"I'm asking you one more time—do you still want the cargo on that merchant ship behind you? If you do, then obediently hand over the money in Berries; if you don't plan on taking the goods, then get the hell out of my sight!" Lancelot glared fiercely and roared.
As his words fell, an overwhelming, terrifying aura erupted from him, surging toward Tengu like a tidal wave.
Faced with this immense pressure, Tengu remained largely unaffected.
He merely snorted coldly, first casting his gaze at Lancelot, then turning to Sai beside him, and slowly said, "I'll give you one last chance..."
At this point, he suddenly raised a finger, pointing directly at Sai and continued, "Kill him right now... or else, you'll be the one who dies."
"Heh... Hahahaha!"
Hearing this, Lancelot first let out two mocking chuckles, then, as if he had heard the most absurd joke in the world, burst into unrestrained laughter.
The sound echoed loudly through the air.
After his laughter subsided, Lancelot looked at Tengu with utter disdain and said contemptuously.
"Who do you think you are? Do you fancy yourself one of the three fearsome Admirals of the Marine Headquarters?
Or perhaps one of the Four Emperors who rule the New World and strike terror into the hearts of countless pirates?"
He paused, a scornful smirk curling at the corner of his mouth, then added sarcastically.
"No, you're nobody... Don't tell me you naively believe that just because you're labeled as one of the so-called three Kings of your Sakura Kingdom, you can compare to those true powerhouses?What a pipe dream!"
Tengu's expression darkened at the words, but quickly returned to calm as he coldly replied.
"I'm not arrogant enough to compare myself to those top-tier powerhouses... but with my strength, taking your life is as easy as turning over my hand."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Tengu's hands moved like a swift wind, his ten fingers dancing as he rapidly formed a series of mysterious and complex hand seals.
With a low roar, he shouted: "Flame Tengu!"
In an instant, a powerful fire elemental energy surged from all directions, wildly pouring into his mouth like a tidal wave.
The once calm air grew restless, the surrounding temperature rising sharply as fire elements continuously gathered, compressed, and refined within Tengu's mouth, ultimately forming a dazzling crimson fireball.
Then, Tengu took a deep breath and forcefully blew toward Lancelot.
The blazing fire element instantly detached from his mouth, shooting toward Lancelot at an astonishing speed.
During its flight, the fire element continuously morphed, transforming in the blink of an eye into a majestic flame tengu.
Cloaked in scorching flames, it lunged at Lancelot with bared fangs and brandished claws, its speed like lightning splitting the night sky.
Surprisingly, this flame tengu seemed to possess its own independent consciousness and soul.
Just as it was about to reach Lancelot, it suddenly drew the long sword from its waist and slashed down at him without hesitation.
This strike carried overwhelming momentum, filled with boundless killing intent and scorching heat, as if it could tear the very space apart.
"Quite interesting..."
Facing such a fierce assault, Lancelot showed no trace of panic.
Instead, he narrowed his eyes with interest, a faint smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
Because this move reminded him of Big Mom son Daifuku.
Their techniques shared remarkable similarities!
However, that was all.
Although this move slightly surprised him, it was far from posing any real threat.
In that split second, Lancelot calmly extended his right hand, his movements seemingly slow yet precisely grabbing the flame-condensed long sword coming straight at him.
The moment he made contact with the blade, an overwhelmingly violent force erupted from his palm.
"Crack!"
With a crisp sound, the incredibly hard flame long sword couldn't withstand Lancelot's terrifying strength and was instantly crushed into countless sparkling embers scattering in all directions.
Following through with the motion, Lancelot lifted his leg and delivered a thunderous kick squarely into the flame tengu's abdomen.
The power contained in this kick was simply unimaginable.
The flame tengu had no time to react before it was struck.
With a loud "Bang!", the flame tengu's body shot backward like a cannonball, tracing a long arc through the air before crashing violently into a distant wall.
The tremendous impact from the collision made the entire wall shudder violently, sending countless brick fragments raining down.
When the flaming tengu landed again, it had completely lost its previous formidable appearance.
Its body, originally composed of flames, was now blown to pieces, leaving only scattered sparks drifting in the air like fireflies flickering in the night sky—beautiful yet desolate.
Tengu's pupils abruptly contracted at the sight before him!
Whether someone possessed true strength could generally be gauged after just one exchange.
However, what Tengu never expected was that Lancelot's displayed power would be so astonishing!
Although Tengu had only launched a probing attack moments earlier, that single move was enough to shock him deeply… because Lancelot's strength far exceeded his estimations.
Since Lancelot had already struck first, he naturally showed no intention of holding back or going easy on Tengu.
In an instant, Shusui in his hand was drawn like lightning.
Then, Lancelot's legs explosively propelled him forward, his entire figure shooting toward Tengu like an arrow released from its bow!
In the blink of an eye, Lancelot had closed in on Tengu.
At that moment, his arm swept out, Shusui in his hand carrying a sharp, unstoppable gust as it slashed toward Tengu with thunderous force!
Facing Lancelot's fierce assault, Tengu's reaction was remarkably swift!
Almost simultaneously with Lancelot's swing, Tengu's right hand reflexively gripped the hilt of the katana at his waist.
The next moment, accompanied by a clear metallic ring, Tengu's katana was drawn and held horizontally in front of him, precisely blocking Lancelot's overwhelming strike!
Clang…
A sharp, deafening impact echoed as Shusui's gleaming blade collided fiercely with Tengu's equally sharp katana!
Sparks flew everywhere, dazzling like brilliant fireworks blooming in the night sky.
Yet, the instant the two blades met, Tengu's face abruptly turned as pale as paper…
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