"RUMBLE—!"
With a single strike, the heavens and earth changed color.
Two golden sword beams slashed through the air, soaring back to Shiki like swallows returning to their nest. A faint trace of blood dripped from the tips of his blades.
"Hmph! Brat!"
Shiki tightened his grip on his swords, and the massive "sword sphere" in the sky immediately began to shift, merging into an enormous boulder of earth and stone.
"Heh heh heh... Even if you didn't die by my blade, you'll suffocate soon enough!"
Shiki let out a low chuckle. This opponent was no ordinary swordsman—he had forced Shiki into a situation he hadn't faced in decades.
Turning, Shiki began to descend.
What a shame. If only this man had been willing to serve under him...
Just as Shiki was lost in thought, his expression suddenly changed. He spun around sharply and looked up at the massive stone sphere.
Dozens of deep sword scars had appeared on the surface of the boulder, golden slashes piercing through the cracks. Moments later, the entire structure shattered into dust!
"Impossible!"
This time, Shiki was truly shocked. He activated his Observation Haki to its fullest, his eyes locking onto the core of the explosion. There, Wright stood at the center, surrounded by a semi-transparent golden sphere about three meters in radius.
As the massive stone sphere disintegrated, the golden barrier vanished along with it, revealing Wright's figure.
"Still underestimated him..."
Wright muttered to himself, blood streaming down his sides—Shiki's two famed swords, Oto and Kogarashi, had struck him before he managed to activate the Holy Light Wall.
"The barrier was too strong this time… It took too much energy and activated too slowly."
He glanced at the stunned Golden Lion. Shiki's expression flickered for a moment before he quickly retreated to his original position.
"Brat! Not bad... You actually managed to break free!"
Shiki sneered as he eyed the deep wounds on Wright's sides.
"With injuries like that, I'd like to see how much of your swordsmanship is left!"
"Next time, you won't be so lucky. It'll be your death!"
Wright gave Shiki a look as if he were an idiot.
"Shiki... Did you forget something?"
"Huh?"
Shiki's eyes widened as he watched—
Wright raised a hand, casting a Holy Light spell. A golden radiance bathed him, and in an instant, his wounds vanished without a trace!
Touching his now-healed sides, Wright looked up, unsurprised to see Shiki's face darken.
"..."
Shiki felt a surge of frustration stuck in his throat, unable to swallow or spit it out. He had finally landed a devastating blow, only for his opponent to recover instantly.
More troublesome than those damn Zoan brutes!
But—
"Kehahahaha! I've killed plenty of enemies with ridiculous recovery powers before!"
"If you think you can outlast me, you're dead wrong!"
"Oh? As a living legend, I don't think a simple battle of endurance would be enough to kill you."
Wright watched as Shiki tightened his grip on his swords, his Armament Haki surging, coating the twin blades in a deep black sheen. Wright nodded in approval.
"Now this—this is the Golden Lion who once waged war alone at Marineford!"
"Show me, Shiki! Show me the might that allowed you to fight both Garp and Sengoku—two Admiral-level monsters—at the same time!"
"Hmph... That young swordsman, Mihawk, is it?"
Shiki's fingers clenched around his sword hilts. His entire demeanor shifted—like a sleeping lion opening its eyes, a golden gleam flashing within them.
"Your courage is commendable."
"Then... as you wish!"
—
"BOOM—!"
"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"
Wright and Shiki's airborne duel had already lasted for three days and nights.
Wielding twin swords in hand, versus controlling them through sheer will—Shiki's fighting style shifted dynamically, each form vastly different in power.
Wright had the offensive and defensive boosts of Holy Light, as well as powerful healing abilities, while Shiki had the unparalleled precision and mobility of the Float-Float Fruit, alongside an endless array of auxiliary attacks—
After all, the entire hidden island of Merveille was Shiki's weapon!
Having lost Indigo and his laboratory—along with decades of research—Shiki no longer had any reservations about destroying the islands under his control.
He had only one goal now: tear this insufferable brat apart!
Their battle extended beyond Merveille, spanning the entire floating archipelago.
On another island, Smoker was busy evacuating the native inhabitants. Initially, he faced resistance—
But after witnessing the titanic clash between these two swordmasters, a battle so intense that the sky itself trembled, the people finally understood—
Their chance to escape Shiki's rule had arrived. The Marine who could turn into white smoke… was telling the truth.
"To be fighting at this level…"
Smoker exhaled a puff of smoke as he looked toward the sky, where Wright and Shiki clashed in streaks of golden light. Haki-infused slashes met in bursts of blinding golden lightning.
Wright had activated Avenging Wrath.
A dual-wielding Shiki was unquestionably at Admiral-level combat strength.
Without Avenging Wrath, Wright was at a slight disadvantage. But with it activated, he could fight Shiki without restraint!
The downside? The ability had a time limit.
Through months of training, Wright had extended its duration from mere minutes to three full hours—
Enough to last an entire battle under normal circumstances.
But against the full might of the Golden Lion? Nowhere near enough.
Fortunately, after just thirty minutes, he could reactivate it. With his immense defensive power and healing, Wright could endure being overwhelmed by Shiki during that window.
Thus, after three days of battle, Wright gradually extended Avenging Wrath to five full hours!
Shiki noticed Wright's improvement. He had even been struck once by Judgment, Wright's ultimate technique!
But with the entire floating archipelago at his disposal, Shiki would never be taken down by a single finishing move—
Unless he chose to take it head-on.
And—
"Take it head-on? What do you take me for? That move takes time to charge. The first time was a fluke, but I won't let you land it again!"
"Heh! Only against a monster like you would that charge time be considered a flaw…"
"Just like your ability!"
"BOOM!"
A colossal collision of sword energy erupted, sending both fighters hurtling backward, only for them to charge at each other once more. They both knew—
A single opening could lead to catastrophe.
Wright needed time to unleash his strongest attack, and Shiki's ultimate moves also required setup. The Float-Float Fruit allowed objects to defy gravity, but it wasn't teleportation!
Neither held back—Armament Haki was used without restraint, their golden slashes never ceasing over the course of three days and nights.
Their close-combat swordsmanship was equally perilous.
Even in his empowered state, Wright's aerial mobility couldn't match Shiki's fruit ability. He had been forced to heal and re-enter the fight multiple times.
Then, as Wright reactivated Avenging Wrath and clashed blades with Shiki once more—
His Observation Haki suddenly detected—
Something was off about Shiki.
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