The thunderclouds went berserk and unleashed a torrential downpour.
Within the curtain of rain, it was impossible to count the bolts of lightning crashing down, writhing and roaring as they scorched the void. Patches of white steam burned into the air, illuminating Marineford's gloomy sky as bright as day.
A massive fleet plummeted downward with their bows pointed straight at the ground, triggering waves of terrified screams from the Marines below.
Against this chaotic backdrop, Kojin raised his right hand, grasping a blue arc of electricity that stretched for thousands of meters.
"Crack!"
Electric sparks scattered in all directions, flashing around him violently and carving charred black streaks into the ground. Shiki narrowed his eyes; the gravity of his expression was no longer concealed.
No one could underestimate the power of lightning, especially when wielded by this young man before him.
At that moment, the sky blazed with light as dense bolts of lightning crashed down with pinpoint accuracy onto the falling warships. The terrifying heat instantly shattered the wooden pirate ships, engulfing them in flames.
"The ships are being blown apart!" The Marines cried out in shock.
They watched as Golden Lion's massive vessels were relentlessly struck by lightning. Dense nets of electricity spread across the entire sky.
Looking up, the sky above Marineford, beneath the thunderclouds, was filled with tendrils of lightning reaching down like grasping claws.
The shattered ships disintegrated into countless burning fragments that rained down from above.
However, compared to the full-sized vessels, the destructive force of these fragments was greatly diminished, allowing the Marines on the ground to easily handle them.
"Today, the luck seemed to be on my side!" Kojin murmured to himself.
In the next instant, he swung his right hand violently.
"Five hundred million volts—Thunder God's Whip!"
A lightning bolt stretching thousands of meters long was violently torn from the thunderclouds with a thunderous crack and lashed out toward Golden Lion Shiki's position.
Lightning moves at unimaginable speeds. By the time the blinding light appeared, the electric strike was already upon him.
Golden Lion's pupils constricted, and without hesitation, he instantly sprinted across the ground.
"Boom... Rumble!"
The Thunder God's Whip lashed out, its searing heat instantly melting the ground into magma and vaporizing the rain in its path.
Shiki's figure flickered repeatedly, yet he could not escape the Thunder Gods Whip's relentless pursuit.
Kojin wielded the lightning, but the whip required no manual control. With a mere thought, the lightning would instantly strike its target.
Only a world-class powerhouse like Golden Lion Shiki could evade such an attack.
"What a troublesome brat!"
Golden Lion Shiki's forehead was beaded with sweat, and he was breathing heavily. Dodging lightning was extremely draining, even for someone of his caliber. It was a short-term burst that consumed enormous stamina.
Fortunately, the lightning could not last forever.
After about a dozen breaths, the thousands of meters of lightning in Kojin's hand abruptly contracted, condensing into a pair of 20-30 meter-long Thunder Spears that crackled with blue light.
Its entire body shone brilliantly with lightning crackling across it. Yet, it seemed solid, like a real weapon with mysterious thunder patterns engraved along the shaft.
Reaching out, Kojin firmly grasped the Thunder God's Spear and fixed his gaze forward.
At that very moment, Golden Lion seized the opportunity, slamming both hands down onto the ground.
"Lion Majesty-Earth Roll!"
In an instant, within a radius of tens of thousands of meters, the ground of Marineford Square and its surrounding structures crumbled and surged upward, coiling around Kojin to form several colossal lions, each towering thousands of meters high.
"Roar!"
A faint lion's roar echoed through the air before the massive lion claws struck down at Kojin the instant they materialized.
"Crack!"
But the strike grasped only empty air.
Lightning flashed, and the next second, Kojin was high in the sky, looking down.
His eyes swiftly locked onto Golden Lion, who was now hovering above Marineford's inner bay, enveloped within a swirling vortex of water dragons.
"Jihahahaha! How are you going to block this move?!"
Amidst his maniacal laughter, Shiki spread his arms wide, his face twisted in madness. At that moment, the entire inner bay began to surge upward toward the sky, exposing the seabed far below.
It was an utterly breathtaking scene. Golden Lion Shiki had complete control over the seawater of Marineford's inner bay.
Even Kojin's pupils contracted slightly.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Deafening explosions echoed throughout Marine Headquarters.
The bay's surface had already risen hundreds of meters, forming colossal water dragons, and a terrifying tsunami was brewing.
Suddenly, Kojin clenched the 'Lightning Spear' in his hand, raised it high above his head, and assumed a throwing stance, entering a full charge.
"Crack!"
Black-and-red lightning erupted as Conqueror's Haki infused the 'Lightning Spear'.
"Spear of Langinus!"
Every muscle in his body tightened like coiled springs and exploded with immense power. The 'Lightning Spear' in his hand, shimmering with black-and-red electricity, was hurled forward in an instant.
"Whoosh!"
The void was pierced, and the 'Lightning Spear' vanished.
There was almost no sense of distance as the spearhead reached Golden Lion Shiki in the blink of an eye.
The terrifying speed instantly cooled the madness in the Golden Lion's eyes, and he felt as if icy water had been poured over his head.
The 'Lightning Spear' spun violently, with blue arcs flashing around it. Conqueror's Haki wrapped around its body, and black-and-red lightning tore through the void. From several meters away, Shiki could already feel its horrifying, piercing force.
Red light flared in his eyes. He could no longer pay attention to controlling the seawater or counterattacking Marineford.
"Pfft!"
The 'Lightning Spear' pierced straight through, carrying the Golden Lion's body with it and dragging him away in an instant until he slammed into the massive Gates of Justice behind him. Only then did a dull buzzing sound ring out as the gates shook lightly a few times.
From afar, one of the world's Three Great Legends, a great pirate, was pinned to the Gates of Justice by the 'Lightning Spear'.
The sight was soul-shaking.
"Is he… dead?"
"With an attack like that, there was no way to dodge it!"
"It was too fast. I didn't even see what happened!"
The Marines watching from afar stared wide-eyed and swallowed hard.
They would never forget the image of that figure hovering in the void with lightning coiling around his body.
Rain poured down, and Marineford fell into an eerie calm. All eyes were fixed on the figure impaled upon the Gates of Justice.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Suddenly, a violent coughing fit erupted.
As blood streamed down the Gate of Justice, the figure stirred, gripping the 'Lightning Spear' crackling with lightning.
"Ahhhhh!"
Golden Lion screamed in pain as the strength in his hand surged. Then, he pulled out the 'Lightning Spear' that had pierced his upper right chest near his shoulder with a violent jerk.
"Hiss!"
The searing pain made him gasp sharply, his face contorting into a terrifying grimace.
The spear was impossibly fast. Even with Observation Haki activated, he could not dodge it; he could only shift his body slightly to reduce the damage.
His shoulder had been pierced. The upper lobe of his right lung was completely impaled. Despite Armament Haki's protection, the area was instantly scorched and vaporized.
"How vicious!"
Golden Lion abruptly raised his head and stared at the 'Lightning Spear' dissipating in his hand. His expression became utterly insane. He thrust one hand outward. A ripple spread out and swept across the inner bay's surface.
"Feel my fury!"
A low, icy voice rang out.
The next instant, seawater from the inner bay rolled high into the air and came crashing back down toward Marineford, triggering countless screams of terror and despair.
(End of Chapter)
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