"It's Vice Admiral Doberman!"
The soldiers aboard the warship erupted in cheers as their commanding officer shot upward, intercepting the deadly golden slashes hurled down by the infamous Golden Lion, Shiki.
Liam Ross, standing on the deck, let out a quiet sigh of relief. He'd been on the verge of stepping in himself but if someone else was handling it, he was more than happy to stay put.
Up above, Shiki hovered in the air, his blond mane whipping wildly in the sea wind as he looked down at the man who had blocked his attack. His sharp gaze flicked toward the gleaming sword in Doberman's hand.
Then he sneered.
"So, you use a sword too?" His laughter was sharp and wild. "Then allow me to show you what true swordsmanship looks like!"
Doberman's eyes hardened. His hand tightened around the hilt of his blade.
"Buzz…"
A surge of Armament Haki rippled across the steel, coating it in black energy.
He moved in an instant.
"Slash!"
A crescent of energy tore through the air toward Shiki, fast enough to split the clouds.
But the pirate king merely lifted one leg, blades glinting on both feet, and scoffed.
"Pathetic."
With a flick of his legs, the dual swords carved through the attack, scattering it like smoke.
Then, with a grin that promised devastation, Shiki lashed out again.
"Lion's Slash!"
The air itself seemed to split as a golden arc of energy screamed downward, slicing across the ocean. The sea erupted, parting violently in its wake before the attack surged toward another Marine ship.
"Not good!" Doberman shouted, face paling.
He vanished, leaving only an afterimage behind.
"Flash Strike!"
His counterattack collided midair with Shiki's blast.
"BOOM!"
A shockwave exploded outward, sending towering waves crashing in every direction.
Doberman's sharp eyes locked on Shiki through the haze, glinting with a predatory gleam.
Then he moved again.
"Shave!"
He shot forward, his speed breaking the sound barrier as he closed the distance and brought his sword down toward Shiki's head.
"Clang!"
Steel met steel as Shiki caught the blow with one of the swords attached to his legs. Sparks exploded between them.
Doberman felt the impact reverberate through his arms like thunder. The force behind Shiki's counterattack was monstrous. Within seconds, the vice admiral was forced backward, boots skidding through the air before he dropped back to the deck below.
"Vice Admiral Doberman!"
Panic rippled through the ranks as the soldiers saw their commander falter.
If even he couldn't stand against Shiki, then what chance did they have?
Landing heavily, Doberman looked up at the pirate floating in the sky proud, untouchable, a mad grin plastered across his face. Without a word, the Marine leapt again, Moonwalking through the air to resume his assault.
Shiki laughed like a lunatic.
"Kyahaha! Come then, Marine! Die under my blades!"
The clash resumed.
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Boom!"
The sky blazed with sparks as the two masters exchanged blows faster than most eyes could follow. Every clash sent shockwaves that churned the waves below. The sailors on deck could only watch, breath held tight, praying that their vice admiral would somehow prevail.
Ten minutes passed. A hundred strikes exchanged.
And then Shiki's eyes gleamed with malice.
He saw it. The opening.
"Lion's Thousand Cut Valley!"
His legs swept through the air, sending a barrage of golden slashes tearing forward.
Doberman barely had time to react. He parried the first then the second but the third struck him square in the chest.
"Gah!"
Blood burst from his lips as he plummeted, crashing back toward the sea like a broken kite.
"Vice Admiral!"
The remaining officers sprang into action one launching a long-range attack to cover, the other soaring upward to catch the falling commander.
Their teamwork was seamless. But even so, Shiki barely seemed to notice. With a flick of his blade, he shattered the incoming attack and looked down on the fleet with a predator's grin.
"Fire!" one of the Marine officers bellowed. "All batteries fire at will!"
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
Cannons thundered. Gunfire cracked. Smoke engulfed the horizon.
But when the haze cleared, Shiki still hovered there, unscathed grinning like a devil.
"Pathetic," he said, eyes glinting. "You insects can't even scratch me!"
He swung both legs again.
"Die!"
Golden arcs rained from the heavens, each one powerful enough to split a ship in two.
Liam Ross exhaled softly, frustration tightening his jaw.
Guess I can't just sit this one out…
After all, this entire mess was partly his fault.
Still, he couldn't risk exposing his identity not here, not in front of the Marines.
Without hesitation, he slipped below deck, quickly changing into a dark outfit and donning a strange smiling mask. A moment later, his body shimmered and vanished from sight.
Then, from high above, a voice boomed across the sky.
"Shiki!"
The Golden Lion's laughter stopped cold. He looked up, eyes narrowing. When he saw the masked figure hovering in the air, his pupils shrank in shock then flared with rage.
"Kyahahaha! So you finally decided to show yourself!" he howled. "This time, you're not escaping alive!"
Just the memory of their last encounter was enough to send fury boiling through his veins. He'd barely healed from those wounds and now his prey had come to him.
On the deck below, Doberman, bleeding and pale, looked up in disbelief.
"That's… Di Tian," he murmured. "He really came."
Was he an ally after all? Why else would he appear so suddenly?
Above, Shiki snarled. "Die!"
He launched another volley of golden slashes.
Liam raised a fist, coating his arm in Armament Haki.
"Boom!"
He met the attack head-on, shattering the energy arcs with a single punch.
He didn't use his Earth-Earth Fruit powers because he couldn't. Not here, surrounded by ocean. The sea was his enemy; it nullified his strength completely.
That was the greatest weakness of his power total uselessness on open water.
"I need to lure him onto land," Liam thought grimly. "Out here, I can't fight him properly."
If he stayed above the sea, he'd be at a massive disadvantage.
And judging by Shiki's smug expression, the pirate knew it too.
"Your fruit is impressive," Shiki said coldly. "But out here, you're powerless. On the sea, I reign supreme!"
Liam's face darkened behind his mask.
So that's why he came here. He knows exactly what he's doing.
He said nothing, body tensing, energy swirling around him. The air grew thick with killing intent.
Then, just as the two prepared to clash again
A radiant golden light streaked across the horizon.
Everyone froze.
The light halted midair, humming with power, and began to take shape. Countless shimmering particles gathered in the sky, coalescing into a blinding figure that illuminated the sea.
Whatever it was it wasn't ordinary.
Both Shiki and Liam turned their eyes toward it, the tension between them momentarily forgotten as the heavens themselves seemed to descend upon the battlefield.
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