"Your pirate crew?"
Kouta exhaled deeply as he watched the ships below gradually sail farther from the battlefield.
Whether it was for the sake of clashing with strong opponents to temper his Haki, or because Shiki had some agenda—he already knew. One way or another, they were bound to fight.
This wasn't a battle the villagers on the island below could possibly endure.
To ordinary people, a clash between top-tier powers was no different from a natural disaster.
Especially with someone like Shiki the Golden Lion, whose strength could raze heavens and split seas—when such a monster appeared, it was best to run as far away as possible.
That Marine, Bearded Man, truly deserved respect. Not only had he knelt before pirates for the sake of civilians, he'd also lifted the psychological shackles from Kouta, giving him the freedom to go all out without worry.
Kouta looked up at this, the second-strongest man he'd encountered in the One Piece world—perhaps even the strongest, since he still had no idea how powerful Dragon truly was.
His mind buzzed with thoughts.
"How old is Shiki now? Seventy? Maybe eighty?"
"Judging by his condition, there's no way he's at his peak. His stamina must've declined."
He recalled that this old man, thanks to his age and the ship's rudder embedded in his head, probably couldn't use Conqueror's Haki anymore. Even his Armament Haki reserves would be limited by his physical deterioration.
"And my strength…"
"I can win this."
He still admired the old lion—Shiki had actually let him recover his strength before the fight.
That Thousand Slash earlier wasn't just a flurry of strikes. It had been executed in a single instant. Even with Kouta's stamina, he needed time to regain his footing afterward.
It wasn't like a thousand individual swings. Those he could perform all day. But an explosive, singular Thousand Slash consumed a staggering amount of energy.
Now, with his strength at its peak, the villagers safely evacuated, and the old man clearly no longer a match for him, Kouta finally relaxed. His calm demeanor returned.
After all, it's the unknown that breeds fear. In this world, he wasn't afraid of anything he understood.
He fixed his gaze on Shiki and said casually, "Hey, old man, do you still have a pirate crew?"
If he remembered correctly, Shiki wouldn't reestablish his crew until two years from now.
"Jihahahahaha…"
Shiki laughed heartily, spreading his arms wide as he extended another invitation to Kouta.
He truly admired this young man.
They were practically kindred spirits.
"I can see it in your eyes—you know who I am. And if you know who I am, then you must know how powerful I am. As long as you join me, my pirate crew can be rebuilt this very moment."
He paused briefly, then laughed again.
"Jihahahaha! Silver-Haired Kouta, become my right hand! With my plan and your potential, I could make the World Government bleed today!"
"Let the world know that I—Shiki the Golden Lion—have returned!"
"Jihahahaha!"
Kouta stared at the man lost in laughter, sensing the deranged ambition behind his words.
This guy was broken now. All he wanted was to destroy the world.
Once a top-tier powerhouse, Shiki had lost faith in his own strength, turning instead to mutated beasts and bizarre experiments. That alone proved he was no longer a true king of the seas.
His ambition now vastly exceeded his strength.
With his Devil Fruit power, he didn't need monsters. He could drop dozens of islands, retreat, and destroy East Blue in minutes.
He could even take out every Marine branch.
Well… unless there were deeper secrets Kouta didn't know.
Hic!
Kouta uncorked his gourd and took a swig of the 300,000-berry wine, letting out a satisfied belch.
"Not bad."
Smirking, he glanced at Shiki and said, "Old man, you're too old. You should find some peaceful, flowery place to enjoy your retirement."
"Why bother strutting around? Wouldn't it be better to let yourself fade into legend?"
He took another sip.
Then, mocking laughter laced his words: "You're this old, and you're still going around yelling about destroying the world. Don't you know how ridiculous that sounds?"
"Destroying the world, making it feel pain—you think you're Pain or something?"
Shiki's laughter slowly faded.
He narrowed his eyes, exhaling smoke, flicking the ash from his cigar. His body radiated a sharp, oppressive aura.
"So that's your answer, huh?"
A terrifying pressure began emanating from his frame.
It wasn't Conqueror's Haki—it was the sheer dominance of a man who'd once ruled the seas.
As he stared at the utterly nonchalant Kouta, a savage glint flickered in his eyes.
With a grim, crooked smile, he growled, "Jihahahaha! If that's your answer, then die!"
He was Shiki the Golden Lion. Not even Roger had dared dismiss him like this.
Since his rise, no one had ever looked at him this way.
"You little brat really think I'm too old to wield a blade?"
"Then I'll show you… the true terror of a legendary pirate!"
He stepped back, then launched the twin swords strapped to his legs toward Kouta with a powerful kick.
Two massive, crescent-shaped golden slashes shot through the air.
"Wave Slash!"
Kouta calmly drew his sword Zankū, gripped it with both hands, and slashed twice.
Two equally massive silver-gray arcs met the incoming attack head-on.
Clang! Clang!
The collision of the slashes rang out like crashing steel. After a moment of deadlock, the attacks passed each other—the golden arcs splitting the sea below, the silver ones slicing open the sky.
On the fleeing fleet heading toward Loguetown, everyone looked up at the resounding noise.
They saw the sky torn apart as if cleaved by a god's blade.
Through the gap in the clouds, they could clearly see the outline of a colossal floating island above.
Cold sweat poured down their backs.
There really were more islands up there.
Suddenly, a golden flash streaked past their eyes.
A second later, a deafening crack echoed across the sea as a deep, endless fissure opened nearby.
Seawater surged violently into the chasm.
Their ships, caught in the current, began veering off course.
Sailors frantically adjusted their sails, using the wind to escape the pull of the whirlpool.
Looking back, they saw the abyss-like crevice in the ocean, the split sky above, and Proceus Island, cleaved apart by another golden slash.
Relief washed over them.
Thank god those two hadn't started fighting sooner.
If they'd still been on Proceus Island, who knew how many lives would've been lost?
That thought led them to glance gratefully toward the Marine warship ahead.
They had initially complained about Captain Bearded Man, thinking he was overreacting.
If not for his reputation and his father's influence, they might've ignored his orders to evacuate.
"If we hadn't…"
A collective shiver ran down their spines.
They now held genuine gratitude for the Marine captain.
At the stern of the Freedom—
"This is insane… These two are straight out of mythology."
A Tao, cigarette trembling between her fingers, stared at the sky in awe.
"Yeah… it's unbelievable. They're splitting the heavens, the sea, and even floating islands."
A Luo chimed in, eyes wide. "So this is the power of legendary pirates?"
"If they're all like this, we might as well lie down and give up."
Thud!
A Hua knocked him on the head. "You dead-last loser. Of course you should lie down."
"With your level? Please."
"What'd you say?"
"You picking a fight?"
"I'm always ready!"
A Luo reached for his pistol.
"Bring it on!"
They squared off, foreheads pressed together, glaring with sparks flying.
Thud thud!
Kuina stepped in and knocked both of them flat with a pair of punches.
A Tao glanced at their swollen heads and scoffed.
"Idiots."
"You seriously picked now of all times to start bickering?"
Kuina's gaze swept across the torn sky and ocean, eyes filled with emotion.
She wasn't too worried about Kouta. Even if his opponent was a legendary pirate, she believed in him completely.
This was the pinnacle clash of master swordsmen.
If the battlefield hadn't been so dangerous, she might've stayed behind on Proceus Island to watch the fight.
Her fingers tightened on the hilt at her waist. Determination lit her expression.
"One day… she would unleash slashes like that too."
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