"Jihahahahaha—!"
After hearing Is' words, Shiki burst into loud laughter, as if he had just heard the greatest joke in the world.
"So that's how it is. As expected, all Celestial Dragons are fools. Sure, I was injured by Roger—but dealing with a mere Celestial Dragon is still more than easy."
With absolute confidence, Shiki stared at Is from a distance, a smirk on his face.
But Is remained completely unmoved.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
In the next instant—
From his wings, countless feather-shaped sheets of paper, burning with crimson flames, shot out.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
They rained down like a storm.
Shiki focused on the incoming barrage, but didn't panic. Drawing the sword at his waist, he coated it with Armament Haki and swung rapidly.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Most of the incoming paper blades were deflected.
"Attacks like this are useless against me!" Shiki said while blocking.
"Are they?"
Suddenly—
A voice sounded right in front of him.
Shiki froze.
He hadn't expected Is to appear right before him.
"Could it be… this attack was just to block my vision?!"
"Correct."
"Slash!"
Is thrust forward with his spear in a swift upward strike.
Caught off guard—
"Bang!"
Shiki was blasted backward, tumbling through the air before finally stabilizing at a distance.
"This guy… his strength is ridiculous!"
To be sent flying like that—
That wasn't something just anyone could do.
Is didn't give him time to recover.
He immediately pursued, his spear now coated in Armament Haki and blazing with fire, its appearance both fierce and dazzling.
Seeing Is closing in, Shiki gritted his teeth and charged forward as well, dual swords in hand.
"BOOM!"
Spear and blades clashed.
The shockwave spread outward, sending ripples surging across the sea.
Is looked calm and composed.
But Shiki's expression had already turned grim.
He had thought picking a Celestial Dragon as his opponent would let him take it easy.
Reality, however—
Was nothing like he expected.
"You… you're not a real Celestial Dragon, are you?!" Shiki demanded.
"????"
Is looked puzzled, though he didn't care much for the meaning behind the question.
"Real or fake—it doesn't matter."
"A Celestial Dragon should just enjoy their privileges! Why bother training? Why eat a Devil Fruit? Isn't it better to rely on the World Government?" Shiki cursed.
If Is had lived like a typical Celestial Dragon, this fight would've been effortless.
But now…
He was being dragged into a tough battle.
"Bang!"
Shiki was forced back again.
This time, however—
Is didn't pursue.
He hovered in place.
"Let me give you a little gift, Shiki."
As he spoke, the spear in his hand vanished.
Shiki's brows furrowed. A bad feeling crept into his chest.
"What are you planning?"
Is gave no answer.
Instead—
A blue light began to radiate from his body, enveloping him entirely.
Soon, that light formed into a skeletal structure.
Then—
Muscle and sinew grew over it at visible speed.
Its body expanded, taking on a new form, gaining legs—
And then, armor resembling a tengu warrior.
But it didn't stop there.
In the next moment—
Flaming red paper armor covered the entire figure, and wings spread from its back.
In the blink of an eye—
A colossal Susanoo stood before Shiki.
"What… what the hell is that thing?" Shiki's unease deepened.
"That? It's something good, Shiki. Don't you like it?" Is stood atop the Susanoo's forehead, arms crossed, smiling.
Shiki frowned, muttering, "Who the hell would like something like that…"
Is ignored him.
In the Susanoo's hand—
A massive blue blade materialized.
With a single swing—
"Slash!"
A gigantic sword slash surged forward.
Shiki's pupils shrank sharply.
He had no intention of taking that head-on.
He immediately darted to the side.
The enormous slash carved through the air in a brilliant arc—
Before crashing into the sea.
"BOOOOOOM—!"
The ocean split apart.
A massive trench tore through the water, towering waves surging skyward as the sea churned violently.
Shiki stared at the aftermath below, swallowing hard.
Good thing he didn't try to block that—
Otherwise, he might already be lying at the bottom of the sea.
"What kind of insane ability is that?! Who would like something like that?!"
At this point, Shiki had no desire to continue fighting Is.
He quickly flew downward, heading toward a crowded battlefield, hoping to force Is to change targets.
If he had the chance to redo things—
He would never have foolishly tried to flank a Celestial Dragon.
Elsewhere, the battle raged even more intensely.
Of course, there were exceptions.
On Edward Newgate's side—
Though he was supposedly chasing Gol D. Roger, it almost looked like they could sit down for a drink if they had some sake.
Having "slacked off" enough, Whitebeard was ready to let Roger go.
"See you around, Newgate."
Roger grinned.
"Damn you, Roger. Next time we meet, I won't let you off so easily," Whitebeard said.
Roger didn't seem to hear him. He simply continued:
"Don't worry—the thing you're hoping for… it'll definitely come true!"
At this moment, Roger and his crew weren't sailing—they were moving along the coastline in search of a ship.
The reason was simple.
Early in the battle, to prevent their escape, the Rocks Pirates had destroyed their ship.
Whitebeard said nothing more.
Once Roger had gone some distance, he clenched his fists. White shockwaves gathered around them.
With a swing—
"Crack!"
The air itself shattered.
The sea roared violently as towering waves surged upward.
Meanwhile, on Rocks' side—
The battle was reaching its peak.
Worthy of the man who suppressed every unruly force within the Rocks Pirates—
Rocks D. Xebec had pushed his Devil Fruit ability, physical strength, Haki, and combat experience to near perfection.
In this battle—
He was giving it everything he had.
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