Boom!
From above, the sea below could be seen surging outward as waves spread in every direction. The force scattered the clouds in the sky and shook the ocean beneath.
Every ship nearby was blasted away by the shockwave, then dragged under the sea. That was how overwhelming the power Shiki and Raijin unleashed in that moment was.
Zephyr stood on the side, his body battered by the shockwave, but he didn't take a single step back. He only watched the two men release their full strength, feeling a deep sense of awe inside.
When Shiki fought him earlier, he clearly hadn't used his full power. At least, this attack was far stronger than any slash he had taken before.
The guys on Rocks's ship seemed to feel freed after losing their captain, and each of them grew stronger than they were back on the ship.
This era really is insane. Not only have monsters and demons suddenly shown up, but pirates are also running wilder than ever. It makes people worry about the future of this world.
"Kyahaha! What a powerful guy!"
With another thunderous roar, two figures split apart from their clash—the Golden Lion and the Thunder God now stood on opposite sides of the ship that had been cut apart.
Shiki laughed loudly and raised his arms. The pirate ships that had been scattered by his and Thunder God's clash floated back up again, along with the wrecks holding unconscious pirates. The ships and debris all gathered back at Shiki's side.
"We'll meet again, Thunder God!"
The Golden Lion lifted his ship and crew into the sky. His Float-Float Fruit couldn't make people or animals float directly, but as long as there was someone on board, the ship itself could float. As for the pirates who had fallen into the sea, they could only blame their own bad luck.
The weak dying doesn't matter! That was the belief Shiki had brought from the Rocks Pirates, and at least for now, he was still influenced by it.
Shiki's figure slowly faded into the distance, leaving only Zephyr and the Thunder God behind. The warship under their feet had been split into two halves by Shiki, leaving them stranded and alone.
"Thanks," Zephyr said to the Thunder God. He wasn't being polite—without the Thunder God's arrival, he probably wouldn't have been able to protect the Shikon Jewel shard from Shiki. The best outcome would have been it sinking into the ocean.
"But how did Shiki know the shard was here?" Zephyr asked in confusion.
"Who knows how many demons escaped from the Shikon Jewel," the Thunder God said with a faint smile.
"The demon hatchling you saw was the first one to escape from the Shikon Jewel, but it definitely won't be the last. Still, you can relax a bit—at least the Demon Lords should all be sealed away in hell."
"Demon Lords…? I heard Makima mention greater demons before. Care to tell me more about them?"
Since their warship was already destroyed, he wasn't in a rush to head back to Marine HQ. He couldn't exactly moonwalk all the way back across this vast sea, and before the battle started he had already sent a call for help to HQ. Someone would come pick him up soon enough.
Until then, he might as well hear more from the Thunder God about demons.
The Thunder God, wearing his blue mask, turned to look at Zephyr, then glanced around before finding a raised platform. He sat down, resting his hands on his thighs, and spoke in a deep voice.
"Demons, monsters—they're all formed from the darkness of this world. Negative emotions become their food, making them stronger. And the thing is… this can never be avoided."
Zephyr nodded, agreeing.
This world will never run out of darkness. As long as there is life, there will be hatred and grudges, there will be oppression. Long before the Nine-Tailed Fox, Zero, Toguro, and the demon hatchling showed themselves, people already had demons like these inside their hearts.
Or maybe it was that very darkness inside people's hearts that raised the demons and let them appear in this world?
"Just like with pirates, ordinary demons aren't hard to deal with. The real problem is the greater demons. The Nine-Tailed Fox that showed up in Sabaody months ago was one of those. Only Admirals could deal with that kind of monster, right?"
The Nine-Tailed Fox… was only at the level of a greater demon?!
Even now, when Zephyr thought back to that fight, he felt that monster had been tough to handle. True, if it had been a life-or-death battle, maybe it wouldn't have required him, Sengoku, and Garp all at once—but it was still the kind of opponent that would've been very hard to capture without all three of them working together.
And if it was just two of them, beating the Nine-Tailed Fox would've made it nearly impossible to stop massive casualties elsewhere. Zephyr had thought a being like that must've been at the very top among demons and monsters. But above them…
There was still another level?
"What about the Demon Lords?" Zephyr couldn't help but ask again.
"Demon Lords are like Rocks before, or Roger, Whitebeard, and Shiki now in the pirate world."
"They're the strongest among the greater demons. Like emperors, they ruled over vast lands. That's why they're called Demon Lords. And among the demons, who once had near-infinite lifespans, there were only eight Demon Lords."
"Eight…" Zephyr had a hard time picturing Demon Lords, but even so, he felt pressure just hearing it. The Nine-Tailed Fox alone was already that terrifying, so how powerful must the strongest greater demons—the Demon Lords—be?
And there were eight of them?
"The demon hatchling's father, the Sacred Master, was one of the Demon Lords," the Thunder God said softly. "But they were all sent into hell. Without something like the Shikon Jewel, there's no way they could ever leave."
"Then what about that Zero guy—what is he really?" Zephyr asked, carefully remembering everything the Thunder God had said. He didn't fully believe it yet, but still—listening more couldn't hurt.
"Well…" The Thunder God slowly stood up from the platform. He looked into the distance and let out a breath. "We'll talk after the Five Elders sign the pact with us. Your comrades are here. Let's look forward to our next meeting."
"Wait, under that mask of yours—"
Zephyr saw the Thunder God stand and quickly tried to catch a glimpse of his face before he left, but before he could finish his words, the Thunder God had already turned into a flash of lightning and vanished without a trace.
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