Newgate's earlier speculation had been wrong.
He'd thought Void Slash required a specific medium, that Finn couldn't use the technique without a blade in his hand.
In truth, he'd been only half right. The technique did require a medium.
But as long as there was a suitable medium, Finn could still use Void Slash even without Shindokutō in his hand.
As one of the world's top fighters, Finn had been acutely aware of this weakness. Would he really not try to compensate for it? Of course he would. He'd definitely find a way to make up for the flaw.
The first approach had been to eliminate the medium requirement entirely, to see if it was possible to execute Void Slash with his bare hands.
However, that path wasn't feasible, at least not yet. Finn wasn't powerful enough to manifest the technique's collapsing gravitational force without a catalyst.
So the second approach was simple. Create a backup.
After giving up Shindokutō, how could he still use Void Slash?
Finn had only pondered this question briefly before setting his sights on Shindokutō's scabbard.
It turned out he'd succeeded. The problem hadn't been particularly difficult to solve.
At the same time, he'd never told anyone about this contingency. He'd kept it as a hidden trump card.
Using Shindokutō's scabbard as a medium to unleash Void Slash was actually a sinister idea. After all, under normal circumstances, no one would pay attention to a scabbard.
And now, because of precisely that lack of attention, Newgate had been struck down by Finn. His kidney had nearly been torn out.
Newgate covered the hideous wound on his waist and abdomen with one hand. The gash wasn't particularly long, maybe thirty or forty centimeters, but it looked devastating. Near his left kidney, the muscles between his waist and abdomen had completely vanished, as if forcibly torn away. The hole revealed his internal organs clearly.
There was a tremendous amount of blood. The sight was brutal.
Even though Newgate pressed his hand against the wound, he couldn't stop blood from gushing out. He was seriously injured. Without question, grievously injured.
Newgate's condition had already been severe. When Rayleigh intervened, he'd been given time to adjust and forcibly suppress the damage. But now he'd taken another devastating blow. His aura had become chaotic. The injuries he'd been suppressing could no longer be contained.
With every breath, blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. Scarlet foam gathered beneath his nose. The whites of his eyes were shot through with red. His brow furrowed deeply, and veins bulged on his forehead. He was clearly experiencing extreme pain and struggling to adapt to it.
"Hey, Whitebeard..." Rayleigh stood before Newgate, concern clear in his voice. "Are you okay?"
Newgate wanted to maintain his pride. But the moment he opened his mouth, a gout of old blood erupted, dyeing his half-broken white beard crimson.
Seeing this, Rayleigh's heart grew heavy. It was obvious. Whitebeard was finished.
Whitebeard could no longer fight. Which meant Rayleigh had to face Finn alone. If he'd been able to watch from the sidelines with a relaxed attitude before, now that he'd truly joined the battle, Rayleigh could fully feel the overwhelming pressure Finn brought to bear.
"What a troublesome situation..." Rayleigh murmured. His pupils contracted slightly. His expression became extremely serious.
On the other side, Finn held Shindokutō's scabbard in his hand. A cruel smile crossed his face. "Oh, has one already fallen?"
After a brief pause, Finn looked at Rayleigh. "It's your turn, Dark King."
The instant the title left his lips, Finn kicked off the ground. His figure vanished in a flash of Soru.
The next moment, Finn appeared before Rayleigh. Without hesitation, he swung the scabbard down.
The Void Slash coating the scabbard brought an overwhelming sense of oppression. Wherever the collapsing force passed, space itself fractured slightly.
Not daring to block it directly, Rayleigh shifted his feet and took a step back. At the same time, he struck out with a backhand palm wrapped in Armament Haki.
The Void Slash fell beside Rayleigh, missing him. Finn showed no concern. His other hand lashed out with Haki coating and shattered Rayleigh's counterattack in a single blow.
The next second, the scabbard in his hand traced a pattern of shadows and slashed toward Rayleigh at incredible speed.
In that instant, Rayleigh's instincts screamed warning. He retreated hastily, trying to create distance from Finn. But Finn's assault was relentless. Rayleigh took one step back, and Finn took one step forward.
In moments, Rayleigh had retreated dozens of meters. Yet Finn remained glued to him, the scabbard in his hand slashing wildly with Void Slash active.
Speaking of which, although few people bothered to compare anything since Finn had "mastered divine power," in truth, Finn's swordsmanship level had remained at the "mediocre" level it had always been.
This was also what Rayleigh felt grateful for in this moment. As a top-tier swordsman, he could sense that Finn's blade technique wasn't particularly refined. The Admiral relied entirely on overwhelming strength in other areas to crush opponents.
It was precisely because of this that Rayleigh had managed to survive Finn's fierce assault until now. If Finn's swordsmanship were half as good as Mihawk's, he would have already cut the unarmed Rayleigh to pieces.
At the same time, Rayleigh discovered another crucial detail. When using Void Slash, Finn seemed unable to use other moves and techniques related to his Devil Fruit ability.
In fact, this was indeed the case. The attack power of Void Slash was the best in the world. It could kill anyone in its path, cut through any defense. However, it also came with significant disadvantages. It couldn't be used freely without a medium. When wielding this power, because it required mobilizing enormous gravitational energy and demanded precise control, Finn couldn't use his other abilities and techniques.
"When you use this move..." Rayleigh suddenly spoke.
While dodging Finn's slashes, he attempted to engage in psychological warfare through trash talk. It didn't matter if it had no effect. A few words cost nothing.
However, before he could finish his sentence, the Void Slash coating Finn's scabbard suddenly dissipated, revealing the simple wooden sheath beneath.
