A scorching beam approached from behind at light speed, its overwhelming force tearing the air into spiraling white shockwaves.
"What a sneaky little brat..."
A vicious grin curled at the corner of Shiki's mouth as he suddenly tilted his head to the left.
Borsalino's white leather shoe brushed past his hair, the searing beam of light narrowly missing and plunging into the ground.
Boom!!
A nearby military fortress erupted in a fiery explosion, black smoke billowing skyward as a wave of blistering heat rippled outward.
"Your timing was spot on... just a bit too slow!!"
Shiki let out a wild laugh and spun around, slashing out with his swords!
A dazzling golden sword beam tore through Borsalino's figure, arcing like a massive crescent moon toward the distant sea.
As the image of Borsalino dispersed into photons, the far-off waters split silently, leaving a crack several kilometers long before the surging tide rushed back in to fill the void.
"He activated his Logia form early, huh?"
Shiki sneered, but a sudden gust of wind surged from above.
Without warning, Daren had appeared overhead like a phantom, his right foot raised high above his head.
The high-altitude wind whipped through his black hair and flared his billowing white cloak.
His boot, shrouded in intimidating Haki, came crashing down like a battle axe!
Shiki's expression didn't waver. He raised both swords to block.
Clang!
The clash of boot and blades sent sparks flying in every direction.
"Jihahaha! Daren, your strength and Haki have grown again!"
Shiki's dual blades firmly caught Daren's attack, a murderous gleam flashing in his eyes as he burst into manic laughter.
Daren's eyes widened. Gritting his teeth, he twisted his waist and unleashed all his strength into the strike.
"Get down!!"
Boom!!
A second burst of Armament Haki and raw power exploded midair, creating a shockwave that tore through the sky.
Shiki's body plummeted toward the ground like a meteor.
And waiting at the impact zone...
Kuzan and Sakazuki, cloaked in frost and magma respectively, stood ready, fists drawn back.
"Jihahaha!! So this is your teamwork?"
Adjusting swiftly midair, Shiki laughed wildly and swung his blades once more.
Clang! Clang!
With his left hand, "Oto" blocked the molten fist. With his right, "Kogarashi" cleaved through the icy punch.
The shockwaves of their clash spiraled outward as both Sakazuki and Kuzan, eyes bloodshot, pushed their Devil Fruit powers to their limits!
Boom! Boom!
Scarlet magma and pale blue ice surged skyward from opposite sides, creating two massive pillars that divided the battlefield—with the legendary pirate Shiki standing dead center.
These polar forces, laced with invisible Armament Haki, spun into twin hemispherical cyclones, barreling toward Shiki with immense force.
"Jihahahaha! You're nowhere near enough! If you want me dead, bring Sengoku and Garp!"
Shiki roared with laughter, hair standing on end.
Waves of invisible Conqueror's Haki blasted out from his body, forming a translucent vortex that blocked the red and blue waves entirely, not allowing a single inch to breach.
"We're not the only ones here!!"
Kuzan shouted, his face flushed red.
At that moment, a golden streak flashed low across the battlefield.
The light rapidly coalesced into human form—Borsalino streaking forward, nearly skimming the ground.
In a blink, he appeared in front of Shiki, hands together as a radiant golden blade took form.
"Ama no Murakumo!"
Borsalino gripped the sword in one hand and brought it down in a swift, decisive arc toward Shiki's head!
For a split second, time seemed frozen.
Everything slowed to a crawl.
The blazing golden sword reflected in Shiki's pupils, growing larger with each heartbeat.
Then—
BOOM!!!
A terrifying, indescribable aura exploded from the clash's center, bursting skyward and piercing the heavens!
Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Borsalino all felt the very air around them fracture—like shattered glass—paralyzing their movements.
In an instant, black and red light swallowed the entire island.
The overwhelming pressure of Conqueror's Haki distorted space itself.
Crackling sounds burst through the air as arcs of black and red lightning flashed into existence, flickering in and out across the battlefield.
Sakazuki's pupils shrank.
Kuzan's face went pale.
Something had snapped in the fabric of reality.
A massive shockwave spiraled outward, laced with fine lightning.
It wrapped around Shiki's twin swords before erupting in all directions.
Conqueror's Haki surged violently, unleashing a torrent of black and red energy that slammed directly into Sakazuki and Kuzan's chests!
A direct hit—through the air!!
Both coughed up blood as they were sent flying backward.
"Jihahahaha!!"
Shiki cackled wildly.
Clang!!
A piercing, explosive clash rang out as the twin Meito—"Oto" and "Kogarashi"—crossed in front of him, narrowly blocking Borsalino's descending blade of light.
Behind his sunglasses, Borsalino's pupils contracted slightly. Staring at the Shiki before him—his body wreathed in black and red lightning, his aura at its peak, looking more like a demon god than a man—a bead of cold sweat slid down his forehead.
But his movements didn't slow for a second. The instant his sword was blocked, his left foot whipped forward, dragging a trail of golden light as it kicked toward Shiki's abdomen!
"Yellow brat, your kicks are still way off the mark!!"
Shiki didn't back down in the face of the so-called light-speed strike. He met it with a kick of his own.
But unlike Borsalino's golden-light-wrapped technique, Shiki's kick crackled with black and red lightning—
Conqueror's Haki!
He had wrapped even his kicks with Conqueror's Haki!
Bang!!
Their legs collided with a thunderous thud, the sound of shattering bone echoing sharply.
More sweat broke across Borsalino's brow. Shiki's counter sent him flying, his body streaking across the sky like a bolt of golden light before crashing into the central fortress, blasting a massive hole through its thick stone wall.
Flames roared. Black smoke billowed.
Gale winds howled, and black-red lightning tore through the sky.
Almost at the same instant Borsalino was blasted away, a violent, cutting gust slammed down on Shiki from above. The air pressure shifted as a three-fingered dragon claw ripped through the smoke, striking from above.
Daren!
A torrent of Conqueror's Haki surged from his body, clashing head-on with Shiki's oppressive aura.
His movements were blindingly fast—Ryusoken claw sweeping down like a thunderclap.
The one and only opening!
"Ryusoken!!"
One claw fell!
It carried Daren's monstrous strength, crashing down like a falling star!
"You think it's that easy?"
Shiki grinned fiercely, hooking one finger.
The ground beneath him suddenly surged up—an enormous wave of earth rising into a towering tsunami, instantly shielding him and crashing toward Daren.
Even after Daren found the only gap in close combat, Shiki still used his Devil Fruit ability to counter in time!
Rumble!!
Massive torrents of dirt collided midair, shaking the heavens with their roar.
In the very next instant—
A sword beam wreathed in black and red lightning burst through everything and shot skyward.
The Marine commodore's body was flung from the raging mudslide, a deep slash across his chest exposing bone.
As everyone watched in stunned disbelief...
The tidal wave of earth reversed like a flood, coalescing into a towering lion that reached the sky.
At the peak of that colossal beast, Shiki stood tall, twin swords in hand. His golden mane whipped through the air like a lion's wild crown.
Looking down on the four gasping "monsters" below, he let out a ferocious laugh:
"You Marine brats raised in your safe little greenhouse... you've got no idea what real pirates are capable of!!"
"Jihahahaha!!"
Beneath the pitch-black night sky, black and red lightning crackled relentlessly.
The massive shadow of the legendary pirate stretched across the battlefield, almost engulfing all of Marineford.