His fingertips, capable of tearing through anything, were infused with Haki.
Compared to the blunt trauma of a fist, this unstoppable piercing attack was more effective!
It was precisely because Dragon had understood this that he had resolutely moved beyond the iron fist.
The world needed someone sharper!
The Navy could not produce true master swordsmen because they could not cut through the confusion in their hearts.
Fists were the best choice!
Even Sakazuki had been forced to abandon the blades on his back later on!
But Dragon's emergence marked the first shift from fists to claws!
"Let me show this world a brand-new choice!"
Dragon thrust a claw at Shane.
Likewise.
Shane's dragon claw came from the opposite direction.
The moment the two collided.
One was Dragon Claw Fist, honed to the limits of humanity through powerful Haki and training.
The other was a black dragon claw with weaker Haki but enhanced by a monstrous physique.
As they clashed.
The impact of their Haki caused the surrounding Marines to collapse helplessly on the spot.
Dragon was releasing Conqueror's Haki!
"Do you really think you can act without fear of consequences?"
"If you want to be as free as the wind, you must rule the seas like a dragon!"
"Your potential doesn't seem strong enough, Shane!"
Dragon was also spurring himself on.
His Conqueror's Haki erupted, stirring up waves of blood-red light.
In his eyes, Shane was a powerful fighter, an outstanding talent among their peers.
He could even see many similarities between them.
From the Six Powers to their natural claw attacks.
Then there was that effortless grasp of Haki, unconfined by an era that limited itself to fists.
To Dragon, Shane was like another version of himself in this world!
Whoosh!
Dragon continued releasing his Conqueror's Haki.
Facing him, Shane gritted his teeth and held on.
He refused to believe he lacked that power!
Right now, God Valley was full of Haki masters, including many with Conqueror's Haki.
Some had even mastered Conqueror's Haki coating, turning the battlefield into their own proving ground.
Whether it was the ambition in his heart or the bloodline inherited through this body's family name.
Shane refused to believe he lacked King's Aptitude!
Conqueror's Haki had to be lurking somewhere inside his body.
"It's only Conqueror's Haki!"
"One day, this world will see my King's Aptitude!"
"Dragon! You're looking forward to it too, aren't you? You're craving an even greater fight with me!"
Shane's Haki was enhanced by Purple Lightning.
Yet Dragon controlled his Haki with greater ease.
Their approaches to fighting were different to begin with.
When it came to Haki, Shane was still a beginner.
"Shane, King's Aptitude is something you're born with!"
Dragon flatly denied it; he absolutely did not want to regard Shane as his lifelong enemy.
Whether Marines or pirates, there were far too many powerful fighters worth defeating!
His father, Garp, was one of them.
"Dragon, that isn't something you'd say. You don't mean a word of it."
Shane smiled with particular satisfaction.
When Dragon released his Conqueror's Haki.
An unnamed presence stirred inside him, like surging lightning that could not escape his body.
Earlier, when Rocks had released his Conqueror's Haki.
Shane had felt the same thing inside him!
Any powerful fighter with King's Aptitude.
When facing another king, no matter how strong the other was, would feel an obsession with resisting them!
This meant Shane absolutely possessed Conqueror's Haki!
"Your eyes are always brimming with ambition."
"If I don't defeat you here, time will only make you stronger!"
"Who will be the next Bogard you deceive with your honeyed words?"
Dragon unleashed a strike, releasing Conqueror's Haki.
It even jolted the distant Bogard out of his confusion.
Quite a few people on the battlefield were drawn to it.
"Is that your son? He has the same King's Aptitude!"
Roger looked at Garp, then said something that made him completely lose his temper.
"Why should someone born to be a king stay in the Navy? Let that kid Dragon join my crew!"
Garp glanced at him and was promptly struck by Rocks's fist.
"Get lost!"
"Your son can be a pirate!"
"My whole family will only ever be Marines!"
Even as he was sent flying.
Garp still cursed at the top of his lungs.
He got to his feet.
Seeing Bogard lost in confusion.
He immediately barked a rebuke.
