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'This woman is incredibly strong! No way I can beat her just using normal methods.'
Ikki frowned slightly, his eyes fixed on Momousagi Gion who was locked in a stalemate with him.
Even using both the Transparent World and Observation Haki to observe Gion, he couldn't find any weaknesses in her.
There seemed to be no vulnerable spot on her body that he could attack to break the deadlock.
'In that case, let's try this.'
Ikki focused intently, and the flame-shaped Demon Slayer Mark on his right forehead began to expand to three times its size.
It looked like it had transformed into an actual burning flame.
"Break!" Ikki shouted sharply and threw Zangetsu upward.
Gion raised her eyebrows as she felt the power of her famous sword Konpira suddenly double.
Caught unprepared, her Armament Haki was blown away.
Her body was launched into the sky by the powerful air current carried by Ikki's slash.
"So that's the Demon Slayer Mark? It's really powerful," Gion said as she landed on the ground. She raised her sword in a graceful stance and continued with a slight smile: "And you actually use Conqueror's Haki for infusion attacks. I really can't underestimate you."
"You mentioned earlier that I could learn Moon Breathing swordsmanship," she added. "I wonder if you could show me a bit of it during this battle?"
Ikki rested the long sword on his shoulder, his legs slightly bent, his face extremely calm.
"Sorry, we're in the middle of a fight right now," Ikki replied. "Your slash just now made me fully understand how powerful you are. To deal with you, I'd rather use the more powerful Sun Breathing. Plus, I'll be using it with my sword."
As he spoke, Ikki's body began to glow with a faint white light.
Gion frowned slightly, her eyes falling on the long sword Ikki had just placed on his shoulder.
She vaguely felt that at this moment Ikki's blade seemed to come alive, possessing the vitality that only living things have.
"It's truly an honor. Although I'm a bit disappointed that I won't get to see Moon Breathing for now, I'd be pretty satisfied if I could see you use the full power of Sun Breathing."
Gion smiled, holding her sword in front of her with both hands as the aura around her body intensified.
"Cleave the heavens and moon, Zangetsu!"
After Ikki finished speaking, the light on his body flared to its peak.
With a roar, Zangetsu, which had looked like an ordinary samurai sword, immediately transformed into a cleaver-like blade as tall as a person.
Swoosh!
A sharp crescent-shaped slash reached Gion almost instantly.
Only then did Ikki's voice reach Gion's ears.
The slash had moved faster than sound.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
'So fast!' Gion's face tensed as high-intensity Armament Haki condensed on her blade. She quickly swung a huge pink slash that collided with the Getsuga Tenshō.
BOOM!
There was a thunderous noise, and after Gion's slashing attack met the 'Getsuga Tenshō', it only lasted for a second before being shattered.
Seeing this, Gion was even more surprised.
Although the slash just now was just a quick attack, it was no weaker than the one she and Ikki had exchanged at the beginning.
But her slashes weren't weak either.
The fact that Ikki's 'Getsuga Tenshō' could overpower her attack showed that it was even more powerful than the Conqueror's Haki infusion he had used earlier.
'Is this Ikki's power, or the sword's power?' The thought flashed through Gion's mind as she swung her Armament Haki-coated sword to intercept Ikki's 'Getsuga Tenshō'.
With a grunt of effort, Gion planted her feet firmly on the ground like an ancient tree with deep roots, and at the same time, she suddenly lifted her hands.
In an instant, she forcibly redirected the powerful 'Getsuga Tenshō' skyward.
Gion smiled, and just as she was about to compliment Ikki's attack, her Observation Haki suddenly alerted her.
Looking down, she found that Ikki had already moved in close, swinging Zangetsu.
Around him blazed a scorching flame hot enough to crystallize sand.
"Sun Breathing, Thirteenth Form!"
With a low growl, Ikki slashed at Gion with his Zangetsu.
'Here he comes!'
Facing Ikki's attack, Gion fully activated her Observation Haki and calmly raised her sword to meet Ikki's flame-wreathed slash.
In an instant, the sound of metal clashing rang out between Ikki and Gion.
Their figures were gradually engulfed by scorching flames.
"Ikki can actually fight Vice Admiral Gion to this extent?" Hina exclaimed in surprise, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"Zangetsu is released! And what Ikki's currently using is the strongest form of Sun Breathing, Sun Breathing Thirteenth Form!" Smoker took a deep breath, lit two cigars for himself, and continued, "If the story of 'Demon Slayer' is accurate, his slashes will keep getting stronger and stronger."
"The story of 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba'?" Hina frowned slightly. "Right, Ikki mentioned that earlier."
