A Great Battle Lasted Five Nights (Seeking Votes)

By the time the rain stopped, it was already broad daylight.

The fierce ultraviolet rays of the blazing sun shone down, glaringly bright as though they could scorch everything.

As a Sun-Sun Fruit user with sun powers, Norse could ignore the ultraviolet rays produced by the blazing sun. His body could even absorb its light and heat, allowing him to recover some of his stamina.

However, Hancock and the others, as well as Golden Lion Shiki, would find it difficult to endure for long, especially since their pupils had very little resistance to ultraviolet rays.

If they remained ten thousand meters up in the air for too long, where there were no other green plants to absorb the rays, their pupils might be the first to go blind and necrotic.

"Shiki, let's make a deal! If you send the Kuja Pirates back down to the sea now, I'll let you go today. How about it?"

Considering how heavenly beautiful Hancock and the others were, Norse could not let them get tanned into sexy dark-skinned beauties up here.

Besides, the two giant snakes beneath the Kuja Pirates would probably dehydrate and die before long.

"Jiehahaha! When I, Shiki, want to leave, who can stop me? Why don't you go to Impel Down and ask around about my prison break back then? Besides, after fighting me all night, you still couldn't do anything to me. What right do you have to negotiate terms with me?" Shiki roared with laughter, practically soaring with arrogance!

He completely ignored his disheveled appearance and the several severe burn marks on his body. He also did not care that the night-long battle had drastically drained his stamina, much less worry about the ultraviolet rays interfering with him now.

"Fine! Then we'll fight again tonight. But if you dare disappear from my sight, I'll go pay a visit to your Merveille. Don't think I don't know where that floating archipelago is!"

Norse did not waste any more words. He had decided to return to the ship and protect Hancock and the others first. As for dealing with Golden Lion Shiki, it could wait until nighttime. At worst, they could continue wearing each other down!

"Come back! What the hell do you mean by that? Are you threatening me?"

As Shiki watched Norse turn and leave, the fury in his heart became even harder to suppress. How many years had it been? No one had ever dared threaten me. Yet today, this brat dared threaten me so openly.

"I'm reminding you not to think about running away. Otherwise, you'll regret it!" Norse stopped atop the cloud bed and looked back at Shiki with a cold smile.

"You..."

Shiki froze on the spot, feeling that Norse's gaze was far too serious.

But when he thought of how Merveille was an important secret hideout that absolutely could not be exposed before all his plans were complete, a tangible, chilling killing intent surged from his entire body.

He snorted coldly. "Bastard, you know too much. Before I leave, I'll definitely kill you first!"

It was best that the other party wanted to fight again that night. He would first return to eat and drink his fill to restore his strength, then give it everything he had to kill the bastard tonight.

After both sides returned to their ships, they began eating and drinking heavily. At the same time, they sat at the bows of their respective vessels, staring at one another from just a few hundred meters away, as though they had confirmed each other with a glance: whoever ran was a bastard.

"Norse, is my ramen delicious?"

Hancock had finally gotten her wish. She felt that nothing could be happier or more blissful than personally cooking for the man she loved, even if she had waited from last night until daylight to fulfill that wish.

Of course, it would be even better if she could hear Norse praise her a little.

"Mhm. Kuke's efforts have made her improve more and more."

Norse nodded, then suddenly noticed that Hancock's skin had become somewhat dry. These damned ultraviolet rays. If this keeps up, will she get some kind of skin disease?

"Kuke, come here first. I'll take a look at you right away. Then you should go back inside the cabin. Tonight, I'll definitely capture Golden Lion Shiki and return to the sea with everyone," Norse comforted her.

After all, Hancock was someone who cared deeply about beauty, and her whole body was extraordinarily delicate. Yet she had accompanied Norse without a single complaint, which truly made him feel somewhat moved and guilty toward her.

"I'm actually fine. Even if something were wrong, I willingly chose to come out here and stay with you..." Hancock's cheeks reddened slightly.

Norse did not think much of it. Sometimes, he could be even more of a straight man.

He grabbed Hancock's slender hand in his, examined it, and said:

"You call this fine? The skin on your entire arm has lost its former luster. It looks awful, and it doesn't even feel as smooth as jade as it used to. Do you still plan to stay outside the cabin and endure the intense ultraviolet rays?"

"I understand!"

Like a wronged child, Hancock lowered her head before Norse. Yet no matter how wronged she felt, it could not compare to the joy and racing heartbeat she felt when Norse took her hand of his own accord.

Hancock felt herself falling more and more in love with Norse, utterly unable to pull herself free. Even with Norse standing right before her, all she wanted was to hold him tightly in her arms—or swallow him whole!

"All right, I've used the sun's power of loving kindness to activate the vitality of the cells throughout your body, increasing your resistance to ultraviolet rays to a certain extent. But in the end, you're not me.

So be good and go inside. I need to keep watch over Golden Lion Shiki out here, in case he uses some underhanded scheme and runs away. Otherwise, our Kuja Pirates will remain floating up here forever," Norse said seriously.

Meanwhile, Golden Lion on the island ship opposite them...

At that very moment, he was taking huge bites out of roasted meat—an entire suckling pig—while glaring coldly in Norse's direction, hoping to find a perfect opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.

In any case, Shiki would not flee easily until he had killed Norse.

To him, Norse not only knew of his existence, but even knew the location of Merveille. He absolutely could not allow the man to live.

"Pah! What a pair of shameless lovers, flaunting their affection right in front of me!"

Shiki suddenly spat out the scraps of meat in his mouth. Seeing Norse and Hancock holding hands across from him and acting lovey-dovey made his temper flare.

And so, the daytime finally passed.

Norse and Shiki fought fiercely for another night, but they were still deadlocked. This battle had to continue!

Thus, the two fought for another three nights, while during the days, they remained locked in an intense standoff. Both had already lost all patience.

On the morning of the sixth day.

The two finally came to an agreement. They would return to the sea, choose an island, and settle the matter in a final battle. At the same time, they swore in the name of pirates that whoever freely took to the air during the battle would be deemed to have been forever trampled beneath the other's feet.

Because with both of them constantly flying around, neither could capture the other.

Before long, they returned to the surface.

Golden Lion proposed they settle the matter at Long Ring Long Land, as it was the nearest island in these waters.

Naturally, Norse had no objections.

Their group had originally planned to head to Long Ring Long Land as a stopover to replenish supplies for the long voyage, so deciding the battle there could not have been a better suggestion.

PS: Sorry for the late update. There'll be another chapter later—I'll get it done even if I have to stay up all night.