"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
High above Merveille, the battle looked like two giant beasts fighting to the death.
Every collision brought deafening thunder and explosions that tore through the air. Violent shockwaves spread out in visible ripples, shattering the clouds in every direction.
"Jihahahaha! Refreshing! Refreshing!!"
Golden Lion Shiki laughed wildly as he moved through the sky at incredible speed.
Although he had lost his feet, the two famous swords replacing them, Oto and Kogarashi, moved under his control as if they were part of his body.
His close combat and swordsmanship had completely become one. Every kick came with a flying slash strong enough to cut through a mountain.
Shiki spun violently in the air. His legs became a golden blur, and countless golden sword beams poured down like a storm, cutting off all of Aiden's escape routes.
"This old monster... he wasn't like this in the movie."
Aiden gritted his teeth. He did not choose to just evade. Even if his swordsmanship was far below that of a swordsman who had trained for decades, that did not mean he could not fight back.
The sword in Aiden's hand was instantly coated in pitch-black Haki. At the same time, blue-white high-voltage current covered the blade, filling the air with a sharp crackling sound.
He rushed forward. His sword became a storm of lightning as he met the rain of golden slashes head-on!
"Clang, clang, clang, clang!!!"
The dense sounds of metal crashing against metal rang through the sky.
Every time a golden sword beam was broken, bright sparks burst out. Aiden used the extreme reaction speed of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit together with the predictions of his Observation Haki to block Shiki's attacks one by one.
"Oh? You can keep up with me?"
A flash of surprise appeared in Shiki's eyes, then quickly turned into excitement. "Then let's go faster!!"
"Whoosh!"
Shiki's speed jumped again. He became a blur and instantly appeared at Aiden's side. His right leg, Oto, swept across with crushing force, aiming straight for Aiden's neck!
This strike was incredibly fast and unbelievably heavy!
I see it!
Aiden's Observation Haki had already caught the path of the strike.
But he did not dodge. At this distance, dodging would only create a bigger opening.
Aiden reversed his grip on the sword, turned, and blocked!
"Clang!!!"
The two blades collided.
A huge force traveled through the hilt. Aiden felt like the skin between his thumb and forefinger was about to split open.
But Shiki's attack did not stop there.
The moment Aiden blocked Oto, Shiki's other leg followed.
Kogarashi slashed upward toward Aiden's stomach!
Is this the advantage of two-sword style?
Aiden's eyes sharpened. He twisted his waist in midair and used the recoil from a burst of lightning to force his body aside. The upward slash barely missed him.
At the same time, he threw a kick at Shiki's face.
"Boom!"
Shiki raised a hand to block the kick, but the force still pushed him back several meters.
The two separated for a moment in the sky, but only for a moment.
Then they clashed again.
In just a few seconds, they exchanged dozens of moves.
Most of the time, Aiden was on the defensive.
Shiki kept pressing forward with one attack after another, using Oto and Kogarashi in turns without giving Aiden room to breathe.
Aiden blocked one strike, then another, then another.
"You can't beat me with just fruit powers and half-baked swordsmanship!"
Shiki did not chase right away. He floated in the distance with a mocking look in his eyes. "Your Observation Haki is good. You can see my movements. But your sword can't keep up with mine!"
Before he even finished speaking, Shiki attacked again.
This time, his offense was even fiercer. Every strike carried heavy Haki.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Each collision felt like a heavy blow crashing into Aiden's body.
Even with his speed and peak Armament Haki, he was still being overwhelmed by the pressure of Shiki's twin sword attacks.
This was complete suppression in swordsmanship. Shiki had been famous for years, and his swordsmanship had long reached its peak. Aiden's current technique was still far below his.
Every swing of Shiki's legs hid dozens of follow-up changes. Often, just as Aiden blocked one strike, the next was already coming for his armpit, throat, or heart from an impossible angle.
"Damn it... is this what a legendary swordsman is like?"
Aiden gritted his teeth. The skin on his hand had already split open, and blood ran down the sword hilt.
He could clearly feel the sword in his hand reaching its limit.
If I keep defending, this old monster will wear me down sooner or later...
Aiden's gaze turned even colder.
Since I can't beat him with swordsmanship, then I don't need to fight fair.
"Brat! Your movements are slowing down!"
Shiki sneered, catching the brief opening when Aiden's strength dipped for a moment.
He spun in the air. Oto on his right leg sliced across in a reverse diagonal slash, aiming straight for the side of Aiden's neck!
This strike cut off all of Aiden's retreat paths!
"Die!!"
However.
At that life-and-death moment, there was no fear on Aiden's face. Instead, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
His right hand still gripped the sword tightly, ready to block the strike head-on.
But in his left hand, a specially made pistol appeared out of nowhere!
"What?!"
Even Shiki was caught off guard by that sudden change.
He had not seen where the gun came from at all.
But his instinct told him there was real danger.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Without any hesitation and without even aiming, Aiden pulled the trigger the moment the gun appeared.
Three sharp gunshots rang out almost at the same time across the battlefield!
Three bullets wrapped in pitch-black Armament Haki flew in a triangular pattern, several times faster than sound, straight toward Shiki's face!
"You shameless brat!!"
Shiki let out an angry roar.
At this distance, even he could not ignore bullets wrapped in top-tier Haki.
He was forced to stop his killing blow. Oto, which had been about to cut Aiden's neck, stopped in midair and pulled back to block!
"Clang—!!"
The first bullet hit the blade of Oto and exploded in sparks and lightning. The impact was so great that Shiki's leg went numb for a moment.
But that was only the beginning.
"Too naive! You think something that flies in a straight line can hit me?!"
