The battlefield twisted.
Hiro's Night Shroud swallowed everything in an ocean of black mist, but something was wrong. The darkness pulsed, warped, and refused to stay under his control.
Noctis grinned.
"You thought you were the only one who could command the abyss?"
The Phantom Emperor raised his hand, and Hiro felt it—a second darkness rising against his own. It wasn't just shadows or illusions. It was deeper. Colder. Hungrier.
Hiro clenched his fists. His own Night Night no Mi power surged around him, the mist forming jagged tendrils. "Doesn't matter," he growled. "I'll just crush yours."
Noctis vanished.
Hiro barely dodged. A black blade tore through the space where his neck had been a second ago. His Observation Haki screamed at him—Noctis wasn't just fast. He was slipping through the darkness itself.
A whisper brushed against Hiro's ear.
"Too slow."
CRACK!
A brutal kick to the ribs sent Hiro flying. He crashed into the swirling void, but the darkness wrapped around him, cushioning the impact. He rolled back onto his feet, eyes locked onto Noctis.
His enemy stood above him, balanced on a floating pillar of abyssal energy. His golden eyes glowed in the dark. "You're not bad," Noctis admitted. "But you're fighting me in my element."
Hiro spat out blood. "You talk too much."
His Conqueror's Haki exploded.
The battlefield trembled. The void cracked like glass, revealing the real world beneath it—stormy waves, a shattered sky, and the remnants of Hiro's ship suspended in midair by their dueling forces.
Noctis tilted his head, intrigued. "Oh? You're forcing the world back into focus? That's rare."
Hiro exhaled. His Night Shroud wasn't just mist. It wasn't just darkness. It was his will.
And he pushed back.
The abyss obeyed.
The black mist around Noctis froze—for the first time, his footing faltered. Hiro moved.
BOOM!
His fist, coated in Advanced Armament Haki, slammed into Noctis' gut.
The Phantom Emperor gasped.
The impact sent him hurtling through the battlefield, crashing into a broken mast from Hiro's ship. But before Hiro could press forward—
A chilling laughter echoed.
Noctis rose from the wreckage. He wiped the blood from his lips, still grinning.
"Finally," he murmured. "Someone worth fighting."
The air cracked.
A black shockwave erupted from Noctis, shattering the remains of the battlefield.
His own Conqueror's Haki roared back.
Hiro gritted his teeth.
The world itself seemed to hold its breath.
Hiro and Noctis stood amidst the shattered battlefield, abyssal energies clashing like two raging storms. The sea roared below, caught between their overwhelming wills.
Noctis rolled his shoulders, his grin widening. "It's been a while since someone forced me to go all out."
Hiro didn't respond. His Night Night no Mi mist coiled around him, infused with his Conqueror's Haki. He wasn't interested in conversation—only victory.
Noctis raised a hand. His darkness shifted, solidifying into a wickedly curved blade. "Let's see if your abyss can swallow mine."
And then he vanished.
Hiro barely had time to react. Noctis' blade came from above, slashing downward with the force to split an island in two. Hiro twisted, his own shadow-forged spear forming in his hands.
CLANG!
The impact sent shockwaves through the air, scattering the dark mist like a storm. Hiro slid back, his arms vibrating from the force.
Noctis was already on him again.
Slash. Thrust. Parry. Counter.
Each exchange was faster than the last, their abyssal weapons colliding in a flurry of black lightning and compressed force. Every strike carried the weight of destruction, warping the air around them.
Noctis suddenly smirked. "Crimson Eclipse."
His abyssal blade morphed, stretching unnaturally as it stabbed forward. Hiro barely tilted his head in time—but a sharp pain burned across his cheek.
Blood dripped into the void.
Noctis licked his lips. "Looks like you can still bleed after all."
Hiro's eyes flashed.
His spear melted into mist, reforming into twin blades. His aura surged, intertwining with the darkness around him.
"Then I'll show you…"
Hiro's blades became a blur, weaving through Noctis' defenses. The Phantom Emperor barely managed to block, but his grin faltered as Hiro's attacks became unpredictable, moving like an untamed storm.
Noctis tried to step back—but Hiro was already behind him.
"Nightfall Requiem."
A slash too fast to see.
For the first time, Noctis stumbled, clutching his side. A deep gash ran across his ribs, his abyssal form flickering from the blow.
Silence.
Then Noctis let out a breathless laugh. "Not bad… Monkey D. Hiro."
He exhaled, and the abyss around him trembled.
Then, it changed.
No longer just darkness. No longer just mist.
The void itself bent to his will.
Hiro's instincts screamed.
Noctis raised a single hand. "Let's take this to the next level."
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Even I personally think I'm taking too much time updating. So I'll upload these two chapters today, and then I'll upload the day after tomorrow. So I'll let you all know now, I usually update after a full day has passed.