Bankai: Daiguren Hyorinmaru

"Then let me see just how powerful your Devil Fruit Awakening is!" Ian pushed off the ground and shot forward with Flash Step. Frost condensed into ice crystals along his blade, and with a downward slash, a winding Ice Dragon surged forth!

Wherever it passed, the chill was bone-piercing, as though the temperature in the air had dropped by more than ten degrees!

"I'll give you a good look... Wild Wave White Line!" Donquixote Doflamingo sneered. Threads propelled him forward through the air, and as he flew, his ability activated. Countless pillars of thread shot up from the ground and collided with Ian's Ice Dragon!

With a boom, their attacks collided, sending out a terrifying shockwave!

The Ice Dragon shattered, but its frost also froze most of the thread pillars!

However, after awakening, everything around Donquixote Doflamingo fell within his sight. With a movement of his hand, countless threads extended from beneath the ground and swept toward Ian!

Ian tapped the ground with Flash Step, using Observation Haki to sense every attack's landing point as he deftly evaded them all!

"Don't think you can run! Thousand Arrows: Flap Thread!" Donquixote Doflamingo swept out a hand, and countless threads appeared around him. Coated in Armament Haki, they became sharp thread spikes capable of piercing the human body. Like spread wings, they stabbed toward Ian in a wide-ranging attack that sealed off all his room to dodge!

There was no escaping this strike!

"Prism Ice Barrier Formation!" Ian narrowed his eyes and swung his sword. Frost surged forth, forming a semicircular wall of ice above him.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The thread pillars coated in Armament Haki were as hard as steel. Combined with their tremendous impact, they directly pierced through Ian's ice wall, and the undiminished pillars stabbed into his body!

"This is what happens when you dare provoke me, brat!" Seeing Ian's body pierced by the thread pillars, Donquixote Doflamingo revealed a savage grin.

But his smile did not last long, because he realized that no blood had spurted out when Ian was struck, nor had he heard Ian scream in pain.

"Hm? What's going on? Ice?" His smile vanished as Donquixote Doflamingo saw that the Ian impaled by his thread pillars turned into shattered ice in the next instant!

This told Donquixote Doflamingo that his attack had not hit Ian!

"Where is he?" He spread out his Observation Haki, trying to sense Ian's location.

The next moment, he abruptly looked up into the sky. His Observation Haki warned him that danger was overhead!

"Where are you looking, Doflamingo?" Ian's voice came from above. At that moment, Ian was upside down in midair, slashing out another lifelike Ice Dragon from his sword as frost ravaged the entire battlefield!

"Who gave you permission to stand above my head? Overheat!!" Donquixote Doflamingo snorted coldly and pushed off the ground. Countless threads twisted together, forming a massive thread pillar!

Its tip was coated in Armament Haki as it shot upward toward Ian!

With a boom, the Ice Dragon and thread pillar collided!

After only a brief stalemate, Ian's Ice Dragon was directly shattered by the thread pillar, which continued charging toward him without losing momentum!

"Prism Ice Barrier Formation!" Ian's gaze sharpened. He swung Hyorinmaru, and an ice wall appeared out of thin air. Its forward edge formed countless ice spikes, all coated in black Armament Haki!

Boom!!

The thread pillar collided with the ice wall with an ear-splitting crash, and waves of shockwaves blasted in every direction!

In the next instant, Ian's ice shield shattered. Huge chunks of ice fell from the sky, while Donquixote Doflamingo's thread only paused slightly before stabbing toward Ian once again, intending to pierce straight through him!

"Tch, is ice not hard enough?" Ian twisted aside, but his cheek was still cut open, blood flowing down his face and dripping away.

Donquixote Doflamingo's assault did not relent. His awakened ability made him seem like a god controlling this entire area, turning everything into fine threads.

Another black thread pillar lashed in from the other side. Ian raised his sword to block, but was still swept away by the enormous force carried by it.

Tch, is the ice still not hard enough with just Shikai? Or is my Armament Haki weaker than Doflamingo's? Ian used several Flash Steps to bleed off the force, landing atop a tall wall. He wiped away the blood flowing down his cheek and looked at Donquixote Doflamingo below.

It seemed Shikai Hyorinmaru alone could not defeat Donquixote Doflamingo.

"Fufufu, what's wrong, brat? Don't you have any other moves?" Donquixote Doflamingo's mouth seemed to stretch all the way to his ears, revealing an incomparably wicked smile as Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body!

For Ian to possess such strength at his age was already impressive. Being able to force out his Devil Fruit Awakening proved Ian's power!

No wonder Ian had been able to kill Lao G. That level of strength truly was not something Lao G could contend against...

But Donquixote Doflamingo was stronger!

Donquixote Doflamingo believed this was all the strength Ian possessed. If that was the case, victory was already in his grasp!

Ignoring Donquixote Doflamingo's taunt, Ian rolled his neck, producing crisp cracks from his bones. Since coming to this world, Donquixote Doflamingo was indeed the strongest opponent he had encountered.

But he could become even stronger!

Since the strength of Shikai was not enough... then it was time for Bankai!

"Don't rush. The battle has only just begun, so... the warm-up is over. Let's get serious!" Ian looked up at Donquixote Doflamingo, smiled, and said something that shocked everyone!

Everyone nearby who heard Ian's words wore blank expressions.

That had only been a warm-up?

That was impossible!

Yet Ian's confident expression did not seem fake. Could it be...

Did this guy have other tricks up his sleeve?

Everyone present turned their eyes toward Ian, wanting to see whether he was merely bluffing!

"Fufufu, then let me see whether you're bluffing!" Donquixote Doflamingo narrowed his eyes at Ian. Honestly, he did not really believe Ian's words. Everything before had merely been a warm-up?

What a joke!

Even he had used most of his strength already!

Still, Ian was indeed incredibly mysterious. That lightning attack from before was powerful enough that even Donquixote Doflamingo did not dare underestimate it. If he were hit by it again, he would not come out unscathed!

At this point, Donquixote Doflamingo still did not know what Devil Fruit Ian had eaten, so he watched Ian warily!

He wanted to see whether this brat was bluffing!

Ian's gaze was indifferent. Hyorinmaru pointed toward the heavens as his calm voice rang out, like the whisper of a god echoing through this space: "Then let me show you! My true power! Bankai: Daiguren Hyorinmaru..."