"I was right, wasn't I, 'Lion'?"
Vito leaned his massive frame against the corridor wall, his tone mocking. The bone-like spikes jutting from his back pierced straight into the stone, anchoring him like a grotesque sculpture.
'Lion' said nothing, glaring coldly at him with eyes that burned with quiet fury.
That silence was all the confirmation the room needed. Aeridar's crew instantly understood, Vito had hit the mark.
"A trump card, huh... Then let's see it!"
Aeridar's voice roared like thunder. His eyes flared open, killing intent pouring from his body like a tidal wave.
The temperature in the corridor plummeted. Even in the underground chamber where battle still raged, four combatants felt that suffocating aura crash over them.
"What the hell is this killing intent?!"
"Just how many people has this guy killed?!"
"Shit... This presence... it's insane!"
"Another monster?! Seriously?!"
Everyone, Vito and his squad in the passage, the fighters below in the basement, was stunned. Aeridar's killing intent alone felt like a blade pressed to the throat.
BOOM—
A deafening explosion rang out. A shockwave burst through the corridor, fracturing the ground beneath like spiderwebbed glass.
Aeridar had vanished.
"Nani?! That speed!"
Vito shot upright. A blur of black had just zipped past him, so fast it nearly escaped even his enhanced reflexes.
BANG—
All 'Lion' saw was a flicker of movement, then, pain. A brutal force slammed into his jaw, sending agony lancing through his skull. For a moment, it felt like half his head went numb.
His massive, nearly four-meter-tall body lifted off the ground, launched skyward like a ragdoll.
CRASH—
The ceiling shuddered as his head embedded into the concrete, debris raining down. 'Lion' hung there, suspended midair like a grotesque chandelier.
"LION!"
'Wolf' shouted in disbelief.
"He didn't even break his jaw?"
Aeridar stood beneath the embedded behemoth, eyeing his own fist in mild surprise. "That punch should've gone through steel..."
"One punch... just one!"
"This guy, is he even human?!"
"Tell me I'm hallucinating!"
"Am I still dreaming?! Someone wake me up!"
The crew of the Triangle Pirates couldn't believe their eyes.
In the blink of an eye, Aeridar had crossed more than twenty meters, closed the distance, and sent the hulking humanoid 'Lion' flying with a single strike, burying his head in the very ceiling above them.
"Let's see just how tough you are."
Aeridar's expression sharpened. He leapt upward, soaring to match 'Lion's position, then twisted mid-air and brought his leg down in a brutal whip-kick.
THUD—
The sound was like boot meeting taut leather. 'Lion's body curled midair like a boiled shrimp, his abdomen caving in from the blow.
WHOOSH—CRASH!
He was sent hurtling backward like a cannonball, vanishing into the underground chamber in a blur. The impact echoed through the basement, followed by a chorus of collapsing structures. Dust rose in choking clouds.
"What the hell was that—wait... LION?!"
'Eagle' and Nekk fanned away the dust in front of them. Their initial irritation vanished the moment they saw the massive figure lying crumpled on the floor not five meters away, his bloodied frame half-embedded in the ground.
"LION! What the hell happened?!"
'Tiger' and Rock emerged from deeper within the room, both pausing at the sight of the fallen Lion.
"Y-you bastard... A sneak attack?!"
'Lion' pushed himself to his feet, clutching his jaw and midsection, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the floor. His eyes were murderous.
Tap... tap... tap...
Footsteps echoed through the ruined corridor as Aeridar strode in. His gaze was predatory, almost curious, as he studied the injured 'Lion' like a craftsman inspecting fine work.
"Not bad. As expected of an Ancient Zoan. Tough body. Took two full hits and you're still standing? Haven't seen anyone this durable in a while."
His words were almost impressed, almost.
With the kind of force Aeridar had used, someone like Gutte or Syrons, lacking Armament Haki, would've been coughing up blood for days. And yet 'Lion' had already gotten back on his feet. The guy was built like a damn tank.
'Lion's eyes narrowed. He could feel it, his organs were definitely shaken up. If not for his regeneration, his fighting capability would already be halved.
"That's the new guy..."
Rock's cannon-turned-arms were subtly trained on Aeridar, fully alert.
"Government-sanctioned Warlord... Golden Ring Aeridar."
'Eagle' recognized him immediately. His mind filled in the image: young, confident, and absolutely lethal.
"That pressure... that's the one who sent 'Lion' flying?"
'Tiger's body tensed like a coiled spring, every muscle ready to snap.
"This guy... He's the new member of the Seven Warlords...?"
Nekk's voice wavered. Cold sweat dripped down his brow.
He knew exactly how terrifying someone bearing that title could be. Two years ago, he'd been utterly crushed by another man with the same status, beaten so badly, he barely escaped with his life.
"Nekk, I still remember the state you were in two years ago. Pathetic. So today, I'll find out for myself, just how strong is someone carrying that same title?"
'Lion' shot him a side glance, voice low and heavy, his fur bristling as if charged with static.
"Tch. You old lion… Try not to get yourself killed too badly," Nekk snapped back, his voice sharp with irritation. Even though the loss had been real, it still stung to hear it spoken aloud, especially here. That defeat had become a silent scar, a personal taboo.
Aeridar's expression darkened. It wasn't that he was arrogant, but as a member of the Seven Warlords, a top-tier pirate recognized across the seas, he wasn't about to stand by while some unknown loudmouth challenged his worth.
"Crawling out of the shadows to yap like stray dogs… You think you can measure me?"
Before the words had even finished echoing, the upper half of Aeridar's body turned pitch-black, hardened with Armament Haki, gleaming with a metallic sheen.
With a burst of speed, he lunged forward, his fist tearing through the air like a cannon shot, sending a pressure wave howling through the underground chamber.
Armament Haki, Half-Body Hardening: Impact Fist—Mountain-Splitting Strike!
"Don't get cocky, pirate!"
'Lion' roared, his voice resonating like a soundwave across the stone walls. His own body surged with Haki, darkening with the same iron-glint sheen as he stepped forward, slashing out with one claw.
The strike ripped through the air, shrieking like a blade drawn through steel.
Armament Haki, Half-Body Hardening: Blackmane—Piercing Claw!
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