"You guys stay here… I'll end this."
Before anyone could respond, Noah bent his knees and launched into the sky. The ground cracked beneath him as he shot upward, cutting through the air until he met Ocea halfway.
She hovered there, watching him closely. Then a slow smile spread across her face.
"So you're still alive," Ocea said, her voice full of mockery.
Noah stared at her.
"It's time for you to die."
Ocea let out a small laugh.
"You came back just to say that? After I already killed you once?"
Noah haki began to rise. The clouds started to shift, and the ocean below rippled from the pressure.
Ocea's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Your haki is stronger than before," she said.
Noah rolled his shoulders.
"No matter what you do, you still can't defeat me." Ocea said.
Noah let out a chuckle.
That caught her attention.
"What's funny?" she asked.
Noah looked straight at her.
"I should thank you."
Ocea frowned.
"…For what?"
"If you hadn't defeated me. I don't think I would've ever reached this next level." Noah replied.
The air around him began to distort, like space itself was bending under pressure.
Ocea's expression shifted, confusion mixed with caution.
"What are you talking about?"
Noah's haki surged again, this time violently. A powerful wave burst outward, pushing the clouds apart and shaking the sky.
"Thanks to you," Noah said, his voice deeper than before. "my angel fruit power has awakened."
Ocea stared at him.
"…Awakened?"
Noah's Haki started to change. Everything around him pulled towards him.
"Angel Fruit Awakening-LILITH."
A blinding light flashed, then quickly faded into darkness.
Bandages started wrapping around his body, layer by layer, covering his chest, arms, and neck. They tightened and formed a armor around him.
A long black cloak of Haki formed behind him and his hair grew taller until it reached his back.
His hair moved with the energy around him, and his face became partly covered in white bandage armor, leaving only his eyes clear.
Above his head floated a broken halo, cracked and glowing with a dim light.
His eyes glowed bright like it was the sun.
Ocea looked at him, no longer smiling.
"…What are you?" she asked.
Noah met her gaze.
"The one who's going to end this."
Ocea went quiet for a moment, then let out a small breath.
"…Good," she said. "Because I was starting to think this fight was a waste of time."
Noah slowly raised his hand. The space around it began to warp and crack under the pressure of his power.
Ocea noticed and got serious.
"That power… it feels strange," she said.
"It is." Noah replied.
The wind around them grew stronger as both of their energies clashed in the air.
Ocea leaned forward slightly, ready to move.
"Then come," she said. "Show me what this 'awakening' can do."
"Don't blink," Noah replied.
Ocea smirked.
"I won't."