In the sky, Yemu and Shiki's figures became thin streaks of light laced with lightning, flashing back and forth as they clashed again and again.
"Clang... clang... clang..."
The thunderous sound of their twin blades colliding echoed across the entire sea.
At this point, no more words were needed. All that remained was the purest contest of strength.
The people watching from afar stared at the dizzying battle before them, feeling as though their entire understanding of power had been shattered.
Even from a hundred kilometers away, they could feel the terrifying shockwaves from the fight.
Countless sea creatures, driven mad by the Conqueror's Haki, fled in panic. The surface of the sea was filled with leaping fish, and even enormous small Sea Kings, the kind normally seen only on the Grand Line, had appeared.
This decisive battle raged from night into day, then from day back into night. By the third night, though both men were gasping from exhaustion, even a casual strike from either of them could still shake the heavens and split the sea.
"Mahavairocana!"
A golden fireball like the sun hurtled toward Shiki. Shiki, panting heavily, answered with a slash.
"Lion God!"
But the moment he swung, his face twisted slightly, as if he were enduring some kind of pain. The slash he released was no longer coated in Conqueror's Haki, but only ordinary Armament Haki.
Yemu was also extremely tired, but thanks to the awakened power of his Devil Fruits, his techniques had not weakened much. Shiki's Haki, on the other hand, had clearly begun to fade.
The golden sun swallowed Shiki's slash whole, grazed past his body, and plunged into the sea. A deafening explosion erupted, throwing up waves thousands of feet high. In an instant, the whole world was filled with scorching wind and rain.
Shiki's clothes caught fire. He ripped off his cloak and threw it into the sea, revealing his burned arm as he prepared to attack again.
But at that moment, Yemu, who should have pressed the advantage, suddenly stopped.
Shiki paused, then grinned savagely. Panting hard, he mocked him.
"Shihahaha... What's wrong, brat? Too tired to lift your sword?"
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Yemu breathed heavily and shook his head, his voice carrying a trace of confusion.
"No... Shiki-san, the scales of victory have already started tipping toward me. Your Conqueror's Haki is almost exhausted, and your Armament Haki is getting weaker and weaker."
Hearing this, Shiki's battered face twisted into a mocking expression.
"Aren't you the same, brat? You're not much better off than I am!"
"You're right. I'm not in much better shape than you. But Shiki-san, don't forget. I still have power left. The Devil Fruit power that defeated Sengoku. Right now, there's no way you can block even one strike from me in that state."
Shiki froze. His expression darkened.
Then he heard words that made his face grow even uglier, almost gloomy.
Yemu hesitated slightly before speaking.
"Although I was the one who proposed this duel, Shiki-san, I'm willing to take back that wager. And I want to ask you something. Would you be willing to join my pirate crew?"
"!!!"
Yemu had worded it carefully, but the meaning was unmistakable.
Shiki's voice came through gritted teeth, thick with anger.
"Brat, are you insulting me?"
Yemu knew his words were excessive. To Shiki, it probably felt no different from Whitebeard asking someone to become his son right to their face. But Yemu truly had no such intention. He looked at Shiki sincerely and explained.
"Don't misunderstand me, Shiki-san. I know what I said was sudden, but I absolutely didn't mean to insult you. In fact, I can tell that if it weren't for the wound on your head, either one of us could have won this duel. And a hero like you shouldn't fall here. Like you said, since you hate this world so much, why not join hands with me and change it ourselves?"
But Shiki did not accept Yemu's goodwill at all. Instead, he looked at Yemu with an utterly arrogant gaze.
"Hey, brat, have you ever heard of a pride of lions having two kings?"
Although Yemu had called it joining hands, Shiki understood perfectly.
Just like when he once proposed ruling the world together with Roger, and just like when he offered to join forces with Yemu in Impel Down seventeen days ago, a pirate ship could only have one captain in the end. A country could only have one king.
As a proud lion, how could Shiki ever place himself beneath someone else?
"I understand. That was careless of me."
As he spoke, Yemu sheathed Tengoku and Shishimaru. Then he looked at Shiki and said with genuine gratitude,
"But no matter what, Shiki-san, I still have to thank you. Without you, my swordsmanship and Haki would never have improved this much over these three days, especially my Conqueror's Haki coating. So next, I'll use my strongest state to end this battle."
"Hey, brat, don't get too arrogant. Do you really think you've already won?"
At that moment, Shiki's expression turned wild. He took a cigar from his sleeve and bit it between his teeth.
"You're right. The wound on my head has affected my strength. But do you really think that alone is enough to beat me? Don't look down on us silver medalists. We don't need your pity! If anything, you're the one who'll get killed for being naive enough to show such thoughts toward an enemy. Let me teach you what a real pirate is."
Then, under Yemu's utterly shocked gaze, Shiki grabbed the ship's wheel embedded in his skull with one hand and yanked it out.
Under the dim moonlight, blood gushed from the top of Shiki's head like a fountain, soaking his body crimson.
Yet he seemed not to feel it at all. A terrifying aura poured from him, and he stared at Yemu like a demon god. The cigar in his mouth smoldered as he brandished his twin blades, his face dark and fierce.
"Pirates are sea bandits who will do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. Pity is the one emotion a pirate needs least. I'll teach you that with this final strike!"
"And besides, what makes you think you're the only one who has awakened a Devil Fruit?"