Seeing with his Observation Haki that the ship was far away, Cyrus raised his hand, pressed it on his sword's hilt and slowly drew the blade.
A wisp of flame appeared on his hand and coiled around the blade.
BOOM!
Just as the flame was wrapping around the blade, a burst of fire suddenly erupted from Cyrus's body.
The flickering flames rose but did not obscure Cyrus's figure.
"I'll be going all out from now on."
As Cyrus's voice fell, the flames swirling around him intensified again, soaring dozens of meters high.
Hawkeye's expression was solemn as he took Yoru from his back and held it in his hand.
'This was the feeling!'
He had sensed this aura back in Alabasta, but it had been very faint then, gone in a flash.
But now, feeling the powerful aura rising from Cyrus, Hawkeye's eyes filled with anticipation.
Just as the flames grew more violent, the mountain-like blaze retracted, condensing around Cyrus's body.
The high-temperature flames wrapped around him like a coat of fire.
BOOM!
In an instant, the flame-clad figure was already in front of Hawkeye.
The blade, marked with flame patterns, swung horizontally toward Hawkeye at extreme speed.
Before the blade arrived, the scorching heat and sharp aura had already reached him.
Hawkeye leaned back, his feet pushing off the ground to slide away.
Swish!
A slash flew from the dodged strike, cutting through everything in its path before skimming across the sea's surface into the distance.
In the distance, the sliced rock split apart, the cut surface already molten.
"You didn't control your strength!" Hawkeye said as he flipped over to dodge the blow.
"You're right. But sometimes, there's no need to control one's strength." Cyrus replied, holding his sword and looking at Hawkeye.
Beneath his feet, the rock had melted into magma, which was now spreading through the cracks.
He called his current state "Burst Mode."
It was a state brought about by pushing his Haki and Devil Fruit Ability to their limits.
In his normal state, Cyrus didn't think he could beat Hawkeye.
Hawkeye had truly honed his Swordsmanship to such a high level that he could ignore many of his opponent's influences.
Therefore, Cyrus went directly into Burst Mode from the very beginning.
Anyone else would not push their body's potential and stamina so relentlessly, expending energy like this.
But Cyrus's unique constitution gave him this option.
After all, he still had his ultimate ability as a safety net.
Besides, while the consumption of this all-out state was huge, his regeneration speed was also very fast now.
He could maintain this form for more than ten hours, until his health dropped to its lowest point, activating Unbending and entering an invincible state.
Boom!
The flames lunged as Cyrus pounced toward Hawkeye.
Upon landing, the flames impacted the ground, spreading out in all directions.
Hawkeye leaped a few times and swung his sword, unleashing several slashes.
As the slashes neared, Cyrus's body used Elemental Transformation to avoid them, and he countered with several slashes of his own.
The Flame Slashes sealed off Hawkeye's landing spots and the surrounding area.
His hawk-like eyes stared at the incoming Flame Slashes.
While in mid-air, Hawkeye held his sword with both hands, pulled it back and then swung it forward violently.
A powerful green slash collided with the Flame Slash coming from the front, and the flames exploded.
Cyrus charged straight through the flames, appearing before Hawkeye in an instant.
The flying Cyrus carried a powerful impact force and high temperature, making Hawkeye's expression even more grim.
Yoru in his hands swung continuously, its slashes landing on Cyrus's body.
Cyrus, who had not yet mastered precognitive Observation Haki, could dodge some slashes, but he couldn't completely avoid so many at such close range.
But Cyrus didn't need to avoid them at all.
He let Yoru, infused with Armament Haki, strike his body, while his own flame-wreathed blade slashed toward Hawkeye's face.
'Retreat!'
Hawkeye made an instant judgment. He swung Yoru, clashing with Cyrus's flaming longsword.
Then, Hawkeye's expression changed as a tremendous force spread from the flaming longsword.
BOOM!
Hawkeye was sent flying by the single strike.
After flipping in the air and landing, Hawkeye stared at Cyrus.
"So it wasn't an illusion. Your body..." Hawkeye spoke softly.
Last time in Alabasta, his sword had struck Cyrus twice.
He was certain the hits had landed, yet Cyrus had been completely unharmed.
With Yoru infused with Armament Haki, he could injure even the strongest Armament Haki user.
But both of those strikes had been futile.
Just now, he had unleashed dozens of slashes in an instant.
Aside from those dodged with Elemental Transformation, he had hit Cyrus.
But the result was exactly the same as that day.
Cyrus's body was very strange.
And that terrifying, immense strength.
Hawkeye now understood why Cyrus had said it didn't matter if he didn't control his strength.
"Stroke Cut!"
Cyrus's voice rang out.
By the time it fell, he was already behind Hawkeye.
Then, the ground where Cyrus had just been standing suddenly exploded, splattering magma everywhere.
Hawkeye looked down at Yoru held before him, then swung his sword in a backhand slash and charged toward Cyrus along with the attack.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Hawkeye naturally understood that he absolutely could not be passive in a fight against Cyrus.
Against an opponent attacking like Cyrus, a purely defensive strategy would drain him even more.
Besides, his sword was not suited for defense; he was much better at offense.
Cyrus couldn't possibly maintain such a state for long.
The battle-hardened Hawkeye had already discerned the nature of Cyrus's current form.
Attacking without any reservation, no matter how powerful one's physique, could not be sustained indefinitely.
An experienced fighter would probably know how to manage their stamina.
Cyrus was still too young.
But this thought changed an hour later.
Cyrus's aura had not weakened in the slightest; on the contrary, it was growing stronger and stronger.
The momentum he had built up was also becoming increasingly powerful.
Gazing at Cyrus, whose body was wreathed in flames so tangible they seemed solid, Hawkeye held his sword with both hands, panting slightly.
'Could this truly still be called Swordsmanship?'
"Rising Sun Blade!"
The flames on Cyrus's body suddenly converged, flowing onto his blade along with his Armament Haki.
A dangerous red light glinted from Cyrus's sword.
'Dodge!'
His Observation Haki perceived the power of this strike, and Hawkeye didn't hesitate for a second, using Moon Walk to fly into the sky.
Cyrus, having charged his strike, had already leaped into the air, appearing before Hawkeye.
Seeing Cyrus after the flames had converged, Hawkeye understood Cyrus's current intentions from the look in his eyes.
If he couldn't block this blow, he would really die.
Whoosh!
Holding his sword behind his back with both hands, Hawkeye channeled his Armament Haki into the blade of Yoru.
The two men, suspended in mid-air, swung their swords with ferocious might.
Swish!
Flame slashed down, scraping against Hawkeye's blade.
The blade of Yoru, wreathed in Armament Haki, was caught by Cyrus's left hand.
BOOOM!
An unrestrained slash and a torrent of fire erupted from the blade of Flame.
The island, the ocean, everything was cleaved apart.
The slash split the ocean, and the flames vaporized the seawater!
A thick mist began to spread across the sea's surface.