A slash moving fast enough to create flames through friction with the air would require no flame-based power at all.
With a single strike, ten Brownback Giant Apes could be cleaved in two.
However, Roya’s slash just now had been neither particularly fast nor particularly powerful, yet it had still produced flames.
This ruled out all of the previous possibilities, leaving only one explanation.
Flame Sword Aura!
In Wano Country, there were samurai capable of producing flames with their swords.
When a swordsman reached a certain level, they could also manifest various forms of sword aura.
Flower Sword Vista, the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates’ Fifth Division, for example, made it seem as though flower petals were drifting through the air whenever he swung his sword.
What was unbelievable was that Roya’s swordsmanship was still extremely crude.
He had not even mastered sword flashes or flying slashes, and he was by no means a swordsman of that level.
Yet he had somehow wielded a power that belonged to a swordsman of that realm.
How could those present not be utterly shocked?
Garp, who had been preparing to rush out of the Marine battleship to rescue Roya, abruptly stopped in his tracks.
His mouth fell wide open, as though he could fit an entire fist inside it.
Garp knew Roya’s strength better than anyone.
When had this brat’s swordsmanship reached such a level?
Garp was completely dumbfounded.
Even former Marine Admiral Zephyr revealed a look of astonishment.
It took him quite some time to recover before he finally spoke, his eyes filled with shock.
“Flame Sword Aura.
There can be no mistake.
That’s the only possibility…
But his swordsmanship is so crude that he can’t even be considered a swordsman of that level.
Yet he has somehow grasped the sword aura that only a swordsman of that level should possess.”
“I’ve heard of people like this before, but I’ve never witnessed one with my own eyes.
I never expected that such a genius would truly exist in this world—a person born with sword aura.
This talent is even rarer than being born with an exceptionally powerful physique!”
As he said this, even Zephyr could not help taking a deep breath.
The calm expression he had worn moments ago had disappeared completely, replaced by a look of intense excitement.
Born with sword aura!
Even Zephyr was witnessing such a talent for the first time.
“Garp, his name is Roya, right?
I’ll take this disciple.”
Zephyr turned toward Garp, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Garp was likewise stunned for a long while before finally coming back to his senses.
Hearing Zephyr’s words, he immediately grinned.
“HAHAHA!
Zephyr, you weren’t exactly willing to take him just now.”
“That was then, not now!”
Zephyr snorted.
At the same time, he couldn’t help muttering inwardly.
Who could have expected that Roya, whose physical talent was merely average, would possess such monstrous talent in swordsmanship and be born with sword aura?
And not just any sword aura, either.
It was Flame Sword Aura, whose offensive power was unquestionable.
The conversation between Garp and Zephyr echoed through the monitoring room.
The Marine officers finally began recovering from their shock, although their faces still carried traces of disbelief.
Born with sword aura!
A talent that had existed only in legends.
They had always thought it was nothing more than a legend.
Yet now they had witnessed it with their own eyes!
“Monkey D.
Roya…
Vice Admiral Garp’s nephew.
As expected, he’s no ordinary person.
It seems that sooner or later, another powerhouse capable of shaking the seas will emerge.”
Quite a few Marine officers took deep breaths, slowly calming themselves as this thought surfaced in their minds.
…
On the Island — In the Forest
The Brownback Giant Ape howled in agony as it rolled and thrashed about wildly.
The surrounding bushes were completely ignited, transforming the area into a sea of flames.
It even smashed through several large trees, setting the fallen trunks ablaze as well.
Yet none of this could stop the flames from burning.
Gradually, the Brownback Giant Ape’s cries began to fade.
Its struggles became slower and slower until, eventually, they ceased altogether.
Only then, seeing that the surrounding forest was seemingly about to become a sea of flames, did Roya grip Engetsu and sweep it through the air once more.
Buzz!
The previous slash had unleashed flames that burned everything in their path.
This time, however, following a thought from Roya, all the flames that were still burning suddenly went out as though they had been doused with water.
One slash created the flames.
One slash extinguished them.
When Zephyr, Garp, and the others witnessed this scene, their conviction that this was Flame Sword Aura became even stronger.
Sword aura was something special.
It seemed real, yet possessed an illusory quality, existing somewhere between reality and illusion.
Extremely powerful swordsmen, and especially great swordsmen, could even condense their sword aura into tangible form.
Its defining characteristic was that the swordsman could release and withdraw it entirely at will.
Roya naturally had no idea that the power he had displayed had been mistaken for sword aura.
Of course, in reality, his ability was not all that different from sword aura.
The only difference was that ordinary sword aura was comprehended by the swordsman himself, whereas Roya’s sword aura came from the Sword Soul that had fused with his own soul.
After extinguishing the flames, Roya walked directly over to the Brownback Giant Ape, which had been burned until it looked like a mass of charred black flesh.
When he reached it, Roya discovered that the Brownback Giant Ape was actually still alive.
It still possessed a trace of vitality and a faint breath.
“To survive even after that…
Its vitality is ridiculously tenacious.”
In this world, not only were humans’ lives tenacious enough to resemble cockroaches—the same seemed to be true of these ferocious beasts.
It really wasn’t scientific.
Then again, whether it was scientific or not was of little use to him.
He wasn’t Vegapunk, the man supposedly possessing technology five hundred years ahead of the rest of the world.
Looking at the charred giant ape that was barely clinging to life, Roya muttered inwardly before shaking his head and swinging his sword.
He completely finished it off with a single slash.
“Come to think of it…
they probably saw me use the flame ability just now.”
After killing the Brownback Giant Ape, Roya returned Engetsu to its scabbard.
He glanced around while thinking to himself.
Roya wasn’t concerned about it.
He would have to reveal this ability sooner or later, so it didn’t matter when he used it.
Roya had never intended to conceal an ability after obtaining it.
Besides, in a dangerous situation like the one just now, he wasn’t going to deliberately put his own life at risk.
What concerned Roya more was whether the battle had increased his Enhancement Energy.
With a thought, the translucent status panel appeared before his eyes.
Stage Two: Ancient Sword Soul +6
Attributes: Attack Power +75, Strength +20
Special Attribute: All Things in Creation, Turn to Ashes!
— Sword attacks can freely inflict additional flame damage.
(Evolution Conditions not met.)
Enhancement Energy: 22/70
Before beginning the battle, Roya had deliberately checked his Enhancement Energy.
It had been 18 points.
Now, however, it was 22.
In other words, that single battle had increased his Enhancement Energy by 4 points!
The Enhancement Energy gained from that brief battle was almost equal to what he could obtain from half a day’s worth of desperate training!
The increase in Enhancement Energy brought about by combat was actually this substantial.
Although Roya had already anticipated it, he was still somewhat astonished.
As for why combat could increase this golden energy by such a large amount, Roya actually had a theory.
Training was equivalent to unlocking the body’s potential, whereas battle was equivalent to unlocking the potential of the soul.
The more dangerous the battle, especially when one’s life hung in the balance, the greater the potential of the soul that could be unlocked.
The greater the resulting transformation, the more golden energy would be produced.
Of course, this was only Roya’s speculation.
There was no way to properly test such a theory.
He certainly wasn’t going to deliberately risk his life just to experiment with it.