The two had been clashing for some time now — their blades meeting hundreds of times in a storm of steel and haki.
The Golden Lion's swordsmanship was sharp, ferocious, and utterly domineering. Yet, even with such skill, he was still holding back. Because of that, the pressure on El wasn't overwhelming — but it was more than enough to push him to his limits.
Every strike, every parry, honed El's technique further.
"Are you improving… in the middle of battle?"
The Golden Lion's eyes narrowed, disbelief flickering within them. He could feel it — El's swordsmanship was evolving. His strikes grew more precise, his aura sharper, his instincts faster.
This wasn't an illusion. As a great swordsman himself, Shiki could clearly sense it. Within just a few minutes, this boy's swordsmanship had leapt forward.
To grow stronger during combat — that was something even he, a legendary pirate, could not easily do.
"That's enough for now."
El suddenly leapt back, sheathing his blade with a calm that contrasted the intensity of their duel. He had already gained plenty from this exchange — insights and understanding that would take time to digest.
Continuing to fight now would be meaningless.
After all, he was merely a sword master, while the Golden Lion was a true great swordsman. The gap between them was still too vast; the higher-level techniques Shiki used were beyond El's current comprehension.
El exhaled slowly, then smiled.
Time to test another power… the one I inherited from the Nine-Tails.
The power he referred to was the Tailed Beast Ball — an ultimate technique from the Naruto world, ranked among the highest forms of ninjutsu.
Normally, he would've needed to manifest at least four of the Nine-Tails' tails before he could use it.
But thanks to the system's blessing, the moment he gained Kurama's chakra, he obtained the qualification to use it freely.
He'd seen how terrifying the Tailed Beast Ball was in the anime.
But now, for the first time, he would unleash it with his own hands — against one of the strongest pirates on the seas.
El slid his sword back into its sheath.
"Hm? What's this, El? Giving up already?" the Golden Lion asked with a mocking grin. He had wanted to see more of El's tricks.
"No," El said quietly, shaking his head.
The next instant, he extended his hand.
A purplish-black sphere began to form in his palm, slowly spinning, devouring the air around it.
The moment it appeared, a crushing wave of pressure erupted outward, engulfing the entire Rocks Pirates fleet.
The purplish-black sphere grew larger and larger, and El's aura skyrocketed — wild, violent, and monstrous.
The pirates watching from afar could barely breathe.
"W-What the hell is that?!"
"This pressure… it's like the sea itself is shaking!"
"Did he eat some kind of Mythical Zoan fruit?!"
"Everyone, get back! You'll die if you stay near that thing!"
Seeing that El was about to unleash the power of the Tailed Beast Ball, everyone on the ship instinctively backed away several meters.
Even though the attack hadn't yet been fully released, they could already feel an overwhelming aura radiating from the purplish-black sphere forming in his hand.
If anyone were caught in its blast, they would no doubt suffer serious injuries!
"Gurararara… He really did eat an incredible Devil Fruit. The pressure coming from that power is no joke," Whitebeard laughed heartily.
"To have mastered such terrifying power at such a young age… This brat is far beyond any of his peers on this ship," Charlotte Linlin remarked, crossing her arms.
The Rocks Pirates were full of monsters in human form — and plenty of young prodigies as well.
But among them, no one close to El's age could match his sheer strength.
"Interesting. A kid with a bounty of only a hundred million can release a power that even I can feel some pressure from," Wang Zhi said with a toothy grin, his gaze fixed on El.
Even Rocks D. Xebec, who had been silent all along, couldn't help but smile.
"Hahaha! Seems today's voyage was worth it. We've picked up quite the remarkable recruit."
El's current strength was still far from threatening Rocks himself, of course.
But Rocks could clearly see that the potential in this young man was nothing short of monstrous.
A powerhouse with such overwhelming potential joining his crew naturally made Rocks ecstatic.
"If I'm not mistaken, this is your strongest technique, El," the Golden Lion said calmly, gripping his twin swords in both hands.
"Indeed, Shiki san," El replied.
At this point, El had already mastered all three forms of Haki, entered Sage Mode, wielded the power of one of the Nine-Tails' tails, and could now unleash the Tailed Beast Ball.
The three types of Haki, his Sage Body, and the Nine-Tails' single tail all served as powerful enhancements to his overall abilities.
But the Tailed Beast Ball—this was his true killing move.
His ultimate trump card.
Moreover, this was the first time El had ever used the Tailed Beast Ball in an actual battle.
Even he didn't yet know the full extent of its destructive power.
But that answer would be revealed in the next instant.
The purplish-black sphere in front of his palm finally fused completely, forming a dense orb nearly a meter across.
Then, with a powerful thrust of his hand, El launched it straight toward the Golden Lion.
In the original world of the Tailed Beasts, the technique's size could reach over ten meters.
But since El only possessed the power of a single tail, the attack's scale was naturally smaller—though its might was still beyond terrifying.
After all, this was the Nine-Tails' ultimate technique—an S-rank ninjutsu known for its catastrophic power.
The Tailed Beast Ball shot forward at blistering speed, carrying the might to crush mountains and split the sea.
Its destructive energy tore through the air, reaching the Golden Lion in the blink of an eye.
The massive, oppressive force filled Shiki's entire field of vision.
Even for the Golden Lion, the pressure o
f that attack was enough to make his expression turn solemn.
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