"Oh? What an interesting fellow."
Seeing the scene before him, even Whitebeard couldn't help but glance at El once more.
As Shiki's companion, Whitebeard naturally had an excellent grasp of his strength. But for someone as powerful as the Golden Lion to actually be injured by a young upstart like El—now that was a rare sight indeed.
"To think he could hurt Shiki... My intuition was right. This guy's a monster," Charlotte Linlin said, the corners of her lips curling upward in amusement.
The Golden Lion, however, wasn't angry at being injured. Instead, he let out a low chuckle and grinned.
"Well done, El. You've earned my approval."
To be honest, even Shiki himself was taken aback. He hadn't gone all out, of course—but he was a master swordsman, a veteran who had long since reached that level and honed his craft to near perfection. Even while holding back, he considered his swordsmanship flawless, without any gaps to exploit.
Yet El had found one—an almost imperceptible flaw—and struck at it without hesitation, managing to wound him.
Such strength, such instinct, such talent… The Golden Lion's interest was truly piqued.
"To earn Captain Shiki's approval—looks like we're about to welcome another monster aboard!" one of the crew members muttered in awe.
The Rocks Pirates were filled with powerful individuals. There were plenty of monsters among them—but they were far from the majority. For El, someone so young, to possess such overwhelming power, the title of "monster" was no exaggeration.
"However," the Golden Lion said, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, "I doubt that was the limit of your strength. In that case, I'll get a little more serious."
Although El had fought with everything he had up to that point, Shiki could tell that wasn't his true limit. A fighter like El surely had a trump card hidden away. And since his goal was to test El's true power, the Golden Lion intended to draw out every last bit of it.
Clang!
With a sharp metallic sound, Shiki drew another great blade from his waist—the famed O Wazamono-grade sword, one of the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords—and held it in his hand.
The moment he gripped both swords, his entire aura changed.
Now wielding Sakura Ten and Oto, Shiki's presence became far more oppressive—his killing intent and sword aura magnified several times over. Only when he fought dual-wielding could the Golden Lion truly unleash the terrifying depth of his swordsmanship.
"Come on, El," Shiki said calmly, standing still, his twin blades gleaming under the sun. "Show me everything you've got."
"That suits me perfectly," El replied with a grin.
It was worth noting that not long ago, El had discovered a strange Devil Fruit on a pirate ship—one that granted him access to the power of the Nine-Tails.
He had been wondering when he'd get the chance to test it out.
Now, wasn't this the perfect opportunity?
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, a crimson mist began to swirl around him, enveloping his body. His eyes glowed a fierce red, and from his back, a single red tail emerged—flickering like a living flame.
It was the tail of the Nine-Tailed Fox.
At present, El had only consumed one such fruit, unlocking the power of a single tail. Yet even that one tail was enough to cause his strength to surge dramatically.
Feeling the immense power coursing through him, El exhaled slowly, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"A red tail? Did he eat a Devil Fruit?"
"And it doesn't seem like any ordinary one. His aura's completely different from before. If I had to guess, it's some kind of fruit that amplifies physical power."
"Maybe so—but Captain Shiki's using both swords now. Even with that kind of power-up, he won't be able to hurt him again."
"That's right. Shiki's swordsmanship might have tiny openings when he fights one-handed, but when he wields both blades—unless that kid's a great swordsman himself—there's no way he's finding another flaw, let alone landing another hit!"
Seeing that El had unleashed the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox, the Golden Lion burst into excited laughter.
"Hehehehe... I knew you had a trump card up your sleeve! In that case, show me what you've got... Hehehehehe!"
The Golden Lion was now thoroughly satisfied with El.
After the battle, he had already decided—he must extend an invitation to this young man.
Someone with such talent should become one of his own!
He could see it clearly—El possessed extraordinary potential.
If he were to take El under his wing, this youth would one day rise to become one of his top commanders.
Thinking of that future made the Golden Lion's blood boil with excitement.
El gripped his blade tightly with both hands, the steel coated in a dense layer of Armament Haki. His feet pressed against the deck, muscles tensing—
"Tread!"
In an instant, El shot forward, his speed several times faster than before—so fast that an afterimage lingered where he once stood.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared before the Golden Lion.
El's veins bulged as he poured all his strength and swordsmanship into his swing, bringing his blade down with overwhelming force.
"Clang!!!"
A deafening metallic crash echoed through the sky as their blades collided, scattering dazzling sparks.
The sheer impact of their clash unleashed a violent shockwave, sweeping across the deck like a raging storm.
Several onlookers nearby were blasted backward, tumbling across the ship as the air itself trembled under the weight of their power.
A terrifying aura emanated from the two warriors—like two colossal beasts roaring and baring their fangs at one another.
"It's indeed much stronger than before," the Golden Lion remarked with a satisfied grin, feeling the pressure from El's strikes.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
"Sizzle! Spark!"
The sound of metal striking metal rang out in a relentless rhythm as their swords clashed dozens of times in mere seconds.
It was no exaggeration to say that with El's current strength, and his refined understanding of swordsmanship...
His strikes were powerful enough to split the earth and shatter mountains.
With the Nine-Tails' power surging through him, El was confident he could slay a pirate worth 300 million Berries in a single blow!
However—no matter how fearsome his strength, how sharp his blade, or how potent the Nine-Tails' chakra—
Every one of his attacks was effortlessly parried by the legendary swordsman before him.
The Golden Lion's technique was flawless, his every move calculated and precise.
In this situation, El could barely keep up, let alone find a flaw in his opponent's swordsmanship.
Even defending against Shiki's near-perfect offense felt almost impossible.
After all—he was facing one of the greatest swordsmen in the world.
At El'
s current level, this was truly a mountain too tall to climb.
Visit patreon.com/ShiroTL for more chapters.