Compared to the others, "Flower Sword" Vista's state of mind was different.
He was directly confronting this ferocious slash, his expression instantly turning grave, as if the entire world had frozen in that moment.
Without hesitation, he reacted swiftly, gripping his two swords tightly and crossing them to form a solid line of defense.
His legs bent slightly, his upper body leaning forward to adopt a standard defensive posture like an impregnable fortress.
However, this wasn't because he didn't wish to evade the attack, but because Lancelot's strike was simply too fast—so fast that he had no time to dodge. In that split second, his only choice was to meet it head-on.
Just as he completed his defensive move, Lancelot's slash descended like a bolt of lightning, crashing heavily onto his crossed swords.
An immense impact surged forth like a tidal wave. Vista felt as if his body had been struck by a high-speed train, nearly unable to withstand the overwhelming force.
But at this moment, there was no retreat left for him.
Gritting his teeth, he unleashed all his strength.
The muscles all over his body swelled, stretching his clothes taut to the limit, as if they might tear apart at any second.
His feet sank deep into the ice layer, carving out a depression in the hard frozen surface. His body leaned forward by thirty degrees, exerting every ounce of effort to withstand Lancelot's terrifying strike.
Crack, crack…
Accompanied by crisp shattering sounds, the ice beneath his feet continuously fractured and broke apart. Each shard of ice flew in all directions like an exploding bomb.
His entire body, propelled by a tremendous force, was rapidly pushed backward
The force was so immense that he lost control of his body, only able to watch helplessly as he was pushed farther from his original position.
Finally, after being forced back over fifty meters, he barely managed to steady himself.
However, it was far from over.
He'd unleashed more than a hundred percent of his strength.
His body trembled slightly from the exertion, and his muscles bulged even more from the tension.
Rip…
A tearing sound echoed as his clothes were ripped apart under the impact of this overwhelming power!
But he paid no attention to it.
Clenching his teeth, he mustered every ounce of strength in his body and abruptly thrust upward.
A blinding flash of light streaked across the sky as Lancelot's slash was forcefully deflected into the air.
This scene was just as astonishing as when "Diamond" Jozu had blocked Mihawk's slash earlier.
Whitebeard stood not far away, observing everything from a distance.
His originally calm expression tightened slightly at the sight before him, revealing a hint of surprise.
Whitebeard knew all too well the strength of his sons
. Yet, this opponent named Lancelot had displayed power far beyond his expectations, forcing Whitebeard to reassess the young man.
He murmured softly, "It seems this kid's battle with Kaido… wasn't entirely due to luck. He truly possesses such strength! Kaido didn't lie to me."
At this thought, Whitebeard's pupils contracted sharply. He realized that this Lancelot wasn't an opponent to be taken lightly.
Immediately afterward, he turned his head and looked toward "Diamond" Jozu.
Their eyes met in mid-air, reaching an unspoken understanding in an instant.
Jozu understood immediately and responded without hesitation, "Don't worry, Pops!"
Before his words faded, his legs exploded with force, propelling him forward like a cannonball.
In a few swift leaps through the air, Jozu moved with lightning speed, arriving directly above Lancelot.
Then, his body instantly transformed into unbreakable diamond, gleaming with a dazzling radiance.
Without hesitation, Jozu threw a punch as powerful as thunder, carrying boundless force straight down toward Lancelot below.
"Huh?"
Lancelot's Observation Haki instantly detected his presence, and he quickly looked up, his gaze meeting Jozu's.
Jozu's entire body shimmered with a brilliant light, like a dazzling diamond, exuding an intimidating pressure.
Seeing this, Lancelot raised an eyebrow, seemingly unsurprised by Jozu's appearance.
A faint smile curled at the corner of his lips as he casually shifted his gaze toward Whitebeard in the distance, muttering softly.
"It seems Whitebeard really thinks highly of me! He even sent two of the three strongest fighters around him to deal with me."
Before his words fully faded, Lancelot swung his left arm, instantly clenching his fist and launching it upward like a cannonball.
This punch carried the force of thunder, brimming with overwhelming power and momentum, as if it could tear the very fabric of space apart.
At the same time, Jozu showed no sign of weakness.
His fist descended like a meteor, crashing violently against Lancelot's in mid-air.
Boom!
A deafening roar echoed, and for a moment, the entire world fell silent.
Their fists collided fiercely in the air, unleashing a terrifying shockwave that swept outward.
Wherever the shockwave passed, the air was torn apart, forming visible ripples of force.
For a moment, neither seemed to gain the upper hand.
That made sense. Jozu's body instantly turned into diamond, dazzling brilliantly under the sunlight.
Though beautiful, it seemed as if no force could shatter his defense.
