Sanji deftly spun his body in the air, his legs, wreathed in high-voltage electricity, cleaved through the sword energy like battle-axes, but the force of the explosion still caused him to momentarily falter.
"Gyahahaha! It's not over yet!" Shiki waved his large hand, using his Float-Float Fruit ability, "Ocean Current Pressure!"
The sea below immediately roared, and a massive pillar of water, like a living giant python, shot skyward, slamming fiercely into Sanji.
At the same time,
Huge rocks, stripped from the floating island, rained down like cannonballs from all directions!
"Damn it!"
Sanji struggled to weave and dodge amidst the onslaught of seawater and giant rocks; although his Thunder Wings provided extreme speed and flight, facing such all-encompassing environmental suppression, he appeared somewhat dishevelled for a moment, each dodge incredibly perilous.
"This troublesome ability is endless!"
Just as Golden Lion thought he had the situation under control and was preparing to manipulate more objects for an overwhelming attack, a glint flashed in Sanji's eyes, seizing the momentary lapse of his opponent.
"Now!"
He let out a low growl, his left arm suddenly stretching back, and an incredibly bizarre dark energy instantly condensed and spun in his palm, forming a miniature black hole-like entity, emitting a powerful suction force!
"Dark Water!"
Golden Lion, who was about to wave his hand again to control objects, his face instantly changed; he suddenly felt an irresistible, terrifying suction force firmly gripping his body, and he was uncontrollably dragged by that dark gravity, as if caught by an invisible giant hand, hurtling towards Sanji!
The next second,
Sanji's left hand, enveloped in darkness, pressed precisely onto Golden Lion's chest!
The moment of contact, Golden Lion's world-defying Float-Float Fruit ability seemed to be completely erased, instantly failing!
The ship's rudder stuck in his head and his twin sword prosthetics felt several times heavier, that innate power to control all things, long integrated into his instincts, was completely gone!
"My ability... my ability is gone?!" Golden Lion's face, for the first time, showed a look of near terror, his pupils constricting to pinpricks from extreme shock, "What did you do?!"
Without the enhancement of his Devil Fruit ability, he was merely a powerful martial arts master, but by no means invincible!
An unprecedented sense of crisis, like a bucket of ice water, instantly made his hair stand on end!
"Haaah!!!" The instinct for survival overrode everything!
Golden Lion unleashed the full aura of a legendary pirate and Armament Haki, recklessly clenching his as-yet-uncontrolled right hand into a fist, wreathed in pitch-black Haki, and slammed it with mountain-splitting force into Sanji's side!
Bang!
A heavy thud sounded; Sanji grunted in pain, and the absorption of Dark Water was forcibly interrupted by this desperate strike.
Seizing this fleeting opportunity, the famous sword "cherry ten" at Golden Lion's feet spewed forth a current of air, and he rapidly flew backward in a state of disarray, pulling himself back up to high altitude in one breath, only stopping when he felt he was at a safe distance, still shaken.
He hovered in the air, breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently, looking down in disbelief at his chest where he had just been touched, then looking at the golden-haired youth below, who had resumed his fighting stance, surrounded by intertwining lightning and darkness, his heart churning with turbulent waves.
These newcomers... each one of them is terrifyingly wicked!
First, that sleeping swordsman unleashed a heaven-shattering slash, and now this curly-browed man can instantly suppress his Devil Fruit ability?!
Golden Lion Shiki, the legendary pirate who once contended with Roger and Whitebeard, now felt a long-lost tremor of fear!
"Who exactly are these guys?! They're too terrifying!"
Just as Golden Lion was still shaken, hovering high in the sky, his eyes flickering with doubt and surprise, a ruthless glint suddenly replaced his hesitation.
"Gyahahaha! Since close combat is such a hassle, then let's bury this broken ship along with them at the bottom of the sea!" He laughed wildly, his arms suddenly raised upward, pushing the Float-Float Fruit's ability to its limit!
The entire sea area below seemed to be stirred by an invisible giant hand; the vast seawater let out a deafening roar, transforming into several colossal water spouts connecting heaven and earth,
Like a world-ending calamity from mythology, they converged madly on the pluto battleship from all directions, threatening to completely engulf the entire ship!
"Oh no!" "He's going to destroy the ship!" Usopp and Chopper on the deck were scared out of their wits.
Just at this critical moment—
"Don't even think about it!"
A clear and angry shout rang out from the deck.
Nami leaped to a high point, erupting with unprecedented brilliant electrical light; her entire being transformed into a bolt of lightning, shooting skyward, instantly breaking through the chaotic airflow below, and hovering above Golden Lion.
"Thundercloud Storm · Come Forth!"
In an instant, with her as the center, thick, ink-like dark clouds appeared out of nowhere, spreading at an astonishing speed, covering the entire sky in the blink of an eye!
Within the dark clouds, countless thick, dragon-like lightning snakes wildly darted and roared, their destructive natural power firmly locking onto Golden Lion below!
That vast heavenly might, that energy fluctuation several times more terrifying than the lightning he himself controlled, made Golden Lion's face instantly change, the ship's rudder on his head seemingly beginning to ache, reminding him instantly of some extremely unpleasant, even shadowy past experiences, particularly being utterly ruined by the weather during the Battle of Edd War!
"Damn lightning! Not again?!"
He roared in extreme frustration, tinged with a hint of undetectable panic, no longer caring about controlling the seawater; the instinct for survival overrode everything.
"Hmph! I'm not fighting!"
Then, without looking back, he fled in disarray towards his floating island at top speed, as if a second's delay would mean being completely swallowed by the sky-filling thunder!
Almost at the same time, Zoro, who had been "sound asleep" leaning against the ship's rail, opened his eyes. There was no trace of confusion in those eyes, only a battle intent as sharp as a tempered blade and a hint of... obvious disappointment.
He stretched his neck, making a soft click, and looking at Golden Lion's panicked retreating figure, he let out a displeased "Tsk," and slowly stood up.
"Hey, hey, what's going on..."
He raised a hand to pick his ear, his tone filled with unfulfilled regret and strong battle intent, "I just learned two new moves in my dream, and I was about to try them out on you... and you ran away?"
Usopp also looked at the golden figure that was almost disappearing into the shadow of the floating island, and loudly mocked without ceremony:
"A legendary pirate? Your speed in running away certainly lives up to the legend! No guts for a fight at all, how boring!"
Nami's lightning slowly receded, dissolving into scattered electric sparks in the air. She landed lightly back on the deck of the pluto battleship, her face still showing a trace of annoyance at not being able to finish the job.
"Hmph, he sure ran fast!"
....
The journey continues right now for our Jade Dragons! 🐉
For just $6/month, you can step into the advanced chapters and never face a cliffhanger again. Gain instant access to 50+ chapters immediately, support the story you love, and help decide its course.
🔗 Become a Jade Dragon:
https://patreon.com/J_Dragon