Alastor touched his chest. Just now, his kidneys had suffered a strong impact, but his defense is all-encompassing, inside and out. Such an impact couldn't cause serious damage to him.
Alastor looked at Denjiro with a hint of excitement in his eyes.
"It hurt me, but it's not enough. Your power shouldn't be limited to this level, right?"
"What happened?"
"He didn't get hurt much?"
"Impossible, even Ryou has no effect on him?!"
Denjiro's pupils contracted, looking at Alastor who was still smiling, unable to believe his eyes.
"No, it won't be ineffective. Ryou is effective against Kaido!"
Denjiro dismissed the thought immediately, thinking, "It must be that the strength of the Internal destruction I used was too weak, and the damage I inflicted on him was too light, so he doesn't take it seriously."
Then Denjiro heard Alastor's words, and his expression became even more gloomy.
Denjiro clenched his fists and said:
"You are indeed rough-skinned and thick-skinned, but I am Lord Oden's retainer, and I will never lose to a small character like you!"
Oden, Oden. Why can't so many people seem to move past this name? It's really bad luck.
But Alastor didn't care so much anymore; he just wanted to learn internal destruction faster and boost his defense at the same time.
He stood there motionless, waiting for Denjiro to make a move.
But Alastor didn't underestimate Denjiro; he remained on his guard.
Denjiro attacked again, and the internal destruction Haki on his sword was obviously much stronger than before.
Alastor's eyes flickered with brilliance. While parrying with the cursed sword , he felt the internal destruction wholeheartedly.
Clang, clang!
The speed of their fight was very fast, with countless fierce sparks colliding in the dark night.
Blood was spilled from time to time, all of it belonging to Alastor.
Kozuki Hiyori, who was watching the battle nervously, saw that Denjiro had obviously gained the upper hand. She should have felt relieved, but for some reason, she became more and more uneasy.
Denjiro also sensed something was wrong.
Throughout the battle, he was always attacking, while the opponent was always passively defending.
The opponent is a Flying Six, and his strength cannot be limited to this level.
Are you underestimating him?
Denjiro frowned, thinking it was not that simple.
Alastor had already been hit several times by his Internal destruction-infused attacks, suffering serious injuries.
Even if Denjiro underestimated him, it was absolutely impossible to endure this much.
You know, even for an animal-type fruit user, it's not easy to recover when injuries keep piling up.
"What the heck are you thinking?" Denjiro couldn't help but ask.
The domineering samurai sword wrapped in internal destruction slashed down fiercely.
Alastor tried to block it but failed. He was hit on the shoulder, and blood gushed out.
[The host receives moderate damage, defense +12]
Seeing the other party being injured again, Denjiro's face grew even uglier.
He really didn't understand what the man in front of him was thinking.
Could it be that he is actively seeking death like Kaido of the Beasts?
Denjiro felt ridiculous.
What Alastor said next made him even more furious.
"You learned internal destruction from Kozuki Oden, right?"
"Although Kozuki Oden is an idiot, I still fully recognize his strength. After all, there are only a handful of people in this sea who can leave Kaido with indelible scars."
"So-"
Alastor looked at Denjiro with red eyes and said with a mocking smile:
"What level of internal destruction did you learn from that idiot?"
Hum!
Denjiro's anger seemed to have turned into a tangible substance, a dark aura that was so thick it was almost viscous surged around him.
He seemed to have turned into a demon, a demon devoured by anger.
What do you think? Anything you want to tweak further?
His red eyes fixed on Alastor, Denjiro let out a resentful voice from between his teeth:
"You... bastard! You are so treacherous! How dare you call Lord Oden..."
The bulging veins on Denjiro's face were enough to show the extent of his anger.
As a warrior and retainer, having someone insult his dead lord to his face was the most intolerable thing in his life.
To protect his lord's reputation, he would not hesitate to sacrifice his life.
Denjiro suddenly swore to the sky:
"In the name of Lord Oden, I, Denjiro, bet my life to kill you!"
This life-risking oath made Kozuki Hiyori burst into tears beside him.
With such retainers, she was proud of her father.
"Very well, that's what you want."
But Alastor also praised him.