In that moment, Rayleigh's reaction speed failed to keep pace with Finn's shift. His face changed. He wasn't prepared. Massive gravitational pressure instantly enveloped him, making his movements sluggish.
At the same time, Finn suddenly drove his fist directly into Rayleigh's nose. The powerful blow, wrapped in Armament Haki, instantly broke Rayleigh's nose bridge. Blood erupted across Rayleigh's face.
All these changes happened so quickly that for a moment, Rayleigh's mind went blank. When he recovered his senses, Finn had already grabbed his throat with the hand that had just broken his nose. Taking advantage of his height, Finn lifted Rayleigh into the air.
"What were you saying about when I use this move?" Finn asked, a smile on his face.
After a brief pause, before Rayleigh could speak, Finn continued. "When using this technique, I can't use my other abilities? Yes, you're quite right. But Rayleigh, if I want to deal with you without a sword, why would I need to rely on Void Slash? Hehehe..."
From the very beginning, Finn's wild slashing with Void Slash had been a means to conceal his true intentions. What he'd wanted was the precise moment when Rayleigh relaxed his guard, or thought he'd discovered some exploitable secret.
Rayleigh hadn't engaged in actual combat for many years. Naturally he had some rust when battle began. Against other opponents, with his strength, these flaws wouldn't matter. After fighting for a while and regaining his rhythm, Rayleigh would grow stronger. But against Finn, he'd been caught the instant he showed weakness.
Before Rayleigh could respond, the ground beneath Finn's feet shifted slightly. He frowned and looked down.
A bottle-shaped Homie poked its head out from beneath the earth.
"This is..." Finn's eyes widened first, then his expression changed drastically.
Armament Haki erupted from his feet, trying to shield himself. But the Homie was faster. It detonated with a roar.
Dyna Stone!
At the moment of the explosion, an overwhelmingly powerful shockwave, or perhaps a slashing wave, erupted from the distance.
"Ikoku!" Charlotte Linlin roared.
The attack shattered Kuzan's glacier into fragments and crashed toward Finn with undiminished power.
In truth, Charlotte Linlin hadn't regarded Kuzan as a real threat at all. She knew perfectly well that the only genuine danger here was Finn. So while fighting Kuzan, she'd kept constant watch on the Admiral.
Even though the attack seemed to have connected, Charlotte Linlin didn't dare grow careless. She kicked off the ground, and her massive frame charged toward Finn like a living tank.
"Bastard..." Kuzan cursed angrily. Ice energy gathered in his hand, about to explode, when a streak of blue flame flashed past and a kick shot toward his head.
It was Marco. His expression was deadly serious, flames of anger flickering in his eyes.
Even though he'd nearly been beaten to death by Charlotte Linlin not long ago, at this critical moment, he still chose to prioritize the bigger picture and help Charlotte Linlin hold Kuzan back for a moment.
Because he also understood perfectly well that if Finn freed up his hands now, everyone would be in trouble.
Without Kuzan's restraint, Charlotte Linlin was like a wild horse breaking free from its reins. She plunged headlong into the smoke and chaos.
Her Observation Haki activated fully, and she caught sight of Finn's figure instantly. The Emperor Sword in her hand erupted with flames, and she brought it down with devastating force.
"Blade of Destruction!" Charlotte Linlin roared.
Finn was genuinely confused. He'd known there was Dyna Stone on the island, but he'd never expected it would transform into Homies and actively attack him.
Although the injury wasn't serious, he hadn't yet regained his footing when Charlotte Linlin's overwhelming presence bore down on him, forcing him to counterattack immediately.
Charlotte Linlin, that damned old woman, had suddenly charged in like a madwoman and started slashing wildly. What the hell was going on?
"Damn it, I knew you were unreliable, Kuzan!" Finn cursed.
Facing Charlotte Linlin's flaming Emperor Sword, Finn struck with a fierce Haki-coated punch.
Fist and blade intersected for only a moment. Finn's footing gave way, and he used Charlotte Linlin's brute force to retreat directly from the explosion's smoke.
Ignoring Charlotte Linlin for now, Finn's Observation Haki quickly locked onto Rayleigh, who had just risen to his feet not far away.
"Son of a bitch!" Finn cursed and raised his hand toward Rayleigh.
"What is this?" Rayleigh was confused for a moment. Before he could react, he suddenly felt weightless.
"Gravity Domain: Planetary Devastation!" Finn roared.
Gravitational energy erupted from his body and manifested around Rayleigh. Powerful attractive force yanked soil and rocks from the ground and plastered them against Rayleigh's body. Rayleigh himself slowly rose into the air.
At that moment, Charlotte Linlin burst from the smoke like a madwoman, Emperor Sword raised, her scarlet eyes fixed on Finn. The instant she saw him, she roared and charged.
Finn didn't engage Charlotte Linlin at all. He dodged nimbly, creating distance, while his hands continued to output the power of Planetary Devastation.
Rayleigh was truly in a miserable situation. He didn't have any strange abilities. His physical strength wasn't abnormal enough to earn him the title of monster. The rapier he could rely on had been taken by Finn from the very beginning.
Therefore, when facing Planetary Devastation, he had no effective countermeasures. He struggled and cursed, but was soon buried beneath earth and stone and lifted high into the sky.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writing takes time, coffee, and a lot of love.If you'd like to support my work, join me at [email protected]/GoldenGaruda
You'll get early access to over 50 chapters, selection on new series, and the satisfaction of knowing your support directly fuels more stories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~