"Shanks, isn't it too early to challenge a Pirate Emperor now?"
Beckman smiled faintly with a cigarette in his mouth: "But... taking this opportunity to gather information about the strongest creature will be very helpful for our future operations."
...
That brat from Roger's ship...
Kaido sneered coldly: "A brat like you trying to challenge me? You're ten years too early!"
...
"Only ten years? I thought you'd say eight hundred years."
Shanks grinned while drawing his sword: "We won't know until we try! I don't think it'll take ten years!"
...
"Worororororo!! Then come at me together! You two pieces of trash too!"
Kaido turned to look at the other side.
From the other end of the ruins, Saint Miya and Doflamingo had also arrived.
After scanning the area, Doflamingo swallowed hard: "Well... Lady Miya, you know... maybe it's not appropriate for me to intervene."
Kaido is my business partner! How can I gang up on him!
...
Saint Miya looked at Shanks' extremely familiar face, directly sensing that overwhelming Conqueror's Haki.
She then glanced at Doflamingo and snorted inwardly.
They're both Celestial Dragons who fell to the lower world, yet the difference between them is so vast.
"If you're scared of dying, then get lost! Thankfully your foolish father took you to the lower world back then. Having someone like you join would only tarnish the name of the God's Knights!"
...
...
Doflamingo hid his resentment behind his sunglasses and retreated a few steps with a smile: "Yes, thankfully..."
"I'll provide support from here, Lady Miya."
Miya leaped forward, endless dark energy gathering at the tip of her spear to form a black serpent.
"Calamity Serpent!!"
...
"Ice Age!!"
...
"Are we really going to cooperate with the Marines... Well, if we don't stop you, this island famous for its fine alcohol will sink..."
"Divine Departure!!"
At the same moment, several powerful attacks converged on the strongest being present. The very earth couldn't withstand the force, cracking open with terrifying fissures!
...
"Wororororororo!!! Come on!!"
"Roaring Thunder Eight Trigrams!!"
His spiked club infused with Conqueror's Haki, black and red lightning tore through everything!!
—
—
—
New World, Unknown Waters.
A pirate ship floating in the air blocked out the sunlight.
Clouds rolled under the pressure of an invisible aura, ripples formed on the sea surface, as if time itself had frozen in that man's laughter.
...
"Hahahahaha! There's no turning back for you now!"
Shiki stared intently at Griffin, grinning widely: "Isn't it exhilarating! Doing as you please, exacting revenge freely!"
"This is the ultimate path! Nothing like what the rule-bound Marines can offer you!"
"You were born to be on my side!!"
...
"Were you involved in this." Griffin spoke calmly.
Shiki glanced at Weevil's corpse and sneered: "You mean the revenge against Zephyr?"
"How could I participate in something so petty!"
"You're underestimating me..."
"My target for revenge is the entire world!!!"
Shiki crossed his arms and spoke calmly, "Boy, the upper echelons of the World Government are far darker and more tedious than you imagine."
"I can see it in your eyes—you're not the kind of man who would willingly submit to such things."
"Come with me. I have a grand plan to overthrow the world!!"
...
...
"Not this again..."
Griffin looked up, his pupils cold and merciless, blood dripping from his jaw onto the tip of his blade.
"A loser from the old era shouldn't embarrass himself by showing his face."
...
...
"Gyahahahahaha!! Well said!!!"
Shiki laughed wildly, his laughter vibrating through the air. Beneath his feet, the two Supreme Grade Swords 'Sakura Ten' and 'Kareki' that had once made him famous gleamed with a chilling sword light.
The laughter ceased abruptly as Shiki lowered his head like a true beast, glaring intently.
"Then I'll make you accept my proposal after I become the victor!"
"Wave Slash!!"
——
A massive golden sword slash descended, splitting the sea into an endless trench and sending up white waves hundreds of meters high!!
Griffin surged upward atop the waves, gripping his sword with both hands to unleash a fierce Flying Slash.
The slash, capable of slicing through Weevil's body, was repelled by a sword wave swept from Shiki's foot before it could even touch the hem of his robe.
...
"Witness the power of the old era, brat!!!"
Shiki dove downward, activating his Float-Float Fruit ability. The colossal wave walls on either side, along with fragments of the island, coalesced into countless lion heads, crushing toward Griffin.
This magnitude of force...
It was no metaphor—it truly carried the power of mountains and seas!!
...
The Paramecia-type Float-Float Fruit not only allows the user to fly freely, completely unaffected by gravity, but also grants floating properties to any non-living thing touched.
Fleets, islands, mountains, even the sea!
With this ability, Shiki's combat prowess achieves a level of control where "heaven and earth are at his disposal."
The very ground, sea, and even space itself that one relies on for leverage all become his weapons!
It was as if he wasn't facing a concrete enemy, but a creator who could rewrite the rules of the battlefield at will!
...
The lion-like roar deafened Griffin, icy spray and sharp stone fragments assaulting his face.
Amid the lion-tornado, Griffin appeared minuscule.
"ROAR!!!!"
As the roaring lion heads were about to engulf him—
Crackle—
The seawater froze. Griffin stepped onto the frozen lion head, closing in on Shiki, and hurled his sword. The blade spun through the air with a sharp whistle, aimed straight at Shiki's face.
Swish—
Griffin instantly appeared behind Shiki, his fists coated in black-red Armament Haki, ready to strike.
Shiki raised an eyebrow, his wide robes fluttering.
"Heh, trying cheap tricks like feinting?"
The famous swords at his feet alternated slashes, repelling Spring Rain while a dense barrage of golden sword slashes rained down, sealing off all of Griffin's escape routes.
Lion: Thousand Slash Valley!!
Boom—
Griffin's body burst into a puff of smoke when struck by the slashes. The repelled Spring Rain flipped mid-air, transforming into his form.
Griffin weaved through the sword rain, his figure darting like a swimming dragon behind Shiki, the tip of his blade aimed straight at the rudder embedded in Shiki's skull.
This, without a doubt, was Shiki's weakness!
...
"I told you, such childish tricks are useless!"
As if he had eyes on his back, Shiki's foot abruptly swung upward, the sword edge precisely striking the back of Griffin's blade.
The tremendous force caused Griffin's palms to split open, nearly making him lose grip of his sword.
At the same time, Shiki drove his left knee forward, smashing hard into Griffin's abdomen.
Griffin felt as if struck by a heavy hammer, spraying blood that splattered across Shiki's robe.
...
Griffin adjusted his posture mid-air while being sent flying backward, landing steadily on the sea surface.
After a brief moment of surprise, Shiki understood how Griffin had accomplished this.
"Gehahaha... Using a power similar to Haki to isolate contact with seawater? You're another one who's overcome the weakness of ability users!!"
"I'm growing more and more impressed with you!!"
"Kid! Don't you dare die on me!!"
Shiki spread his arms wide and roared deeply: "Lion's Might · Imperial Ground Bind!!"
Remnants of underwater islands and reefs were kneaded by an invisible giant hand, with even Weevil's corpse being crushed among the rocks.
Hundreds of massive lion heads formed from seawater and stone roared to life, blotting out the sky!
...
...
Griffin exhaled a turbid breath, biting his fingertip and pressing it against the sea surface.
After a puff of smoke, he grasped something in his hand.
So it's this...
A faint smile touched his lips as he faced the mountain-and-sea crushing assault, murmuring softly...
"Uchiha..."
"Reflect!"
The round fan in his palm suddenly glowed, an invisible barrier completely blocking the countless lion heads!
Then—
A storm swept everything away!!!