Meanwhile, Lancelot was enveloped in a layer of golden dragon scales, tightly clinging to his skin like an indestructible suit of armor.
Similarly, few could breach his defense.
Moreover, both possessed their own unique strengths.
Jozu was renowned for his immense strength, each punch carrying terrifying power, always subduing others through sheer force.
Lancelot, on the other hand, hadn't only achieved Awakening with his Zoan Devil Fruit but also possessed a giant bloodline and mastery of martial arts.
The perfect fusion of these three aspects endowed him with strength that was in no way inferior to someone like Jozu, who was born with divine power.
It could be said that both Jozu and Lancelot were peerless warriors, excelling in both offense and defense.
However, despite this, Jozu still fell slightly short in his confrontation with Lancelot.
After all, Jozu had leveraged the force of his descent during the fight, which undoubtedly gave him an advantage, but it also indirectly revealed his own limitations in strength.
More crucially, Lancelot had yet to reveal all his trump cards.
What he had displayed was merely his Dragon Human form, far from his strongest state.
This meant that Lancelot's true power hadn't been fully unleashed; he still retained some formidable techniques.
At that moment, with a deafening "boom," the ice beneath Lancelot's feet could no longer withstand such immense force and instantly shattered.
This sudden turn of events shocked everyone present.
Yet, amidst the astonishment, "Flower Sword" Vista keenly seized this perfect opportunity.
His eyes lit up, and with a powerful push from his legs, he shot forward like an arrow from a bow, moving at an astonishing speed.
In almost the blink of an eye, Vista closed in on Lancelot's side like lightning.
His twin swords gleamed coldly as he swung them decisively toward Lancelot.
"Not good!"
All eyes were instantly drawn to the scene, witnessing Lancelot in grave danger, caught between Flower Sword Vista and "Diamond" Jozu. The situation was critical.
The Marines who saw this turned pale, some even gasping in alarm.
A few even wanted to step forward to prevent this terrifying scene from unfolding.
However, compared to the formidable Flower Sword Vista, the gap was simply too vast; they posed no threat whatsoever.
Meanwhile, some nearby Vice Admirals also sensed Lancelot's peril and sought to intervene.
Yet, they were firmly blocked by the division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates, unable to get even a step closer to Lancelot.
For a moment, Lancelot seemed trapped in an isolated, hopeless situation.
How could the Marines not be anxious?
After all, those were "Diamond" Jozu and "Flower Sword" Vista.
Both ranked among the top five in combat strength within the Whitebeard Pirates, possessing Vice-Emperor Level power.
One-on-one, Lancelot naturally had no fear. But one against two...
Even the Marine Admirals would likely struggle to gain an advantage!
However, at this critical moment, Kizaru on the high platform showed signs of standing up.
His speed was unmatched, and if he intended to support Lancelot, no one on the battlefield could reach him faster.
Moreover, judging by Kizaru's expression and movements, he genuinely seemed inclined to assist Lancelot.
Yet, just as he was about to take action, Sengoku beside him suddenly spoke up.
"Lancelot is handling things fine. Draw Marco away from Whitebeard's side."
Upon hearing this, Kizaru narrowed his eyes slightly, as if contemplating the deeper meaning behind Sengoku's words.
After a moment, he slowly turned his head to glance at Sengoku, his gaze now carrying a hint of profound significance.
In any case, Sengoku's arrangement indeed had no obvious flaws.
Thus, Kizaru hesitated no longer.
In a flash, he shot into the air like a golden beam of light.
At the same time, "Flower Sword" Vista raced over like a bolt of lightning, instantly closing in on Lancelot. His twin blades sliced through the air with a chilling gleam, slashing fiercely toward Lancelot with a sharp, imposing momentum.
However, despite Vista's swift movements, Lancelot effortlessly captured the dynamics of this fleeting moment thanks to his high-level Observation Haki.
Observation Haki allowed him to clearly perceive the trajectory and force of Vista's attack, as if everything was under his control.
Lancelot smiled confidently.
Having already discerned Vista's attack, he naturally wouldn't let it succeed.
Suddenly, a layer of pitch-black Armament Haki surged over Lancelot's arm, hard as steel.
This powerful Armament Haki swiftly enveloped Shusui in his hand, elevating the sword's might to an even higher level.
Without hesitation, Lancelot swung Shusui with thunderous force to meet Vista's twin blades.
In an instant, a loud "clang" echoed as the three blades collided violently in mid-air, producing a crisp metallic clash.
This time, Lancelot held nothing back, channeling all his strength into this single strike.
A terrifying force erupted like a torrent, unstoppable in its momentum.
Under the impact of this power, Vista was sent flying as if struck head-on by a speeding truck, his body tumbling through the air like a kite with its string cut.