The massive floating palace shuddered violently as two colossal figures exploded through its ornate dome, rocketing skyward in a deadly aerial dance. On the turbulent sea far below, Oboro crossed his arms defensively as Golden Lion Shiki's powerful kick sent him hurtling backward.
What appeared to be a simple kick was actually a devastating slash from the legendary sword Sakura Ten, the blade's edge carving deep furrows through Oboro's flesh before the tremendous force launched him through the air.
The atmospheric currents responded to Oboro's will, cushioning his violent trajectory and keeping him airborne despite his injuries.
However, in the next instant, the ocean within a radius of several hundred meters began to rise. Massive volumes of seawater lifted into the air, sculpted by Shiki's Float-Float Fruit powers into enormous lion heads that towered like mountains. Each aquatic beast roared with the fury of the legendary pirate's will as they converged on Oboro from all directions.
Oboro's response was immediate and precise. With a sweeping gesture, he generated a powerful shockwave of compressed air that collided with the crushing wall of seawater.
BOOM!
The deafening explosion echoed across the sky as the mighty torrents shattered, cascading earthward like a torrential downpour that shrouded the battlefield in mist.
When the spray cleared, Oboro remained suspended in midair, his immaculate black suit now torn and bloodied, his body bearing the brutal evidence of this hellish confrontation.
This battle represented the closest he had ever come to death since entering the world of pirates, a grim reminder that even his considerable abilities had their limits.
His body was covered in several deep wounds, with bone visible through the gashes. Most conspicuous were his arms, wrapped in tattered flesh that seemed barely functional. That he remained conscious despite such devastating injuries was nothing short of miraculous, any ordinary person would have perished long ago.
"I have to admit," Oboro muttered through gritted teeth, his voice maintaining its characteristic calm despite the dire circumstances, "his Float-Float Fruit significantly weakens my atmospheric manipulation techniques."
This was precisely why he had anticipated this confrontation with Golden Lion would prove extremely dangerous. While other experts might lack effective counters to his air-based abilities, Shiki presented a unique challenge.
Furthermore, the legendary pirate's Devil Fruit mastery was so advanced that it could neutralize techniques Oboro hadn't yet perfected. Their abilities operated on fundamentally similar principles, each manipulating the environment through will and power.
And it was precisely because of these similarities that they could counter each other so effectively.
"Jihahahahaha!"
Golden Lion's breathing was labored, his chest heaving like a bellows as sweat glistened on his weathered features. Though his wounds were less severe than Oboro's, exhaustion was clearly taking its toll.
Despite his fatigue, Shiki's eyes blazed with the fierce joy of a warrior facing a worthy opponent.
"Your Haki reserves are depleted, brat!" Golden Lion declared, pulling a battered cigar from his pocket and lighting it with casual arrogance. "You can barely maintain your abilities, let alone summon proper Haki. In other words, even at your peak, whether in Haki mastery, physical conditioning, or any other measure, you're still inferior to this old monster."
He exhaled a satisfied puff of smoke, his demeanor radiating confidence.
The veteran pirate's gaze swept dismissively over Oboro, noting the younger man's deteriorating condition with the practiced eye of someone who had witnessed countless battles. "I haven't enjoyed a fight this much in decades. Even with my missing eye, I'm exhilarated." His tone softened slightly with grudging respect. "Your body is failing... Out of admiration for your spirit, I'll grant you a final request before you die. Speak."
This wasn't mere arrogance, it was Golden Lion's absolute confidence in victory.
Upon hearing this, Oboro let his arms drop, blood dripping steadily onto the ocean surface below. Shiki was speaking the truth, most of his body tissue was severely damaged. While his hands retained some mobility, they had lost all sensation.
Only his vital organs continued functioning properly.
"Let me be clear," Golden Lion continued, grinning with predatory satisfaction as Oboro remained silent. "After I kill you, I'll spare your crew members... provided they swear loyalty to me. If they refuse, I'll execute every last one of them."
"I'm not dead yet," Oboro replied with a faint smile, his voice carrying an undertone that made Shiki's expression falter.
"On the surface, I appear defeated... but you're in worse condition than you're letting on."
"Don't pretend you have hidden reserves," Golden Lion snarled.
"You're at your absolute limit, aren't you?"
"Perhaps," Oboro acknowledged. "But I have enough strength left to kill you."
Shiki's confident smile froze.
Throughout this battle, Oboro had employed virtually every technique in his arsenal. While he possessed certain advantages, superior close-combat skills, diverse fighting techniques, and the ability to fuse various power systems, these had caused Golden Lion considerable difficulty. Especially in physical combat, where Shiki was clearly inferior. However, technical skill had limited effectiveness against such a vast power gap. Golden Lion's mastery of swordsmanship, Haki, and his Devil Fruit abilities allowed him to largely avoid the dangers posed by Oboro's superior technique.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Oboro shot away from their aerial battleground.
This unexpected retreat left Golden Lion momentarily stunned. Given Oboro's audacity in challenging him and his unwavering resolve throughout their battle, Shiki had assumed the young pirate would fight to the death.
