Hachinosu Port
At this moment, "battlefield" was no longer enough to describe it. It was more like two disaster-level beings destroying a corner of the world.
Golden light blazed like flames burning the sky, while lightning flashed like heavenly punishment tearing through the air.
The harbor, the sea, and the sky had all been dyed in the two calamitous colors of gold and silver.
High above the battlefield, Shiki's golden hair burned in the wind like a lion's mane as he laughed wildly and dived down.
"Gyahahahaha!! Brat!! You think eating a Logia means you can run wild?! How naive!!!"
His twin swords crossed, and the entire Hachinosu seemed to be yanked for an instant.
"Lion's Majesty: Ground Roll!!!"
"Boom—!!!"
The earth rolled up like a carpet seized by a god, and the ground of the entire harbor was forcibly "pulled up" by Shiki's Float-Float Fruit power!
Rocks and earth were kneaded into dozens of ferocious stone lion heads. Their huge jaws roared, and the grinding stone threw off crimson sparks.
The next second, the lion heads howled as they pounced toward Rock at the center of the battlefield.
"Roar!!!"
The sight was like a tide of hell beasts descending.
Rock stood at the heart of the lightning, his black hair whipping about and battle intent blazing in his eyes.
"Good—"
He lightly tapped the ground with his foot.
"Thunder—Beast!!!"
"Boom!!!"
Lightning erupted from his body, rolling in every direction like ocean tides!
Thunder tigers roared, thunder wolves sprinted, thunder dragons soared, thunder hawks spread their wings. Countless vicious beasts made of pure lightning shattered the air and charged forward with the sound of destruction!
The air burned hazy, while lightning strikes tore deep cracks through the ground.
The golden lion pride versus the thunder beast army.
—A clash that had never appeared in the annals of pirates.
"Roar—!!!"
"Roooar—!!!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom boom boom—!!!"
The explosions joined into blazing white streaks, shaking the seawater outside Hachinosu until it surged backward three meters high!
Countless pirates were blasted away, scared stiff, or pissed themselves.
Some screamed, some dropped to their knees, and some fainted on the spot.
The explosions made the entire Hachinosu tremble. The whole harbor was blasted into a blurred haze, leaving no visibility at all.
The next instant, a golden slash tore through the sky from within the smoke!
"Chop Wave!!!"
The golden sword aura shot straight toward Rock's forehead, carrying the destructive force of collapsing mountains and raging seas!
Right after that, Shiki himself burst through the smoke and dust, flying over at incredible speed. "Brat!!! Can you still take this!!!"
Rock raised his head, his eyes gleaming with uncontrollable excitement and fighting spirit.
The instant before the golden sword light struck him—
"Bzz—"
His entire body instantly transformed into lightning and scattered into electric currents! The sword aura passed through the lightning, cleaving through more than half the cliff wall!
Shiki's pupils constricted. "Elemental transformation in advance, Observation Haki foresight?!"
But the next second, Rock's voice rang out above his head—
"I'm up here."
Lightning gathered once more. Rock pressed his palms together and pulled out a longsword condensed from pure lightning.
Streams of lightning danced across the blade like the cries of a thousand birds! The two shot into the sky, entering the air above Hachinosu!
"Clang!!!"
Gold and lightning exploded into rings of shockwaves in the air, forcing countless buildings across Hachinosu to shatter!
A storm raged, seawater surged back, and rocks fell. Every collision was like two islands smashing into each other.
The pirates all looked up at the scene. "H-Heavens..."
"Two monsters!!!"
"Captain Shiki has been forced to go all out?! Just who is that brat!!!"
Meanwhile, Golden Lion and the lightning boy continued to crisscross, flash, and collide in the sky, scattering even the clouds!
From afar, it looked as though two giant stars were constantly crashing into each other in the heavens!!
Every pirate on Hachinosu had their scalp go numb from this sudden battle.
—Hachinosu · Spectator Area
The harbor had been reduced to a charred expanse. The smoke had yet to disperse, and not a single grunt dared take another step forward.
