In the dark night of the Holy Land, an old man and a young man stood with their swords atop an elegantly grand building.
Evan had just used his strongest Night Radiance strike, yet the white-haired elder had effortlessly blocked it with his probing sword technique. This left Evan both astonished and deeply impressed—the elder had clearly reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, unmatched and unparalleled.
This was the true power of the World Government!
Unseen and unnoticed, these top-tier figures silently stood at the world’s peak, manipulating events from the shadows. Even the Marine was merely a tool to maintain their authority.
The Five Elders, besides wielding immense power, were themselves incredibly formidable.
“Let me personally gauge the gap between us,” Evan said, narrowing his eyes. His blood boiled with excitement, his innate battle spirit fully ignited.
His eyes shone with determination, his fighting spirit contrasting sharply with the elder’s calm demeanor. Yet both possessed an unyielding, fearless aura.
Evan flicked his wrist, making Snowfall gleam brightly. Holding Snowfall, he exuded a powerful presence like a sharp sword, leaping into the air with immense force. His body moved gracefully like a dragon, the dark blade blending into the night, emanating a hidden killing intent.
His opening move was an all-out display of his strongest swordsmanship.
“Let me see the difference between you and your master,” the elder said calmly, gripping his sword. He perfectly embodied the essence of calm and sudden action, his sword moving with him, enveloped in both Haki and sword energy.
His fluid, masterful swordplay made the sword light resemble moonlight, flawless and impenetrable.
Evan charged forward, his white robe billowing. He decisively raised Snowfall and swung it down with force, aiming to cut through the storm of sword energy. The essence of the Dark Night style lay in its slashing power, breaking everything in its path.
The black lightning cleaved through the storm of sword energy, and the two came face to face, their eyes locked. Neither hesitated as their swords clashed.
Clang!
The crisp sound of swords clashing and the dull thud of Haki colliding echoed across the Holy Land.
The duel of swordsmanship began.
Step! Step!
Their movements were so fast that their bodies almost became indistinguishable blurs, blending into the night. Sparks and shockwaves burst in the air between the buildings of the Holy Land.
Their battle resembled the eye of a storm of sword energy, with sword beams occasionally bursting out, ravaging the surroundings.
Slash!
A black lightning bolt shot out, instantly slicing a luxurious steel-reinforced concrete building in half.
Whoosh!
A terrifying sword beam as bright as daylight split the sky, instantly tearing a magnificent building into rubble.
The entire battlefield became a destructive field, sword energy crisscrossing and tearing through everything. The Holy Land’s affected area quickly became unrecognizable, while the surviving Celestial Dragons fled in terror.
“I can’t let you continue your rampage!” the elder said sternly. Gathering his focus, he finally got serious. His sword hummed continuously, exuding an aura of terrifying sharpness.
He slashed downwards, his sword light bright as daylight, targeting a flaw and breaking through the continuous black sword energy. The concentrated force landed on Snowfall.
Snowfall trembled violently, and Evan felt a shock in his palm, blood spraying from his hand. The dislodged Snowfall gleamed like moonlight as it was flung away, embedding itself in a building’s eaves.
The elder’s sword beam descended upon Evan’s defenseless chest.
Slash!
The terrifying strike tore through the solid ground, sword energy wreaking havoc. The earth split open, creating a massive rift like a path to the underworld.
“Hmm, you dodged?”
The elder glanced at another spot where Evan stood on a rooftop, panting and clutching his chest. A gruesome wound stretched from his left shoulder to his right abdomen, bleeding profusely and staining his white robe red.
Evan smiled bitterly. He had indeed dodged at the last moment, but the terrifying sword energy had already grazed his skin.
However, the crucial instant move had avoided at least eighty percent of the damage, sparing him from a more serious wound.
Evan looked gravely at the elder, realizing the elder’s strength was indeed formidable, exceeding even what the Night Emperor had described, with power surpassing that of an Admiral.
“A spatial teleportation ability? I wonder how many times you can teleport,” the elder said calmly, his presence as a supreme swordsman exuding a terrifying sharpness.
“I must admit, I am no match for you. But if I want to leave, you alone aren’t enough!” Evan smiled, shrugging. He waved his hand, and Snowfall flew out from the building, spinning in the air before sheathing itself at his waist.
