One Piece: Holy Light Swordmaster

On the western stage, Diamante furiously swung his sword, but his attacks were utterly ineffective.

Bang!

The user of the Ton-Ton Fruit, Machvise, was desperately ramming into the faintly glowing Lightforged Barrier shimmering on the ground.

"Master Diamante! It's useless, sob!"

Panting heavily, Machvise glared at the barrier that rippled slightly under his assault before giving up his futile attempts.

"Master Diamante, my Devil Fruit powers can't penetrate this protective layer…"

The Swim-Swim Fruit user, Senor Pink, sighed in frustration.

The moment he saw Wright, Senor realized the source of his unease during the journey here.

Ever since Wright had miraculously saved Russian's life last time, Senor had paid extra attention to any information about him—and hadn't killed a single person since.

The more he learned, the more he recognized the terrifying power of Rear Admiral Wright. For someone of his rank to have developed his abilities to this extent was unheard of—even among Marine Rear Admirals.

"Maybe… this exhausting life as a pirate is finally coming to an end…"

Senor silently reflected. Russian, will I ever see you again…? If that Rear Admiral keeps his word…

Then, a wry smile crossed his face. No, even if he doesn't, I'd deserve it anyway…

"You bastard! My powers don't work on this thing either!"

Diamante hacked at the Lightforged Barrier with all his might. But without Armament Haki to enhance his attacks and only middling swordsmanship, his fruit's abilities—which weren't focused on offense—couldn't even match the damage dealt by Machvise's Ton-Ton Fruit.

"I'm not built for breaking defenses! If only I could use the terrain to my advantage. But now? How am I supposed to break this thing?!"

Diamante raged impotently. Trapped within this "arena," time seemed to crawl.

From his position in the western arena, Diamante could barely make out the battles unfolding in the northern and southern arenas through the semi-transparent Lighttforged Barrier. However, the eastern arena was completely obscured from view.

In the northern arena, Monet lay collapsed on the ground, her condition uncertain.

Meanwhile, the Marine Rear Admiral in a crisp white coat and the Donquixote Family's "Young Master," clad in his signature pink feather coat, were locked in a fierce exchange. It was impossible to tell who had the upper hand.

As for the southern arena, it was entirely shrouded in white smoke, with occasional bursts of flame illuminating the haze. The action had since died down, leaving the results a mystery until the smoke cleared.

While the three pondered their predicament, Rosinante and Smoker regrouped outside the Lightforged Barrier.

Seeing the two officers emerge unscathed and the golden "space" containing their enemies completely still, the Marines aboard the nearby warship erupted into cheers once again.

Waving at the ecstatic Marines, Rosinante and the calmly approaching Smoker exchanged a fist bump.

"Well done!"

"You're the real surprise here, Rosinante," Smoker replied, not hiding his admiration. "After all these years, you've finally turned things around… Developing the Calm-Calm Fruit to this extent? Who's still calling it useless now?"

"Ha! Look who's talking, Smoker. The so-called weakest Logia, the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, has become an absolute powerhouse in your hands. Who dares call it weak now?"

The two shared a chuckle before Rosinante turned serious.

"Let's move. Wright's been expending a lot of energy. We need to wrap up the western arena quickly!"

"Master Diamante! Someone's coming in!" Senor hissed.

Diamante and Machvise turned to see Rosinante, cigarette dangling from his lips, and Smoker, chomping on two cigars, stepping through the Lightforged Barrier and into the western arena.

"Rosinante… and the guy who trapped us at the start… So, the east and south sides have already fallen!"

Senor immediately recognized Smoker—his investigations into Wright naturally included his friends. To his surprise, however, Senor found himself withholding this information from Diamante.

None of us know Haki… Against a Logia user, even one of them could annihilate us. Let alone both…

Must be because there's no chance of winning, Senor reassured himself, though uneasily.

Rosinante glanced at Senor's peculiar outfit, wincing slightly. This guy's fashion sense is… something else.

"I'll handle the swordsman and… uh, the pervert," Rosinante declared.

Smoker sighed. "Wright sure knows how to pick his acquaintances. Fine, I'll take the fat guy."

"Hey! Rosinante! Don't underestimate us!" Diamante snarled, his anger flaring. While his attacks failed against the barrier, his powers still worked on people.

"You traitor, sob!" Machvise sneered, his body suddenly becoming weightless as he ascended into the air. "With your pitiful strength, I'll crush you to death!"

"Hell's Thousand-Ton Bash!"

Infuriated, Machvise immediately unleashed his thousand-ton drop, aiming to obliterate what he deemed a weakling, Rosinante.

"Fixed Heart."

Rosinante's calm voice echoed as Machvise froze midair, vomiting blood before losing consciousness.

His body hung eerily suspended for a moment before plummeting to the golden ground with a loud thud.

"If not for you losing consciousness and deactivating your ability, your heart might've stayed floating in the air," Rosinante remarked nonchalantly, exhaling a puff of smoke.

Diamante and Senor stared, horrified.

"Your ability is truly convenient, Rosinante," Smoker said, giving a thumbs-up. "And targeting the heart? Guess you've finally toughened up."

"After surviving near-death, I realized some things need to change," Rosinante replied with a faint smile. "Diamante is all yours."

"No problem."

"Rosinante! I'm your opponent!" Senor shouted, snapping out of his shock.

"…With your fruit rendered useless in this arena and only passable physical skills… what can you even do? Don't waste your effort."

"Don't spout nonsense! You think I'd surrender without a fight?!"

"Understood. Then come at me."

Meanwhile, Smoker and Diamante had already begun their battle.

Without control over the terrain, Diamante was forced to rely on his iron cloak for defense.

His various slashes and weapons, animated by his powers, were utterly ineffective against the Logia Smoker, who ignored Diamante's enraged efforts.

"White Bind!"

Thick smoke coiled around Diamante, restraining him.

"White Cloud Burst!"

A violent explosion sent the last Donquixote executive hurtling unconscious to the ground.

Smoker glanced at Senor, now sprawled and unconscious from Rosinante's earlier attacks. Taking a drag on his cigar, he muttered, "Hey, Rosinante. You didn't kill him, did you?"

"Relax. I held back," Rosinante replied casually.

In the northern arena, Doflamingo snarled through gritted teeth after another exchange of blows.

"Wright! How much longer are you going to play around?!"

"Don't be so impatient…"

Sensing the ripple in the Lightforged Barrier as Rosinante and Smoker joined the fray, Wright grinned.

"Now, it's three against one."

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