Declaration to the Sea

Above Hachinosu, the battlefield where golden light and lightning tore through the heavens suddenly froze at a certain moment.

Rock stopped attacking.

Not because Shiki had suppressed him, but because Rocks D. Zebek had stepped onto the battlefield.

That bottomless pressure swept across all of Hachinosu like a monstrous wave.

Countless pirates stopped breathing in that instant.

Rock slowly turned his head in midair, his black hair lifted by the wind as lightning flickered around him.

An excited smile curled across his lips. "The real deal finally came out."

Then he looked at Shiki, who was still roaring and charging at him with sword in hand. "No time to play with you, Shiki."

"—Hiss!!"

Shiki's Observation Haki screamed madly in that instant, as if warning him: Extreme danger ahead!!!

But his sword momentum had already formed, and his charging advance could not be stopped!

The lightning at Rock's fingertips changed from scattered to solid, from leaping sparks to compressed power, from a soft crackle to an enraged roar.

In the silent sky, a low incantation rang out clearly. "Thunder Roar · Heavenfall Prison—!!!"

Heaven and earth changed color in an instant, and the air cracked like glass.

The sea breeze died. The very soul of Hachinosu trembled as though torn apart by electric currents.

"Rumble—!!!"

The lightning erupting around Rock was no longer a scattered attack. It all converged toward the heavens!

A pillar of lightning shot straight into the clouds, as if ripping open the sky.

Then, as though eight giant hands had forced the sky apart from within, the heavens split open, revealing eight enormous thundercloud vortices.

Each was so massive it made hearts quake, like mountains and towering peaks. Lightning surged and rolled within them like the wrathful roar of a thunder god.

On Hachinosu, countless pirates collapsed to the ground. "What... what is this...?!"

"Is that... is that still within the limits of what a Logia can do?!"

"The sky split open!!!"

At the center of the eight vortices, lightning compressed and gathered...

At last, amid terrifying hundreds of millions of volts, it formed eight gigantic hands of the thunder god!

Each giant hand was wrapped in lightning, its lines resembling the markings of divine punishment. They reached out at once in different directions, yet moved as one.

"Boom!!!"

They closed in from every direction—not to bombard, not to strike down, but to seal, imprison, and bind.

Eight-Direction Thunder Prison descended!

Shiki's pupils shrank sharply. "Oh no—!!!"

He tried to float away, turn, and dash off, but electromagnetic pressure had already sealed off the air!

The next second, he was completely locked at the center of the thunder prison by all eight lightning hands, as though seized on the spot by a god.

At the same time, currents of extreme intensity ran wildly through the prison.

The pressure generated by the erupting magnetic field made Shiki's expression change drastically. "The... Float-Float Fruit... I can't move?!!"

His entire body was completely restrained in midair by lightning. He could not even move a finger.

The enormous thunder prison slowly rotated above Hachinosu, like judgment from the heavens descending upon the mortal world.

Every powerful figure on Hachinosu had their pupils constrict!

Whitebeard said in a low voice, "That isn't a simple attack... It's an ability specifically designed to counter Shiki."

The veins at Kaido's temples throbbed wildly. "This brat... what kind of monster is he?!"

Linlin's tone was grave. "Ma... that control, that pressure... It's completely overwhelming."

Gloriosa covered her mouth. "Shakuyaku... where... where did you find a monster like this?"

Sweat beaded on Shakuyaku's forehead. "Don't ask me. I'd really like to know too."

At the center of the thunder prison, Shiki showed genuine terror for the first time. The instant the binding was complete, Rock's gaze turned cold, and he thrust both hands downward!

"Heavenfall—!!!"

"Boom—!!!"

The eight thunderclouds ruptured at once, and hundreds of millions of volts of lightning condensed into a world-destroying pillar that forced Shiki's body downward, smashing him toward the sea below like heavenly punishment!!

"Gaaahhh—!!!"

"Get out of the way!! Move!!!"

"Who the hell brought this monster here?!!"

Every pirate on Hachinosu went pale with fear, their limbs turning weak.

