This god already pounded that fool into the dirt!"
He planted one hand on his hip while wiping the blood from his mouth with the other, then suddenly frowned. "Except… that bastard vanished into thin air at the last moment. No trace left."
He won?
Bahr arched a brow, slightly surprised.
Though Moria had been humiliated in his earlier defeat by the Straw Hat Boy, Enel and he were evenly matched—neither had room to mock the other.
In terms of strength, Moria was still a former member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, someone who had once stood toe-to-toe with Kaido. Bahr had expected this fight to end in mutual destruction, or at worst, Enel escaping with his speed. Yet, against all odds, this chuunibyou had come out on top.
On second thought, the outcome wasn't entirely unexpected.
Enel's Rumble-Rumble Fruit was overwhelmingly powerful, ranking among the top-tier Logia abilities. The sheer devastation of his thunderstorm attacks alone was enough to overwhelm most opponents.
His previous loss to Luffy had been due to a bad matchup, and his defeat at Bahr's hands was a matter of both ability and sheer strength.
But Gekko Moriah's Shadow-Shadow Fruit had no such luck—it couldn't nullify lightning like the Rubber Fruit, nor did it possess the absolute power to withstand Enel's thunderous assaults. Faced with the god's cataclysmic attacks, his loss wasn't undeserved.
Still, that vanishing act was suspicious… Enel's speed rivaled lightning itself, and his Observation Haki covered vast distances. Slipping away under his nose was no simple feat.
Come to think of it, after the Summit War, Moriah had also disappeared without a trace when the World Government tried to eliminate him. It seemed the Shadow-Shadow Fruit still had hidden tricks up its sleeve.
Behind the pillar, Perona's eyes widened in shock. Lord Moria… actually lost? These people are monsters!
Robin sauntered forward, a sly smile curling at the corners of her eyes. "See? Your pillar of support is gone. And knowing his temperament, he'll probably come back for revenge."
As if to confirm her words, Enel's gaze snapped toward Perona, his expression darkening like a storm cloud. "Why is this filthy insect still alive? Daring to deceive this god—she must suffer Divine Punishment!"
Perona nearly jumped out of her skin, scrambling behind Bahr in a flash and clinging to his arm. "Sir! I'll go with you! I'll do anything!"
"Hm?" Bahr blinked, momentarily baffled, then glanced down at Perona's teary, wide-eyed stare, her twin pigtails bouncing. He casually wrapped an arm around her waist. "Life with me won't be easy, you know."
"I'm not afraid!" Perona's face turned as red as a tomato, though deep down she knew that without Moria as her backer, she had no sense of security at all.
She absolutely didn't want to be electrocuted into a charred mess—that would be way too ugly.
Bahr raised an eyebrow in amusement. This gothic lolita might not be as refined as she would be two years later, but she wasn't bad at all, especially with those twin tails—adorable. There was no reason to refuse.
He remembered that early on, Perona had a nasty streak, enjoying tormenting people with her Hollows for fun, like a little demon queen stepping on lace hems. That devilish personality had a distinctly island-country flavor.
"Hey! This insect made a fool of this god—it can't just end like this!" Enel bristled on the spot, recalling his earlier humiliation, the electricity crackling even more violently around him.
Bahr could feel Perona trembling in his arms and waved dismissively. "Alright, alright, no need to squabble among family… you amoeba."
"What did you say?!" Enel's face turned purple with rage, glaring at Bahr for a long moment before finally grinding his teeth. "Hmph! This god won't stoop to your level!"
Bahr couldn't be bothered to drag it out. As long as this so-called "god" stayed obedient, that was enough.
He weighed the Autumn Water in his hand, then glanced at Perona in his arms, grinning. "Alright, enough dawdling. Pack up and let's go!"
He'd gotten the Black Sword Autumn Water he wanted and even picked up a lolita for free—no point wasting time in this dump.
As for Moria? A spineless loser. Who had the patience to deal with him?
Robin watched the scene with her arms crossed, already scheming. With Perona dragged into the mix, given the Boss's current interest, she could slack off for the next few days!