Chapter 263: Blood and Steel Collide

Reversing his grip on the blade Oliver unleashed a rapid succession of draw slashes. Streaks of silver flashed in every direction, all aimed at Notty.

Notty didn’t flinch. His entire body radiated with Armament Haki. He wasn’t just messing around.

He barreled through the sword aura, taking the hits head-on, and closed the distance with a crushing punch aimed straight at Oliver—intending to end him right then and there.

Seeing the looming danger, Oliver quickly spun his sword in a flourish and sidestepped backwards.

How could Notty let such a golden opportunity slip by? “Fierce Tiger Climbs the Mountain!”

He lunged forward with both hands, aiming for Oliver’s shoulders. If he managed to grab him, the result would be catastrophic.

A fragile swordsman up against a berserker at full rage—if they got that close, the outcome was a given.

“Blade Burst!”

But Oliver slid deftly past Notty, brushing against his left side in a lightning-fast move.

“Ah!”

Just as they tangled the air outside the Lab’s entrance erupted with agonized screams. The massive doors groaned open, and hundreds of Fishmen burst out, quickly surrounding the CP0 members.

Turns out Fields had made his move, summoning the Fishmen from inside so the CP0 agents wouldn’t mess with Notty’s duel.

Chaos broke out with no warning—a battle royale started in an instant.

Katakuri, who’d already taken Carven Ariel back to the main hall, arrived just in time to join the fray.

“Blade Burst!”

Armament Haki-wrapped mochi bullets flew from Katakuri’s hand, targeting CP0 and their allies.

Clang, clang, clang!

Squelch, squelch!

Some blocked the shots, some weren’t so lucky and went down.

Seeing Katakuri about to intervene in Notty and Oliver’s fight, someone shouted out, “Katakuri, let him handle this!”

“Alright fine, I’ll leave it to him.”

Katakuri shifted focus, brandishing his trident as he charged into the chaotic melee.

With his help, several were quickly cut down. The remaining ten or so World Government operatives split up, scattering in all directions to break free.

But as more Fishmen guards poured in, even the CP0 members couldn’t escape—instead, one by one, they fell.

The two fighters, momentarily interrupted by Katakuri’s arrival, used the chaotic opening to catch their breath. Oliver glanced at the swelling crowd around them. He already knew how this day would end.

He shrugged off his jacket, gripped his blade with both hands, and sprang forward. “Slash!”

The blade came down in a fierce arc, its edge laced with jet-black Armament Haki.

One look at Oliver was all Notty needed to know he was fighting for his life. Far from getting tense, Notty’s face split into a grin.

“Now that’s more like it!”

Blue gauntlets blazing, Notty lunged again—his punch meeting Oliver’s blade in midair.

Clang!

They clashed in the air, hanging for a heartbeat before Notty’s left fist swung toward Oliver’s skull.

“Jumping into midair was your worst mistake. Without a foothold, keeping your balance is impossible. That’s going to cripple your fighting ability.”

Oliver’s pupils shrank, but he kept his cool. Adjusting midair, he planted both legs against Notty’s fist.

Using the impact to his advantage, Oliver flipped and landed safely on the ground.

“Draw Slash!”

No time to rest. Oliver caught sight of Notty hitting the ground and became a bolt of lightning, closing in for a waist-high attack.

Zi zi zi!

Notty couldn’t block in time. But thanks to the Armament Haki layered over his body, the slash didn’t even leave a scratch.

It just tore his shirt. Notty’s feet slammed into the ground, charging like a rampaging bull.

The earth shook with his steps. The Fishmen nearby instinctively backed away, giving them a wide arena.

Rushing in again, Notty noticed Oliver’s reddened eyes and the aura blazing around him—pure crimson energy burning from every pore.

“Blood Burn!”

“One Sword Style—Lightning Strike!”

From Notty’s perspective, a blood-red sword aura rocketed straight for his chest.

Whoa!

Hit dead-on, Notty spit out a mouthful of blood, his whole body sent flying to crash hard into the ground.

The impact left a crater dozens of meters wide.

“Huff, huff, huff!”

Oliver’s breathing grew ragged. He knew Blood Burn was a forbidden technique—burning his life force for a short burst of power. But that surge came with a price: his lifespan was slipping away. It was a desperate move.

Just as Katakuri moved in to finish things, Fields reached out and shook his head.

“Not bad. It’s been ages since I was actually hurt.”

The voice echoed from the pit. Next moment Notty leaped out, ripping his shirt away to reveal a bloody gash at least half a meter long across his chest.

He glanced down at the wound, almost gleeful.

“You actually managed to wound my body even covered in Armament Haki. Things just keep getting more interesting.”

With a fierce roar Notty kicked up the pace, appearing at Oliver’s side in a blink.

Clang!

For a second after their clash, everything went silent. Then, from their point of impact, a huge shockwave rippled out, blasting across hundreds of meters.

Several Fishmen watching too close got sent flying.

But that didn’t slow Notty. Another blue fist slammed into Oliver’s nose, sending blood spraying as he crashed into a massive chocolate tree like a fired shell.

Notty didn’t let up. He shot forward, blue fists hammering Oliver’s battered form again and again, not stopping until the three-meter-thick chocolate tree toppled.

Standing over Oliver, soaked in blood and sprawled out, Notty frowned. “What—did the World Government buy you off or something?”

“Risking your life for the Celestial Dragons—what makes you any different from a beast?”

Gritting his teeth, Oliver used his blade as a crutch and struggled to stand. “For what? Who knows…”

“Missions just kept coming. Kill this one, kill that one… I lost track a long time ago what it was all for.”

“Forget it. No point in talking now. Take my final strike.”

Crimson energy flared skyward, then gathered and wrapped itself around Oliver’s blade, dyeing it a brilliant red.

The overwhelming pressure weighed down everything in the area.

Oliver let go—the blood-red blade shot straight at Notty.

“Nani!”

Notty tried to dodge, but the instant he moved, the blade vanished from his Observation Haki’s senses.

But his fighting instincts weren’t so easily fooled. Sensing a chill behind him, he spun around just in time.

The red blade was inches from his back. He quickly swung his right fist and collided with the blade.

Shock hit him—a flash of pain ran through his right hand. His gauntlet, made of Seastone no less, was cracking. His hand was bleeding.

But the blade had lost momentum. Before Notty could catch his breath, Oliver appeared near the hilt, grabbed the handle with both hands, and shoved it forward with everything he had.

Squelch!

The blade plunged straight into Notty’s right hand, going in up to the handle.

“Ugh!”

“Ah!”

Never before had Notty felt pain like this. He couldn’t help but cry out.