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 stepped onto the battlefield.
That unfathomable pressure swept across all of Hachinosu like a colossal wave.
Countless pirates stopped breathing at that moment.
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 as he charged forward with his sword raised. "No time to play with you, Shiki."
"--Hiss!!"
Shiki's Observation Haki screamed wildly in that instant, as if warning him: Extreme danger ahead!!!
But his sword momentum had already formed, and there was no stopping his charge!
The lightning at Rock's fingertips shifted from scattered sparks to solid radiance, from leaping arcs to compressed force, from a soft murmur to an enraged roar.
In the silent sky, a low incantation rang out with crystal clarity. "Lightning Roar · Skyfall Prison--!!!"
Heaven and earth changed color in an instant, and the air cracked like glass.
The sea wind fell dead silent, while the soul of Hachinosu itself trembled as if torn apart by electric currents.
"Rumble--!!!"
The lightning erupting from Rock's body was no longer a scattered attack. It all converged toward the heavens!
A pillar of lightning shot straight into the clouds, as though it had torn open the firmament.
Then the sky split apart as if eight giant hands had forced it open from within, and eight incomparably massive thundercloud vortices abruptly appeared.
Each one was terrifyingly enormous, like mountains and peaks. Lightning surged and rolled within them like the roar of the Thunder God.
On Hachinosu, countless pirates collapsed to the ground. "What... what is this...!!?"
"Is that... is that still something a Logia can do?!"
"The sky split open!!!"
At the centers of the eight vortices, lightning compressed and gathered...
At last, amid billions of volts of terrifying energy, it formed eight gigantic hands of the Thunder God!
Each giant hand was wrapped in lightning, its patterns resembling the marks of Heavenly Punishment. They reached out at once in different directions, yet moved as one.
"Boom!!!"
They closed in from all directions—not to strike, not to cleave, but to seal, imprison, and confine.
Eight-Direction Thunder Prison descended!
Shiki's pupils shrank sharply. "Damn--it!!!"
He tried to float away, turn, and dash, but electromagnetic pressure had already sealed off the air!
The next second, eight thunder hands completely locked him inside the center of the prison, as though a god had seized him on the spot.
At the same time, currents of extreme intensity surged madly within the thunder prison.
The pressure generated by the exploding 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 heaven's judgment descending upon the mortal world.
Every powerhouse on Hachinosu had their pupils contract!
Whitebeard said in a low voice, "That wasn't a simple attack... It was an ability designed specifically to counter Shiki."
The veins on Kaido's forehead throbbed wildly. "That brat... what kind of monster is he?!"
Linlin spoke gravely. "Ma... that control, that pressure... he's completely overwhelming him."
Gloriosa covered her mouth. "Shakuyaku... where... where did you pick up a monster like this?"
Sweat beaded on Shakuyaku's forehead. "Don't ask me. I want to know too."
At the center of the thunder prison, Shiki showed genuine fear for the first time. The instant the confinement was complete, Rock's gaze turned cold, and he slammed both hands downward!
"Skyfall--!!!"
"Boom--!!!"
The eight thunderclouds shattered simultaneously, and billions of volts of lightning condensed into a world-destroying pillar that forced Shiki's body down toward the sea below like Heavenly Punishment!!
"Gaaaahhh--!!!"
"Get out of the way!! Move, now!!!"
"Who the hell brought this monster here?!!"
Every pirate on Hachinosu turned deathly pale, their limbs going weak from terror.
Heat waves, electric currents, and sea mist rushed at them, as if they would shake their very souls apart. The clouds were completely vaporized, and visible vacuum cracks appeared in the air.
For a moment, the blinding light made everyone squeeze their eyes shut.
Deep in the harbor, Rocks D. Zebek abruptly opened his eyes. The instant the lightning pillar took shape, his Observation Haki shrieked a warning.
It was a danger 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 Hachinosu seemed to be sucked away!
Black Haki coiled around the blade, and murderous intent boiled like an abyss.
He roared, "Haaahhh--!!!"
The next instant—
"Boom--!!!"
An explosive slash tore apart heaven and earth, its sword pressure crashing into the lightning pillar like a black tsunami!
The instant the two forces collided, the sky exploded, the sea ruptured, and it seemed as if a corner of the world had been torn apart.
Just before the Skyfall Prison touched the sea, Rocks's explosive sword aura forcibly severed the lightning pillar in half!
"Crackle--crack crack crack!!!"
The lightning pillar shattered, its electric energy scattering as its remaining force crashed into the sea.
At the critical moment, Shiki used the Float-Float Fruit to escape at high 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 sky like a rag doll, swept hundreds of meters away by the gale.
Had Rocks's strike been half a second slower, Shiki would have been severely injured.
When the severed lightning pillar struck the sea, the entire stretch of ocean seemed to have been smashed by a giant hammer. The water exploded, waves rose a thousand meters high, and lightning burst in every direction!
"Boom--!!!"
Cracks were blasted directly across Hachinosu's coastline.
Every pirate turned pale, their legs trembling. "Th... this is something a human can do...?"
"Captain Shiki was almost nailed to the bottom of the sea..."
"Even Boss Rocks was forced to save him... what exactly is that brat...?"
The lightning above Hachinosu gradually faded, but the aftershocks of the shattered sea still trembled through the air.
Rock hovered in midair, arcs of lightning slithering around his feet like spiritual snakes. His black hair was gently lifted by faint currents, and his entire body seemed to merge with the sky.
Rocks looked up, regarding the young man before him 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 seem colder and deeper.
The two stared at one another across the entire harbor.
At that moment, the earth seemed to fall silent, and even the waves paused for three beats.
Rocks stared silently at the lightning-wreathed youth in the sky for several breaths. He had already noticed it.
Though this youth had just displayed power capable of destroying an island, he did not carry the slightest killing intent.
Rocks spoke in a deep voice, his tone grave. "Brat, where exactly did you come from?"
"That attack just now wasn't meant to kill anyone."
"What exactly do you want?"
Rock slowly curled his lips in midair, looking down at the most dangerous man of the old era.
Lightning suddenly burst forth, illuminating half the sky. Rock spread his arms, and the entire sea turned silver-white beneath his thunder.
He tilted his head back slightly, his voice carrying uncontrollable wildness and declaration. "I only wanted this sea to know—"
Lightning transformed behind him into enormous thunder wings, thunder beasts, and lightning pillars, like a god descending into the world.
"From this day onward—"
"I am here!!!"
The hearts of every monster on Hachinosu jolted violently at once.
The veins bulged on Whitebeard's hand as he gripped his weapon.
Linlin's gaze sharpened, and her smile vanished.
Cold sweat covered Kaido's body, though he did not know whether it came from fear or excitement.
Gloriosa drew a soft breath. A woman's unique intuition made her skin crawl.
And as Rocks stared at the youth, genuine interest flashed in his eyes—
"You want to declare to this sea that you've arrived?"
The corners of his mouth slowly spread into a grin, the kind that would make pirates fear him for decades.
"Interesting."
Before you continue