"Gyahahahaha! Nero, I didn't expect you to have eaten a Devil Fruit too?"
Seeing the Red Dragon transform into Nero, Shiki, cigar in mouth, burst into laughter: "Swordsmen have always been disgusted by such things, haven't they?"
"Hmm, it's irrelevant, not worth mentioning. Haven't you eaten one too?" Nero crossed her arms, gazing at the sea of clouds ahead: "But since we're on the topic, do you know the weakness of Devil Fruit?"
"Huh? Sea Stone and seawater—those are common knowledge." Shiki was a bit confused, looking at Nero with a puzzled expression, not understanding why she brought it up.
"Hmm, in my opinion, whether it's Haki, swordsmanship, or Devil Fruit, their weakness is actually the same." Nero tilted her head to look at Shiki, her red pupils filled with an ominous, demonic allure.
"It's weakness! Only those with shallow resolve are affected by these external factors. The sword isn't sharp enough, the Devil Fruit ability isn't strong enough, the Haki quantity is insufficient…"
"Would you stop being Golden Lion if you had a different Devil Fruit?"
"Gyahahahahaha! Nero! You've really grown into a fine woman! This time, let's turn the world upside down together!"
Shiki heard Nero's rhetorical question and immediately burst into laughter, much of the pent-up frustration in his heart transforming into overwhelming ambition.
"Hmm, a limited-time collaboration. Let me see the resolve of the great Sky Pirate Fleet Admiral!"
Breaking through the clouds, Marineford was already within reach.
"Gyahaha, then polish your eyes and watch closely!" The small island rapidly descended. Golden Lion Shiki drew his twin swords, leaped up, and floated in the air.
Beside him, Nero spread her wings and also flew up, maintaining a position shoulder-to-shoulder with him.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
Marineford erupted in commotion. Such a massive island in the sky was visible to everyone who wasn't blind.
"Is that Shiki, that bastard?"
"No one else could launch an attack like this besides him." Sengoku unbuttoned the cuffs of his suit, his muscles nearly tearing through his clothes.
"Originally, this was a precaution against the Roger Pirates, but I didn't expect to catch such an unexpectedly big fish."
"And it seems there's more than one big fish. This ominous Haki… is it Nero?"
Garp, even more direct, threw his suit jacket aside and loosened his tie. The ground beneath his feet cracked as he shot towards the descending island like a meteor.
Galaxy Impact!
The falling small island was shattered into pieces by Garp's attack, turning into debris of varying sizes that rained down towards the ground.
Great Buddha Shockwave!
Before the debris could hit the ground, it was pushed towards the sea by Sengoku's palm wind. Only a few scattered pieces landed on land, causing virtually no damage.
Garp, who hadn't yet landed after piercing through the island, continued his momentum, charging towards Golden Lion Shiki: "Shiki, you bastard, are you crazy?!"
"Gyahaha! Garp, long time no see!" Shiki greeted him, his hands never stopping.
Wave Slash!
A massive golden sword energy mercilessly struck at Garp. The timing was perfect, just as his new strength had yet to fully emerge.
Garp, who had just flown up, was knocked back by this move.
"Nero, you've come too?" Ignoring Garp nearby, Sengoku gazed at Nero, who had silently landed on the ground.
No matter how many times he had heard Kuzan talk about it, the moment he saw her this time, he recognized Nero's threat. His tingling nerves told him that this young girl in front of him was no longer the little girl she used to be.
Her domineering aura, like a monstrous beast of nature, told him instinctively that if he maintained his old mindset, he would surely lose.
"Hmm, although I had a small disagreement with that idiot, that's no reason for you Marines to interfere."
Nero tilted her head, looking at the tense Sengoku, her demonic aura growing thicker.
"No matter how pathetic Roger might be, he's not someone you could capture. What despicable methods did you use?"
What's going on? As a core member of the Roger Pirates, how could Nero not know Roger's situation?
Although he didn't know why Nero was unaware of Roger's predicament, Sengoku immediately realized this was something he could exploit.
If used properly, he might be able to capture both of them today.
"No methods at all, just an honorable arrest!" Sengoku pushed up his glasses: "This is also the fate of pirates. Even if he obtained something like Pirate King, a title that doesn't live up to its name, his destiny still won't change."
White light reflected off his glasses, obscuring his expression.
Nero's pupils contracted sharply. She knew Sengoku was trying to provoke her, but to her, the word "destiny" was the greatest insult to the Roger Pirates.
Therefore, she still became enraged. Her Haoshoku domain expanded, containing an aura like a natural disaster that made even those not directly bathed in the Haki feel a deep sense of powerlessness.
Not good! The moment Nero released her Haoshoku, Sengoku sensed something was wrong.
If a large number of people in this area were knocked out by Nero's Haki, the aftershocks of the battle would cause immeasurable damage.
He released a Haoshoku Haki no weaker than Nero's. Their domains collided—a clash of Haoshoku.
Without causing any world-shattering scenes, both their Haki dispersed simultaneously after a moment of struggle.
As the proud rose emperor, even in a state of hostility, Nero disdained to attack ordinary Marine soldiers, though she wouldn't give them special consideration either.
However, because of his recent actions, Sengoku had already changed in her mind from 'Sengoku the Strategist' to 'Sengoku the inherently evil Admiral.'
Kamisari!
The instant the Haoshoku Haki dissipated, Nero raised her hand and unleashed one of Roger's signature techniques.
The sharp sword energy was no weaker than Roger's own. Sengoku dared not be negligent, his body swelling as he transformed into a golden Great Buddha.
A rare Mythical Zoan ability user, Human-Human Fruit—Great Buddha form.
Great Buddha Shockwave!
The same technique, but compared to earlier, the shockwave released by Sengoku in this form had a completely different level of power.
After a brief standoff with the shockwave, the sword energy from Kami-yomi was fiercely batted away into the sky by Sengoku.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the battle between Shiki and Garp was even more exaggerated.
The terrain was completely altered. Various lion-shaped constructs were created on the ground by Shiki using the power of his Float-Float Fruit. They were not only imposing in appearance but also possessed considerable destructive power.
Garp, on the other hand, was like a piece of tempered steel. His heavy Haki combined with his unparalleled fists firmly suppressed Shiki.
The high-intensity battle made it impossible for anyone else to intervene. However, Shiki was not as chivalrous as Nero; he showed no mercy to ordinary Marine soldiers during the fight.
Many Marine soldiers had already died by his hand just as the battle began.
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