Everyone still able to stand here was a monster-level beast from the old era.
Newgate carried Kaido over one shoulder. Kaido was charred black all over, his hair a mess as if he had been struck by lightning.
He panted heavily, his eyes fixed on the lightning flashing through the sky.
"That kid... can actually clash head-on with Shiki?"
Even he did not want to believe the scene before him.
Seeing how miserable he looked, Linlin nearly laughed herself breathless. "MaMaMaMa! Kaido, you look even more ridiculous than my newborn babies!!!"
Kaido had no desire to deal with her. "Shut up."
John swayed over to the edge of the crowd with a bottle in hand, scratching his head groggily. "Too damn noisy... Can't even drink in peace."
Ochoku stared at the two figures continuously colliding in the sky and murmured, "He actually forced Shiki to get serious... This kid isn't ordinary."
Buckin folded her arms and stood beside Whitebeard, raising her chin toward the sky. "Who exactly is this kid?"
Whitebeard's tone was unusually grave. "He's not simple."
Gloriosa elegantly folded her arms, though she was clearly suppressing her curiosity. "Shakuyaku, do you know this child?"
Shakuyaku took a deep drag of her cigarette and rubbed her forehead. "No."
Gloriosa frowned. "Then why did he show up with you?"
Shakuyaku spread her hands helplessly. "He came down from the sky by himself. Then he jumped onto my ship... and said he wanted to 'catch a ride' to Hachinosu."
The air fell silent for three seconds.
The expressions of the surrounding officers all became identical. "Are you kidding me???"
Was Hachinosu the kind of place one could just hitch a ride to?!!
The sea wind howled, but it could not drown out the rumbling of the entire island trembling faintly.
Above, lightning and golden light tangled like two giant dragons tearing apart the heavens;
Below, a group of calamity-like monsters from the pirate world had all been drawn here by this battle.
All because of that lightning boy who had suddenly barged into Hachinosu, instantly defeated Kaido, and clashed head-on with Captain Shiki.
In the sky, lightning tore apart the clouds, while Golden Lion's slashes tore through the air.
"Boom!!!"
Every collision between Rock and Shiki shook the entire Hachinosu without end!
Everyone held their breath.
Shakuyaku gazed at the black-haired boy shining with lightning high above, an indescribable premonition growing in her heart.
—This boy might change the entire era.
Just as everyone was fully focused, heavy and slow footsteps came from the other side of Hachinosu.
They were not as violent as Kaido's, not as flamboyant as Shiki's, and even less upright and imposing than Whitebeard's.
Those footsteps carried an extreme pressure that made the air instinctively part, the ground sink slightly, and every strong fighter's heart tighten.
The officers all turned around. From behind the crowd, a tall black silhouette slowly emerged.
The man was bare-chested, his muscles like a demon's sculpture. A long dark coat draped over him snapped wildly in the wind;
His messy blue-and-white hair flew wildly, with a lock of long hair hanging down the right side of his face. A purple lightning-shaped mark on his left cheek seemed to split his face in two;
Rough, unkempt whiskers covered his chin and cheeks, while the stubble around his mouth made him look even fiercer. Golden earrings on both ears glinted with a cold light beneath the sun.
With every step he took, the ground trembled as though it could no longer bear his weight.
The pirate maniacs of Hachinosu all fell silent, chills running down their spines.
Even Linlin stopped laughing, a rare wariness appearing in her eyes.
Kaido's body hair stood on end as instinctive tension gripped him.
Whitebeard frowned slightly and murmured, "He's here."
Rocks raised his head, his golden eyes locking onto the lightning boy in the sky.
At that instant, everyone on Hachinosu felt as though the air had frozen solid.
A dangerously cruel curve slowly formed at the corner of Rocks' mouth. "So this is the brat making such a huge commotion on my island."
He raised a hand, his knuckles cracking. "Very good."
"Lightning brat, let me see whether you have what it takes..."
"To interest me."
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