Blood was spraying out.
It was as if two long dragons of blood were spraying out of Shiki's nose.
It was no longer like a small stream; it was more like two small fountains.
It was pretty scary, right? Did his blood vessels burst? The pressure's that high?
"You brat!"
Shiki roared. At this point, blood wasn't just coming from his nostrils; it was seeping out from his eyes too, looking especially unsettling.
The two famous swords embedded in his legs finally sparked with dark lightning at that moment, rising in a flamboyant and overwhelming display.
The Conqueror's Haki entwines!
Ian couldn't help but marvel. Truly, this was one of the three great pirates from back in the day. Even in his fallen state, he could still unleash such power.
It seemed that for some reason, Shiki's Conqueror's Haki had been restricted.
It was probably that half ship's wheel stuck in his head, right?
Haki is a product of both the body and mind, and the brain is where they intersect. Since this area had been severely damaged, it was impossible for there to be no impact.
Based on his performance just now, it seemed that Shiki hadn't used his Haki in a long time.
Until now, when he had no choice but to use it again.
But it looked like the cost of using Haki wasn't light.
It was really scary.
Ian observed Shiki's eyes and nostrils bleeding and couldn't help but think.
He wasn't really going to use up all his life by just using Haki, was he?
"Lion's Roar—Destructive Slash!"
The blade, wrapped in both powerful Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki, slashed horizontally, instantly cutting Ian's body in half.
"Ohh."
Ian made a confused sound as his split body instantly returned to normal. He even commented with interest,
"Honestly, it doesn't feel as strong as Kaido-sensei's… Haki."
Having not used his Haki for so many years, it was of course difficult for him to maintain it at its peak, and it was entirely predictable that it would regress.
"Thousand Cuts Valley!"
Shiki howled.
The blades of his feet turned into a storm, swallowing Ian in an instant.
Although it was with his legs, Ian still experienced the incredible speed of the world's top swordsman from back in the day. Shiki's swordsmanship was so fast that Ian felt dizzy.
However…
"Damn it! Why isn't it working?!"
Shiki roared in disbelief.
No matter how fast he was, no matter how much he strengthened his Haki, he still couldn't cause any harm to Ian.
"Keep it up, Shiki," Ian said leisurely. "I'm about to be cut to pieces by you."
This was the price of lacking information.
No matter how fast or powerful the attack, it would be meaningless if it couldn't land.
If this were the Navy, they'd definitely be trying to keep their distance by now.
Looks like Shiki is still lacking in experience.
"Damn brat! Stop talking big in front of me!"
Shiki raised his hand, and a massive island came crashing toward Ian.
Ian floated calmly in place, showing no intention of dodging.
The incredibly heavy island slammed into him with the force of a thunderstrike!
No!
Before it even touched him, the part of the island closest to Ian began to melt, as though the island had gained life and didn't dare to crash into Ian. Instead, it automatically created a tunnel around him.
Ian was instantly sent into the island's interior.
"Earth Collapse!"
Shiki muttered.
The island began to twist, spiraling inward, collapsing into a massive sphere, and continued to shrink, intending to crush Ian inside.
However, even though Shiki had desperately activated his ability, the rocks and dirt above the spiraling sphere melted, and Ian floated out effortlessly.
"It's actually quite interesting," Ian commented kindly.
"You brat!!"
Shiki's face was bleeding, and his emotions were even more heightened. He flew over and immediately slashed Ian into several pieces with a few swords.
Ian just chuckled lightly, "See? You're getting anxious. Can anxiety help?"
He was anxious at the moment when he shouldn't be.
Stay calm, Shiki.
Now, observation haki was the most important tool.
"…"
The muscles on Shiki's face twitched.
Not useful?
How could it be useless!?
What was up with this brat's change?
Wasn't he supposed to be elementalized?
Why was even haki ineffective?!
Forget about Armament Haki, he even used Conqueror's Haki in a desperate attempt, yet it didn't work!
How is that possible?!
Haki is supposed to counter Devil Fruit abilities!
Shiki's face shifted drastically.
Then.
Blood.
Blood dripped from his head, even staining his soft golden hair, turning it bright red, looking incredibly disturbing.
"Oh?"
Ian raised an eyebrow.
"Did I hit a sore spot?"
"Why not just admit defeat, Shiki?" Ian couldn't help but express his concern. "The blood loss is extreme."
But Shiki only heard mockery in his words, gritting his teeth as he continued attacking.
It was no longer an option to stop the battle.
The battle with Roger during the Battle of Edd War had left half a ship's rudder embedded in Shiki's head, and it was stuck so deeply that it couldn't be removed.
At first, it hadn't been a problem; it didn't interfere with his daily activities.
But when he later attacked the Navy Headquarters alone and fought against Garp and Sengoku, that rudder was punched again by Garp, this time embedding itself even deeper into his brain.
After that, using Haki had become a difficult task for Shiki.
Every time he tried, the wound would be triggered.
And now, with the intense use of Haki, the wound was completely torn apart, and Shiki felt as if his brain had been exploded by a bomb, his consciousness shattered.
The pain was so intense that he couldn't focus on anything else. Kill this brat! There was no turning back now, retreating would be death!
Ian shook his head.
This is truly something.
Another fool who tries to defeat the body's limits with sheer willpower.
"It's not working! Why?!"
His desperate attacks were meaningless. Ian's Observation Haki, capable of foreseeing the future, allowed him to predict all of Shiki's attacks, then instantly enter his immortal bird state to completely ignore Shiki's strikes.
This drove Shiki mad. "Why isn't it working?!"
The sword swung faster than lightning.
But again, speed alone meant nothing.
Suddenly…
"Ugh!"
Shiki's body suddenly trembled, as though struck by lightning. His eyes widened, blood pouring from them, his sclera completely red.
Blood sprayed out from the edge of the ship's wheel at the back of his head.
Even Ian couldn't help but gasp at the sight.
What a terrifying person.
Shiki had practically turned into a fountain.
But, this shouldn't be blamed on me, right?
I didn't even fight back the whole time.
Shiki's lips trembled, and then he began to fall straight down.
Has he lost even the strength to stay in the air?
I guess this means I won, right?
Ian thought to himself, it was much easier than expected.
In fact, he hadn't really fought back at all. He had simply let Shiki attack, and that alone had worn him down.
In the past, there were riders using hawks to tire out the elderly, today it's Ian wearing out Shiki.
However, the fact was, being able to foresee the future and using the Phoenix Form was really the best!
Even if he faced off with Kaido-sensei again, Ian was sure he wouldn't be as helpless as before.
Wait!
Ian suddenly realized something.
He quickly looked down at the falling Shiki.
Without hesitation, Ian shot downwards.
**********
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