The fiery explosion lit up the night sky as the colossal lion's head descended like a falling meteor. Blades of pure energy raged in all directions, their glow as bright as the sun.
Hum!
When the two forces collided, the impact roared like a thousand bombs detonating at once.
The island shook violently as the ground caved in, and waves of destructive power tore through everything nearby. A towering mushroom cloud rose toward the heavens while the shockwave blasted outward, scouring the land clean again and again.
Smoke and dust rolled across the battlefield, thick enough to blot out sight and sound.
The air itself felt heavy—choked by the chaos.
After a long moment, the dust began to settle.
Around the shattered terrain lay enormous craters, carved deep into the ground. At the center stood Kaito, encased within his towering Susanoo.
But even the mighty warrior had taken damage. The blue armor was cracked, its glow flickering weakly. One of Susanoo's twin flame-forged blades was snapped in half, while the other was riddled with fractures like aged steel.
"Hah," Kaito exhaled, a faint smirk forming. "As expected of a legendary pirate. You've actually managed to damage my Susanoo."
Hovering above, Shiki's expression twisted with disbelief.
That attack—his proudest move—had been blocked. And what was worse, the tone of Kaito's voice… was that praise, or mockery?
He didn't need to guess. The answer was obvious.
"Boy! Are you mocking me?" Shiki barked, fury twisting his face.
"Mocking you?" Kaito shook his head slowly, his scarlet eyes gleaming with cold amusement. "Not really. I'm just saying… if this is all you've got, this fight's over."
He tilted his head slightly, his tone calm but laced with venom. "You relics of the old era—compared to Sengoku, Garp, even Whitebeard—you fall short."
Shiki's rage exploded. "What did you just say? You think I'm beneath Garp and Sengoku?" His eyes went bloodshot, veins bulging in fury.
Kaito's voice remained steady. "You weren't even recognized by Whitebeard. And as for Garp and Sengoku… they crushed you, didn't they? You lost. And where did you end up? Impel Down."
"That was two against one!" Shiki shouted, his pride twisting into bitterness.
Kaito smiled faintly. "And yet, the result was still the same—you in chains."
"They relied on numbers!"
"Still Impel Down."
"Damn you! You're want to die? Then die!" Shiki's patience shattered. His eyes burned with murderous intent as his body radiated golden light.
With a snarl, he swung both feet. From his twin swords, Sakura Ten and Oto Ten, countless slashes erupted, glowing through the night like falling stars.
The storm of sword energy screamed through the air, cutting through the darkness. Even before they reached their mark, their momentum sliced the ground below like blades of wind. Susanoo's surface sparked and groaned under the invisible pressure.
"This technique…" Kaito narrowed his eyes. "A slashing wave?"
His Mangekyō Sharingan spun faster, and in an instant, the damage on his Susanoo vanished—completely restored, its blue aura burning brighter than before.
Shiki froze in disbelief. "Impossible! That was a full-powered strike!"
His plan had been cunning. He hadn't lost his temper—he'd intended that flurry of slashes as a trap, a way to shatter Kaito's armor while feigning rage. It was a veteran's trick, one born from decades of battle experience.
But now? That careful plan was crumbling before his eyes.
If Kaito had known what he was thinking, he would've chuckled. A true relic of the past… still clever, but far too predictable.
Below, Susanoo moved, surrounded by a maelstrom of sword energy.
Each impact echoed like thunder, tearing the ground into hundreds of deep pits, the landscape now resembling a massive beehive of destruction.
The dark blue titan stood in the center of it all, countless glowing blades embedded in its form, the surface cracked but unbroken. For a moment, it seemed like it might shatter—then Kaito's chakra surged again.
Hum!
Blue light burst forth, flooding every fissure until the armor was whole once more.
The barrage of slashes faded, and the mighty warrior stood renewed.
Kaito looked up sharply, his expression hardening.
In the blink of an eye, he moved.
The air exploded beneath his feet as he shot upward like a comet, appearing before Shiki almost instantly.
Susanoo raised its blazing swords high, bringing them down in a double arc that split the night.
The twin blades cut through the air, each strike carrying enough force to warp space itself. The sword light flared like a miniature sun, pressing down upon the Golden Lion.
Shiki's cheeks stung under the intense heat, space itself seeming to twist around him.
"Humph! You think that'll scare me?" he scoffed, crossing his swords beneath him.
His feet slashed downward, releasing waves of golden energy to counter the descending blades.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each impact sent ripples through the void. Kaito's Susanoo held firm, cutting through the counterattacks as he closed in. The blue flames burned brighter, devouring the sky around them.
Shiki's teeth clenched as frustration boiled inside him. His expression turned cold.
He spread his arms wide—and the world seemed to respond.
The air howled as snow and frost began to swirl around him, gathering faster and faster until the night sky itself turned white. Within moments, everything was blanketed in a blizzard of pure power.
The dark heavens were erased, replaced by a blinding sea of snow that smothered the battlefield in frozen silence.
The air thickened, heavy and suffocating. Even the wind felt sluggish, trapped in invisible pressure. Any ordinary fighter would have been crushed instantly under its weight.
Kaito halted midair, eyes narrowing as the storm pressed against his armor. "What's this? One last struggle before defeat?"
"Struggle?" Shiki's grin widened, his laughter echoing through the white haze. "No, boy. This is my domain!"
He thrust his hand forward. The swirling snow condensed, rotating like a vortex.
In seconds, six colossal lion heads formed—crafted entirely from ice and snow, their manes swirling with frost, their eyes burning with feral rage.
They rose high, towering into the clouds, exuding the might of ancient beasts. The air thickened again, each breath weighted with pressure so dense it could crush steel.
The six lions roared as one, their combined voices shaking the island to its core.
Their power was primal—undeniable. Even nature seemed to bow before them.
All across the island, wild beasts collapsed, lowering their heads in instinctive submission.
"This aura… so overwhelming," Fujitora murmured quietly from a nearby corridor, sipping his tea as the island trembled.
Two defeated pirates lay unconscious beside him. "As expected of a man who once stormed Marine Headquarters alone."