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"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"
Everything trembled. The Void itself twisted and rippled, and even the violently churning sea suddenly fell silent as a raging, suffocating, domineering aura burst forth at an unbelievable speed, sweeping across a vast area and expanding endlessly outward like an unending tide.
Crack!
A shattering sound rang out, the solid hull of the battleship began to split with fine cracks spreading across its surface. Saul, Shinbu, and the other officers stood frozen, their faces visibly shifting from confusion to shock and horror.
They stared blankly ahead at the young man standing with his back to them, his white Marine cloak flapping wildly in the wind, and they couldn't react for a moment.
Beyond Kōjin, on the five pirate ships ahead, the pirates who had been laughing arrogantly just a second ago now had their expressions frozen in place before their eyes rolled back, and they collapsed unconscious.
Thud! Thud!
The sound of bodies hitting the deck echoed one after another. Pirates clutching weapons fell like wheat being harvested, row after row.
Even the howling wind stilled in that instant. The thunder and lightning in the sky seemed to have vanished into silence. Above Kōjin's head, the dark clouds twisted violently, forming a massive, swirling vortex.
"This is…?! Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki)!"
Shinbu's voice trembled in disbelief.
The Marines aboard the battleship fell silent. Every gaze locked onto the youth before them.
"Hoo…" Kōjin exhaled slowly, his sharp eyes fixed forward.
Previously, a boundless flying fleet stretched before him, with an army vast enough to blot out the sky. With only his grasp of Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki), he knew he was still far from strong enough.
Unlike in the movie version, once the great battle began, he would be facing Golden Lion Shiki at his true peak. Here is a man of unpredictable power and countless elite pirates from the New World under his command.
Even with Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki), it wouldn't make much difference. Retreating would be the smartest option.
But right now, facing only five pirate ships, he was confident.
An invisible pressure spread across the sea, heavy and absolute.
His near-maxed-out Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) aura radiated unimaginable might. Even some lower-ranking Vice Admirals would struggle to withstand it. Yet, to Kōjin's dismay, there were still more than a dozen figures on the pirate ships ahead who remained standing, resisting the full brunt of his Haoshoku.
"This brat…!?"
"He actually awakened Haoshoku?!"
A pirate captain wearing a long-bladed sword and a captain's hat exclaimed in shock.
That terrifying pressure reminded him of Old Boss Shiki himself. He glanced around. All his subordinates had collapsed, unconscious and helpless.
In the next second, two overwhelming auras erupted from afar, sweeping through the area with the sea breeze, leaving everyone's faces pale with shock.
"Old Boss Shiki has caught Roger!" The captain drew in a deep breath, his expression hardening. His gaze locked instantly on the black-haired youth before him. He tightened his grip on his longblade.
"This might get tricky… But I'm no weakling either!"
In the next moment, his long arm swung the blade, his eyes flashing sharply.
"Kill them!"
Those still conscious after enduring the Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) blast were undoubtedly elites. As the pirate ships drew within dozens of meters, both sides roared and charged simultaneously.
At the same time…
The Oro Jackson slowed to a gentle stop, its massive hull rising and falling with the waves.
"Roger, this is bad," Rayleigh said gravely. "The entire Flying Pirate Fleet has mobilized. They're clearly after us."
"Ha ha ha ha! Relax, Rayleigh! We'll be just fine!"
The man wearing a captain's hat and sporting a bold, upturned mustache laughed heartily. He slowly raised his head, standing at the bow of the ship, gazing upward…
At that golden, lion-like figure looming high above the clouds.
"Shiki, we meet again!"
High above, the Golden Lion Shiki looked down and burst into booming laughter.
"Jihahahaha!"
"Roger, join forces with me," He declared. "With our combined strength, the entire world would belong to us!"
Roger smiled faintly at his words and slowly shook his head. "I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed."
"Roger!" Shiki's grin twisted into a snarl. "It seems you still don't understand the situation you're in. You have only one path to take… Come under my flag!"
As his voice thundered out, a violent aura erupted from him, surging outward like a storm. At the same time, an equally powerful pressure burst from Roger's body below.
"My goal has always been one and only one," Roger said calmly. "I'll never serve under anyone. Shiki, your ambition is too great!"
Their gazes clashed and an invisible storm roared to life, splitting the space between them in two.
Suddenly, from the distant sea, a surge of Haki collided with their overlapping pressures…
Crack!
A third domain of power formed silently between them.
Almost instantly, both men turned at the same time… looking toward Kōjin's direction.
Rayleigh, Scopper Gaban, and the others were stunned. That burst of Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki), its strength was on par with the two titans now facing off.
"Jihahahaha! It seems we've accidentally overlooked an interesting little fellow!" Shiki roared with laughter, his sharp gaze sweeping over the Marines on the battleship until it landed on the black-haired youth.
"But my target… will always be you, Roger!"
Shiki's eyes suddenly narrowed, his figure flashing upward before he dove straight down from the sky.
"Then come, Shiki!!" Roger bellowed in response, his legs tensing as he leapt high into the air.
Electric light split the heavens as the two figures collided midair.
"Kamusari (Divine Departure)!"
"Zanpa (Slash Wave)!"
A violent explosion erupted between them. Waves of destructive force rippled outward, creating hurricane-like gusts. The terrifying shockwave even dented the sea itself, sending nearby ships rocking wildly in every direction.
Then, someone looked up by instinct.
"Dear god…"
"The sky, it's splitting open!"
Shock. Dread. Terror.
All those emotions appeared at once on every face present.
"Jihahahaha!" Golden Lion Shiki's laughter echoed across the heavens. "Only you, Roger! Only you in this era can make me feel this way, to want to conquer you completely!"
In his hands, his twin longblades… Oto and Kogarashi flashed in constant arcs, clashing against Roger's sword again and again, each strike ringing with the sound of steel and thunder.
Roger laughed heartily. "Then I should thank you for the compliment!"
Their battle boiled the entire sea. Before long, both sides' crews and officers had joined the fight.
Swish!
A slash of blinding blade-light erupted and just its aftershock were enough to cut through the air, followed by screams, as over a dozen pirate ships were split apart in an instant.
It was an unimaginable battle, its range of destruction spreading rapidly across the sea,
even reaching the distant area where Kōjin and the Marines were located.
Boom!
The battleship exploded. Flames erupted across the deck as the ship shook violently, the howling wind roaring like a beast.
Kōjin stared toward the distant battlefield, the sky discolored, streaked with lightning, and felt his heart tremble at the sheer destructive power of such overwhelming forces.
Then, he looked forward. His knees bent slightly.
And he moved.
Crack!
Like a compressed spring released, his body shot upward. The furious Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) aura around him flared into a black-and-red storm. A faint, barely perceptible energy coiled around his arm, condensing into his clenched fist.
Black-red lightning danced between his fingers.
Buzz!
At the peak of his leap, Kōjin's fist tightened, knuckles cracking.
Then, he looked down, eyes fierce, and swung his right arm downward with full force.
"Fistbone: Aerolite!!"
A burst of black-red lightning erupted violently…
(End of Chapter)
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