Gravely Injuring Tsuru! Overpowering Zephyr!

At the very moment of this earth-shattering collision—

"Gahahahaha... I've got it!"

Golden Lion Shiki laughed wildly as he dove downward.

He paid no mind to the duel between Garp and Rocks.

The level of those two was too high; to rashly intervene would only result in being injured by the shockwaves.

His target, from beginning to end, had only ever been one thing:

The Heavenly Tribute!

Activating the power of the Float-Float Fruit, Shiki pressed his hands against the gunwale of the transport ship carrying the Heavenly Tribute.

The sensation against his palms filled him with ecstatic joy—teak wood, gold trim, and the intoxicating scent of wealth emanating from the hold!

"Get up... for me!"

Hum—

The massive ship shuddered violently!

The treasure vessel began to lift off the surface of the sea.

An inch, a foot, a yard... the distance between the hull and the water grew ever wider.

"No... this is bad!! The transport ship is being stolen!"

"Stop him! Quickly, stop Golden Lion!"

The roars of the naval officers were filled with despair.

They fired frantically, cannonballs raining down toward Shiki, but every attack was deflected by the "floating barrier" created by the Float-Float Fruit.

Even worse, as the transport ship rose, it began to break free from the Navy's encirclement.

Once it reached a sufficient altitude, all naval cannons would lose their elevation, and they could only watch helplessly as the treasure was taken away.

"Damn it!" Sengoku and Garp's expressions changed simultaneously.

If the Heavenly Tribute were stolen, this battle would be a complete failure.

Not only would they fail to annihilate the Rocks Pirates, but the Navy would also have to endure the endless wrath and accountability of the Celestial Dragons.

Sengoku tried to pull away, but—

"Gurararara... to be distracted now is to invite death!"

Whitebeard swept his Murakumogiri horizontally, the Tremor Power surging like a raging tide to block all of Sengoku's paths.

The golden Buddha had no choice but to focus all his strength on defending, unable to break free.

Garp was in an even worse position.

Rocks' blade clung to him like a persistent curse, every strike aimed precisely at his vitals, forcing him to remain fully focused.

The slightest distraction would result in him being decapitated!

The only ones on the field with the capacity to act were Zephyr and Tsuru, who were currently confronting Luo Tian.

The two exchanged a glance, instantly reaching a silent understanding.

Zephyr stepped forward, his pitch-black Fist striking out like a cannonball toward Luo Tian, the wind of his punch tearing through the atmosphere with a shrill whistle:

"Brat... get out of my way!"

At the same moment, Tsuru's figure blurred into an afterimage, combining Soru and Geppo to shoot toward the rising transport ship with the speed of a short-range teleport.

If she could use the Wash-Wash Fruit to wash the transport ship, she could use the power of "purification" to erase the effects of the Float-Float Fruit applied by Golden Lion, causing the ship to fall back into the sea.

But—

"Hmph."

A cold glint flashed in Luo Tian's eyes. He raised his left hand toward the departing Tsuru and clenched his five fingers abruptly:

"Banshō Ten'in—!"

Simultaneously, he raised his right hand toward the charging Zephyr and spread his fingers slightly:

"Shinra Tensei!"

Zephyr was once again repelled by an invisible barrier of repulsive force!

Meanwhile, Tsuru, a hundred meters away, suddenly felt a tightening around her waist as she was forcibly dragged toward Luo Tian by a terrifying pulling force!

"What?!"

Tsuru's pupils constricted. She instantly shifted her Wash-Wash Fruit ability to defense, forming a shield of transparent water around her body in an attempt to counteract the gravitational pull.

At this moment, Luo Tian raised his Black Dragon in his right hand; the blade was as black as ink, with Armament Haki coiling around it like burning black flames.

"Flying Slash: Dragon Devour!"

The blade light was unleashed.

Not just one, but countless slashes.

Black blade light intertwined, coiled, and merged in the air, eventually transforming into a lifelike pitch-black dragon.

Target—

Tsuru's back!

"Tsuru—!!!"

Zephyr's eyes were wide with fury!

He frantically pushed Razor (a combination of Soru and Geppo), attempting to intercept that blade light at maximum speed.

But Luo Tian slashed out with a backhand strike:

"Lion Threat: Thousand-Slice Valley!"

Swish, swish, swish—

Dozens of giant slashes manifested out of thin air, each twenty meters long, their sword qi crisscrossing to completely seal off every path forward for Zephyr.

"Damn it... damn it!!!"

Zephyr roared, his Fist striking out like a violent storm, shattering the incoming slashes one by one.

On the other side—

Tsuru, firmly pulled by Banshō Ten'in, saw her pupils constrict.

The lethal chill coming from behind caused her Observation Haki to scream with warnings.

"Wash-Wash Fruit: Purify!" Tsuru let out a low shout.

Hum—

A ripple of water surged out from within her body, washing over her entire form like waves.

The intangible, formless gravitational restraint was actually washed away and dissipated the moment the water ripple swept over her!

"What?!"

Luo Tian frowned, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

Banshō Ten'in could only be broken by a powerful burst of Haki.

But "erasure"?

This was a first.

The effects of the Wash-Wash Fruit were even more bizarre than the intelligence reports described.

This was no longer just "washing matter"; it had touched upon a "purification concept" at the level of rules!

How is this any different from purification? Luo Tian complained inwardly.

The moment she broke free from the gravitational restraint, Tsuru's eyes turned cold. She pressed her hands against her chest, pushing the Wash-Wash Fruit ability to its limit!

"Purification Wall!"

Whoosh—

A massive, transparent water curtain half a meter thick manifested out of thin air.

The water curtain stood between her and the rapidly approaching black dragon.

Boom!!!

The black dragon slammed headfirst into the water curtain.

The speed of the black dragon, condensed from sword qi, plummeted within the water curtain.

However, the transparent water curtain vibrated violently, countless spiderweb-like cracks appearing on its surface, yet it refused to shatter.

Those cracks appeared and then rapidly "healed," as if the water curtain possessed life and was repairing itself.

Such strong defense...

Luo Tian's gaze sharpened.

He could feel the power of the black dragon rapidly decaying under the layers of weakening from the water curtain.

Seventy percent, sixty percent, fifty percent...

When the black dragon was weakened to forty percent of its power, it finally broke through the water curtain!

At the same time, Tsuru whipped out her right leg!

"Rankyaku: Stream Breaker!"

A crescent-shaped slash coated in Armament Haki tore through the air, accurately colliding with the black dragon—

BOOM—!!!

The explosion erupted above the sea.

Under the cleansing of the Rankyaku slash, the black dragon melted and evaporated like snow meeting a scorching sun, eventually dissipating into a sky full of black light particles.

But Tsuru did not fare well either.

The shockwave of the explosion sent her flying, and she let out a muffled groan, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth as her body fell uncontrollably toward the sea.

"Staff Officer Tsuru!"

"Hurry and save him!"

Exclamations rang out from the Marine formation.

"ROAR--!!!"

On the other side, Zephyr was engulfed by the Lion Threat: Thousand-Slice Valley.

Amidst the golden storm of slashes, he stood firm like an enraged guardian deity, his pitch-black Fist striking out like a violent rainstorm.

Yet, for every slash he shattered, another bloody gash appeared on his body.

Ten breaths later, the storm of slashes finally dissipated.

The final slash was pulverized by his fist, dissolving into a sky full of black specks of light.

Covered in blood, Zephyr knelt on one knee on the deck of the Warship, gasping heavily before looking up at Luo Tian in the sky.

He never expected to be pushed to such a state by a member of the younger generation.