"Hmph."
Golden Lion spat out his cigar and immediately gave chase. As expected, when facing certain death, escape becomes instinct!
However, Shiki soon understood Oboro's strategy as the younger pirate descended toward the partially submerged island that had crashed into the sea during their battle.
The massive landmass lay tilted at a steep angle, half-submerged beneath the waves, but the remaining portion still provided solid footing above the waterline.
When Golden Lion reached the makeshift battlefield, he found Oboro standing among the assembled Hell Pirates crew.
"We can't win one-on-one, so you're planning a group assault?" Golden Lion's laughter boomed across the ruined landscape. "Oboro... do you really think you can turn the tables with this trash?"
The overwhelming aura emanating from Golden Lion struck Dom and the others like a physical force, making them acutely aware they faced a legendary adversary. They prepared to rush forward in support, but Oboro had intentionally led their enemy directly to them.
Observing this development, Rob Lucci stepped backward slightly.
He had no intention of participating in this battle.
Even if Golden Lion intended to slaughter them all, Lucci would rather witness the God Slayer's defeat than be the first to charge into certain death.
He would not be the initial aggressor.
Shiki descended slowly, voluntarily entering the circle formed by the Hell Pirates, his expression radiating complete disdain for their combined threat.
CRASH!
Rock and earth exploded as a menacing black figure charged at Golden Lion with explosive velocity. Despite facing such an overwhelming opponent, Yurivich's killing intent burned bright and undaunted.
"Hmm?"
Golden Lion raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise. He hadn't expected anyone to actually attack him, having observed the fear and panic in their eyes moments before.
Yurivich leaped forward, his massive body spinning like a top as his broadsword traced deadly crescents through the air. The blade's edge wove through dense waves of sword energy, striking with thunderous force toward Golden Lion's head, specifically targeting the ship's rudder embedded in his skull.
However, in the blink of an eye, the awe-inspiring sword technique dissipated like morning mist.
Yurivich, who had been approaching Golden Lion with devastating intent, was struck directly in the abdomen by Shiki's casual punch. Blood erupted from every pore as his massive frame pierced through the air like a cannonball, passing between Dolan and Yingge before carving a deep furrow in the ground.
Finally, he crashed into the distant mountainside, raising a cloud of dust before falling silent.
An instant kill.
"Jihahaha..." Golden Lion flexed his fist, his savage laughter echoing across the battlefield.
"This is hopeless... I can't move," Kaka whispered, his usual cheerfulness replaced by terror. He stared down at his trembling legs and managed a self-deprecating smile toward Lucci. "This is absolutely terrifying... There's no chance of victory. What should we do? Everyone's going to die here..."
Lucci, however, had more pressing concerns. In the blink of an eye, he realized that Oboro and Dom had vanished. They had been standing right there moments ago.
Where had they gone?
Lucci's pupils contracted in shock.
Had they abandoned the crew and fled? How had they departed so silently?
Dom's spatial abilities...
Meanwhile, Golden Lion seemed oblivious to anything unusual. After dispatching the disrespectful subordinate, his gaze naturally shifted to his next target: the now-paralyzed Dolan.
At that moment, Dolan's survival instincts finally kicked in. The instant he sensed Golden Lion's attention, he leaped behind his crewmate, the swordsman Yingge.
"You bastard!" Yingge realized he'd been used as a human shield, tears streaming down his face. He wanted to curse his cowardly companion, but it was too late.
Golden Lion had already arrived. Meeting Shiki's terrifying visage face-to-face, Yingge's features contorted with desperate fury. The long sword in his hands suddenly ignited with flames as he prepared to unleash his breath-enhanced swordsmanship. However, before he could complete the technique, Golden Lion's leg, gleaming with silver light, sliced through his waist, severing him cleanly in two.
Yingge's death brought Dolan no relief, for behind the falling corpse stood Golden Lion himself. The legendary pirate's merciless gaze naturally fell upon him next. Dolan collapsed to the ground in terror, then quickly shifted to kneel on both knees before the Golden Lion.
His throat worked frantically as desperate words formed.
But suddenly, Golden Lion's dominant presence shifted as his attention was drawn elsewhere.
"Huh?" Shiki finally noticed something was amiss. Oboro and the other man had completely disappeared. "Did they escape while I was distracted finishing off these brats?"
Golden Lion began to activate his Observation Haki to locate the missing pirates.
Beside him, a void passage opened like a dimensional doorway. Through it emerged a lightning-fast palm strike, with black Armament Haki crackling around Oboro's five fingers...
"Brat... you thought a sneak attack would, " Golden Lion whipped around with wild laughter, preparing to counterattack. However, his expression froze mid-sentence.
Because Oboro's outstretched arm showed intact bones and skin, completely unlike the mangled appearance from moments before.
"You!" Golden Lion's expression changed as a terrible realization dawned.
In that instant, his fist was already moving to strike. However, Oboro's palm wasn't intended to meet him head-on. Instead, it changed angle and timing, seizing Shiki's wrist and pulling with tremendous force, instantly dragging the unprepared Golden Lion into the dimensional portal.