"Clang-!!!"
A metallic clang rang out.
Roy's Shusui was held overhead, steadily catching Oto and the Kogarashi as they slashed at each other.
The moment the blades clashed, a shockwave exploded, sending all the floating debris beneath their feet flying.
After the rudder was removed, the Golden Lion's reflexes returned to their peak level.
With a push of his feet, he transformed into a golden afterimage in mid-air once again, instantly appearing in front of Roy.
Oto and Kogarashi struck down simultaneously.
The blades of both swords were wreathed in dense black and red Inazuma —a complete and unreserved Conqueror's Haki Coating.
The ship's rudder had suppressed him for twenty years, and so had his Conqueror's Haki.
Now that restraint was gone, Conqueror's Haki surged from his body like a flood bursting its banks, running rampant along the sword's edge.
Roy raised his knife to parry. The instant the swords clashed, he felt a slight weight on his wrist—the force of this strike was much greater than before.
Shusui's blade drew an arc in the air, deflecting Shiki's twin swords.
Then, with a swift, horizontal slash, he aimed straight for Shiki's throat.
Shiki leaned back to avoid the attack, simultaneously delivering a sweeping kick with his right leg.
The Kogarashi blade at his foot slashed towards Roy's knee.
Without the interference of the ship's rudder, his attack speed was noticeably faster, and his leg techniques regained their former sharpness.
Roy sheathed his sword and sidestepped, dodging the kick. But Shiki's left hand already held Oto, waiting in the direction he had dodged. A sword thrust came, the Conqueror's Haki Inazuma wrapped around the tip almost piercing the air.
Roy had no choice but to raise his knife to take the hit.
Shusui parried Oto's sword tip, and the moment the blade collided with the sword tip, an extremely sharp metallic clang was heard.
The black and red Conqueror's Haki Inazuma from the point of impact, striking wildly in all directions.
The two were pushed back several meters by the shockwave of their collision, and then charged at each other again.
The sounds of swords clashing grew more frequent and louder.
Each collision created a shockwave, blasting huge craters into the sea below.
The members of Hachinosu watching the game were completely engrossed.
Bullet's eyes widened in surprise:
"After that old guy took over the helm, his fighting power doubled!"
"It's not just about reaction speed."
Tesoro squinted as he analyzed.
"His Conqueror's Haki has been suppressed for twenty years, and now it's being fully unleashed; he'll likely experience a period of explosive power in the near future."
But that wound—
Crocodile's gaze fell on the blood gushing from Shiki's head.
"With every drop of blood he sheds, he loses a bit of strength."
How long can this state last?
No one answered him. Because everyone knew the answer—it wouldn't last long.
On the battlefield, Shiki's offensive grew increasingly fierce.
His twin swords seemed to come alive, dancing around Roy.
Oto launched the main attack, each slash accompanied by Conqueror's Haki Inazuma enough to tear through space;
Kogarashi was responsible for defense and harassment, always appearing in Roy's most unpredictable positions.
Roy retreated while defending. It wasn't that he couldn't stop them, but that he was waiting.
Blood was still gushing from the hole in Shiki's head. Blood flowed down his face, neck, and chest, staining his clothes bright red.
His face had begun to turn pale—a sign of significant blood loss.
But Shiki seemed completely oblivious to all of this.
His eyes were only on Roy, only on Shusui's blade, only on this ultimate showdown he had sought for twenty years.
"Lion - Ten Thousand Blades!"
Shiki thrust out both swords simultaneously.
In front of him, the air was torn apart by the sword's edge, forming dozens of visible air blades.
Each of these air blades was only as thick as a finger, but they were extremely fast, flying towards Roy in a dense barrage.
Roy raised an eyebrow; facing the Golden Lion, who was already at his wit's end, he dared not be careless.
Telekinesis: Barrier opened in front of him, while Shusui spun rapidly in his hand, forming a sword and shield.
The air blades struck the Telekinesis: Barrier with muffled thuds.
Several streams pierced the barrier, only to be blocked one by one by the swirling Shusui.
With each block, Roy's wrist twitched slightly—the penetrating power of these air blades was stronger than he had anticipated.
In the brief moment he parried the air blades, Shiki had already passed through the array of air blades he had created and appeared above Roy's head.
He raised both swords high above his head, the Conqueror's Haki Inazuma on the blades reaching its maximum intensity.
The black and red arcs of electricity pulsed wildly, turning the surrounding space a dark red.
"Lion, Hegemon, True Fight--!!!"
The two swords slashed down simultaneously.
The massive slashing wave transformed into a straight, black-red pillar of light, carrying a world-destroying force as it crashed down on Roy.
Roy took a deep breath.
The Telekinesis: Barrier was layered on top of his head—one layer, two layers, three layers, a total of nine layers.
At the same time, Conqueror's Haki Inazuma began to condense on the Shusui Blade—black and red arcs of electricity spread from the hilt to the tip, becoming denser and brighter with each press.
" Conqueror's Coating - Heaven Opening."
A single upward slash.
Shusui's blade clashed violently with the black and red beam of light in mid-air.
There was no deafening roar, no dazzling explosion. The two forces were locked in a stalemate at the point of collision for a moment—the black and red beam of light pressed down furiously, while Shusui's blade held firm against it.
The temperature at the point of impact soared to terrifying levels, and the surrounding space began to distort and deform.
Tiny spatial cracks kept appearing and disappearing between the blade and the beam of light.
"Karara~"
The beam of light split open in the middle.
It was cleaved in two by Shusui's blade.
The split beams of light flew to both sides, crashing onto the sea and blasting open two huge trenches that stretched for several kilometers.
Seawater poured into the ravine, forming two opposing waterfalls.
Shiki's chest heaved violently.
That last sword strike had almost drained most of his strength.
Blood continued to gush from his head, and his face was even paler than before.
But that arrogant smile still lingered on his lips.
"It's not over yet--!!!"
The Golden Lion charged at Roy again.
The twin swords rained down on Roy like a storm, each strike carrying a ruthless, all-or-nothing force.
Roy calmly parried the attack.
He could already feel Shiki's strength gradually weakening—not because he stopped fighting, but because his body was beginning to give out.
The amount of blood loss has exceeded the limits that the human body can withstand. No matter how strong his will is, he cannot defy the laws of physiology.
After another exchange of blows, Shiki's body swayed slightly.
It was just a very slight stumble, barely noticeable to the average person.
But Roy's Observation Haki detected this flaw.
"You're almost out of energy."
" Shiki!"
Shiki straightened up and grinned. "Isn't that perfect? Weren't you going to kill me?"
I'm going to kill you.
Roy said,
"But I don't want to drag this out and kill you."
Shiki paused for a moment, then laughed even louder:
"You little brat, you do have some principles. Fine—then let this old man end this fight!"