Jerry's devastating kick sent the Golden Lion hurtling backward into his floating island with tremendous force. The impact shattered a significant portion of one of the smaller landmasses that orbited around the main formation.
"Come on out, you bald bastard! I know you're not dead."
Jerry's Observation Haki remained active, sensing that his opponent had managed to activate his Armament Haki defense at the last moment, preventing the kick from achieving its full devastating potential.
As a legendary pirate who had once stood equal to Roger and Whitebeard, even though decades had passed since that ship's rudder had been embedded in his skull, and even though his prime was clearly behind him, Shiki was still incredibly dangerous.
A wounded lion was still a lion. Compared to most pirates sailing the seas, the Golden Lion's Haki reserves remained formidable.
Seeing his opponent still hiding among the dust clouds covering the floating island, Jerry deliberately adopted a mocking tone to draw him out:
"What's wrong? Don't you want to dominate the seas and cause havoc in the East Blue? Come on then!"
"Or is the famous Golden Lion actually just someone who roars loud but runs away the moment things get serious?"
Jerry started his journey in the East Blue. While he didn't have deep emotional ties to that particular sea, he absolutely wouldn't stand by and watch the Golden Lion slaughter innocent civilians.
More importantly, Shiki's earlier sneak attack had nearly wiped out all his friends. Jerry wasn't about to forget that account so easily.
All these factors made it clear that his conflict with the Golden Lion had become irreconcilable—like fire and water, completely incompatible.
Similarly, as a traditional pirate from the old era, the Golden Lion was prepared to become the world's enemy every time he took action. For him, battles only ended when one side fell completely. Fighting to the death was simply business as usual.
However, the Golden Lion hadn't expected this young upstart to be so troublesome. Not only could the brat compete with him on equal terms, but after their extended fight, he was actually gaining the upper hand. Worse still, his mouth was as sharp as his fists.
"Don't get so cocky, kid!" Shiki snarled, emerging from the debris while wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. His eyes blazed with hostility. "When I was ruling these seas, you were still swimming around looking for your daddy!"
For a brief moment, the thought of retreat had flashed through the Golden Lion's mind—but he'd immediately suppressed it. His hesitation hadn't escaped Jerry's notice, though.
The battlefield had unknowingly shifted to Shiki's floating island, which contained the results of his twenty years of research—countless ferocious beasts evolved through SIQ enhancement. These creatures were meant to be his instruments of revenge against the East Blue.
If his two decades of planning and ambition came to nothing because of this battle, even victory would leave him too depressed to sleep.
Hearing the old pirate's response, Jerry continued his psychological assault with a wicked grin:
"When you ruled the ocean? Oh right, I was busy swimming around with billions of my brothers, competing for dominance. And guess what? I won that competition."
"Which proves you could only call yourself king of a sea that didn't have me in it."
The Golden Lion's forehead flushed red as veins bulged visibly. He gritted his teeth and roared, "Arrogant little bastard! Die!"
Golden phantoms materialized beneath his feet as he unleashed countless sword slashes—each one larger and more brilliant than his previous attacks. The golden energy waves cut through the air like arctic winds, attacking Jerry from every conceivable angle.
Looking at the fierce assault that seemed to cover heaven and earth, Jerry laughed with apparent nonchalance, though he was secretly gathering his strength.
He employed the same defensive strategy as before, unleashing countless punches and kicks to counter the upgraded sword barrage.
Chaotic collision sounds rang out continuously as Jerry moved with fluid grace through the limited space, his strikes accurate as thunder, systematically dismantling the endless sword light that the Golden Lion hurled at him.
Just as Jerry's vision and perception became overwhelmed by the sheer volume of slashes and their immediate threats, he suddenly felt an unusual fluctuation followed by bone-deep killing intent.
Instinctively, Jerry quickly coated his back with Armament Haki.
At some point during the exchange, the Golden Lion had used his own attack as cover to quietly approach Jerry's position. While his opponent was busy responding to the sword barrage, Shiki launched a devastating close-range assault.
The Golden Lion exploded into motion, sweeping down from above like a hurricane made manifest.
His initial strike broke through Jerry's hastily assembled Haki defense with unstoppable force, carving a long gash across his back.
Shiki pressed his advantage relentlessly, not giving Jerry any opportunity to recover. As Jerry's figure was sent flying and began falling rapidly, Shiki followed up with increased ferocity, determined to finish his enemy in one decisive burst.
In this life-and-death struggle, the Golden Lion's sword strikes and kicks poured down like a torrential downpour. The two lightning-fast fighters plummeted from ten thousand meters above sea level.
Jerry, caught completely off guard, was hammered by the Golden Lion's continuous assault and forced to plummet downward at tremendous speed.
Soon they'd moved their battlefield to the White Sea, but the Golden Lion didn't relent. His powerful offensive sent Jerry flying like an arrow, not only breaking through the White Sea's boundaries but rushing straight into the sky above the Blue Sea itself, finally stopping at roughly six thousand meters altitude.
"Let's see if you can keep running your mouth now, brat! Jahahaha!"
The Golden Lion appeared beneath the White Sea shortly after, catching his breath while his eyes fell on Jerry's battered form. His triumphant laughter echoed across the sky.
Although he'd failed to completely eliminate the hateful young pirate with a single devastating combination as he'd hoped, being able to suppress his opponent all the way down while beating him bloody was still a very satisfying result.
However, Jerry had only been caught off guard by the Golden Lion's initial surprise attack, resulting in his injuries. During the subsequent exchanges, he'd been forced into purely defensive tactics.
As the fight progressed, Jerry gradually recovered from the shock of being ambushed. He'd defended with everything he had because he'd realized this round of overwhelming attacks was just a short burst from the Golden Lion—unsustainable intensity that ignored energy conservation.
Looking down at his wounds and feeling the pain radiating from his back and other injured areas, Jerry suddenly burst into wild laughter under the Golden Lion's puzzled stare, abruptly cutting off Shiki's victory celebration.
The long-absent sensation of real injury seemed to awaken something deep within Jerry's fighting spirit—a passion that had been dormant.
He suddenly raised his head, his eyes burning with fierce flames that the Golden Lion recognized all too well.
It was a look that gazed down upon everything with fearless determination—the expression of someone who refused to yield.
This scene couldn't help but evoke the Golden Lion's long-forgotten memories of the years when he'd competed with various legends across the seas, especially his past rivalries with Roger and other titans.
Jerry's laughter echoed as his fighting spirit surged outward like a mighty wave, shaking every inch of the surrounding space.
In response, the Golden Lion felt his own long-buried heroic spirit stirring—the same fire that had driven him for decades, still burning even after twenty years of hiding.
Their clashing auras pulled at each other, causing the wind around them to howl constantly, as if a natural storm was brewing between the two combatants.
Almost simultaneously, both fighters launched themselves forward like cannonballs, colliding in midair with explosive force.
"You had fun beating me down just now!" Jerry's entire body blazed with Haki as he clenched his fist and delivered a devastating punch. "Now it's my turn!"
The Golden Lion's face twisted with savage determination as he clearly exerted his full strength, raising his sword-leg for a reciprocal strike without hesitation.
"Lion's Roar: Iron-Cleaving Slash!"
"Maelstorm Abyss Breaker!"
The sounds of their fierce battle echoed through the night sky as darkness finally began to fall. Where the two titans clashed, energy surged violently, causing the surrounding heavens to become turbulent with wind and storm clouds.
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