In the instant of vigilance, both parties noticed each other's movements. Without any extra words, Sage's footsteps flickered, turning into an afterimage and charging forward, raising his hand for a string of Haki Bullets.
At the same time, the man with the center part waved his arm, instantly bringing forth a black light. A crescent-shaped slash erupted from the black light, destroying all the Haki Bullets and colliding with the last one, creating a shockwave.
The two figures turned into hues of black and red, black and gold, charging into the center of the shockwave, and with a bang, smashed open a larger tremor.
In the midst of the tremor, Sage's hands danced into fists, creating afterimages, striking towards every part of his opponent's body. The latter wasn't idle, the black light also split into shadows, overlapping with the afterimages of his fists.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of metallic clanging and air vibrating resonated in the air, bringing out circles of small shockwaves until these shockwaves converged, spreading into a huge explosion, separating the silhouettes of the two.
Debris and dust splattered, and at the center, a cloud of smoke rose up.
Sage stood firm on the ground, shaking his hand, staring intently through the smoke at the silhouette outside.
Great Sword Master!
Not only that, the intensity of his Haki was incredibly strong, and the speed at which he wielded his blade was even faster than Lily!
"What are you?"
Outside the smoke, a shocked voice from the man with the center part rang out, "Haki Bullets? Quite a unique approach, coming out from the sixth level?"
"Hmph, I have indeed been jailed, and what Navy officer are you? Newly promoted?" Sage asked.
"Don't use such ominous words like 'promoted.' Every step I've taken was..."
A streak of golden light appeared through the smoke with his words.
The wind on the island inexplicably changed direction, blowing towards Sage, making him involuntarily bristle.
"Damn it, I got backstabbed!"
Bang!
A wave of air surged from beneath Sage's feet. As he burst through the smoke, he saw that golden light shooting forth, with the man's two fingers running along the blade, making it emit golden light.
At the same time, Sage's whole body split into multiple shadows, encircling the man with the center part.
"North Star Divine Fist Secret Technique!"
"Unclear divine wind style Killing Sword!"
When they shouted their techniques, they both paused, but their actions didn't cease at all.
The surrounding afterimages attacked the man with the center part, aiming at various parts of his body, while the man swung his glowing blade directly at Sage's true form.
"Seven-Star Death Point!"
"Flood Dragon!"
The man with the center part flashed through the afterimages, which then disappeared, leaving Sage's true form and the man crossing each other, back to back.
"Can't hear it?"
"Can't see it?"
They spoke simultaneously.
The man twirled the blade with a flourish, gently sheathing it, "The gentle sound of this divine wind."
Sage clenched his fists, "Your Death Star is shining!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The body of the man with the center part seemed to explode like firecrackers from within, and a huge gash inexplicably appeared from Sage's shoulder to waist area.
Both figures staggered, turning around, blood trickling from the corners of their mouths at that moment.
"Who the hell are you?"
They asked simultaneously, then paused in surprise, scrutinizing each other.
In Sage's vision, not only was this man strong, but he was also very strange...
The sword at his waist, if he wasn't mistaken, was Shusui.
But this sword was clearly taken by Lily to be offered to him; it's now collecting dust in the Treasure Vault.
How could it have fallen into someone else's hands?
The crucial point was, that technique...
Still, that man with the center part raised an eyebrow, looking quirky, asking hesitantly yet with a hint of expectation, "The tiger covers the earth?"
Sage was stunned, replying instinctively, "The pagoda suppresses the river demon!"
When they finished, their eyes widened, shining brightly.
"Odd changes never change!" The man with the center part spoke again.
"Look at the quadrant of the sign!" Sage immediately responded.
Both were even more excited.
"The pesky old man is very bad?"
"Won't even give me a hundred!"
"Come on, give it your all!"
"Old eight!"
"One give me a giaogiao!"
"Mr. Zhan Yaping!"
They asked and answered, the questioner excited, and the responder even more so.
They looked at each other until the wind blew past, tousling their hair.
"Homeland!" The man with the center part choked up.
"Homeland!" Sage was even more moved.
"Slash!"
"Galaxy Impact!"
Both stepped forward, reaching out as if to shake hands, but at that moment, the man with the center part drew his hand along the hilt, sending a black-gold slash directly at him.
Sage punched out a Haki Shock like a pillar, colliding with the black-gold slash, producing a shockwave, creating a massive crack in the ground.
Amidst the flying gravel, they both bared their teeth in a grin, revealing gleaming white teeth.
The man with the center part gripped the hilt tightly, "When fellow countrymen meet..."
"Shoot each other on sight!"
Sage grinned in return, "This world doesn't allow anyone like me! The world is mine!"
"Very reasonable! I'm already an Admiral, and now a fellow countryman appears, and he's a Pirate, is he deliberately against me?" That man with the center part also laughed grimly.
They took another glance at each other, then burst into laughter.
Right, this is how it should be!
This is a true fellow countryman!
Mutual aid only belongs to the weak; once those who come out from the hometown gain power, most become the kind who think they're the center of the universe.
Coincidentally, Sage was precisely this kind!
"'Calamity' Norton Sage, one of the Four Emperors, took down Big Mom and Kaido, adept in North Star Divine Fist." Sage introduced.
"'Golden Lion' Lusiru Kuro, an Admiral, also took down Big Mom and Kaido, adept in Unclear divine wind style." Kuro pulled out a gold-lined cigar from his pocket and tossed it to Sage, "Want one?"
Sage caught it, and a cluster of flames emerged from his finger, lighting the cigar straight away. After exhaling the smoke, he said, "Not the same world?"
"Seems like it. I got enveloped by a cloud of mist and ended up here."
Kuro bit the cigar, thought for a moment, and said, "Why did you mention Mr. Zhan Yaping?"
"Also enveloped by the mist, but it looks like you arrived before me..."
Sage said, "Because back home, not even money matters more than people; righteousness and integrity can't compete with wealth."
"Not pure-hearted enough."
Kuro sighed, "Still, the sea is better, everyone acts like fools. I'm a warlord; which path are you on?"
"I'm on the feudal capitalism route."
Sage said, "Interesting, this Golden Mist, is the world about to connect? If so, then we'd better settle life and death!"
"A Pirate on feudal capitalism? Does that work? Power belongs to oneself? Might work, but where I'm from, your kind would be hanged. Never mind, I'm not qualified to judge you, but I might have an answer to your problem: it won't happen."
Kuro seemed to recall something, "Ah... now I remember, I seem to be an isotope, maybe it was a mistake to come here. I feel in my gut that I'll disappear soon enough. You too, your real self probably doesn't remember this event, but the experience gained here would still reflect back to your real self, maybe some adaptation to the world, like Haki getting stronger..."
"Isotope?"
Sage paused, then realized, "I see, but when will we disappear?"
"No idea."
Kuro chuckled, raising the Shusui in his hand, "Perhaps, only one person can occupy this coordinate..."
Sage grinned wickedly, his whole body cracking with the sounds, "Then let's settle life and death!"