Zzzzt-
The clash of Conqueror's Haki continued, but there was no doubt that the density and quality of Shamrock's Haki couldn't compare to Naruto's.
This wasn't hard to see from the expressions on both sides.
At the moment, Naruto's brows were slightly furrowed, but it was mostly due to his heartache over the damage to the ship's hull.
To be honest, it was really fortunate that Naruto had reforged and reinforced the materials of the Gale Breaker beforehand.
An ordinary warship simply wouldn't be able to withstand so many powerful individuals fighting recklessly on it.
Even so, the current Gale Breaker was now pitted and scarred by various attacks. Catching glimpses of this out of the corner of his eye, Naruto instinctively felt displeased.
He hadn't felt it before when he didn't have his own dedicated ship, but now he finally understood how Roger must have felt about the Oro Jackson.
But despite his heartache, Naruto still held his sword with one hand, his Haki output as stable as eating or drinking.
Shamrock, on the other side, wasn't having such an easy time.
The treasured sword capable of transforming into a three-headed hellhound was gripped with both hands, while the Conqueror's Haki on his body had already begun to show unstable fluctuations, sometimes strong, sometimes weak, appearing somewhat strained.
Crack...
Unfortunately, what gave out before Shamrock did was the hull of the Gale Breaker.
Although not as powerful as his twin brother, Shamrock's Conqueror's Haki also possessed enough power to cause physical effects.
While clashing with Naruto's Haki, cracks had already appeared on the deck where they stood.
"Let's fight somewhere else."
Naruto spoke seemingly out of nowhere.
Hearing this, a fierce light flashed in Shamrock's eyes.
"There's no nece-"
Before he could finish the last word, a geta sandal wrapped in Haki kicked hard into his abdomen, sending him flying diagonally upwards into the air.
'This guy's power has grown even stronger!'
Unable to control himself, Shamrock instinctively covered his abdomen. He adjusted his posture by kicking the air and looked at Naruto, who was now quietly floating in front of him, his eyes full of disbelief.
To be honest, he had already tried to estimate Naruto's current strength as highly as possible, but the facts proved he had still underestimated him.
'Or was it that this guy hadn't used his full strength last time either?'
Looking at Naruto, who was leisurely assuming a combat stance, this thought uncontrollably arose in Shamrock's mind.
It was no wonder… after all, associating clones with weakened power wasn't strange.
Just like when a cup of water is divided into multiple portions, the amount in each cup naturally decreases.
"...Even so, you will definitely die here today."
Straightening up again, Shamrock once again coated his blade with Haki, his tone icy.
"You really know how to boast. If these are all the methods you have, then I can only say-"
Naruto's voice drew out. An air explosion appeared where he had been standing moments before.
In Shamrock's Observation Haki perception, there was nothing, the Uzumaki Naruto opposite him seemed to not exist at all.
But the blade that had already cut into his chest disagreed with that assessment.
"You will still fail, just like last time."
"Cough... Haa!"
By the time Shamrock reacted, Mushoukou had already cut into his waist, severing muscles and bones along the way, reaching a position less than five centimeters from his heart.
For someone of Shamrock's build, five centimeters was already very close.
He decisively chose to grip the blade of Mushoukou tightly with his palm. Simultaneously, Cerberus automatically protected its master, transforming into a three-headed hellhound and biting towards Naruto.
"Really don't learn your lesson."
As he spoke, Naruto allowed the three-headed vicious dog to open its mouths and bite down on his body.
Although it had also reached the Awakening level, ultimately, Cerberus was just a weapon. It was only through special craftsmanship that it was fused with a Devil Fruit. So its essence couldn't be compared to a normal Mythical Zoan User.
The sharp teeth couldn't even tear Naruto's upper garment.
Cerberus seemed to realize this too. So, after biting Naruto's body, three enlarged blade sections shot out from its mouths, heading straight for Naruto.
"A vicious dog daring to bare its fangs and bite people shouldn't have any complaints if it gets killed."
After saying this coldly, without any visible action from Naruto, three pitch-black spheres appeared in front of him.
This scene almost triggered Shamrock's psychological trauma again.
