With that, Roger lunged forward, his cutlass glinting in the moonlight. Jack easily sidestepped the attack, using his Thunderous Counter to knock Roger's blade aside with a swift palm strike.
Roger laughed. "Impressive. Your bare hands are indeed weapons."
Jack smirked, his eyes still their calm blue. "You haven't seen anything yet."
Roger grinned, then launched into a series of rapid slashes, like a tempest of steel. Jack parried and dodged, countering with his Thunderous Blow and Thunderous Uppercut. His fists collided with Roger's blade, emitting a loud clang with each impact.
Roger shifted his stance, gripping his cutlass tightly. He struck, aiming for Jack's midsection. But Jack was faster. Using his Thunderous Hammerfist, he slammed his fist down onto Roger's blade, causing it to tremble from the impact and producing a shockwave that rippled through the ground.
"Ah, so you like to play rough!" Roger exclaimed, his eyes glinting with excitement.
Jack responded with his Thunderous Combo, launching a relentless barrage of punches that Roger barely managed to parry. Then, as if switching gears, Jack charged with a Thunderous Smash, producing shockwaves that made Roger stumble backward.
Both men paused, eyes locked, each gauging the other's abilities and limitations. Roger's expression turned serious. "Looks like it's time to up the ante."
Without another word, Roger leapt high into the air, his cutlass poised to strike. Jack pivoted and unleashed his Hurricane Strike—a flurry of rapid punches that generated a gust of wind, effectively halting Roger's descent and pushing him back.
Landing gracefully, Roger chuckled. "I see your fists can summon the wind as well."
The battle progressed, with Jack introducing his second level of techniques. His Hurricane Uppercut lifted Roger off the ground, and his Hurricane Rush created gusts that further disoriented the sword-wielding pirate. Roger countered by slicing through the air, his blade glowing, sending energy waves towards Jack.
In a breathtaking move, Jack performed his Hurricane Cyclone. Spinning rapidly while striking, he created a tornado-like effect that hurled Roger away.
"I have to say, your skills are extraordinary," Roger admitted, regaining his footing.
Jack's eyes remained a calm blue, but with a hint of a storm brewing. "Likewise. Shall we continue?"
Just then, Jack unleashed his Hurricane Fury—a torrent of high-speed punches that whipped up an immense hurricane-like wind around him. Roger was momentarily engulfed in the tempest but managed to hold his ground by plunging his cutlass into the earth.
Feeling the surge of energy, Jack raised his arms, forming the Hurricane Barrier. It was a wall of wind, deflecting Roger's attempts to break through with energy waves from his cutlass.
For a moment, both men stood still, catching their breath and taking stock of their respective battle-worn states. Roger's eyes shone with respect. "You're an incredible opponent, Jack. Truly."
Jack's eyes returned to their calm blue hue. "As are you. But let's end this now."
Roger took a deep breath, then pulled his cutlass from the earth, locking eyes with Jack. "I hope you're ready for what comes next."
Jack's eyes narrowed, shifting from a calm blue to a darker shade, signifying the storm within. "Likewise."
Roger lunged, and Jack responded with his Iron Dash, propelling himself toward Roger with incredible velocity. Their meeting was a clash of elements: steel against flesh, both reinforced with extraordinary power. With a forceful Iron Crush, Jack shattered Roger's attack, sending vibrations through the cutlass that reverberated into Roger's arm.
Feeling the shock, Roger pulled back, wincing. "Impressive, as always."
Jack said nothing but held his stance, emanating an Iron Wall to guard against Roger's upcoming blow. Sure enough, Roger's blade glinted as it released a burst of energy toward Jack. The Iron Wall absorbed it, dissipating the energy into harmless sparks.
With no time wasted, Jack activated his Iron Tempest, delivering a rapid flurry of punches that forced Roger to dance backward, his cutlass singing through the air as he struggled to parry the relentless assault. At the apex of his attack, Jack performed an Iron Leap into the air and descended like a comet, his fists slamming the ground and generating a shockwave that sent Roger stumbling.
Roger chuckled, steadying himself. "You've got more levels to this, don't you?"
Jack smirked. "You could say that."
In a blink, Jack launched himself skyward with Sky Step, soaring into the night sky, then angled himself downward. Roger barely had time to look up before Jack unleashed his Sky Splitter, a monumental punch that sent a devastating shockwave towards the ground. Roger blocked with his cutlass, but the impact created a crater, sending him skidding back.
Regaining his footing, Roger grinned. "I see we're both full of surprises."
Jack's eyes, now a tempestuous blue, locked onto Roger. He accelerated forward with Sky Sprint, closing the gap in an instant. As Roger swung his cutlass to intercept, Jack's Sky Shield formed a barrier around him, deflecting the blade effortlessly.
Knowing he had a limited window, Jack unleashed his ultimate technique: Sky Annihilator. His fists became blurs, each punch a Sky Shatterer, generating colossal shockwaves that converged into a vortex of power.
Roger easily deflected Jack's ultimate technique with a surge of black energy coating his blade—Armament Haki. The air seemed to shimmer around his cutlass as it held fast against the vortex of power Jack had unleashed.
"Are we using Haki already?" Jack taunted, his eyes a stormy blue.
Roger's eyes flashed as he grinned back, increasing the force of his attack. "Only if you are."
Focusing, Jack activated his Fifth Level—Phantom Punch. With a Flash Step, he vanished and reappeared in a split second, landing a powerful phantom punch that knocked Roger off balance. He followed up with a rapid series of Shadow Strikes—phantom punches that Roger struggled to anticipate.
Roger swung his Haki-infused blade in an arc, trying to keep Jack at bay. But Jack used his Ghost Guard, making it appear as if he phased through the attack. He circled Roger, utilizing Phantom Dash to keep him guessing, darting in and out with lightning-speed punches.
Taking a deep breath, Roger coated his blade with Haki once more, his eyes sharp as he tried to read Jack's movements. This time, when Jack attempted a Shadow Strike, Roger parried, using his own version of Observation Haki to predict the attack.
Jack chuckled. "Impressive. Now, let's see how you handle this."
He unleashed his Spectral Barrage, a relentless flurry of phantom punches that even Roger, skilled as he was, found difficult to block. Grunting, Roger plunged his sword into the ground, creating a shockwave with his own Haki to offset Jack's attack.
Though he had successfully deflected the barrage, Roger could feel the toll the battle was taking. Jack, however, appeared mostly unfazed, his expression as cold and unreadable as ever.
----
Read 45(15 chapters for each novel) advanced chapters in my Patreon!
patreon.com/IWriteFanfic