Early in the morning, a deafening roar split the calm of dawn.
"Ochoku! How dare you touch my stuff?!"
Amid Captain John's furious bellow, twelve of his gunmen opened fire at once — a storm of bullets tearing through the air toward Ochoku.
Ochoku slammed his palm to the ground."Blood Seal Palm!"
The earth cracked open, and a dark red shockwave surged outward like a raging tide. John's men were instantly turned into a mist of blood.
"Damn it!" John ripped off his bloodstained tie, two jewel-studded flintlock pistols sliding from his sleeves. Bullets wrapped in Armament Haki shot straight toward Ochoku's forehead.
BOOM!!!
The shockwave from the blast sent Silver Axe flying backward, his breakfast soup splattering all over the deck.
"Son of a—" Silver Axe's grin vanished. His body swelled, and twenty flintlock barrels extended from beneath his coat."Go to hell!"
A hailstorm of bullets engulfed the entire square.
"Hey! Watch my wine!"
A single strand of Shiki's golden hair fluttered to the ground, sliced by a stray bullet. His expression twisted with fury as he kicked a massive boulder aside.
"Lion's Might — Earth Scroll!"
The ground morphed into a roaring stone lion, but it was shattered mid-charge by Ochoku's counterstrike. Amidst the flying debris, Stussy gracefully leapt behind Edward Newgate, twirling a poison needle between her fingers."Newgate… protect me," she teased.
Newgate barely had time to react before—
Bang!
A stray cannonball came hurtling toward Tanma's face!
The boy's pupils shrank. In an instant, his sword was drawn — the blade tracing a spiraling arc through the air.
"Sword Rolls Up the Clouds!"
A silver-white tornado of sword energy erupted forth, pulverizing shells and stray bullets into dust. Using the momentum, Tanma leapt high into the sky, the gleam of his blade — Calamity — flashing beneath the rising sun.
"Sky-Splitting Slash!"
The slash, infused with the force of the tornado, roared forward — tearing deep trenches through the ground as it hurtled toward the four battling pirates.
Ochoku's arms transformed into hardened shields.John's jeweled pistols exploded to block the attack.Silver Axe's coats burst apart to form a defensive barrier.And Shiki's clogs dug deep into the ground as he braced for impact.
BOOM!
When the smoke cleared, the four were still standing — but barely. Ochoku's robe was shredded, John's cufflinks destroyed, Silver Axe left in his underwear, and Shiki's sunglasses cracked down the middle.
Silence blanketed the square.
The Rocks Pirates' "morning exercise" had ended with three battleships sinking in the harbor.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me…"
Shiki's golden hair bristled, his face twitching with rage. "You almost killed me, brat…" His sunglasses finally broke in half. "Just thinking about it pisses me off even more!!"
"Lion Chikiriyani!!!"
With a roar, Shiki's twin blades, Oto and Kogarashi, gleamed with black Armament Haki. Dozens of cross-shaped slashes carved through the air, howling like a pack of enraged lions lunging for their prey!
Tanma's eyes flashed. His stance dropped low, and Calamity spun in his hand.
"Sword Rolls Up the Clouds!"
The silver tornado surged once again, its ferocious winds forming an unbreakable barrier. Shiki's slash pierced into the storm's eye, screeching with metallic friction as sparks rained down. The ground was shredded into countless furrows by the shockwaves.
"It's not over yet!" Tanma growled, sparks bursting from his scabbard as he drew again.
"Sword Drawing Technique — Sky-Splitting Slash!!"
A blinding flash cut through the sky — faster and sharper than before. The air itself screamed as wind pressure swept up debris, turning it into a storm of blades!
Shiki's pupils shrank. He crossed his swords, Armament Haki flaring.
CLANG!!!
The clash sent tremors through the ground. Shiki's feet sank deep into the stone, thin cracks webbing across Oto and Kogarashi. His hair whipped wildly in the wind; his shades shattered completely, revealing eyes full of disbelief.
"Damn kid!" Shiki gritted his teeth, but the sheer force drove him backward — his boots carving black scorch marks along the ground until he finally stopped, panting.
When the dust settled, Tanma stood in the pose of sheathing his sword — his gaze as sharp as the blade itself.
From a distance, John whistled. "Hey, Shiki — don't tell me you're losing to a rookie already?"
"Shut the hell up!" Shiki barked, veins bulging. "I was just warming up!!!"
Ochoku's bone rosary rattled faintly.Silver Axe burst out laughing. "Ha! Keep going! This is getting good!"Stussy leaned against Newgate, smirking. "Newgate, want to bet who'll draw blood first?"
Newgate didn't reply — his eyes were fixed on Tanma.This newcomer… is interesting.
Shiki's grin froze, his expression darkening."Interesting…" he muttered, licking the cut on his lip. His golden hair stirred despite the still air. "Then let me show you… what a real pirate looks like!"
"Lion Double Sky Slash!"
Golden light erupted from Shiki's twin swords, splitting his form into three afterimages! Three Shikis attacked from different angles, crescent-shaped slashes converging on Tanma from every direction.
"It's over, brat!"
Tanma's pupils tightened.
"A Lone Wild Goose Glimpses the Shadow!"
Calamity trembled in his hand, splitting into three identical phantoms. Four Tanmas appeared — each in a different stance.
The left one lunged!The right one leapt and slashed!The rear one spun into a sweeping strike!And the real Tanma—
Pressed the tip of Calamity to the ground— and vaulted backward!
"What?!" Shiki's Observation Haki screamed warnings, but he couldn't tell which was real. His slashes missed entirely, slicing a distant watchtower clean in half.
Swish!
Before the illusions faded, the real Tanma surged forward again — Calamity tracing a brilliant arc. Shiki barely blocked, his swords ringing as phantom and real strikes blurred together. Each clash birthed new afterimages, each more unpredictable than the last!
"Damn it…" Shiki's brow dripped sweat. His Observation Haki tracked four attack paths, yet every time he blocked, three were fakes. And worse—
The vanishing sword shadows reformed the moment the strike was withdrawn.
Tanma's form flickered among the illusions, and his final slash carved across Shiki's chest, leaving a deep, bleeding line!
"Gah—!" Shiki staggered back, eyes wide as he stared at the crimson stain spreading down his shirt.
Silence.
Silver Axe's milk spilled to the floor.John's cigar dropped onto his boot.Ochoku's rosary went still.
Stussy's red lips parted slightly. "Newgate… that kid…"
Newgate's arms crossed tighter, his gaze unwavering."...That's some terrifying swordsmanship."