Rocks' eyes were bloodshot, his reason lost. Hate!
Destruction! Destruction!! Destruction!!!
His mind consumed by rage, the earth-shattering tremors did little to affect the actions of these top-tier powerhouses. A tempestuous Conqueror's Haki surged from his body, coiling around him.
He charged towards the crowd, and for a moment, no one could withstand a single blade from Rocks.
Clang!
Hiss—!
In an instant, Rocks flashed before Roger, his blade descending. Roger met the blow with his own, the clash of supreme Conqueror's Haki obliterating everything around them, cracking the very earth.
In just a few breaths, a white light flared.
Boom!
Suddenly exploding, they were sent flying back. Before they could land, Rocks in mid-air, his eyes crimson, turned to face the incoming assailant.
Karp's arms were pitch black, a faint dark aura flowing around them. His right arm charged, and he unleashed a punch towards the oncoming Rocks.
Clang!
The sound of metal colliding echoed, as Rocks, neither dodging nor evading, allowed Karp's iron fist to strike his body.
"Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!"
The pain only fueled Rocks' ferocity. Roaring madly, he grabbed Karp's right arm with his left hand and brandished his saber with his right. Black and purple energy swirled around the blade as he viciously slashed at the captured Karp.
Clang!
Boom!!!
The nearly tangible black and purple sword energy pressed down on Karp. The two accelerated downwards, smashing into the ground and creating a deep pit. Endless sword energy erupted from the pit, soaring towards the sky!
Centered on them, the ground cracked and spread outwards, followed by the eruption of black and purple sword energy from the fissures.
Boom! Boom!! Boom!!!
Forming a massive pit a thousand meters in diameter.
"Aaaahhh!!!"
"Aaaahhh!!!!!!!"
At the center of the pit's bottom, with the roars of the two, an endless gale erupted from their bodies, scattering the dust and revealing their forms.
Karp's eyes blazed, his left arm, coated in Armament Haki, tightly gripping the blade. Rocks, his eyes bloodshot, pressed his right saber fiercely towards Karp's neck.
They roared, locked in a struggle.
Swish!
Swish!
Two figures flashed to Rocks' side, one on the left, one on the right. Their arms coiled with Conqueror's Haki, their punches causing the space around them to ripple, as they simultaneously struck towards Rocks' head.
Rocks' hairs stood on end. The threat of death jolted him back to a sliver of lucidity. Releasing Karp, he stamped his foot and vanished.
Clang!
Boom!
The empty space where the target had been and the punch from the burly Gorosei collided, exploding with a roar.
Dodging the fatal blow, Rocks found a saber cleaving towards him.
Rocks' left arm, imbued with Armament Haki, grabbed the incoming blade. Ignoring the wound and the blood flowing from his palm, he twisted his upper body slightly to the right.
A boundless hatred flashed in his eyes as he slashed backward. Nothing was more enraging than betrayal from one's "own."
Roger remained silent, his saber slicing. Rocks, with his immense hatred, countered with his own blade.
The two blades met for an instant.
"I won,"
Roger grinned, thinking to himself.
Crack!
"What!"
Rocks' pupils contracted to an extreme. The threat of death washed over him, his hairs standing on end. He forced his body to twist slightly, evading the fatal blow, but was still cleaved open on one side, the wound bone-deep.
The death signals from his body's instincts did not diminish in the slightest. A faint whistling sound sliced through the air, and Rocks, with sheer force, twisted his body upwards once more.
The Gorosei, who had grasped the saber, had raised their index and middle fingers like swords, coiling with Conqueror's Haki, the moment Roger swung his blade.
As Roger's blade pierced Rocks' body, they thrust towards Rocks' heart as if with a sword.
Thwack!
The sound of blade piercing flesh echoed, followed by an explosion of endless sword energy, tearing a large hole directly below Rocks' heart, causing ceaseless bleeding.
Sizzle!
Boom!
A violent aura, accompanied by Conqueror's Haki, erupted from Rocks, blasting Roger and the Gorosei back.
At this moment, Rocks was completely lucid. His thoughts raced as he considered his escape. He was strong, not foolish; if this continued, he would be the one to die.
Boom!
Boom!
.....
Unbeknownst to the combatants, as the ancient weapons had been destroyed, the temperature of the entire island had risen slightly.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the coast, Sakazuki, watching the busy soldiers, felt the slight rise in temperature, a fleeting smirk touching his lips.....