One Piece: Invincible from the Start

The sound echoed throughout the heavens and earth.

Then blinding light pierced through the entire world, shooting toward every place where it could be seen.

After the light faded, a pale purple-black slash instantly cleaved through the golden slash and continued toward Golden Lion Shiki with undiminished force.

Looking at this enormous pale purple-black slash, Golden Lion Shiki couldn't help recalling his old nemesis, Roger.

It was the same kind of slash he had often used in the past.

This was Conqueror's Haki Coating!, something that could only be achieved by using Conqueror's Haki to its absolute limit.

He had no idea how this brat had managed it, but there was no doubt that Kuta could already be called one of the top powerhouses of this sea.

As far as he knew, only Roger, Whitebeard, and his former self had been capable of this.

As for Charlotte Linlin and Kaido, those two hadn't been capable of it twenty years ago.

He shook his head and stared arrogantly at Kuta. "You're quite something, brat. You can even unleash a slash like that."

"But do you really think this is enough to defeat me?"

Then he burst out laughing. "Shahahaha! Do you know who I am? I am Golden Lion Shiki!"

He wouldn't retreat, and he couldn't retreat.

Facing the incoming slash, he yanked the two swords from his feet and switched to wielding them in his hands.

"Brat, today I'll show you what a true world-shaking slash looks like."

Then he rapidly swung both hands, sending two enormous golden slashes toward the pale purple-black slash.

"Slash Wave!"

Clearly, wielding the swords in both hands had taken his strength to another level.

Clang--!

The pale purple-black slash and the golden slashes struggled against each other for a moment before shooting into the sky together.

With a boom, they easily cleaved a small island above them in half, and their remaining force vanished at the edge of the heavens.

The split island tilted to both sides, sending countless enormous ferocious beasts tumbling down from it.

Kuta ignored the beasts above and rapidly charged toward Golden Lion Shiki.

Clang--!

Seeing Kuta approach, Golden Lion Shiki merely raised a hand slightly and caught the vicious slash.

Looking at Kuta at such close range, he bared his teeth, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

"Brat, from this moment on, I'll let you feel the true difference between us—the difference that inspires fear."

Kuta looked at Golden Lion Shiki and curled his lips in disdain. "Old man, my stamina is enough to fight like this for several days. As for you, how long can you keep fighting?"

The veins on Golden Lion Shiki's forehead bulged. "Don't get too cocky, brat! Do you know who I am?"

He forcefully knocked Kuta away with a slash and flew backward, landing just in front of the falling island.

Controlling the two Famous Swords to fly back onto his legs, he looked down at Kuta.

He raised his right hand behind him and controlled the island to smash down toward Kuta with all his might.

"Today, I'll let you experience the power that allowed me to rule the sea!"

"Lion's Might: Earth Roll!"

The half of the island behind him instantly transformed into two unbelievably huge lion heads, which let out a heaven-shaking roar at Kuta.

Following Golden Lion Shiki's gesture, they rapidly charged toward Kuta.

Kuta casually slashed twice, easily cutting the lion heads apart.

"Hm!"

He was just about to continue charging toward Golden Lion Shiki.

But the lion heads acted as if nothing had happened. They instantly closed back together and continued charging toward him.

Chapter 41: Wouldn't It Be Better to Properly Become a Legend?

Looking at the charging lion heads.

Kuta truly had no idea what to do. Slashing this thing was useless, and he didn't know any hand-to-hand combat.

He also had no idea how Monkey D. Luffy had defeated a Golden Lion Shiki like this.

His Observation Haki and Armament Haki were both far from weak.

Though he lacked a bit in quantity, the quality was extremely high! [Watermark removed.]

Even so, this wasn't someone Luffy could defeat!

Especially after this guy switched to wielding swords in his hands, he became one of the greatest swordsmen on the sea.

Kuta shook his head and calmly said to Golden Lion Shiki, "I originally intended to duel you with swordsmanship. Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish."

Golden Lion Shiki revealed a mocking expression.

"Could it be that you possess some heaven-defying Devil Fruit ability?"

A hint of madness flashed through Kuta's eyes. He had already decided that he wouldn't kill this guy until he had squeezed out every last bit of value from him.

There were too few people on the sea who could let him fight to his heart's content.

Kuta clasped his hands together, and his inner chuunibyou burst forth. "How many floors can one bag of rice carry? One bag of rice can carry two floors..."

"Pseudo: Shinra Tensei!"

Boom--!

The two lion heads slammed fiercely into Kuta from both sides.

Under Golden Lion Shiki's control, they curled into a ball and sealed Kuta inside.

