"Dragon's rge hand desded from above, carrying with it a powerful gust of wind. Rojen could sehat the surrounding space seemed to be pressed and sealed by this single palm as if it was colpsing in on itself.

  'Buzz!'

  Rojen's eyes narrowed. After only a brief exge, he already sensed Dragon's overwhelming strength. Without hesitation, he raised his hand abruptly, spreading his fingers wide, and aimed a tering palm strike at Dragon.

  'Boom!'

  The two palms collided violently. The stone sbs beh Rojen's feet shattered instantly, exploding outward and scattering in all dires.

  Immediately after, the Rainbow Abyss Sword, which had just been swung out, twisted in Rojen's grip, its hilt rotating as he redirected the bde toward Dragon once again.

  By now, Dragon had nded firmly on the ground, but the sword's tip was aimed directly at his back, desding with lethal i.

  Sensing the da his back, Dragon's expression darkened as he let out a cold shout.

  "Tekkai!"

  'g!'

  The tip of Rainbow Abyss Sword struck Dragon's back, but instead of pierg through, it produced sparks upon tact.

  Shock flickered in Rojen's eyes – Dragon's body had momentarily turned as hard as steel, being impervious to his sword. This was Tekkai, one of the six Rokushiki teiques of the Marines. As an exceptional Marine, Dragon had clearly mastered this skill to perfe.

  "Such powerful sword i!"

  Feeling the sting on his back, Dragon's gaze became even more serious.

  After that brief but intense csh, the two batants simultaneously leaped backward, putting five meters of distaween them as they locked eyes.

  "You've exceeded my expectations. I didn't anticipate you being this powerful!" Dragon's tone was heavy, and his respect for Rojen rose siderably in an instant.

  "Rear Admiral of the Marines, your reputation is well-deserved!" Rojen flicked the blood off Rainbow Abyss, pointing the sword diagonally toward the ground, his expression cold and stern.

  For a few breaths, the two oppos stood motionless, eyes locked on each other. Then, in an instant, their figures vanished once more.

  With his Sharingan spinning rapidly, the three tomoe in Rojen's eyes allowed him to observe every one of the Dragon's movements. It gave him near-perfect predictive capabilities, allowing him to deliver precise strikes aimed at Dragon's most vulnerable spots.

  This relentless pressure forced Dragon onto the defensive. However, Dragon's mastery of Kenbunshoku Haki – Observation Haki – enabled him to perceive all of Rojen's as clearly, keeping him oep ahead and preventing any of the attacks from nding.

  In just a few fleeting seds, their silhouettes blurred as they rapidly exged blows, dodging and terattag without either side nding a definitive hit.

  'Tap! Tap!'

  Both batants retreated in a series of quick leaps, pausing momentarily to steady their breathing after the intense flurry of attacks. Dragon's expression grew more solemn.

  "This kid's swordsmanship… it's incredibly strong!"

  Even in pure hand-to-hand bat, Dragon hadn't mao gain the upper hand. Despite receiving top-notch Mariraining and already mastering Kenbunshoku Haki, which allowed him to keenly sense an oppo's every move, Dragon was astoo find that Rojen seemed equally capable of predig his as.

  "It's those eyes!"

  Dragon's pupils tracted as he stared into Rojen's crimson eyes, where the three tomoe spun slowly, radiating an aura of bloodlust and ferocity.

  "What kind of eyes are those?" Dragon narrowed his eyes further, a sharp glint fshing within them.

  "It seems I'll have to take this seriously. This kid… there's something mysterious hidden within his body!"

  Realizing the gravity of the situation, Dragon steeled himself.

  As a Marine prodigy who had earhe rank of Rear Admiral at a young age, Dragon rarely entered oppos who could push him to use his full strength. But this time, he had a faint premonition: if he didn't go all out, he might actually lose!

  With a focused gre, Dragon's figure suddenly vanished.

  "Soru!"

  In an instant, he reappeared directly in front of Rojen, moving at a speed that exceeded human limits. Extending his index finger, Dragon densed a sharp burst of power and unleashed it in a sudden, explosive strike.

  "Shigan!"

  The sheer speed of the attack sent a jolt through Rojen's heart. Though his Sharingan could track the movement, his body simply couldn't rea time to evade.

  In that brief moment, the three tomoe in his eyes spun madly, transf into a bck windmill-shaped Mangekyō Sharingan.

  'Pfft!'

  Dragon's Shigan plunged deep into Rojen's body, and a trace of relief flickered across Dragon's eyes.

  "Hit!"

  But just a moment ter, Dragon suddenly became alert.

  To his astonishment, he saw Rojen standing before him, with a strange smile pying on his lips, before his entire form dissolved into a flock of crows and vanished.

  "What is this?!"

  "A Devil Fruit?"

  tless pitch-bck crows cawed and fluttered away, only troup at a distand reform Rojen's figure.

  "Devil Fruit? If that's what you think, then sure." Rojen smiled faintly.

  "His eyes!?"

  Dragon stared into Rojen's eyes, a shudder running through his heart once more. What he saw was a windmill-like shape posed of three rhombus-shaped bdes slowly spinning, surrounded by an endless sea of blood. Just gazing into those eyes filled him with an ominous dread.

  "Who exactly are you?"

  At this moment, Dragon began to doubt everything he knew about Rojen. Acc to his knowledge, Rojen was supposed to be a talentless individual when it came to martial arts, pletely inparable to his elder brother.

  But somehow, in such a short period, this very person had transformed into a powerhouse capable of standing toe-to-toe with him.

  "What?!"

  "Haha, I'm Gol D. Rojen!" Rojen ughed loudly, though his ughter abruptly ceased. Then, with a calm motion, he sheathed Rainbow Abyss behind his back.

  "Dragon, you are strong!"

  "Strong enough to make me use my full power!"

  As he saw Rojen's expression suddenly turn serious, Dragon's wariness deepened.

  "He's… putting away his sword?"

  "Does he have some other secret teique?"

  Everyone khat Uchiha Itachi, despite his tragic life, was incredibly gifted. His power didn't just lie in his unmatched Genjutsu but also in his formidable Ninjutsu. Coupled with the Mangekyō Sharingan, he became a fearsome and nearly invincible force.

  Tap Tap Tap!

  With his hands hanging low, Rojen began weaving uably as he dashed toward Dragon.

  "Kage Bunshin No Jutsu (Shadow e Jutsu)!"

  After a rapid sequence of hand seals, there uff of smoke, and three identical es of Rojen materialized beside him, each wearing a cold and serious expression as they charged toward Dragon.

  "What?!"

  Dragon was stunned.

  "This guy!"

  For the first time, Dragon entered someone capable of creating three identical es that could fight alongside him – and worse, he couldn't distinguish between the real body and the illusions.

  In just a fsh, the three shadow es closed in on.

  Kunai bdes gleamed as they sshed through the air, ung an overwhelming barrage of swift and ferocious attacks.

  The speed and ferocity of the strikes forced Dragon to evade rapidly. Leaping backward, he propelled himself high into the sky.

  But at that precise moment, a cold figure lurking in the shadows made his move. With a solemn expression, he rapidly formed hand seals.

  From Rojen's lips came an icy, merciless intation:

  "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Teique)!"

  (End Of Chapter)

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