One Piece: The Avengers

As Shanter had hoped, Xu Ruogu finally emerged.

Xu Ruogu no longer had the same elegance and composure he had when he first appeared. His starry eyes and sword-like brows were now tangled, and the blue and white long robe had turned into ragged beggar's clothing. His long hair, which had once been neatly tied, now hung in disarray, some strands broken, others knotted, making him look utterly disheveled. The only thing still intact was the slender sword at his waist.

Of course, Xu Ruogu's original intention had been not to come out—after all, if he waited a few minutes, he would win without a fight. However, he had no choice but to emerge.

When using spatial concealment, Xu Ruogu could block others' perception, making even Observation Haki ineffective. But spatial concealment wasn't truly hiding within a spatial barrier; it only masked his movements using the space's network. As a trade-off for the concealment, his speed and defense dropped sharply. If the kind of attack he had just endured came a few more times, even Xu Ruogu's exquisite inner martial art, the Taixu Secret Record, wouldn't be able to save him.

Since he couldn't avoid it, he could only fight back. Although facing the worst-case scenario, Xu Ruogu had no choice but to accept it. However, his goal wasn't to defeat the rampaging Shanter but simply to delay until Shanter's rage subsided. Facing Shanter in a berserk state was tricky even for generals.

Xu Ruogu drew his slender sword and gently swept his fingers across the blade, causing a faint, almost invisible glimmer to appear.

"Illusion!" Xu Ruogu's form split into four, flickering and mysterious.

The four Xu Ruogus then shifted through space, surrounding Shanter from all directions at a distance of about fifty meters.

"Oh, a shadow clone technique? Your fruit also has this ability?" Shanter sent a series of rapid slashes toward each of the four Xu Ruogus.

The four Xu Ruogus mimicked the same movement, dodging Shanter's slashes.

"This isn't a fruit ability. It's my family's secret sword technique! Watch closely, savage!" Xu Ruogu enjoyed taunting Shanter, knowing that the longer he dragged it out, the more favorable the situation became for him.

"Petal Rain!"

The name sounded beautiful, but it was, in reality, a deadly dance. A large number of petal-like sword Qi shot out in all directions, piercing through anything in its path.

Xu Ruogu remained calm, simply flicking his slender sword to disperse the sword rain.

This test had no effect, which was expected by Shanter. However, even though the four Xu Ruogus moved simultaneously, indistinguishable from each other, Shanter had already seen through the illusion. This technique, though seemingly magical, was ultimately just a trick—three false images and one real body.

However, with large-scale attacks ineffective, Shanter couldn't discern which one of the Xu Ruogus was the real body. If he chose wrong and let the real Xu Ruogu slip away while the berserk state lasted, it could be a disastrous situation when Shanter came back.

But even such a small trick was now proving to be effective.

After several more failed attempts with large-scale attacks, Shanter suddenly made a new move.

"Conqueror's Haki!"

The overwhelming pressure of Conqueror's Haki descended like a mountain, simultaneously bearing down on the four Xu Ruogus.

Xu Ruogu's breath hitched, and he inwardly cursed. Illusions wouldn't be suppressed by Conqueror's Haki, meaning the real Xu Ruogu was now exposed.

But this couldn't really be blamed on Xu Ruogu. Who would have imagined that a mere minor character who hadn't even appeared in One Piece could master Conqueror's Haki at such a young age? Even Xu Ruogu, as a transmigrator, didn't yet know how to use Haki.

Now, Shanter had completely dismissed Xu Ruogu as a minor character, since there was nothing about him that seemed extraordinary or fitting of a transmigrator.

Though realizing the danger, Xu Ruogu couldn't react in time due to the oppressive effect of Conqueror's Haki. By the time he recovered, Shanter's blade was already at his throat.

"Pfft—" Using Soru and Shunpo, Xu Ruogu avoided the direct hit. But the fierce wind from the slash and the overwhelming force of the armed Haki struck him squarely.

That single strike immediately left Xu Ruogu grievously wounded.

Despite previously suppressing Shanter so thoroughly, forcing him to the brink of vomiting blood, Xu Ruogu had never truly injured Shanter. However, now that Shanter had entered his berserk state, even a glancing blow was enough to gravely hurt Xu Ruogu.

Seizing this opportunity, Shanter would never let it slip.

Pushing off the ground with his feet, Shanter disappeared in an instant. After a flash, his massive black blade was only a yard away from Xu Ruogu, closing in rapidly.

Xu Ruogu, a seasoned fighter who had lived two lifetimes, was extremely experienced in battle. The types of fights he had faced were beyond anything Shanter had ever encountered. In such a perilous moment, Xu Ruogu quickly spread his hands and suddenly pulled out a long black chain, a few meters in length, wrapped in his fingers.

Shanter immediately recognized the danger. His sword, Huang Tian, instantly met the black chain to prevent Xu Ruogu from being severed.

Xu Ruogu narrowly escaped the fatal blow, but his already wounded body was once again slashed by the blade's wind. Despite the excruciating pain, he took this chance to shift through space and vanish without a trace.

After breaking free from the black chain, Shanter did not pursue Xu Ruogu. Instead, he swung his blade from a distance.

"!"

Huang Tian slashed the earth, twisting and spinning, sending countless vertical cuts in all directions like waves constantly crashing against the shore. The ground beneath them was shredded to pieces, as though sliced into potato chips.

Unlike before, the cuts now aimed at the distance, rather than surrounding them.

After the slash, Shanter stood still, staring at the direction Xu Ruogu had vanished, seemingly lost in thought.

At this point, Robin, who had just distanced herself from the battlefield between Shanter and Xu Ruogu, ran over. "Brother, did you win?"

"Not exactly. But he's badly injured. If he comes back, I'll leave him to you." Shanter's figure swayed slightly, causing Robin to hurriedly offer support.

"He's severely wounded. You should be able to handle it, but be careful. You'll be fine."

The more he spoke, the softer Shanter's voice became, and Robin grew worried.

"Brother, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" Robin knew that light injuries were nothing new for Shanter, but a serious injury would be another matter. Since meeting Robin, Shanter had only suffered two serious wounds—one from facing Tervist and another from a brutal officer in the West Sea named Lafitte.

Even though Shanter had won both times, the battles had been extremely grueling. Especially the one with Tervist, which had left Shanter nearly paralyzed. If it weren't for the Devil Fruit, Shanter would probably still be bedridden.

Seeing that Shanter was in poor condition, Robin couldn't help but feel anxious.

Shanter gently ran his right hand through Robin's lovely black hair. "Don't worry, little girl, I'm fine..."

Before he could finish speaking, Shanter collapsed, his body bursting with blood, falling stiffly to the ground.

"Brother!"