"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"
Under Sugisawa Yuuto's scathing words, the legendary flying pirate completely lost his composure.
This was exactly what Yuuto wanted. A great pirate like Golden Lion Shiki could not be controlled by strength alone—he had to be broken at the heart.
"I am the Golden Lion! When I ruled the seas, a kid like you didn't even exist!"
Shiki roared, his voice echoing across the shattered sky.
"It's really ugly, old lion. If you want to prove me wrong, then use your strength to do it!"
Yuuto sneered. "Just what I want. Come on, go to hell!"
Shiki's fury ignited anew. His right foot lifted sharply, and the blades on his feet—Sakura Ten, the twin swords—glinted coldly in the rising sun.
Slash Wave!!!
A massive golden sword energy leapt into the sky, a brilliant arc of destruction aimed directly at the pink dragon. For Shiki, this blow could level mountains—but to Sugisawa Yuuto, it was nothing. His expression never wavered; attacks like this required no action at all.
"Give it to me!!!"
Yamato spun her Ajian mace in her hands, leapt into the air, and yelled, "Thunder Eight Trigrams!!!"
Black-and-red lightning entwined the mace as it collided with Shiki's massive sword aura midair.
Click!
For a brief moment, the strike was deflected. Shiki's full-powered attack had been broken by Yamato.
Not waiting, she unleashed the Thunder Eight Trigrams again, sending a barrage directly at Shiki.
"Nani!"
Shiki barely managed to dodge using the Lion Fruit. The ground beneath him erupted into a massive crater.
"This… is Conqueror's Haki!"
Shiki's eyes widened at the black-and-red lightning dancing around Yamato's weapon. Though his own Haki had weakened with age, he instinctively recognized its deadly force. Once, he had wielded the Conqueror's Haki to dominate the seas—now, he faced its terrifying resurgence.
"The legend of the last era… the flying pirate so famous across the seas. I am honored to fight an opponent like you," Yamato said calmly.
She activated her Eudemons ability—the Zoan Dog-Dog Fruit: Phantom Beast Dakou True God Form. The beast form surged with raw power.
"Wushi Bingya!!!"
A chilling breath of ice swept the battlefield. Shiki's eyes widened. He slammed a massive earthen wall from the ground, freezing the attack midair.
Bang!
The ice-shattered wall exploded. Yamato's dark, crackling mace grew larger in his vision, glowing with Haki-infused lightning. Shiki jumped back, slicing with his twin foot blades.
Yamato didn't flinch. She swung her mace again, clashing with Shiki's strikes.
Jingle!
Gold met iron, sparks flying. For a tense moment, they exchanged dozens of strikes. Yamato took a few steps back—Shiki retreated tens of meters. Despite his calm expression, his pride was trembling.
He realized in that instant: he could not win in close combat. Not even a legendary pirate like himself could defeat a subordinate of the Four Emperors.
If he couldn't win up close… then he would escalate.
Shiki slammed his massive hand onto the ground.
"Jee ha ha ha ha!"
The island quaked violently as Shiki unleashed his full power. Using the Paramecia Lion Fruit, he seized control of the terrain. Lifelike lion heads erupted from the ground, snapping toward Yamato.
"Go to hell! Lion Majesty—Earth Coiling!!!"
Golden Lion's massive hand clenched, and the earth-lions coiled around Yamato. In the hands of an ordinary crew, this move could have wiped out anyone instantly.
But…
"God's Foot—White Snake District!!!"
Yamato surged forward, her black-and-red lightning mace swinging like a massive white serpent.
Boom! Rumble!
The coiling lions were pierced, and the shockwave slammed into Shiki himself. His eyes bulged as he was flung back, arching like a shrimp, blood spilling from his mouth.
"Boss Shiki!!!"
"How… how is this possible?!"
"Our captain… a legendary pirate… defeated by a brat?!"
The Flying Sky Group pirates screamed in horror.
"Ahh! Yamato, step aside, I'll handle this next!"
Runti shouted, leaping toward Shiki with a powerful catapult strike. Her original plan had been to use Shiki's immense strength to test Yamato—but she hadn't anticipated Yamato's overwhelming power.
"Runti, that's my opponent! Don't get in the way!" Yamato snapped.
The two Eudemons girls ignored Shiki momentarily, engaging directly in the battle. Meanwhile, Shiki struggled to regain his legendary pride.
As he lifted his head, his eyes met Sugisawa Yuuto's unflinching gaze. The gaze of the one who had orchestrated this humiliation.