“Is that so? Few have ever escaped my sword,” the elder said indifferently. The damage Evan had inflicted on the Holy Land made it imperative for the World Government to save face.
“Then let’s see,” Evan smirked. Without further words, he vanished from the rooftop.
“You won’t escape!”
The elder’s aura surged, sword energy wrapping around him. He leaped, his body slicing through the air like a sword, shooting towards the night sky.
Evan appeared a mile away, constructing spatial platforms to support his flight, swiftly heading out of the Holy Land.
But before he could take a few steps, a chilling sense of danger enveloped him. He quickly expanded his ROOM to scan the surroundings.
Within the ROOM, he saw the elder surrounded by sword energy, using Moonwalk to approach him at a speed comparable to light.
“So fast!”
Evan was shocked. In terms of speed, only Kizaru could match this elder in the future.
The elder’s mastery of swordsmanship allowed him to generate sword energy that cut through the air, propelling his speed to extraordinary levels.
Evan’s repeated teleportation attempts to widen the gap only resulted in the elder catching up during the brief pauses between teleports.
Continuous teleportation had its flaws, and against such speed, it was somewhat countered.
The elder slashed, a white sword beam cutting through the night, intending to obliterate Evan.
“Dark Night: Eight Nights!”
Evan drew Snowfall, slashing in response. The black sword beam split into eight, tearing through the terrifying storm of sword energy.
The white sword beam cut through the afterimage Evan left behind after teleporting. The elder appeared, coldly staring at Evan, who had teleported to another spot in the night sky. The spatial teleportation ability was proving troublesome.
“That was close.”
Evan sighed. The elder was starting to understand his teleportation range and reaction speed, making escape purely through teleportation seem unrealistic.
“A spent force?”
The elder adjusted his glasses, standing on a cloud of energy, his sword gleaming with condensed sword energy.
“Not at all. I didn’t want to use this state, as it harms both sides. But it seems I have no choice now,” Evan said, shaking his head. “If I don’t reveal my trump card, I might die here.”
From a young age, his greatest asset wasn’t his physical strength or the Dark Night style martial arts but his spatial abilities.
Only his spatial abilities gave him the real edge in battles against strong opponents!
From the beginning, Evan had considered his Devil Fruit power to be a Paramecia type, focusing on creating spherical spaces for teleportation, cutting, and control.
It wasn’t until the battle at Impel Down ten days ago, when the Night Emperor stayed behind to block Magellan, that Evan, exhausted and carried by Snow, escaped. They encountered Sakazuki’s warship and were discovered.
At that moment, the meteor shower of magma punches descended, radiating death.
Exhausted, Snow and Crow had no strength left to resist the powerful magma attack.
The scorching red magma fists loomed, reflecting in his eyes, growing larger.
Evan thought he would die under Sakazuki’s meteor shower, buried under the magma fists or the sea below.
But the life-threatening pressure allowed Evan to see another possibility of his spatial fruit ability.
He survived by breaking through human limitations, pushing his spatial abilities to a deeper level of control.
Or simply put an ‘awakening.’
“Let me show you my awakened state.”
Evan closed his eyes, slowly spreading his arms. A milky white light appeared in his palms, flowing over his body like water. Intricate patterns emerged on his arms, spiraling around.
When Evan opened his eyes, a golden light flashed. Without using spatial platforms, he stepped into the air, floating above the night sky, looking down at the elder.
“Awakening?”
The elder’s eyes narrowed. Evan seemed unchanged yet inexplicably different to him, as if he were both near and far, seemingly non-existent.
The elder couldn’t fathom what Evan’s ability was.
“Tricks!” the elder scoffed. Using Moonwalk, he slashed his famous sword, sending a terrifying beam of light to tear through the night sky.
Evan remained calm, not teleporting away. The powerful slash struck his chest but passed through as if hitting a phantom, emerging unscathed behind him.
Evan’s white robe fluttered, his body and clothing untouched.
“What is this…”
The elder frowned, feeling a sense of shock and loss of control. Even with his powerful Armament, Haki, his strike couldn’t touch Evan.
What ability could nullify such an attack? Even the knowledgeable elder couldn’t understand.
Evan’s eyes gleamed with golden light, looking down at the elder with a detached indifference, exuding an aura of supreme control.
“Can you cut through space?” he chuckled.
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