"Tashigi, you have that 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba' story, right? Hina plans to learn Flame Breathing from Ikki in the future. If you have the manga, can I borrow it?"
Now that she had decided to learn Flame Breathing, Hina naturally wanted to know more about its origins.
"Wait! Would Ikki really be willing to teach Captain Hina his Flame Breathing swordsmanship?" Tashigi looked at Hina with surprise in her eyes.
"Hey, you've never used a sword. Can you really learn it?" Smoker frowned and looked at his old friend with some disbelief.
"Hmph, if Hina wants to learn something, she definitely can," Hina replied. "It just might be a bit tougher."
Hina couldn't help but shake her head as she thought about the intense heat that came with Ikki's Flame Breathing.
"Tashigi, Ikki already said he's willing to teach Hina Flame Breathing," Hina explained. "However, Hina's talent in this area isn't as good as yours. Ikki needs to use some special methods."
"Hina thinks the 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba' manga might help Hina understand more about Flame Breathing."
Although Ikki had already shared some stories about Demon Slayer when they were in the bathhouse, most of what he'd mentioned was about Kokushibo's Moon Breathing.
Hina still knew very little about Flame Breathing.
"Since Captain Hina wants to learn Flame Breathing, I'd be happy to lend you this manga," Tashigi readily agreed, opening the package she carried and handing the 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba' manga to Hina.
"Flame Breathing! I really hope to see real-world swordsmen using Flame Breathing like Kyojuro Rengoku soon," Tashigi added excitedly.
After reading the "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" manga, Tashigi had developed great admiration for Kyojuro Rengoku. She was excited that a Marine captain like Hina was going to learn Flame Breathing.
Hina gave the excited Tashigi a strange look and was about to ask why she was so happy when a loud roar from where Ikki and Gion were fighting caught her attention.
"What... happened over there?"
Hina turned around and saw that the place where Ikki and Gion were fighting was covered by rising yellow sand. Even with her eyesight, she couldn't see clearly!
Nearby, Nojiko, Vivi, and Nami looked at each other.
They had just heard Ikki shout.
Those were the release words for further liberating a Zanpakutō.
'Is Gion so powerful that she's forcing Ikki to use Bankai?!'
The three of them were shocked.
This was the first time they'd seen Ikki face an opponent who required him to use the full power of his Zanpakutō.
A little while earlier...
"Phew... this isn't working," Ikki suddenly stopped swinging Zangetsu and looked at Gion with some resignation.
"Ikki, are you ready to admit defeat?" Gion put away her sword and stood up with a gentle smile on her face.
Although they'd been fighting for a while, and they were still surrounded by the flames created by Ikki, surprisingly, Gion had barely broken a sweat.
"Admit defeat? No way," Ikki shook his head, raising the Shikai state Zangetsu and pointing it at Gion. "I still want that famous sword Konpira you've got."
"I've fully experienced your power. As expected, even a Marine Admiral candidate has strength that's truly impressive. So I need to take things up a notch."
Hearing this, Gion's eyes showed curiosity.
"Take things up a notch? So you've been holding back," Gion laughed. "Then I'd better be careful, or you might actually take my beloved sword if I let my guard down."
"You should definitely be careful," The smile on Ikki's face gradually disappeared, replaced by an extremely serious look. "Bankai!"
With that sharp command, a massive surge of blue-white light began to rise from Ikki's body.
At the same time, Gion felt a strong pressure instantly filling the air around them.
'This feeling... it's like a heavy weight pressing down on my body, similar to Conqueror's Haki,' Gion thought. 'But it doesn't seem to be Conqueror's. Is it just raw power?'
Gion held her sword in front of her, eyes wary as she watched Ikki become completely covered by the blue-white brilliance.
For a brief moment, he was even hidden from her Observation Haki.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, Ikki swung his sword and dispersed the blue-white light surrounding him, revealing himself to Gion once more.
Now the massive cleaver in Ikki's hand had changed again.
It had become a completely black long sword the size of an ordinary katana, with a chain at the handle.
Not only that, even Ikki's clothes had changed significantly.
His original outfit had transformed into a black coat.
"The sword changed again?" Looking at the blade in Ikki's hand, Gion's eyes flashed with surprise.
With her keen eyesight, she could clearly see the extraordinary nature of the black sword Ikki now held.
"Tensa Zangetsu!" Ikki announced. "The real battle begins now, Ms. Gion. So please, stay sharp."
The corners of Ikki's mouth turned up, and before he finished speaking, he had vanished.
Gion's eyes widened. When she spotted Ikki again, he was already right in front of her.