Redfield's speed was exceptional, and just as Cudius's ssh was about to hit him, he raised his sword to block the attack. But before he could rex, a chill swept over him, the white air current that apanied Cudius's ssh had coated his bde with frost.

  In an instant, the sturdy sword in Redfield's hand started to crack, being brittle uhe intense cold. With a sharp snap, the bde shattered, and the remaining energy from the ssh tore a small wound into Redfield's chest. The cut immediately turned white, frost spreading across the skin, freezing his flesh on tact.

  Redfield's expression darkened as he dropped the remains of his sword, watg in horror as the frost crept toward his hand. He quickly released the hilt, letting it fall to the ground like a k of ice.

  "What a terrifying frost power…" Redfield muttered, stumbling back. He pced a hand on his chest, feeling the numbed flesh around the wound. As he pihe frostbitten tissue between his fingers, it crumbled into powder. The wound was ipletely frozen.

  "How about it? Impressed by my teique?" Cudius taunted, a wry smile on his face.

  Fleet Admiral Kong g Cudius, not saying a word, but his expression showed a hint of respect. He didn't chastise Cudius for interfering. In truth, Kong had uimated Redfield, and as the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, he couldn't afford to lose here. Cudius's intervention had pulled him back from the edge of defeat.

  "Who the hell are you?" Redfield growled, gring at Cudius with suspi.

  Despite Cudius's growiation especially after capturing Shiki and assisting in Roger's capture he was still somewhat of an enigma to most on the seas. Few knew what he looked like, and even fewer had actually seen him in a. Redfield, for all his experience, had no idea who this newer was.

  With a cocky smile, Cudius replied, "Heh, don't worry, I don't ge my name. You're looking at—Donquixote Cudius."

  "Donquixote?" Redfield echoed, momentarily fused.

  Then, as the name sank in, Redfield's expression darkened. "So you're Celestial Dragon Cudius, that infamous CP-X operative?"

  Cudius grinned. "Ah, so you've heard of me."

  Redfield sneered, gng between Cudius and Kong. "The legendary CP-X is real, then. And the Woverhinks so highly of me that they've sent both a Marine Fleet Admiral and a Celestial Dragon to capture me? I should be fttered."

  "You're worth the trouble, Redfield," Cudius replied coldly.

  Without wasting any more words, Cudius raised his sword and unleashed another ssh. This time, he didn't add his liquid nitrogen power, but the sharp edge of the attack cut through the air with lethal i.

  Redfield braced himself, coating his arms with Armament Haki as he raised them to deflect the ssh. "What exactly is your ability?" he demanded, frustration g his voice as he blocked the strike.

  Cudius simply smirked, refusing to ahere was no way he'd reveal the nature of his powers to an oppo, especially someone as dangerous as Redfield.

  Oher side of the battlefield, Fleet Admiral Kong seized the opportunity, ung himself toward Redfield. With a powerful stomp, he appeared at Redfield's side, throwing a heavy punch at his shoulder. The impact sent Redfield hurtling through the air.

  Cudius had joihe battle at the perfeent. While Kong was still a formidable oppo, his age had started to show, and Redfield had been gaining the upper hand. Cudius's intervention helped tip the scales ba the Marines' faviving them a renewed advantage.

  As Redfield was knocked back, Cudius was already preparing his move.

  "Storm!" he shouted, swinging his demon bde Shindō. Several sshes flew forward, each ed in a fierce wind current. As they traveled, the air and sword energy bined, f a twisting whirlwind of razor-sharp gales.

  The cye tore through the terrain, ripping apart trees and rocks as it barreled toward Redfield, who had barely regained his bance. Redfield gritted his teeth and braced himself, c his entire body with Armament Haki, turning his skin as bck as obsidian. The whirlwind smmed into him, pushing him bad tearing his clothes to shreds, leaving small cuts across his body.

  "Red Fury!" Redfield roared, his eyes fshing with anger. In a blur of red, he transformed into a streak of blood-colored energy, closing the distaween him and Cudius in an instant.

  Kong barely had time to react, and Cudius felt his heart skip a beat as Redfield's terrifying speed brought him face-to-face with danger. A wave of dread washed over him, and he instinctively fortified his chest with Armament Haki, kig off the ground to backpedal.

  But even with his quick response, Redfield's cws sshed across Cudius's chest. His Armament Haki barely mao hold up against the attack, but it was clear that Redfield's power was in a league of its own. Cudius's Haki shattered uhe pressure, and five deep gashes appeared across his chest, flesh and blood flying from the wounds. If he hadn't mao pull ba time, Redfield's cws might have pierced his heart.

  Ign any sembnce of pride, Cudius dropped to the ground, rolling away from Redfield's follow-up strike. He might have looked undignified, but survival was more important than appearances. As he rolled, Kong rushed in, aiming a massive punch at Redfield's head, f him to turn his attention away from Cudius.

  Redfield hesitated. He wao finish off Cudius, but the Fleet Admiral's fist, crag with deadly i, was too dangerous to ignore. With a grimace, he shifted his stand intercepted Kong's punch with his own, their fists g mid-air in a brutal collision of Haki.

  The shockwave from their csh sent Cudius tumbling further back, giving him a ce to catch his breath. Blood trickled down his chest, but he managed a defiant grin as he wiped the blood from his wounds. "Not bad, Redfield. But you're not the only one who give as good as you get."

  A rhythmic, powerful heartbeat began to emanate from Cudius, like the pounding of war drums. His aura surged, brimming with rerength.

  "King Engine… on," Cudius murmured, fog his energy.

  He tightened his grip on Shindō, the muscles in his arm flexing as he readied his attack. "One-Sword Style—Secret Art: Winter's Fury!"

  With a powerful swing, Cudius unleashed a massive ssh coated in a frigid, white air current. As the attack traveled forward, it left a trail of frost in its wake, freezing the ground, trees, and rocks it touched. The very air around it seemed to crystallize, and everything in its path became brittle, covered in a delicate yer of ice.

  Fleet Admiral Kong's eyes widened as the freezing ssh approached, realizing that he, too, was within its range. Without hesitation, both he and Redfield pulled back, evading the icy path of destru.

  Cudius's lips curled into a triumphant smirk. Just as the two batants dodged his ssh, he revealed a Short Sword in his other hand, which he'd been hiding up until now.

  "Gotcha," he whispered. "Shoot to kill—Shinsō!"

  With a sudden thrust, the short bde extended, stretg toward Redfield with blinding speed. The silver glint of the bde cut through the darkness, and Redfield's eyes widened as he twisted mid-air, sensing the danger. But he wasn't fast enough.

  The tip of Shinsō pierced his shoulder, drawing blood as it puhrough armor and flesh alike.

  Redfield let out a hiss of pain, adjusting his posture in mid-air to prevent further damage. He cmped a hand over his injured shoulder, gritting his teeth as he gred at Cudius.