"Then give it a try. For now, observe the true strength of these pirate legends and update our intel on them," Sengoku responded to Tsuru, massaging his temples thoughtfully.
The Navy had no authority to recruit fighters from allied nations, as those countries were under its protection.
In the 17th level of the Dueling Tower, Arena 1, Golden Lion and Li Yuan stood face to face, each watching the other with intense focus.
"Golden Lion, back in the Rocks Pirates days, when you first became a Grandmaster Swordsman, you had quite the upper hand against me. Today, I'm here to settle that score, so don't blame me if I go all out!" Li Yuan recalled their last clash, which now seemed so long ago.
"Ka-hahaha, Li Yuan, you were practically begging me to take you down back then—it wasn't as if I wanted to!"
"Oh, and didn't you promise you owed me a favor? Here we are now, and I still don't see any sign of that debt being repaid," Golden Lion said, grinning as he reminded Li Yuan of an old promise.
"Why so eager? My word is as solid as steel—if I said I owe you, I'll make good on it when the time's right." Li Yuan smirked. "For now, though, I'm settling that old score."
Without another word, Li Yuan vanished, his body moving like a flicker as he appeared before Golden Lion. The Seven-Star Sword gleamed as he unsheathed it in a lightning-quick strike, one that only the highest-level fighters present could follow.
"Thousand Cut Cross Slash!" Golden Lion swiftly crossed his twin swords, Sakura Ten and Kuraoza, their blades shrouded in black Armament Haki. A brilliant cross-shaped slash erupted from his swords, tearing a massive gouge into the indestructible arena floor.
Yet, Li Yuan's Seven-Star Sword cut effortlessly through Golden Lion's attack and closed in on his neck. But in the blink of an eye, Golden Lion shifted his swords, deflecting the Seven-Star Sword's arc.
"Li Yuan, are you looking down on me? You wield three types of sword aura—why only show one?"
Golden Lion's eyes blazed, his voice a fierce growl. With a powerful movement, he redirected the Seven-Star Sword, and then launched himself forward in a relentless assault with his dual blades, his wild strikes mirroring the ferocity of a lion.
Li Yuan laughed. "Since you're so eager, Golden Lion, let's go all out!" With a burst of energy, he unleashed his three sword auras—Boundless Sword Intent, Bloodlust Sword Intent, and Abyss Sword Intent—all at once.
At that moment, the three auras combined into a seamless fusion, forming a yin-yang pattern, with Boundless Sword Intent balancing Bloodlust and Abyss Sword Intent, maintaining a harmony that had never been achieved before in the Grandmaster Swordsmen's ranks.
Golden Lion paused in awe, and the spectators fell silent. Many of the master swordsmen present stared at Li Yuan, hoping to catch a glimpse of how he achieved this unparalleled harmony of multiple sword auras, a feat none of them had managed.
"Triple Sword Intent Secret Art: Blood Dragon Sky Splitter!"
Li Yuan's three auras merged onto the Seven-Star Sword, creating a coiled Blood Dragon that pulsed with devastating force. He swung the sword, unleashing a powerful slash, sending the Blood Dragon soaring forward.
"Lion's Rage: Thousand Cut Valley!" Golden Lion countered, his dual swords cleaving the air with immense force, forming a giant lion-shaped sword strike. Yet the Blood Dragon plowed through his attack effortlessly, ramming into Golden Lion's defenses and sending him crashing into the reinforced steel walls at the arena's edge.
"Ka-hahaha, bring it on, Li Yuan!" Golden Lion shouted with renewed excitement, leaping back to his feet. He had rarely experienced such overpowering attacks since consuming the Float-Float Fruit. Usually, he took advantage of his aerial agility, evading blows and waiting for the perfect moment to counter. But relying on this power had also left gaps in his own swordsmanship, which he now sought to address.
Golden Lion's ambitions demanded that he grow even stronger, lest he fall short of his former self under Rocks.
"Golden Lion, however you crushed me back then, I'm repaying in full now!" Li Yuan taunted. Just as he had once trained under Golden Lion to hone his skills, Golden Lion now aimed to use this duel as a whetstone for his own swordsmanship.
"Triple Sword Intent Secret Art: Blood Moon Ascension!"
A crimson crescent moon glowed above the arena. As Li Yuan charged with blinding speed, his Seven-Star Sword appeared mere inches from Golden Lion.
"Lion's Rage: Tornado!" Golden Lion crossed his swords to block, but the Seven-Star Sword's overwhelming force threw him back once more.
"Cough...Three types of sword intent, truly formidable," Golden Lion said, wiping blood from his mouth with a grin as he charged forward again.
He knew he was no match for Li Yuan without his Devil Fruit powers, but the challenge exhilarated him. It had been ages since he had faced an opponent this strong—since the days of the Rocks Pirates.
The crowd could tell Li Yuan was pushing Golden Lion back with sheer, relentless force.
"Seems like Golden Lion's going to lose."
"Hmph, it's only because he's not using his Devil Fruit powers. If he were, no way would he be at a disadvantage!"
"But why aren't they using Conqueror's Haki either?"
"Think about it—it's a swordsmanship tournament, so they're focusing on sword skill, not Haki. Haven't you noticed? They're only using Armament Haki to strengthen their swords, not to defend themselves."
"Ah, I see! I thought these Grandmasters seemed weaker than usual, but now it makes sense."
Li Yuan and Golden Lion ignored the chatter. For Golden Lion, this duel was an opportunity to shatter the status quo and reach new heights in swordsmanship, while for Li Yuan, it was a chance to settle old debts and prevent Golden Lion from boasting about their previous encounters.
As Li Yuan and Golden Lion fought, the other three quarterfinal matches were also underway: Red Count vs. Rayleigh, Roger vs. Silver Axe, and Wang Zhi vs. Genryusai Shigekuni.
"Rayleigh, this is our second time clashing, isn't it?" Red Count said, dashing forward with his sword disguised as an umbrella.
"Yes, and you've grown much stronger since then," Rayleigh replied, holding his sword, Gryphon, defensively as he deflected the Red Count's strike.
"Haha, last time Roger interrupted before we finished. This time, I'll defeat you and then go challenge Li Yuan!"
In a flash, the Red Count appeared behind Rayleigh, ready to strike again.
"Then bring it on! Show me if you've got what it takes!" Rayleigh, sensing the danger with his Observation Haki, dodged just in time.
The Red Count's sword strike hit the floor, its force so immense that it tore through the arena floor toward the wall. Realizing the impact, Chinjao stepped in, reinforcing the wall with Armament Haki to limit the damage to only a few dozen centimeters.
In each arena, Li Yuan had stationed two guards with Armament Haki to fortify the walls in case the battles grew too intense.
Meanwhile, Silver Axe, who usually wielded an axe, had switched to a giant sword for the tournament. However, his sword skills were weaker than those of Wang Zhi, let alone Roger, and he was ultimately defeated.
In another match, Wang Zhi faced off against Genryusai Shigekuni and was surprised to see his opponent use elemental-style sword intent. With a sword intent similar to the Logia Mera Mera no Mi, Genryusai's flame-like aura could even burn through his sword strikes.
Though the younger Genryusai showed promise, his swordsmanship wasn't fully refined, and in the end, Wang Zhi narrowly secured victory.
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