Before his voice had even faded—
Shiki the Golden Lion vanished.
The next instant—
A tidal wave of slashes descended upon Shamrock.
Their blades hadn't even met—
Yet the sheer force of the compressed air crashed down like solid steel, crushing everything in its path.
The ground fractured.
Buildings caved.
Even the air screamed.
Shamrock felt it.
The pressure.
The weight.
Even his bones let out faint, protesting creaks.
He leapt backward, trying to widen the distance—
But it was useless.
Shiki was faster.
Almost the moment Shamrock moved—
A golden afterimage appeared before him.
Twin blades carved fatal arcs through the air.
Shamrock raised his sword to block—
Too late.
A flash of steel.
A burst of crimson.
Blood sprayed from his chest.
Pain surged through him—
Sharp.
Violent.
But his expression didn't change.
Immortality had already dulled the meaning of pain.
It was no longer something to fear—
Only something to acknowledge.
Instead of retreating—
He advanced.
Using the force of the strike—
He stepped in.
Dark-red lightning erupted around his blade.
Haoshoku coating.
And with a reckless, life-risking swing—
He struck.
Shiki had never faced a Divine Knight.
Nor had he ever encountered a fighting style so utterly devoid of concern for life and death.
That single moment of hesitation—
Cost him.
SLASH!!
The blade sank deep into his shoulder.
Blood burst forth like a fountain.
The wound was brutal—
Bone nearly exposed.
A muffled groan escaped Shiki.
For the first time—
True shock flickered in his eyes.
But what came next—
Was even worse.
The wound he had just inflicted on Shamrock—
Was healing.
Rapidly.
Before his eyes—
Flesh knit together.
Blood receded.
In just a few breaths—
Only a faint mark remained.
Then—
Nothing.
Shiki's eyes widened.
For a moment—
Everything he knew about battle—
Cracked.
"…What the hell…"
"Cough…"
Shamrock exhaled softly.
A thin line of blood slipped from the corner of his lips.
Shiki's Haki—
Had still left its mark.
Seeing that trace of blood—
Shiki steadied himself.
So… he can still be hurt.
If that hadn't been the case—
He would have retreated immediately.
Shamrock slowly sheathed his blade.
This battle had made one thing clear.
Even among those who wielded Conqueror's Haki—
There were levels.
And right now—
He wasn't strong enough to overwhelm this monster head-on.
So—
There was only one option left.
Shamrock dropped to one knee.
His hand pressed firmly into the shattered ground.
An ancient gesture.
A summoning.
"Adapt to all phenomena…"
His voice was low.
Steady.
"Subdue the Wheel of Calamity."
The shadows beneath him—
Began to boil.
Like a black fountain erupting from the earth.
"With this treasure…"
His voice rose.
"I summon—"
"The Divine General—"
"Mahoraga."
The darkness split.
And something emerged.
A towering, pale entity rose silently from the shadows.
Its body resembled bleached bone.
Massive.
Unnatural.
It had no face.
Only vertical markings—like sealed eyes carved into its surface.
Four wing-like bone structures extended from its head.
A long, skeletal tail trailed behind.
Its right arm—
Was a blade.
Ancient.
Ominous.
And above its back—
A wheel-like disc hovered.
It did not move.
It did not breathe.
But its presence—
Was overwhelming.
Even the rain seemed to hesitate.
Shiki's expression darkened.
For the first time since arriving—
He felt something unfamiliar.
"…What the hell is that?"
Decades at sea.
Countless battles.
Endless encounters with Devil Fruit users.
And yet—
He had never seen anything like this.
Not human.
Not beast.
Not even something born from a Devil Fruit.
Unknown.
And that—
Was fucking dangerous.
Shamrock slowly rose to his feet.
Positioning himself in front of the silent, towering figure.
Blood still lingered faintly at the corner of his mouth.
He looked up at Shiki.
Calm.
Unshaken.
"Now…"
A faint smile touched his lips.
"Let's continue."
Just as Shamrock was about to step forward and join forces with Mahoraga—
The system's voice echoed in his mind.
[Host, there's no need for you to interfere.]
[This Mahoraga… is very special.]
"…?"
Shamrock paused.
His brow furrowed slightly.
Then—
Another thunderous impact shook the battlefield.
BANG!!
Shiki the Golden Lion slammed Mahoraga into the ground once again.
He stood there, leaning on his twin swords, his chest heaving violently.
His breathing was heavy.
Uneven.
This—
Was already the fourth time.
Four times—
He had crushed that white monster into the ground.
And yet—
Every single time—
It rose again.
Faster.
Stronger.
Mahoraga's massive body hit the ground with a dull thud.
But above its back—
The wheel slowly turned.
CL-INK!
On the side, Shamrock watched casually, lightly tapping his fingers against his arm.
Special?
When he first summoned Mahoraga, the system had mentioned it.
But so far—
Aside from its absurd durability—
He hadn't seen anything… particularly different.
"System."
[(●—●)]
"…When you say special…"
Shamrock's gaze remained fixed on Mahoraga as it pushed itself up again.
"…do you mean it's especially good at getting beaten up?"
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"This is the fourth time."
"The wheel's almost completed a full rotation… right?"
[Host, please be patient.]
The system's tone was flat.
Emotionless.
[Once the wheel completes its final rotation… you'll understand.]
Before the sentence even finished—
BOOM!!!
Mahoraga was smashed into the ground again.
The fifth time.
But this time—
Something changed.
A faint—
Almost imperceptible—
click.
The final segment of the wheel locked into place.
Silence.
Shiki gasped for breath.
Sweat dripped from his forehead into his eyes.
He wiped it away—
And froze.
Mahoraga…
Was already standing again.
Faster than ever before.
A chill ran down his spine.
Something—
Was wrong.
For the first time—
A thought surfaced in his mind.
If I don't run now…
I will die here.
But he knew—
He couldn't turn his back.
Not yet.
He needed—
One more opening.
One last strike—
To create distance.
"Lion's Severing Valley Wave!!!"
He roared.
His swords erupted into motion, unleashing dozens of slashes in a near-overdrawn frenzy.
The air itself split apart.
A piercing shriek echoed across the battlefield.
Dozens—
No—
Hundreds of lethal arcs intertwined into a net of destruction.
Each slash—
Powerful enough to carve through mountains.
They descended upon Mahoraga.
And yet—
Mahoraga didn't dodge.
It didn't block.
It simply—
Walked forward.
Step by step.
The slashes struck its pale body—
Exploding into dazzling sparks.
But—
Not a single cut.
Not even a scratch.
Shamrock's pupils shrank.
"…No way."
Shiki's expression twisted.
For the first time—
There was genuine fear.
Mahoraga continued advancing.
Unstoppable.
Untouched.
And in that moment—
Shamrock finally understood.
So that's what you meant…
This Mahoraga—
Wasn't just adapting to a technique.
It was adapting to the very nature of the attack itself.
Once it completed its adaptation—
Any attack of that level—
No matter the form—
Would become meaningless.
Not a skill.
Not a move.
But the entire system of power behind it—
Rendered obsolete.
Shamrock let out a low breath.
A faint grin forming at the corner of his lips.
"…That's insane."
At this point—
There were only a handful of beings left in the world—
Who could even hope to harm it.
At the very top—
Imu.
And perhaps—
Monsters of legend…
Like the Giants' king, Loki or Joy boy.
Everyone else—
Was already outclassed.