Heat, electric currents, and sea mist crashed into them head-on, as if they would shake their souls apart. The clouds were completely vaporized, and visible vacuum cracks appeared in the air.

For a moment, the light was so blinding that no one could open their eyes.

Deep within the harbor, Rocks D. Zebek suddenly opened his eyes. His Observation Haki had shrieked a warning the instant the lightning pillar took shape.

It was a danger that even he did not dare ignore lightly.

"You damned brat... Don't mess around on my island!!!"

A storm erupted behind Rocks. The instant he drew his sword, the air across all of Hachinosu seemed to be sucked away!

Black Haki coiled around the blade, while killing intent boiled like an abyss.

He roared, "Haaahhh—!!!"

The next instant—

"Boom—!!!"

An explosive slash tore through heaven and earth, its sword pressure crashing into the lightning pillar like a black tsunami!

The moment the two energies collided, the sky exploded, the sea burst apart, and it felt as if a corner of the world had been ripped open.

Just before the Heavenfall Prison struck the sea, Rocks' explosive sword aura forcefully severed the lightning pillar in half!

"Crackle—crack crack crack!!!"

The lightning pillar shattered, its electrical energy scattering as its remaining force crashed into the sea.

At the critical moment, Shiki used the Float-Float Fruit to escape at top speed, shooting out from the edge of the thunder prison like a discarded rag!

"Cough—!!!"

Half his body was charred black as he tumbled through the high sky like a rag doll, swept hundreds of meters away by the gale.

If Rocks' slash had been half a second slower, Shiki would have suffered grievous injuries.

When the severed lightning pillar struck the sea, the entire expanse of water seemed to have been hit by a giant hammer. The seawater exploded, waves rose a thousand meters high, and lightning burst outward!

"Boom—!!!"

Cracks split directly across Hachinosu's coastline.

Every pirate turned deathly pale, their legs weak. "Is... is that really something a human can do...?"

"Captain Shiki almost got nailed to the bottom of the sea..."

"Even Boss Rocks was forced to save him... This brat is..."

The lightning above Hachinosu gradually faded, but the aftershock of the exploding sea still trembled through the air.

Rock hovered in midair. Arcs of lightning slithered around his feet like spiritual serpents, while faint currents gently lifted his black hair. He seemed to have become one with the sky itself.

Rocks looked up, facing this young man with complete seriousness for the first time.

Lightning reflected off the purple lightning-shaped mark on the left side of his face. Shadow and golden light crossed over his cheekbones, making his entire face look colder and more unfathomable.

The two stared at one another across the entire harbor.

At that moment, the earth seemed to fall silent. Even the waves paused for three beats.

Rocks watched the lightning-wreathed youth in the sky in silence for several breaths. He had already noticed it.

The youth had clearly displayed power capable of destroying an island, yet he carried not the slightest killing intent.

Rocks spoke in a deep, grave voice. "Brat, where exactly did you come from?"

"That strike just now wasn't meant to kill anyone."

"What exactly do you want?"

Rock slowly curled his lips in the air, looking down at the most dangerous man of the old era.

Lightning suddenly burst forth, illuminating half the sky. Rock spread his arms, and his thunder turned the entire sea silver-white.

He tilted his head slightly upward, his voice carrying uncontrollable wildness and declaration. "I just want this sea to know—"

Lightning transformed behind him into enormous thunder wings, thunder beasts, and pillars of lightning, as if a god had descended.

"From this day onward—"

"I have arrived!!!"

The hearts of every monster on Hachinosu jolted fiercely at once.

The veins bulged on Whitebeard's hand as he gripped his blade.

Linlin's gaze sharpened, and her smile vanished.

Cold sweat covered Kaido's body, though even he did not know whether it came from fear or excitement.

Gloriosa drew in a quiet breath. A woman's intuition made her skin crawl.

Rocks stared at the youth, genuine interest flashing through his eyes—

"You want to declare to this sea that you've arrived?"

The corners of his mouth slowly stretched into a grin, one that would make pirates fear him for decades.

"Interesting."