Using the force from the block, Shiki snapped his head to the left, trying to avoid the other two bullets.
Following a normal path, those two bullets should have flown past his ear and missed completely.
However.
The red light in Aiden's eyes reached its limit.
He had already seen Shiki's dodge through his Observation Haki!
"Who told you... bullets can only fly straight?"
Aiden flicked his left hand. Thin electric currents burst from his fingers and connected precisely to the two bullets still flying through the air.
Under Shiki's disbelieving gaze, the two pitch-black bullets that should have missed suddenly drew a sharp C-shaped curve in the air!
It was as if an invisible hand had bent their path by force!
They changed direction and flew back toward Shiki's face from both sides!
"How is this possible?!"
Shiki was horrified.
He had seen many sharpshooters in his life, and even fruit powers that could track bullets, but he had never seen someone use Haki and lightning to control a bullet's path with such precision!
This was the terrifying shooting ability created by combining Observation Haki with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
"Get lost!!"
At the last second, Shiki exploded with all his Haki, covering his forehead and cheeks to block the bullets head-on.
"Bang! Bang!"
Two dull impacts exploded on his face.
His Haki protected him, so the bullets did not pierce his skull, but the violent spin and the heat from the lightning still left a burning pain behind.
One bullet grazed his temple and burned away several strands of golden hair. The other hit his brow hard. Although it was deflected, it still left a charred mark.
The wound was shallow, but the humiliation of being played like this made Shiki explode with rage.
He, the great Golden Lion, had actually been tricked by a brat using such a cheap move?!
"Brat—you dare!!!"
Shiki touched his burning forehead and glared at Aiden with a furious roar.
Opposite him,
Aiden blew on the smoking barrel of the gun. With a flick of his wrist, the pistol disappeared and returned to his Storage Ring. A mocking smile appeared on his face.
"All's fair in war, old lion."
Aiden casually shook the sword in his hand. "So? How did that feel, old lion?"
"Fine—very fine!"
Shiki laughed out of sheer rage. His aura rose higher and higher. Even the clouds around them seemed to feel his anger and began to churn violently.
"Since you don't want to die properly by the sword, I'll grant your wish!"
Shiki's wild golden hair moved in the wind, and his eyes turned ice-cold.
He flashed and instantly appeared above Aiden.
This time, he did not use any fancy flying slashes. He raised both legs high and crossed the two famous swords. Carrying all his strength and gravity, he chopped down toward Aiden's head!
This strike sealed the space around him.
There was no way to dodge!
Aiden's pupils shrank.
In the future he saw, no matter which way he moved, the follow-up slashes would tear him apart.
If I can't dodge, then I'll take it head-on!!
Aiden's gaze turned even colder.
To hell with sword intent. To hell with technique.
What I have is power strong enough to destroy everything!
Aiden gripped the hilt with both hands. Every muscle in his body tightened to the limit.
"Zzt, zzt, zzt—!!!"
The lightning was no longer released outward. Instead, it was forced wildly into the sword in his hands! At the same time, his peak Armament Haki wrapped tightly around the blade!
At the end of the day, wasn't swordsmanship at the highest level just being faster, stronger, and harder?!
As long as my strength is great enough and my Haki is hard enough, there is nothing I can't cut!
Aiden did not use any fancy move. It was just the simplest, most direct upward slash!
But the moment he swung, the terrifying force compressed the air until it exploded, like a heavy cannon firing!
"Boom!!!!"
A deafening explosion erupted in the sky!
Aiden's sword slammed into Shiki's crossed blades!
The impact was like two meteors crashing into each other!
"What?!"
The confidence on Shiki's face vanished and turned into shock.
He felt a terrifying force run through his legs and spread into his whole body! It was not just the hardness of Armament Haki. Violent lightning force was also pushing him back like a giant hand!
Pure brute force crushed everything!
"Get—off me!!!"
Aiden roared, and his power exploded again!
"Bang!!"
Shiki, who had been suppressing Aiden the whole time, was knocked off balance by that simple upward slash. He flipped backward in the air and was sent flying more than ten meters before he regained his balance!
The smell of ozone from the lightning still hung in the air.
On the ground,
Gion, who had been watching the battle closely, saw that sudden burst of power that pushed even Shiki back. She froze in place as if she had been struck by lightning herself.
Her pupils trembled, and her breathing stopped.
That feeling...
Although that strike had no fancy technique, that sense of pure power, terrifying speed, and destruction...
It had formed a perfectly smooth silver arc in the air.
It was too familiar.
Far too familiar.
A buried memory rushed into her mind like a tide.
It was months ago, on Gigantia Island during the elite training camp.
The beach stained red with blood.
The dozens of corpses from the Skull Pirates.
At the time, Gion had knelt beside those bodies to inspect their wounds. Every cut had been as smooth as a mirror.
Back then, she had thought it came from some high-level sword intent.
But after seeing Aiden's strike just now, she suddenly understood.
That had not been some "gentle" sword intent at all.
It was speed. Extreme speed. It was weight. Overwhelming weight.
When speed and power reached a certain level, pure violence itself created the illusion of perfect swordsmanship!
"It was you—"
Gion looked at Aiden's figure in the sky. Her eyes turned complicated. Shock, realization, and annoyance at being deceived all mixed together.
"There was no mysterious expert—"
"It was always you!"
"At that time... did you kill all those pirates with this kind of absurd strength?"
At that moment, all the clues connected.
Why had his swordsmanship improved so quickly?
It turned out he had been acting with her from the very beginning!
"Liar..."
Gion bit her lower lip, and the hand gripping Konpira trembled slightly.
To Be Continued