No one knew why, but the fog filling the Devil's Triangle was getting thicker.
Was it just a feeling?
No, it wasn't.
Whether it was the Flying Pirates or the Four Seas Alliance, everyone was sure that the fog – especially the fog around them – was getting thicker.
Before, they could barely see the sea around them, but they could still make out things on their own ship's deck.
But now, only a few minutes had passed, and the scene had changed completely.
Someone standing at the front of their ship couldn't even see the people in the middle of the deck.
Visibility was only a few feet!
Not everyone had Observation Haki, so the sailors quickly lit torches to help their friends find each other.
...
On the Flying Pirates' ship.
The sailors stuck torches in the holders around them and drew their weapons, ready to fight.
Anyone who could bring the Flying Pirates down from the sky had to be strong!
Nearby, the helmsman asked Indigo, the Flying Pirates' second-in-command, "Mr. Indigo, should we move closer to that ship?"
Indigo didn't answer.
Or rather, he couldn't answer.
Indigo was a scientist, but the current situation couldn't be explained by "science."
After all, it was a fight between two men who had pushed their Devil Fruit abilities to their limits!
So, Indigo looked at the man standing at the front of the ship.
It was their captain, Golden Lion Shiki!
"Captain..."
The situation was too strange, so Indigo wasn't acting silly for once.
He asked, "Should we move closer?"
But Shiki's answer surprised the crew.
"Tell the little ones to get back to their stations and protect themselves..."
Shiki grinned, a wild laugh on his face.
"Because the fight never stopped in the first place, zehahahaha!"
...
At the same time.
On the Four Seas Alliance's ship.
Crocodile, who had just pulled back his sand, didn't look happy.
He hated touching water, especially seawater, because it was the biggest weakness of the Sand-Sand Fruit.
When the ship fell, he tried to copy Rowan's moves, and seawater splashed onto his sand, making him feel very unsafe.
Tiger, Hocka, and the other fish-men were ready to fight near Crocodile.
They were about to jump into the water to ambush, but Crocodile stopped them.
"Hey, don't go looking for death!"
Crocodile used his ability to dry his body while lighting a cigar, and said darkly:
"Don't think that being near the sea makes this your fish-men's home turf. Either of those old guys has the power to kill fish-men in the sea!"
"If you don't want to die – or cause trouble for that old man – just stay put!"
Crocodile looked at Rowan.
Ryan Rowan was standing on a deserted island that had fallen into the sea, not far away.
Because of the thick fog, Rowan's figure was blurry. He could only be seen looking up to his upper left.
Was that where Golden Lion Shiki was?
Crocodile couldn't see clearly, but he was almost sure.
And Crocodile was even more sure that the fight between Rowan and Shiki hadn't stopped just because they were separated for a moment.
Even though the fog blocked their sight, they were still looking in each other's direction.
Behind Rowan, sand soldiers rose from the ground.
They held long spears, their "eyes" under their helmets locked on the direction Rowan was looking.
...
Suddenly.
Shiki and Rowan both moved.
Rowan reached out and took a sand spear from a sand soldier behind him.
Black Armament Haki covered the spear, turning it into a black spear!
Shiki got into position, incredible power filling the sword in his right leg.
The incredibly sharp strike hadn't even been launched, but it already cut a small hole in the fog around him!
The next second.
The power they had built up reached its limit. One aimed diagonally upward, the other diagonally downward.
Black spear thrown!
Strike kicked out!
Whoosh!
The two sounds of the air being cut were almost simultaneous, so they sounded like one sound.
And because of the fog, they couldn't see when or how the other was attacking!
Rowan and Shiki had to rely on their own judgment.
It was a skill built on their abilities and a huge amount of fighting experience.
Boom!
The two attacks hit each other's locations at the same time.
They were deadly moves that no normal person could dodge, but Shiki and Rowan were anything but "normal."
They were unusual beings!
As expected.
Faced with Shiki's strike, Rowan turned his body into sand beforehand, creating a slanted gap in his chest for the strike to pass through.
Shiki simply tilted his head to dodge the deadly black spear.
The crew members of both sides were shocked and excited by what they saw.
That's our captain!
But they didn't notice the slight smiles on Shiki and Rowan's faces.
At the same time, both Shiki and Rowan had a few drops of red blood falling to the ground.
The black spear had cut off a small piece of Shiki's earlobe.
Rowan's right arm didn't dodge in time and was cut by the strike, leaving a small cut.
Both wounds were so small that the bleeding stopped in seconds, and could barely be seen from the outside.
But both Shiki and Rowan couldn't help but feel.
It's been so long...
It's been so long since I've had a fight that stirred my heart like this!
Rowan took another sand spear from a sand soldier and turned it into a black spear.
Shiki charged up another strike.
Whoosh!
Again, they attacked at the same time!
But this time, after this move, they didn't wait for the attacks to land before launching another attack.
Countless strikes flew towards Rowan.
Lion's Severing Valley!
Hundreds of black spears, covered in hard Armament Haki, flew towards Shiki.
Black Spear Iron Rain!
It was a terrifying clash that could destroy mountains!
...
It seemed like the fog was getting thicker.
Everyone there seemed to be seeing things.
Because they saw the fog split into two, one looking like a powerful lion, and the other like an eagle rising from the ground.
They were roaring silently at each other, a terrifying sight!
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