Not only was this golden dragon immense in size, but even more astonishing was its altitude—it loomed far higher than Ace's position, like a deity looking down from on high, coldly gazing at the tiny figure of Ace below with an air of arrogance that regarded all living beings as mere ants.
Most notably, its striking dragon claws were adorned with nine thick, sharp dragon fingers!
This, in fact, was the most significant distinction between his form and Kaido's Azure Dragon transformation.
'Hiss...'
Ace couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.
Just moments ago, when he witnessed Lancelot assuming the Dragon-Human form, he hadn't even had time to be shocked.
In the blink of an eye, Lancelot had already transformed into an enormous dragon, looming imposingly before him.
For an instant, Ace's heart jolted violently, and he felt as if he were facing Kaido himself.
However, this sensation lasted only a brief moment before he quickly snapped out of it and realized the differences!
After all, he had once crossed paths with Kaido, but the pressure he felt back then was nothing compared to the overwhelming force emanating from the being before him now.
The colossal dragon before him stretched sinuously, its scales gleaming with a mysterious and dazzling light, as if it were a true divine dragon descended from the heavens.
Just a casual glance from it made Ace feel an involuntary surge of deep-seated terror.
Such intense fear was something he had never experienced when facing Kaido.
Though Ace had felt immense pressure when confronting Kaido, it paled in comparison to the dread he felt in this moment.
'This guy is stronger than Kaido.' Ace instantly reached this conclusion in his heart.
The pressure of the battle intensified dramatically!
...
Wano Country — The Bystanders
Whoosh…
When Lancelot transformed into a giant dragon, it immediately alarmed many people.
The commotion was simply too enormous… those nearby couldn't possibly miss it.
For instance, Kozuki Sukiyaki.
This guy was the former Shogun of Wano Country, father of Wano's Kuri daimyo Kozuki Oden and grandfather of Kozuki Momonosuke and Kozuki Hiyori.
His relationship with his son Oden was strained, as he consistently opposed Oden's decision to go out to sea.
During Oden's absence, Kozuki Sukiyaki fell ill, originally planning to have Kurozumi Orochi temporarily assume the Shogun position.
However, Kurozumi Higurashi usurped his identity and announced the Shogun succession to Kurozumi Orochi, after which Sukiyaki's death was circulated.
In reality, he was imprisoned underground in Orochi Castle.
After escaping, he adopted the alias Tenguyama Hitetsu, living as a swordsmith in Amigasa Village.
He took in the orphan Tama, a child of factory slaves and instilled in her the hope that "the samurai returning in a few years will eliminate the demons."
At this moment, he was staring at the dragon in the sky, his eyes filled with astonishment.
Because it reminded him of someone—the Yonko Kaido.
To him, that figure was like a nightmare.
But the dragon in the sky was golden, clearly not Kaido.
'If not Kaido, then who?'
Dragons... had almost become synonymous with Kaido.
As he scrutinized the dragon in the sky, Lancelot's Observation Haki had already detected him.
He immediately guessed who he was.
After all, this guy was the closest to them.
So, it could only be one person: Kozuki Sukiyaki, who was with Tama.
'This guy's identity was quite special.'
If he were to take control of Wano Country someday, he would be a good candidate.
Unfortunately, he didn't have an Artificial Devil Fruit; otherwise, he could have been used to test the effects of the Dango-Dango Fruit.
Still, this guy was hiding well, so there was no rush.
...
Meanwhile, on a distant mountain peak.
A tall, stout man with fluffy pink curly hair tied in a topknot stood there, also staring at the dragon in the sky with a shocked expression.
He wore a light purple kimono with yellow flower patterns, left open to reveal his chest.
His arms and chest were adorned with purple floral tattoos.
A yellow obi was wrapped around his waist, carrying a gourd engraved with the character for "heaven," accompanied by a cow.
He was Ashura Doji, one of the "Nine Red Scabbards."
The strongest person in Kuri.
Thus, his strength was unquestionable.
Yet, facing the giant dragon in the sky, fear stirred within him.
In Wano Country, only two people could make him feel this way.
One was Oden, the other Kaido.
The former had been dead for years, the latter was an enemy… unfortunately, he was no match for him.
He couldn't help but murmur, "What changes will such a powerful figure bring to Wano Country? For better or for worse?"
...
At the same moment, Lancelot suddenly swung his massive and powerful dragon tail, his entire body shooting forward like an arrow released from its bow, racing toward Ace in mid-air with lightning speed.
The velocity was so astonishing it left one dumbfounded. In the blink of an eye, he had already reached Ace.
Faced with such a sudden and swift attack, Ace's expression turned to one of extreme shock.
However, Lancelot had no intention of giving Ace any chance to react.
It opened its bloody maw and lunged straight at Ace, biting down with ferocious force.
It was important to note that Ace possessed a Logia ability.
For such an attack to be effective, it would require the reinforcement of Armament Haki...
"Damn it!"
Although Ace had not yet awakened Armament Haki, given his formidable strength, status, and experience, how could he be unaware of its existence?
With the situation critical, he had no choice but to activate his elemental transformation ability once again, instantly turning into raging flames in an attempt to escape the scene at high speed.
BOOM!
With a loud explosion, Ace successfully completed his elemental transformation and swiftly moved away from his original position.
Unfortunately, Lancelot had clearly anticipated this move.
Its dragon tail swung with immense force once more, and its speed instantly doubled!
Before Ace could put enough distance between them, Lancelot closed in like a bolt of lightning, opening its mouth and biting down viciously toward Ace!
This sudden change shocked Ace greatly.
His eyes widened involuntarily, and a flicker of terror flashed across them.
It had to be understood that Lancelot's speed was already astonishingly fast, and now it had increased yet again!
With such terrifying speed, even if Ace could transform his body into elements, escaping would be incredibly difficult.
Ace had no time to react further and could only muster all his strength to dodge as best as he could.
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