Clang! Clang! Clang!!!
Is's long blade, coated in Haki, continuously collided with the Red Count's bat-handled umbrella, unleashing wave after wave of violent shockwaves.
By now, very few spectators remained.
Those who dared stay and continue watching were pirates with some level of strength.
"Should we help Is?"
Watching the battle between Is and the Red Count, Rem looked worriedly at Tatsumaki beside her.
"We could contribute a little too," Ram added.
She hadn't been in this world for long, so she wasn't familiar with Is's strength.
"Help Is? No, no, no. Even Rocks wasn't Is's opponent. How could this man possibly defeat him?" Tatsumaki looked at the Red Count with disdain.
Though she didn't know the Red Count or his strength, in her eyes, there were very few people left in this world who could defeat Is.
"Who's Rocks?" Rem asked curiously.
"Rocks? Just the captain of a pirate crew. Is killed him not long ago."
"Don't worry. Is is very strong. He doesn't need our help," Unohana Retsu said calmly with a smile.
Hearing Tatsumaki and Unohana's words, Rem and Ram developed an inexplicable confidence in Is.
Neither said anything else and simply continued watching the battle.
Swish!
During the fight, Is briefly used Future Sight and found an opening in the Red Count's defenses.
His blade swung toward him instantly.
Cold sweat appeared on the Red Count's forehead as he hurriedly retreated, but the sword aura still struck him, leaving a bloody wound across his body.
Fortunately, he had covered himself with Haki at the critical moment.
Otherwise, that slash would have torn open his abdomen.
"So the gap in strength really is this large..."
The Red Count exhaled lightly, his voice filled with emotion.
The battle had barely lasted long, and he had already been wounded and pushed into a disadvantageous position.
He had indeed underestimated Is's strength.
Smack!
Is placed his hand against the ground.
The earth beneath them transformed into paper at a visible speed, rapidly spreading toward the Red Count.
"The power of a Devil Fruit?"
The Red Count paused slightly, preparing to move away.
But behind him—
The paper-covered ground suddenly rose upward, and countless sheets gathered into a gigantic hand that slammed down toward him.
Slash!
The Red Count swung his bat umbrella, releasing a slash that severed the giant paper hand above him.
"Fire Fist!"
Just as the Red Count intended to catch his breath—
A massive wave of violent purple flames surged toward him.
The temperature of the purple fire was terrifying.
Even from a distance, the Red Count felt as though he were standing inside an inferno.
He leapt into the air to avoid the flames, sweat appearing on his forehead.
"What ferocious flames..."
The Red Count floated in midair beneath his opened umbrella.
The ground below was still burning with scorching fire.
Nearby houses and buildings had all been engulfed by the purple flames, blazing fiercely.
"So this is the power of a god? Even the Red Count is completely unable to contend against it."
Watching from afar, a pirate wiped cold sweat from his forehead as he muttered.
"Damn it... I'm actually inferior to a Celestial Dragon? Are Celestial Dragons of this era really this monstrous?"
"Seeing is believing. I heard he ended Rocks, but witnessing him fight in person... it's still shocking."
A pirate inhaled sharply.
"Other Celestial Dragons do nothing but indulge themselves and wait for death. Aurelius D. Virel Is is different. He's the only man in this world truly worthy of being called a Celestial Dragon."
Even from a distance, they could feel the heat.
The surrounding temperature had risen drastically, and many had already stripped off their upper clothes.
"If this is all your strength amounts to, then today... you'll have to pay the price, Red Count," Is said calmly while standing in place.
This was also Is's first encounter with the Red Count in this world.
He had no interest in him whatsoever.
But since the other party insisted on challenging him, it was truly foolish.
"If I didn't have some ability, how would I dare challenge a god?"
The Red Count coated his umbrella with Haki, then swung fiercely.
A violent gust erupted, instantly extinguishing and scattering the flames across the ground.
He landed slowly, his expression calm.
"Is that so?" Is sneered.
Boom!
The next moment—
A pillar of purple flames suddenly erupted beneath the Red Count's feet, swallowing him whole.
"Damn it—when did—?!"
The Red Count hadn't sensed it at all.
The pillar had appeared almost out of nowhere, leaving him no chance to evade.
The instant the flames engulfed him, he coated his entire body in Armament Haki.
But he was slightly too late.
The purple flames had already burned him.
Swinging his umbrella, he created a violent wind that extinguished the fire covering his body.
Yet he was now covered in black soot.
His once-white hair had turned black from burns and shortened considerably.
He looked extremely miserable.
Boom!
Another pillar of flames suddenly burst beneath his feet.
This time, however, he avoided it.
After suffering one attack, the Red Count had begun focusing on the ground below, barely sensing the abnormal heat transfer beforehand.
Holding his long blade, Is suddenly rushed forward.
Gripping the sword with both hands, he coated it with Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki before bringing it down heavily toward the Red Count.
Bang!
The Red Count hurriedly raised his bat umbrella to defend.
The collision between blade and umbrella released a terrifying shockwave that spread in all directions, visible ripples destroying surrounding buildings.
Crack! Crack! Crack!!!
The Red Count held the umbrella with both hands.
Countless fractures spread beneath his feet like shattered glass, and his legs below the knees sank into a crater.
Bang!
The Red Count used all his strength to knock Is away.
As Is was blasted backward, he activated the ability of his Paper-Paper Fruit.
Countless swords formed from paper shot outward, each carrying crimson flames.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!!
When the flaming paper swords struck the Red Count's umbrella, they exploded like cannon shells, kicking up massive clouds of dust.
Is landed steadily on the ground as smoke rose before him.
"Did Is win?"
Seeing this, Rem quickly asked.
She had guessed Is was strong, but never imagined he would be this strong.
The Red Count was completely outmatched.
The battle had been entirely one-sided.
"Not yet. That man hasn't fallen... but it'll happen soon."
"After all, he's fundamentally no match for Is."
Tatsumaki shook her head slowly while looking toward the silhouette hidden within the smoke.
Then her gaze shifted to Is.
A faint smile unconsciously appeared at the corner of her lips.
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