Chapter 36 – Haoshoku Haki Infusion: Spring Shock Slash
No one noticed it at first.
In Kyūjō Tachibana's hand, the emerald-green fruit seemed ordinary—until a thin drop of its clear nectar silently seeped through the skin of his palm and slipped into his body.
The instant it entered, that green droplet transformed into a streak of unknown blue light, shooting straight toward the space between Kyūjō's brows.
But before it could reach its target, a faint golden glow flared to life—standing like an immovable gate, barring its path.
No matter how the blue light thrashed and struggled, it could not pass through the golden barrier.
After a moment's futile resistance, the dimming blue glow seemed to sigh in resignation. Slowly, it drifted down and sank into Kyūjō's heart instead.
Kyūjō himself remained completely unaware of what had just happened.
— — —
The sound of destruction filled the air.
From above, Golden Lion Shiki unleashed slash after slash—each one wrapped in his overwhelming Haoshoku Haki, each one tearing through the atmosphere like a blade of pure will. In seconds, the fragile island beneath them was ripped apart into thousands of fragments, both large and small.
Dust and shattered stone spiraled into the sea, sinking into the dark abyss below.
But Shiki's expression didn't relax. On the contrary—his gaze only grew sharper, heavier.
His Kenbunshoku Haki told him the truth: every one of those slashes had failed to inflict any meaningful damage on Kyūjō Tachibana.
Eyes narrowing at the swirling haze below, Shiki muttered in disbelief.
"This brat… he really pulled it off…"
Under the relentless pressure—no, under the lesson he had been delivering—Kyūjō had stepped onto that level. The realm of a Great Swordsman.
A Navy brat, still so young, already wielding Busōshoku Haki this refined…
And on top of that, the purity and sharpness of his sword intent—combined, they created an aura that even made Shiki's heart stir.
This was the true dignity of a top-tier martial artist merged with the might of a Great Swordsman.
In Shiki's eyes, the seas had just gained another man capable of standing at the summit of the world.
And he believed it without doubt.
— — —
But then, something even greater happened.
In the blink of an eye, an immense mass of pitch-black clouds surged across the heavens, devouring the storm clouds already gathered above. They expanded outward, covering the sea for dozens of miles in every direction.
Within a hundred-mile radius, sunlight vanished into darkness.
Only the occasional flash of black-violet lightning broke through, illuminating the sea below in brief, ominous glimmers.
— — —
Shiki stared upward, stunned.
From within those clouds came a pressure so vast that even he, the Golden Lion, felt his breath hitch for a moment.
"This… is this the brat's Haoshoku Haki?" he muttered, eyes wide in shock.
Reaching the level of a Great Swordsman was already absurd—but to awaken Haoshoku of such overwhelming force?
"And… he's still in the Navy?"
The thought was almost laughable.
To Shiki, a man with this kind of power should only have two paths in life: to rule the world… or to burn it down.
He had seen this soul print before—decades ago, in his prime.
On the back of a man who was once his captain.
The ruler of the seas in his era—Rocks D. Xebec.
And even now, Shiki couldn't be certain whether Rocks's Haoshoku back then could truly rival the sheer tidal wave of willpower he felt from this boy.
He couldn't begin to imagine the depth of Kyūjō Tachibana's spirit.
— — —
If Kyūjō had heard Shiki's thoughts, he would've simply dismissed them as shallow.
Because this was only the beginning.
Yes, his Haoshoku Haki was terrifying—but it was the product of his journey across worlds.
When he was first reborn into the world of Kimetsu no Yaiba, his soul had been tempered.
When he stepped into the world of One Piece, it was strengthened again.
Now, his soul existed on a plane far beyond ordinary humans.
How great was the difference? Even he couldn't measure it.
It was the innate advantage of a world-traveling wanderer—a cheat woven into his very being.
So when his Haoshoku awakened, it was only natural for it to explode to such unmeasurable heights.
And this was still him without the hunger for conquest or destruction that defined the great pirates of this world.
If he carried that same will—to dominate, to claim, to destroy—his Haoshoku could easily soar another level or two.
A thought too extreme to even imagine.
— — —
Kyūjō let the feeling wash over him, savoring the endless surge of power coursing through his body.
He lifted his gaze to the blackened sky, then lowered it to the sword in his hand—Rairyūken.
A faint smile touched his lips as his eyes met Shiki's.
A fine teacher, he thought.
In Kyūjō's eyes, this "Lion Master" was no less valuable than "Dragon Master" Kaidō.
And speaking of Kaidō… Kyūjō recalled a certain advanced technique—Haoshoku Haki Infusion.
With Haoshoku this strong, it would be a waste not to master it.
Controlling his awareness and senses was second nature to him.
So he guided his Haoshoku Haki inward, flowing it through his body and into Rairyūken.
The result was seamless. No awkwardness. No resistance.
The boundless storm of Haoshoku poured into the blade until there was no space left to hold it.
Black-violet lightning wrapped the entire sword, like frozen bolts of thunder.
Kyūjō tilted his head slightly. "Why aren't you running?"
Shiki threw his head back and laughed, straightening his stance, eyes wild.
"Brat… do you know who I am?! I'm the pirate who can fly across the seas!"
"I am the Golden Lion—Shiki!"
"No one makes a lion flee!"
With that roar, Shiki unleashed a colossal flying slash, Haoshoku-infused and razor-sharp.
"Shishi no Teki: Banketsudani! Split the Sea!"
Kyūjō watched it come, then slowly raised Rairyūken, swinging upward in a simple motion.
His voice was quiet, almost gentle.
"Shunkyōzan."
(Spring Shock Slash)
A pitch-black slash burst from the blade, growing wider with each passing instant, thunder rolling within its wake.
With a single sweeping arc, it cut through the air—splitting Shiki's attack cleanly in half.
And along with it… the Golden Lion himself.
The legendary pirate who once shook the seas… fell before Kyūjō Tachibana.
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