Thousand-Blade Style: Heavenly Demon Chaos! Sword Qi Clash!

Luo Tian took a deep breath, the power within his body surging like a relentless river.

He lowered his stance slightly, and a dark red aura rose and swirled around the blade of Black Dragon in his hand.

His Spatial Perception expanded, perfectly merging with his high-level Observation Haki!

The world became clear before his eyes, and the trajectory of all things seemed to slow down.

As the edge of Black Dragon sliced through the air, it brought forth a cold glint that tore through space itself.

All color in his field of vision suddenly faded, leaving only a single, purely blinding streak of blood-red light that severed everything—

"Thousand-Blade Style: Heavenly Demon Chaos!"

The blade light exploded across the night sky.

It was not just one, but hundreds, thousands, an endless barrage!

Each dark red, razor-sharp trajectory of blade light shot out in all directions like a destructive rainstorm surging toward the heavens.

Every strike contained the will to cleave through steel, aimed with precision at the Rock Giant Lions.

"BOOM—!!!"

"BOOM, BOOM, BOOM—!!!"

Chain explosions erupted across the desolate island!

The island shook violently, as if it were on the verge of falling apart.

The ground was peeled back layer by layer, and the soil, rocks, and trees were pulverized into dust!

"Mama mama... to think Luo Tian has grown to such an extent?!"

Charlotte Linlin watched the scene on the island, the favorite dessert in her hand suddenly losing its flavor.

Her eyes were filled with shock, as well as an undisguised, almost greedy light.

She had originally assumed Luo Tian's strength was at most slightly superior to Ochoku's.

She never imagined that the combat power he was displaying right now would be enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with core executives like herself!

No, perhaps even... stronger!

A wild thought sprouted in her heart once again: if she could unite with him and bear an heir who inherited this terrifying talent... the future of the seas might just belong to her, Charlotte Linlin!

Shiki wanted Luo Tian, and Charlotte Linlin wanted Luo Tian too; suffice it to say, whoever gains Luo Tian gains the world!

At this moment, Charlotte Linlin's gaze swept back and forth over Luo Tian's agile figure, as if she were evaluating a rare treasure capable of changing the landscape of the world.

"Gurararara... Linlin, you'd better put those thoughts away while you still can."

Whitebeard, standing to the side, laughed unceremoniously and poked holes in her plan:

"That kid Luo Tian wouldn't like someone like you. It's better to just give up!

Besides, with Luo Tian's current strength, do you really think you have the confidence to 'take him down'?

Don't end up getting beaten up by the kid instead of getting what you want."

"Hmph!"

"Mind your own business, Whitebeard!"

Charlotte Linlin's expression darkened, and she let out a cold snort, turning her head away to stop looking at him.

Indeed, what Whitebeard said was not false.

Luo Tian's strength had now firmly placed him among the tiny handful of the world's top-tier powerhouses.

Even if she were to face him personally, she likely wouldn't have much of a chance of winning.

But so what?

The stronger and more perfect he was, the more immeasurable "value" he possessed in her eyes.

Ochoku and Kaido remained silent on the sidelines, not speaking a word from start to finish, but the shock in their hearts had already swept through all their thoughts.

Since the beginning of this duel, the strength Luo Tian had displayed—

If they were in Shiki's position, could they withstand that storm-like, flawless offensive?

Ochoku rapidly simulated over a dozen countermeasures in his mind, and the conclusion he reached made a chill run down his spine:

He would likely be completely crushed in a very short time, or perhaps even... killed in an instant!

Kaido clenched his fists even tighter, his bell-like eyes staring fixedly at Luo Tian, filled with unwillingness.

If there is a Kaido, why must there be a Luo!

The two sighed inwardly, shaking their heads slightly, filled with deep emotion.

Silence was the order of the night!

The Luo Tian of today was no longer the newcomer who had just stepped onto Beehive Island—someone who, while eye-catching, was still within the realm of being "catchable."

Back then, although he was strong, he always gave people the feeling that there was still a possibility of surpassing him.

But now...

Previously, Ochoku had intended to wait for Luo Tian to return from seizing the Heavenly Tribute, hoping to find an opportunity to take his revenge and re-establish his own prestige.

However, before Luo Tian could even return, his shocking combat record had already swept across the sea like a storm, forcing Ochoku to re-evaluate the other man's strength.

Now, witnessing this world-destroying battle with his own eyes, all his unwillingness, resentment, and schemes dissolved into a helpless sigh, sinking deep into the bottom of his heart.

Kaido felt the same.

He had once stubbornly believed that Luo Tian was unworthy of being a commander, fixated on defeating him to prove that he was the stronger one and thus take his place.

Looking back now, how ridiculous his former self appeared!

Other commanders, such as John and Silver Axe, had known of Luo Tian's ferocity through the newspapers, but the impact of "knowing" versus "seeing with one's own eyes" existed in two completely different dimensions.

No matter how exaggerated the cold text in the newspapers might be, it could not compare to the soul-shaking reality of the heavens and earth changing before their eyes.

The combat power Luo Tian was displaying now, among all the commanders, was likely second only to Whitebeard, aside from Captain Rocks himself!

Beyond the shock, the expressions of John, Silver Axe, and the others gradually turned grave.

On this sea, especially within the Rocks Pirates—the premier power of the New World that worshipped absolute strength—power was the foundation of all authority and profit.

Whoever had the harder fist could take the largest and fattest piece of the spoils, and whoever had the most weight in decision-making.

Rocks harbored the world-shaking ambition to overthrow the World Government and the rule of the Celestial Dragons, and powerful subordinates were the indispensable cornerstone for realizing his ambition.

Whitebeard was the best example of this.

As the peak combatant of the pirate crew, recognized as second only to Rocks, his status was implicitly that of a vice-captain, standing above all other commanders.

The spoils he received after every operation were also far more generous than anyone else's.

They had originally assumed that Luo Tian's limit was, at most, to be on par with them, or perhaps even slightly inferior.

Now it seemed they were dead wrong.

The current Luo Tian already possessed the strength to stand toe-to-toe with Golden Lion Shiki.

If he were allowed to continue growing at this terrifying speed, reaching or even surpassing Whitebeard's level was almost a foregone conclusion.

When that time came, their status and influence within the pirate crew would inevitably be compressed once more, and the slice of the profit cake they could claim would surely shrink significantly.

The group of commanders each harbored their own thoughts, remaining silent on the surface as they watched the battlefield.

But the flickering light in their eyes betrayed their inner emotions.

Jealousy? Vigilance? Unease?

Perhaps a mixture of all three.

In the center of the deserted island, the fierce battle continued.

Seeing all the Rock Giant Lions he had summoned ground into dust by Luo Tian's crisscrossing blade auras, Shiki watched as the remaining sharp slashes swept toward him like a tidal wave.

"It's not over yet, kid Luo Tian--!"

His golden hair flew as he let out a roar, his twin blades, wrapped in Ryuo, slashing with a speed that defied the limits of vision, leaving behind countless lingering golden afterimages in the air.

"Thousand-Slice Valley--!"

It was not one slash, but hundreds, even thousands!

Each strike was more condensed, vicious, and swift than the last!

Golden sword energy poured madly from Shiki's twin blades, weaving into a web of destruction in the sky capable of shredding everything!

The two faced each other from a distance, engaging in the purest clash of sword energy!

Countless golden and dark red slashes collided, exploded, and annihilated each other in mid-air!

In an instant, the figures of the two men locked in fierce combat were completely swallowed by the endless tide of slashes.