"Hm? Conqueror's?"
High in the sky, Shiki frowned. Who was that guy down there? To think he had such powerful Conqueror's Haki.
"But don't think you're the only one who has it!" (Originally, Shiki was only written with Armament and Observation, but I thought leaving out Conqueror's felt weak, so I gave it to him myself.)
Shiki let out a low shout, and in the next moment, an equally massive wave of Conqueror's Haki burst out from him. It clashed against the surge from below. The collision of these two overwhelming forces made Zephyr's face tighten. His Observation told him that the man below…
Wasn't that the same one who had appeared in Dressrosa before?!
"How… is that possible?"
At this moment, shock spread across Shiki's face. He realized his Conqueror's Haki couldn't suppress the other's—and in fact, was being slightly overpowered!
Who… is he really?
Across the seas, the number of people who could do this was so few they could be counted on one hand—maybe even less!
What Shiki didn't know was that this was the Thunder God's Conqueror's Haki in its weakened state. If it were Rocks himself in his prime, the clash would not have been nearly this even.
After Makima had taken control of his body, Rocks' soul and body had sunk into a dazed state. His physical abilities and Haki had declined. But after eating the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, he was still without question a top-level force.
"That's enough..."
The clash of Conqueror's Haki from both sides suddenly stopped, because by now almost all the small fry had already fainted. Other than the three of them, only a few officers were still standing, barely able to fight under the pressure, but none of them could possibly stop Raijin.
At this moment, he looked up at Shiki in the sky and said, "The Marines are our important partners. This shard of the Shikon Jewel is a symbol of peace between us. No matter how greedy one is, there should be a limit, don't you think, Shiki?"
"Partners...?" Shiki looked down and finally saw the man below. He was tall and broad, but wore a mask on his face. The mask was blue, with horn-like points on each side like a demon's. His body crackled with Inazuma.
The power to control lightning... Is it a Logia-type Devil Fruit?
Golden Lion thought to himself, while in reality he slowly descended with Zephyr. The two of them landed on the battleship together, finally standing on the same level as Raijin.
Zephyr stared at Raijin's back thoughtfully. From what he said just now, this man really was the one who appeared in Dressrosa a few days ago.
Has this guy been following me the whole time?
That woman called Makima has already gone to Sabaody. Looks like they split up. Does she think the World Government will definitely agree to her terms, or does she think that even without this powerful man she can handle the World Government if they refuse to cooperate with her?
"You are... who exactly?" Shiki asked as he landed on the battleship, glaring at the masked man. "I don't remember anyone like you in these seas. With such powerful Conqueror's Haki, you'd rather be a dog of the World Government?"
Golden Lion sneered. "Your Conqueror's Haki... it cries!"
"Hahaha, just call me Raijin."
Raijin laughed loudly.
"This world is huge. The World Government is only one power among many. Working with them doesn't mean lowering ourselves. What binds us has never been brute force or authority—it's contracts. If the World Government has the power to form a contract with us, then working with them is only natural, isn't that right... Admiral?"
Zephyr glanced at him but said nothing. Inside, he was weighing a possibility—could they take down Shiki right now?
If he joined forces with this so-called Raijin, capturing Shiki would be no problem. But if Shiki decided to run, with his ability to fly and control the sea, stopping him would be very difficult.
Besides...
Would Raijin really work with him? Zephyr couldn't possibly put his trust in a complete stranger so quickly. The World Government had indeed agreed to meet with Makima, but the talks hadn't even started yet. Who knew what would happen afterward?
That man could very well be tied to demons... maybe even yokai. He couldn't afford to let his guard down.
"Raijin? Kehahaha, calling yourself a god?" Shiki burst out laughing at his words. "If you call yourself a god in front of those Celestial Dragons, I don't see your deal lasting long!"
"A partnership means being equals," Raijin replied with a small laugh. "If the World Government is a god, then we should deal with them as gods too."
"Is that so? Then I guess my plan has failed this time." Golden Lion looked at Raijin, who didn't answer. Zephyr stayed as calm as before.
Just when it seemed the three might relax, a sudden surge of Haki exploded from Golden Lion's body! Both Conqueror's and Armament Haki wrapped around his twin swords, Oto and Kogarashi. One blade swung down from above, the other swept up from below, as if to slice heaven and earth apart, both slashing straight at Raijin!
"Lion's Might: Heavenly Scissors!"
The twin slashes came from above and below, completely unexpected, and with tremendous power.
In an instant, the entire battleship was cut clean in half. The remaining sword energy extended outward, tearing open the sea for several kilometers, leaving a bottomless trench!
Before it could swallow Raijin, the two sword auras suddenly merged into a ferocious golden lion, baring its fangs as it lunged to devour him whole!
This terrifying power was worthy of being called kingly on the seas. But as the fierce strike closed in, Raijin raised both hands. Between them surged an enormous force of lightning. From the sky, the thunder dragon broke free from the black clouds, roaring as it plunged down.
"Thunder Rise: Awakening Dragon Breaks the Sea!"
As the golden lion took form, Raijin's hands unleashed a massive dragon of lightning.
The lightning dragon carried a dark shade of Haki, turning the blue Inazuma faintly purple. The huge dragon crashed head-on into the snarling golden lion!
A deafening boom erupted where they collided, shaking the endless sea. The ocean boiled, waves erupted, and ships all around were smashed to pieces—only the battleship at the center remained!
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