"BOOM!!!"
The Tailed Beast Ball shot straight toward the Golden Lion, colliding with his twin blades.
In the next instant, an explosion like a nuclear blast erupted — a terrifying wave of power completely engulfing the Golden Lion.
The deafening roar shook the massive ship violently, its timbers groaning as if the sea itself were trembling.
The shockwave, visible like a roaring prehistoric beast, swept across the entire Rocks Pirates crew, knocking down everyone nearby.
The overwhelming power of the blast etched itself deeply into the hearts of all who witnessed it.
As the destructive force slowly faded, everyone could finally see the aftermath...
Golden Lion's clothes were torn, his body marred by several external injuries. The deck beneath his feet — spanning tens of meters — was shredded and splintered, looking as if it would collapse at the slightest touch.
"So… so strong!!!"
"This guy's ability is terrifying!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Are you kidding me? Even with Captain Shiki using both swords, that monster still managed to injure him!"
"And this ship's made from Adam Wood — the hardest material in the world! Even cannonballs can't scratch it, but that attack actually tore the deck apart!"
"Thank the seas it wasn't us fighting him… otherwise we'd be blown to bits!"
"This guy's a real monster!!!"
Panic spread through the crew as they realized the sheer power El had unleashed. Even as spectators, they could feel the crushing pressure from that Tailed Beast Ball.
And what's more — the Golden Lion had actually been injured!
Everyone knew how terrifying Shiki was — one of the strongest on the ship, a legend among pirates.
Yet El… a newcomer who'd only been at sea for a single year, with a bounty of just 100 million Berries… had managed to wound him.
At the start of the duel, they all assumed the Golden Lion would defeat El within five moves.
But now, after such an intense battle…
Shiki hadn't even managed to land a single solid hit.
On the contrary, it was El who had wounded him twice.
Such skill and power were beyond belief.
"Interesting… this kid's ability is far more terrifying than I imagined," Whitebeard said, unable to hide his admiration.
When El had started charging the Tailed Beast Ball, Whitebeard could already sense that the power was extraordinary. But seeing it firsthand — seeing Shiki injured by it — was something else entirely.
Even Whitebeard couldn't help but praise such monstrous talent.
"This one's strong," Charlotte Linlin said with a greedy smile. "I'd love to have him as my subordinate."
"He can actually hurt that bastard Shiki? Hah, looks like we've got another monster aboard," Silver Axe muttered, resting his massive axe on his shoulder.
"At the end of the day, he's still just a kid," John said dismissively.
"Don't underestimate him, John," Wang Zhi said seriously. "When we were his age, none of us had that kind of strength. This kid… he's something else."
Though El's strength was still far below theirs, Wang Zhi could see it clearly — the potential was there.
When they were his age, they'd still been struggling just to survive on the open sea.
But El… at this age, he could already wound the Golden Lion himself.
"The power's not bad," El said calmly, surveying the devastation left by his attack. He nodded in satisfaction.
At present, he had only begun to tap into Kurama's power — the power of a single tail.
Even so, the might of that one Tailed Beast Ball was already devastating beyond imagination.
Even so, the power of the Tailed Beast Ball was still astonishing.
Just imagining that such terrifying destructive force came from using only the power of one of Kurama's tails was enough to make one tremble.
Then what if El could unlock more of Kurama's tails?
By collecting more Devil Fruits and awakening greater portions of Kurama's power, a single Tailed Beast Ball could very well obliterate an entire country.
"Hahaha... Did I underestimate you after all? Your strength truly exceeds my expectations!" the Golden Lion roared with laughter.
To be honest, when El first unleashed the Tailed Beast Ball, Shiki had still been underestimating him.
After all, considering his own identity, status, and strength—why would he need to go all out against a pirate whose bounty was only 100 million Berries?
The same arrogance had applied when he defended against El's attack. Because of that carelessness, he hadn't used his full strength—
—and now he bore the price for it. The wound he'd received still throbbed painfully, a sharp reminder of his misjudgment.
"It seems I'll have to get serious," Shiki muttered, gripping his twin blades tightly, his aura beginning to surge once more.
But just as he was about to move, a calm yet commanding voice cut through the air.
"That's enough, Shiki."
At Rocks' words, the killing intent around the Golden Lion slowly faded. He glanced over, frowning slightly, clearly displeased that his fun had been interrupted. He had finally found an opponent worth going all out against—
—and now Rocks had cut the moment short.
Rocks looked at him indifferently.
Clang! Clang!
A heartbeat later, Shiki obediently sheathed Sakura Ju and Oto Mukuro, shrugging in resignation.
"What a shame. I was just starting to enjoy my little chat with El."
No matter how proud or arrogant he was, even Shiki knew better than to defy Rocks D. Xebec.
Seeing that the Golden Lion had backed down, Rocks strode forward, stopping before El with a wide grin.
"Your name's El, right? From now on, you're an official member of the crew!"
Rocks had witnessed El's power firsthand. To have someone like him join the Rocks Pirates was something that pleased him greatly.
El's abilities were more than enough to skip the rank of intern and become a full-fledged crew member.
"Thank you very much, Captain Rocks," El said with a smile.
Naturally, he was delighted. The higher one's status aboard the Rocks Pirates, the greater the share of treasure.
And El valued wealth highly—after all, he was already planning to attend several New World auctions to purchase more Devil Fruits once he'd saved enough.
"Promoted straight to full crew member? Looks like Captain Rocks really values him!"
"Of course! This monster managed to injure Captain Shiki twice! Promoting him's more than fair!"
"Damn it, I've been here for years and I'm still just an intern, while this guy joins as a full member?!"
"With that kind of talent, he'll be a cadre in no time!"
"I bet he'll even become one of Rocks' top officers—just like Captain Shiki someday!"
The Rocks Pirates had many officers, but only a few could truly be called key members. Most were just ordinary cadres.
Rocks patted El on the shoulder and said with a grin,
"The Rocks Pirates will be the stage where you shine. I trust you won't let me down. Of course... show your worth, and you'll be rewarded accordingly."
The Rocks Pirates were a crew that lived by one law: the strong are respected.
As long as you had the power—and as long as you didn't cross Roc
ks himself—
—even slaughtering your own crewmates would be overlooked.
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