It's just that the praise carried an obvious expectation and desire.
All the cells in Alastor's body were jumping excitedly; his energy fully gathered, and his knowledge and domineering aura driven to the extreme.
There was no doubt that Denjiro, enraged by him, would exert all his strength in the next blow—a force far beyond anything before. This was the key to Alastor's complete grasp of internal destruction!
Therefore, Alastor was looking forward to it, concentrating deeply.
Denjiro's eyes twitched at Alastor's praise. What did this guy take his oath for?
"Forget it. Either way, this man is about to die under my blade."
"Open your eyes and watch!" Denjiro shouted, his voice echoing with intensity.
"This is the legacy of Lord Oden!"
"One day, all of you pirates and villains will be wiped out!"
As he spoke, Denjiro drew a second katana, gripping both swords firmly. He was ready to wield the two-sword style.
Alastor narrowed his eyes. If he remembered correctly, Kozuki Oden had also mastered this dual-sword technique.
Denjiro held his swords, took a deep breath, and infused both blades with his entire aura. In an instant, they turned into black blades, cloaked in a layer of liquid-like armor.
He began to sprint, faster and faster, until he was almost a blur.
Images of Lord Oden—his voice, his face—flashed in Denjiro's mind. The grief and anger surged through him, making him even faster, even stronger.
With a sudden leap, Denjiro appeared above Alastor, his twin blades positioned one in front and one behind, catching the moonlight as delicate cherry blossoms seemed to dance around them.
"Oden's Two-Sword Style!" Denjiro growled.
"Peach Blossom Tenfold Strike!"
Buzz, buzz!
A terrifying surge of sword energy filled the air. Denjiro and his swords seemed to merge into a single stream of light, shooting forward with immense speed.
Alastor tensed, every muscle in his body primed. He recognized this technique as the very one Kozuki Oden had used to wound Kaido. Realizing the sword energy had surpassed his physical defenses, Alastor quickly activated his Armament Haki without hesitation.
His entire body turned black as he reinforced his defense, and he raised his sword, the Sandai Kitetsu, in front of him.
Just as he completed these actions, Denjiro arrived.
Streams of light flickered, and Haki clashed against Haki. Pink cherry blossom petals fell gently around them.
Denjiro walked past Alastor. His chest heaved as he panted heavily, and he turned back, half-kneeling from sheer exhaustion. But he kept his gaze fixed on the man.
This was his most powerful strike, passed down from Lord Oden—surely, it would be fatal!
Indeed, as Denjiro looked, he saw a massive X-shaped scar appear on the man's side, blood pouring from the wound.
The amount of blood loss would be deadly for any normal person.
"Success..." Denjiro murmured, a triumphant smile crossing his face. He had avenged Lord Oden's shame.
Kozuki Hiyori covered her mouth, tears streaming uncontrollably. Yet, in her heart, an unshakable doubt remained: was it truly over?
Had that terrifying man really been killed by Denjiro?
But, the answer was soon clear.
In stunned silence, Denjiro and Kozuki Hiyori watched as Alastor lowered his head slightly, glancing at the wound on his side. He turned to look at Denjiro.
"So, you were trying to leave me with the same scar that Kozuki Oden left on Kaido?"
He chuckled coldly. "I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."
As long as there's no severed limb or immediate death, any injury on Alastor's body can heal simply by eating food—an advantage he has over even Kaido.
As Alastor spoke, the bleeding from the wound on his side stopped entirely.
Denjiro was in disbelief. Half-kneeling on the ground, his voice was dry and hoarse: "How… how is this possible? Your body…"
Alastorgave a slight smile. "Surprised? Let me explain. This is 'Life Return,' a technique popular in the Navy. My Life Return allows me to control any part of my body, stopping injuries from worsening. No matter how severe the wound, I can maintain full strength for a period of time."
Denjiro's body shook as he realized why Alastorhad been unfazed by his attacks earlier.
"I'm telling you all this not because I like to talk," Alastor continued, lifting the cursed Blade in his hand, "but to thank you."
"Thanks to you, I finally mastered the art of Ryuo internal destruction."
He paused, then added, "As a token of my gratitude, allow me to send you to the afterlife with this newfound Ryuo."