Whoosh!
Two surges of Conqueror's Haki finally dissipated into nothingness midair.
Although they didn't clash all the way to the end, just from the expressions of the two on the battlefield, the result was already visible.
Golden Lion's face was grave, his gaze fixed dead on Rosse.
At this moment, he finally placed Rosse on an equal footing with himself.
On Rosse's side, however, his face still carried a relaxed expression as he looked at Golden Lion.
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[Shiki]
[Overall Rating: S]
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Though both were S-rank, Golden Lion's strength was far beyond that of Kozuki Oden.
The reason Golden Lion was only ranked S was because of the helm stuck in his head and that he had cut off his own legs to escape, using his two weapons as substitutes.
Even so, Golden Lion's strength remaining at S-rank was already enough to show how terrifying he was.
If it had been Golden Lion in his prime, Rosse wouldn't have dared to confidently say he could win.
But the current Golden Lion...
Rosse felt that even if the opponent had both legs, he still wouldn't be a match for him.
It was precisely because Golden Lion was no longer what he used to be that Rosse appeared so relaxed.
In fact, Golden Lion wasn't even his goal today.
Now that Dragon was already taking action, he really wanted to see whether that person, having reached this point, would choose to make a move.
"SHIRAHAHAHA, this old man admits you're a bit interesting, your Conqueror's Haki is indeed formidable," Golden Lion let out a series of laughs. Although the earlier clash of Conqueror's Haki had put him slightly at a disadvantage, the arrogance in his bones was not erased.
"But whether you have true ability or not, isn't something Conqueror's Haki can decide! We'll fight, and this old man will know!"
He didn't have as many messy thoughts as Rosse.
Right now, Golden Lion had only one thought in his mind.
To give this arrogant young man a good lesson and let him know the sea isn't as simple as he imagines.
Then, he would gracefully leave this burning Holy Land, just as composed as when he arrived.
The thought flashed, and Golden Lion's figure flickered, already rising by relying on the powers of the Float-Float Fruit, levitating midair.
Beneath his feet, the two famed swords, Ota and Kogarashi, instantly wrapped in dense and pitch-black Armament Haki, turned into two deadly whirlwinds, carrying a howling slicing sound as they slashed toward Rosse.
Whether it's a mule or a horse, you have to take it for a run to find out.
Golden Lion didn't believe that this young brat, at such a young age, could surpass him in actual combat strength.
Even someone like Big Mom, with her monstrous constitution, at Rosse's age couldn't stand on equal footing with him now.
He had this confidence, this pride as a legendary pirate of the old era.
"Then let's go," Facing Golden Lion's confident and killing-intent-filled assault, the smile on Rosse's face remained unchanged, though he did slightly focus his mind.
This opponent, Golden Lion, deserved some respect.
In a flash, a Trident of the Sea God shimmering with waves silently appeared in Rosse's hand.
On the trident's shaft, a layer of deep and dark blue radiance flowed, as if containing an endless deep sea. This was a manifestation of Rosse's Devil Fruit power.
Almost at the same time, the Conqueror's Haki in Rosse's body, accumulated like a volcano, erupted violently like a breached dam.
But unlike before, this time his target was no longer to suppress the enemy, but to completely pour it into the Sea God Trident in his hands.
In an instant, the Conqueror's Haki seemed to be infused with life, becoming a tangible existence.
The originally deep blue Sea God Trident was instantly engulfed in a layer of blood-red flame-like light, as if it had been possessed by a lifelike divine fire dragon, roaring thunderously.
That wild power seemed as if it could tear the surrounding space apart.
"Conqueror's Coating?", Seeing this, Golden Lion, who was preparing to go all out, had his originally unruly face instantly turn black as the bottom of a pot, eyes flashing with disbelief and shock.
'Damn!'
'Not even twenty and already mastered Conqueror's Coating?'
'Isn't this way too absurd?'
Conqueror's Coating isn't like Armament Haki techniques.
Conqueror's Coating isn't something that can be "hard learned" through practice and physical strength like Armament Haki.
It's purely a technical skill. A supreme art that only a very few, those with extraordinary talent and peak willpower, can comprehend and master.
'What kind of monster is this brat?'
Golden Lion was filled with doubt and shock.
But the arrow was already on the bowstring, he had no choice but to fire.
His figure had already arrived beside Rosse.
At this moment, Golden Lion's eyes showed a fierce glint.
'I AM GOLDEN LION!'
Mere Conqueror's Coating, back in the day, he used it as a normal attack.
Even now, though his whole body was injured and he couldn't launch that kind of attack anymore, it didn't mean he was afraid.
Besides, being able to use it doesn't mean you're strong.
Kozuki Oden, at thirty-seven, could also use Conqueror's Coating, but his strength was just so-so. He could easily crush him now.
He didn't believe Rosse's raw power could be stronger than his own.
'Fight!'
"HA!", Golden Lion let out a deafening roar, like a lion charging out, his aura soaring sky-high.
The twin blades under his feet, Ota and Kogarashi, carried unmatched sharpness and power, howling as they tore through the air, slashing down toward Rosse with immense force.
These two strikes were already the peak of what he could unleash in his current state.
Facing Golden Lion's all-out attack, a flicker of excitement appeared in Rosse's eyes.
In a way, he was also a battle maniac.
At this moment, however, there was no hesitation in his hands.
He gripped tightly the Sea God Trident coated with Conqueror's Haki and Devil Fruit power, his entire body tensed, gathering all strength into one point, and launched a shocking upward strike against Golden Lion's twin blades.
BOOM!
Two surges of peak-level power collided in midair like meteors tearing through the night sky.
In an instant, a deafening explosion resounded across the heavens, the entire Holy Land could hear this collision.
The ground and sky simultaneously let out a wail at this moment.
At the center of the clash, a blinding and dazzling light burst forth, like a sun exploding, radiating intensely.
In a flash, hundreds of meters of ground around them cracked inch by inch, covered in dense web-like fissures, and under the terrifying force, completely shattered into powder.
And in midair, the shockwave spreading wildly outward was like space itself had been frozen. Wherever it passed, the air twisted and trembled, as if it would rip space apart.
This place had already been the battlefield of Saint Warcury and others, long since reduced to ruins.
And now, under the full clash of these two apex powerhouses, at the center of their battle, a terrifying, bottomless crater appeared directly.
It was as if a giant invisible hand had forcibly dug out a massive piece of the earth, the sight was shocking and terrifying.
The other strong fighters nearby, seeing this, all changed expressions and scattered in all directions.
The shockwave wouldn't hurt them much, but it would still leave them covered in dust and dirt.
Everyone fighting here was already a well-known powerhouse of the sea, none would want to be injured just because of the shockwave.
From their fleeing actions, it wasn't hard to imagine. If it were someone just slightly weaker, even an ordinary Vice Admiral caught up in Golden Lion and Rosse's battle would be instantly reduced to bones.
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