He remembered that last time, Naruto had also used such spheres to cause massive destruction to Mary Geoise and even killed Killingham.
But he quickly realized that this time the battlefield wasn't Mary Geoise, so he didn't need to hold back to protect it.
He wouldn't feel the slightest bit of heartache even if Impel Down was completely destroyed.
The only thing he needed to do was avoid being affected by the Haki spread when the spheres exploded, which would prevent his rapid healing.
But this time, the three spheres didn't explode as expected.
Because what Naruto used this time wasn't the [Conqueror's Bomb], but the genuine Truth-Seeking Balls.
Silently, the three Truth-Seeking Balls passed through the hellhound's heads as if they were red-hot branding irons touching butter, without any obstruction.
The next instant, Cerberus reverted to its prototype, becoming the original rapier form.
But now, three glaring cracks had appeared on it. Before Shamrock could do anything, it snapped with a crack, completely breaking into several pieces.
Seeing Cerberus reminded Naruto of his former comrade, Kiba from the canine-training Inuzuka Clan.
'Come to think of it, didn't Kiba and his little dog also have a technique that could transform into a two-headed wolf?'
"What a pity. If I brought you back, Kiba would probably be very happy."
Even as he said this, Naruto's movements were not slow in the slightest. The three Truth-Seeking Balls, after penetrating the sword body, continued unabated, piercing straight through Shamrock's head, chest, and abdomen, leaving three large holes.
It was just a shame that Naruto's current mastery of the Truth-Seeking Balls, formed from the mixture of seven Chakra Natures, wasn't thorough enough.
He couldn't stuff Conqueror's Haki into them without affecting their balance.
Otherwise, the new [Truth-Seeking Conqueror's Bomb] could wipe out those God's Knights without Naruto even needing to lift a finger.
Shamrock, now full of holes, released his grip on the weapon. Then, without hesitation, he wrapped his hand in Haki and threw a Conqueror's Haki-infused punch at Naruto's head.
Thud!
Naruto tilted his head, taking Shamrock's Conqueror's Haki-infused punch directly on the face without dodging or avoiding.
"...To be honest, compared to Shanks, your Haki is still far from enough."
Mushoukou exerted force again, severing Shamrock's hand and heart with one slash. Then Naruto reached out and grabbed the other's head.
"Tell me, what's your backup plan?"
When Naruto asked this, Shamrock showed a somewhat ferocious smile.
"Ha... I admit, Sinner, your power... is indeed formidable."
Although the hole in his forehead had started to heal, the blood had covered half his face. Shamrock now completely lacked that noble-like elegance.
In terms of appearance alone, he was much more 'disheveled' than his twin brother.
"However... the moment you came here, the moment you entered this trap... the outcome was already decided!"
The killing intent in Shamrock's tone grew increasingly intense, as if the one beaten half to death wasn't him.
"It is your arrogance that leads you to death."
"My mission is accomplished. Atone for your sins with death, Great Sinner!"
After saying this, he used his remaining intact hand to firmly grab Naruto's collar, then shouted downwards.
"Activate the teleportation!"
Instantly, the God's Knights, who were still locked in fierce combat with Sasuke and the others, disengaged from the battlefield one after another.
The remaining God's Blades immediately stepped up, using their lives to buy time for the God's Knights to complete their next actions.
Suddenly, Naruto, Sasuke, and Redfield's expressions changed. All three looked towards the sky simultaneously.
At this moment, the sky above Impel Down, where the sun could still be seen before, was now completely shrouded by dark clouds. Lightning occasionally flashed within the clouds.
The thick clouds spiraled outward around a central point, as if something was about to descend from within.
"It is your honor to die by this move."
As Shamrock spoke, light actually began to slowly appear in the center of the cloud layer.
Below, Blackbeard and Crocodile's groups, who had parted ways earlier but were now charging towards the prison's main entrance, stopped their verbal probing and almost simultaneously looked up at the unusual celestial phenomenon.
Both seemed to have some understanding of that celestial phenomenon, as their faces immediately turned pale.
Blackbeard finally realized where his sense of unease was coming from.
The Celestial Dragons never intended to let them escape.
They wanted to destroy them, along with Impel Down and Naruto, all together!