He stared at the ball and sensed the power gathering within. Without wasting any words, he swung his right hand downward.

The ball immediately accelerated and smashed toward the sea below.

"Whatever ability you have, go struggle in the sea!"

Just then, the rapidly falling ball suddenly stopped in midair. Then it rapidly expanded and exploded outward with a boom.

Amid the sky full of shattered rocks, Kuta stood there completely unharmed.

"I told you, it's useless!"

Golden Lion Shiki displayed his arrogance to the fullest and laughed as he stared at Kuta. "Shahahaha! Brat, your ability isn't any good either!"

As he spoke, a vicious glint flashed in his eyes, and he clenched his right hand hard.

The shattered rocks that had been flying in every direction suddenly stopped in midair. Then they shot toward Kuta in the center at even greater speed.

Kuta watched the rocks closing in around him again, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

He sighed once more.

"How did Luffy ever defeat this thing?"

He opened his domain. As soon as the incoming rocks entered it, they rapidly grew smaller.

In the end, the area around Kuta looked like a black hole, swallowing all the shattered rocks into his spatial domain.

Then, inside his domain, they recombined into a ball and floated beside him.

They hadn't actually become smaller. The space had been enlarged. The ball was still the same size as before; it only looked smaller from the outside.

Golden Lion Shiki was somewhat surprised this time.

The moment the rocks entered Kuta's domain, he felt his control over them vanish. Now they had even become so small.

He stared at Kuta and suddenly burst into loud laughter. "Shahahaha! Interesting, interesting, very interesting! A monster like you has actually appeared on the sea. Shahahaha..."

Kuta paid no attention to why Golden Lion Shiki had suddenly started laughing like a lunatic for no reason.

His figure suddenly vanished from where he stood and teleported above Golden Lion Shiki. With his right hand, he flicked the ball downward at him like a steel marble.

The ball initially looked slow, but it grew faster and faster. Within his domain, it dragged out a fiery red trail, and as it continued falling, its volume rapidly expanded.

"Old man, try my Ten-Million-Fold Meteor Bullet!"

The instant Kuta teleported above him, Golden Lion Shiki sensed it.

"So fast?"

"No, it's not speed. It's teleportation."

He stared at Kuta, shock appearing on his face for the first time. [Watermark removed.]

Although speed was no longer the deciding factor against top-tier powerhouses, the difference still lay in the reaction speed of their nerves.

After all, the Observation Haki of top-tier powerhouses was extremely strong. They could basically predict their opponent's moves in advance, so in the end, it came down to who could react faster.

Of course, that only applied when the difference in speed wasn't too great.

If it was too fast, then no matter how quick your nerves reacted, you still couldn't truly be faster than teleportation.

He flicked his toes upward, sending two enormous slashes flying toward Kuta.

They collided with the ball, which had just burst out of the domain and had already returned to the size of an island.

Poof--!!

The ball was instantly sliced into four pieces like a watermelon and rapidly fell toward the sea.

Rumble!!!

The rocks crashed into the sea like meteors, raising monstrous waves that surged wildly into the distance.

In an instant, they completely submerged Prothius Island.

Kuta glanced at the fleet on the horizon. Judging by the distance, they should be fine, so he withdrew his gaze.

The fleet had already sailed far away. The people aboard could no longer see Kuta or Golden Lion Shiki in the sky.

Only the constant sound of blades clashing from the horizon clearly told them how fierce the battle was.

Just then, a world-shaking roar suddenly came from behind them.

Everyone hurriedly looked back. On the horizon, a monstrous wave resembling a white wall was rapidly rushing toward them.

They wished they could grow wings and fly away from this terrifying stretch of sea.

"Faster! Go even faster!"

The villagers aboard the ship shouted frantically.

Although they were already far away, they didn't feel the slightest bit safe.

"How terrifying. These two aren't human at all, are they?"

Within the limits of their understanding, even gods could only be this powerful!

Kuta stared at Golden Lion Shiki and instantly appeared behind him, raising his hand and delivering a slash.

Today, he was determined to fight Golden Lion Shiki in close combat, because that would allow him to refine his Haki quickly.

Clang--!

A red glint flashed in Golden Lion Shiki's eyes. Moving after Kuta but arriving first, he raised his foot and blocked Kuta's blade.

Kuta gave Golden Lion Shiki no time to create distance. He rapidly swung Zankū at him.

Clang clang clang clang clang!!!

"You really are treating me as a whetstone, aren't you?"

Golden Lion Shiki stared at Kuta with fury written across his face.