"Snap out of it, Bogard!"
"Pirates have countless reasons to fall!"
"But we can't afford to fall even once."
They could not take even one wrong step!
Bogard abruptly came to his senses and tightened his grip on his sword again.
He looked at Garp gratefully.
"I lost sight of myself, Mr. Garp!"
Black Sword broke into a cold sweat and unleashed a slash.
He might never become a Swordsmanship Admiral in his lifetime, but being able to do his duty was enough.
"Don't let that brat Shane confuse you!"
"Listen to how pretty his words sound, but how many people will he actually save?"
Garp engaged Rocks again to keep Roger from coming under too much pressure.
"I understand, Mr. Garp!"
No longer confused, Bogard brought out Black Sword once more.
Shane had already been struggling in his fight.
Hearing Garp's words of advice to Bogard only irritated him.
His dragon tail hardened with Armament Haki and swept straight at Dragon.
Swish!
Dragon blocked the attack with one hand.
Shane delivered a crushing claw strike, but felt that it lacked something compared to Dragon Claw Fist.
It had neither the Fish-Man Race's Rokushiki enhancement nor stronger Haki.
It also lacked the Black Arm Rokushiki of Zephyr and Garp's iron fist Rokushiki incorporated within it.
Dragon could be called a fighting genius, capable of combining the strengths of many schools!
Shane had merely combined the Six Powers with his dragon claws to increase their power!
Still, this blow was enough to drive Dragon back for the moment!
The two stood apart, their battle having gone on for quite some time.
As he caught his breath.
Shane could not help complaining.
"What do you mean, how many people will I save?"
"If one Celestial Dragon harms ten people a year."
"Wouldn't they kill thousands over their lifetime? I'm practically earning boundless merit!"
Hearing Shane's words.
The hot sweat on Dragon's body turned to steam.
After noon had passed, before the setting sun faded.
He had to deal with Shane as quickly as possible!
The moon was not full for just one night.
In the middle of every month, it stayed at its fullest for two or three days.
He had previously seen Shane use Sulong aboard the warship!
In other words, he could use it again tonight!
As a battle maniac, Shane would strengthen himself even if it meant enduring the combined side effects of Sulong and the Drug!
Then he would only become more troublesome.
He could not help wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Sure enough, pirates always find countless reasons to justify their fall."
Dragon wholeheartedly agreed with what Garp had just said.
"Forget it. You and your father are exactly alike."
The moon rose.
The orange glow of the setting sun at Shane's feet vanished completely.
It was replaced by cold, desolate moonlight.
White vapor rose faster, accompanied by the growth of Shane's white hair.
His blood-red eyes seemed to have awakened Observation Haki.
His claws grew sharper, and his already towering Hybrid Form became even more muscular under Sulong's effects.
White hair, red eyes, Purple Lightning, and a black dragon!
"Looks like I'm not meant to die yet."
Shane exhaled a great cloud of white vapor.
The side effects intensified, pain flooding his body, but Sulong was there to resist it.
Since the fighting at God Valley began, Shane had not stopped fighting for even a moment.
His body was reaching its limit while also operating far beyond its capacity.
"Not necessarily."
Dragon unleashed all his Haki and vanished in an instant.
"Until this battle ends, this will be my last Sulong!"
Shane disappeared from sight.
Only white mist remained where he had stood.
"Dragon Claw Fist!"
Charging out with swift steps, Dragon left afterimages at almost every place his feet touched.
He went straight for Shane's heart.
Their clash sent ripples through the air.
They charged straight into Whitebeard and Sengoku's battle zone.
Fighting until they had no awareness of their surroundings, Shane and Dragon could only look after themselves.
"You two, get out of the way!"
Sengoku drove a shockwave from his fist against Whitebeard's Murakumogiri.
"Gurararara! So full of energy, Shane! Become my son!"
Whitebeard's words made Shane's hair stand on end.
He's already claiming sons?
"Thanks for the offer! I'm not looking for a father!"
Purple Lightning wreathed Shane's fingertips as he attacked as swiftly as a streaking shadow.
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