Boom!
The raging flames were blocked by the sturdy stone wall.
Bang!
But the wall was immediately shattered by Ares's follow-up punch.
The two clashed again in fierce battle.
How strong was Golden Lion Shiki?
In swordsmanship, he was still at the level of a great swordsman. Combined with the powers of the Float-Float Fruit, his combat strength had reached a truly formidable level.
This was just a spar, a battle to help Ares train.
Shiki hadn't even used his devastating Devil Fruit abilities, yet he could still fight Ares on equal footing.
"When will I ever have power like that?"
Kaido couldn't help but envy them, longing for the day he could possess such overwhelming strength.
At the same time
He carefully observed and studied the battle techniques of both fighters.
Two hours later.
"That's enough! I'm done!!"
Golden Lion Shiki finally called it, pulling back to create some distance.
He had gone easy on Ares, frequently opting to clash head-on, which wasn't his usual fighting style.
The raw, overwhelming power Ares wielded was difficult to bear after repeated collisions. Maintaining high-level Armament Haki throughout the fight had drained him significantly.
And Ares's relentless barrage never gave him a chance to catch his breath.
Ares pulled back, grinning. "Thank you, Shiki, for training with me. I've grown a lot thanks to you."
"You're a damn monster… You've mastered your power way too quickly," Shiki sighed from the bottom of his heart.
As Ares gained more control over his own strength, his power grew rapidly. In his Dragon-Human form, he had turned every part of his body into a weapon.
The third leg, the fourth…
Of course, he didn't actually use the fourth leg to attack Shiki. Don't overthink it.
At that moment, Kaido walked over, his eyes blazing. "Ares, can I spar with you too?"
"Of course," Ares replied immediately.
Soon after
Kaido was completely thrashed, beaten black and blue, with several large lumps on his head.
It was a one-sided massacre.
Kaido's attacks weren't even enough to threaten Ares, let alone harm him.
Seeing Kaido's swollen, pig-like face made Shiki and Whitebeard burst into loud, hearty laughter.
After their daily training.
Shiki pulled out a white piece of paper, his expression serious as he handed it to Ares. "Ares, this is a Vivre Card. I made it using my own fingernails mixed with special materials. It represents my life force."
"No matter where you are in this vast sea, as long as you have this paper, you can find me."
As he spoke, he handed the Vivre Card to Ares.
He continued, "Take good care of this paper. Make sure it never falls into the hands of the Marines. Otherwise, no matter where you hide, they'll be able to track you down."
Ares took the paper with a solemn nod. "Don't worry. I'll keep it safe."
Then he looked at Shiki and asked, "Do I have one?"
Shiki chuckled and pulled out a large piece of white paper from his pocket, handing it to Ares. "Of course. I made this while you were still unconscious. I thought it would be a while before you woke up."
The reason he had someone make Ares's Vivre Card was so that, even when they were far apart on missions, he could monitor Ares's life status.
"You can tear off small pieces and give them to people you care about. That way, they can always find you and know you're safe."
Ares carefully tucked Shiki's Vivre Card into his pocket, then tore off two pieces from his own and handed them to Shiki. "Shiki, no matter when, you can always find me."
"Jihahaha…"
Receiving Ares's Vivre Card filled Shiki with joy. It felt like a true sign of trust and recognition. "Ares, when you fulfill your dream, we must throw a grand feast to celebrate!"
Shiki kept one piece of Ares's Vivre Card for himself and handed the other to Whitebeard.
"Absolutely!" Ares promised firmly.
Whitebeard slung an arm over Ares's shoulder, laughing heartily. "Come on, let's drink until we drop today!"
"In a couple of days, we'll have to carry out Captain Rocks's mission. It'll probably be at least a month before we can have another feast."
The mention of missions triggered a memory in Ares's mind.
He thought of the man who had sparked the Great Pirate Era Gol D. Roger.
"Do you want my treasure? If you want it, you can have it. Go and find it."
"I left everything in that place!"
It made Ares wonder was the legendary 'One Piece' really just treasure?
The group made their way toward the town.
As Ares glanced at Whitebeard, who still had his arm around his shoulder, he saw the older man's bright, carefree smile, utterly free of worry.
"Newgate, have you ever thought about the day you might leave this world?"
Whitebeard turned to Ares and laughed boldly. "Gurararara… No one in this sea lives forever. As long as we live happily, chase our dreams, and protect the people and things we hold dear"
"Then when the time comes, we'll leave this world with no regrets."
It seemed that Ares hadn't just grown in strength. He had matured asking deeper questions and even taking Kaido as his little brother.
Whitebeard felt a little more at ease.
"Jihahaha… Even if I die in this sea, I'll make sure the name of Golden Lion Shiki will echo forever in this world!" Shiki declared passionately.
Grinning with fierce pride, he added, "If you can't die a glorious death, then what's the point of being a pirate? Chasing gold and women?"
Kaido jumped in, grinning widely. "Yeah! My dream is to start the biggest war this world has ever seen!"
"And also"
"To witness Ares become the strongest creature in the world!"
The three of them turned to look at Ares.
Ares gazed at the setting sun on the distant horizon and smiled. "My dream has always been to forge myself into a blade greater than even the Supreme Grade swords."
"To carve my name into legend"
"To create an era of my own"
"An era named… Ares!!!"
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