"Your enthusiasm almost makes me feel unworthy," Kaito said with a cold smile, his tone calm yet sharp enough to cut steel.
Shiki's expression darkened instantly. "It seems you didn't come here as a guest, did you?"
"A guest?" Kaito smirked, his gaze filled with mockery. "Fine. Then let's start by canceling your little plan to destroy East Blue."
"Impossible!" Shiki roared, slamming his palm on the armrest. "Destroying East Blue, and forcing the World Government to recognize my vengeance, has been my dream for decades! I've endured twenty years in hiding for this moment!"
Kaito tilted his head slightly, indifferent. "Isn't twenty years enough? East Blue is special to me. If someone wants to destroy it, what do you think I'll do?"
"So we're enemies, then?" Shiki asked, his tone heavy with threat.
"That's right," Kaito replied without hesitation, his cold eyes locking onto Shiki's. "Enemies."
"Then don't blame me for being ruthless!" Shiki growled, blowing a smoke ring before clapping his hands twice.
Clap! Clap!
The walls burst open as waves of armed pirates flooded into the room. Their faces twisted with sneers and confidence as they surrounded Kaito and Fujitora.
"What's this? Can't handle it yourself, so you call your lackeys?" Kaito asked, unamused, his expression steady as ever.
"You dare to stand against me? You think you can stop my plan? You'll regret it."Shiki said, laughing darkly.
"So many people," Kaito said mockingly, raising his eyebrows. "I'm shaking in fear."
Fujitora smirked behind him.
"You're getting senile, old man. Do you really think these small fries matter to someone like me?"
"Hmph! You'll see soon enough," Shiki snapped, flicking his finger. "Get them!"
Before they could attack, Kaito raised a hand. "Wait. Before this starts—did your crew capture a swordsman two days ago?"
Shiki paused, frowning. "Swordsman? What swordsman?" His confusion seemed genuine, then his grin returned. "Don't stall for time. Attack!"
Kaito's sharp Observation Haki told him the truth. Shiki wasn't lying—Koshiro wasn't here.
He glanced briefly at Fujitora, who nodded; he had sensed the same.
"In that case, let's end this quickly," Kaito said, his voice steady but charged with confidence. "Fujitora, I'll handle Shiki. You take care of the others."
"Understood," Fujitora replied, drawing his bamboo blade.
As they prepared to strike, Shiki removed the cigar from his mouth, his eyes blazing with fury. "Kill them all! Leave no survivors!"
The air trembled as the pirates roared, charging forward like a tidal wave of chaos.
Kaito sighed, raising his hand lazily. "Fine. I'll clear the trash. You handle those two subordinates."
Then, it happened.
A storm of pressure exploded from Kaito's body. His Conqueror's Haki burst outward like an erupting volcano, shaking the air itself.
Thud! Thud!
Pirates dropped like flies, eyes rolling back, weapons clattering as they fell unconscious in waves. The crashing sound of steel echoed endlessly.
Fujitora's lips curved faintly. "Conqueror's Haki… truly the perfect way to sweep away ants."
The air around Kaito shimmered with golden light, his Haki intensifying as it spread toward Shiki. The wooden floor cracked beneath them.
Shiki's gaze hardened. Impressive.
Scarlet-red energy flared from Shiki as he unleashed his own Conqueror's Haki, clashing violently with Kaito's aura.
The air twisted and shattered, and lightning sparked between them—dark red arcs flickering like wild beasts in the air.
Crack! Boom!
The roof of the grand hall split open. A hurricane of raw energy surged outward, cutting like invisible blades across the island. Pillars shattered, and dust filled the air.
Shiki frowned. His subordinates lay sprawled unconscious, and further destruction would only ruin his own fortress.
He inhaled deeply and retracted his aura.
"Enough of this," he muttered before his figure blurred and vanished into the inner hall.
Kaito followed instantly.
The two of Shiki's lieutenants tried to block his path, but their bodies suddenly sank, pinned down as if crushed by unseen force. Purple ripples of gravity shimmered beneath their feet.
Fujitora stood calmly, bamboo sword in hand. "You two should stay focused on me. Let the captains handle their own fight."
"Damn you!" Scarlet cursed, his face twisted in rage.
Indigo glared, veins bulging. "Gravity... so this is your power?"
"Let's get this over with," Fujitora said softly, his blade coated in black Armament Haki.
The moment he swung, the ground cracked beneath his feet. The three clashed fiercely, each strike sending shockwaves through the air.
Kaito and Shiki's battle carried them to the island's rear garden—a vast open field lit by moonlight, large enough to be an island itself. This was where Shiki had bred his monstrous creations, the beasts that roamed in cages of steel and bone.
The night was dark and heavy. A crescent moon hung above them.
Shiki stood calmly with both swords—Sakura Ten and Oto Ten—glinting in the moonlight. "Kid, I'll admit it. For someone your age to wield Conqueror's Haki like that, you'll definitely make waves across the sea one day."
"Appreciate the compliment," Kaito replied coolly, his fists crackling with Armament Haki. "But talk time's over."
"Then show me what you've got!" Shiki shouted, stepping forward. His twin blades blurred as he launched a deadly arc of golden light.
Clang!
Kaito met the blow head-on, his fist wrapped in dense Haki. Sparks exploded as steel met strength, the impact shaking the ground beneath them. The air rippled violently.
Kaito spun on his heel, his leg glowing red-black as he kicked out. The friction with the air created a flash of heat and light as his strike smashed through Shiki's guard.
Boom!
The explosion echoed across the garden. The ground split open, sending waves of shattered stone and debris flying outward. The sheer pressure of their clash turned the earth into chaos.
As the dust cleared, Shiki steadied himself, sneering through the smoke. "That's it? You think a 1.5 billion bounty makes you my equal?"
Kaito's eyes narrowed. "You're welcome to find out."