Rosinante gripped his sword with both hands, channeling all of his strength and Devil Fruit power into a single strike.
Silence… Extreme Heaven-Shattering Slash! Though his swordsmanship still had room to improve, this strike was already the pinnacle of Rosinante's power.
A slash ripped from his blade, twisting the air around it. The massive stone lion it struck crumbled instantly.
The slash grew ever stronger, cutting down one lion after another, relentlessly advancing toward Shiki.
"This isn't just swordsmanship… there's another power in the slash—his Devil Fruit?" Shiki's brow furrowed as he readied his dual blades, Mokurei and Sakura-jū, to intercept the growing strike.
CLANG! Shiki's swords collided with the attack, but his expression shifted suddenly.
The power within this slash far exceeded his expectations.
"Interesting… a peculiar sword technique. The slash itself carries an incredible explosive force."
It wasn't something one could just block casually…
Shiki simultaneously unleashed the strength in both swords with a swing, hurling Rosinante's slash into the sky, tearing the heavens as thunderous cracks echoed.
"Jihahaha! Impressive, but ordinary swordsmanship can't harm me," Shiki laughed heartily.
"Troublesome… the most irritating are swordmasters with incredible skill. They make my poor swordsmanship look pathetic," Rosinante muttered with a grin.
"If swordsmanship won't do, then I'll rely on speed!" His eyes gleamed, and he moved like a streak of light, vanishing from his spot.
CLANG! Sparks flew as Shiki's hand intercepted Rosinante's blade.
"Too fast… even my Observation Haki can't keep up with him!" Mokusu exclaimed.
"I didn't expect Rosinante to be this fast at full power!" Kaen said.
"The boss is unarmed… he might be at a disadvantage!" Cantell warned.
"Don't worry. This brat isn't enough to trouble him!" one captain reassured.
"brat… fine speed, fine strength… but useless," Shiki growled. Feeling the overwhelming power radiating from Rosinante's sword, he twisted his blade aside, stepping forward with a slash aimed at Rosinante.
The strike missed. Rosinante became a streak of light again, appearing at Shiki's side for another strike.
CLANG! Shiki's Armament Haki-infused fist collided with the sword, sparks flying.
Shiki readied another attack, but Rosinante vanished once more. Using inhuman speed, he circled Shiki, striking relentlessly.
His blade flashed faster and faster, forcing Shiki to react constantly—never a contest of technique, but sheer speed suppressing him.
"The boss is under pressure!" Bolly muttered, shocked.
He couldn't fathom that Shiki, the Golden Lion, could be constrained by a young man—was his strength truly diminished, or was Rosinante's speed simply unparalleled? Likely both. Yet even then, Bolly found it unbelievable. Shiki was the Golden Lion!
"Troublesome… swordsmanship with the legs limits him. Against a genius like Rosinante, even using his feet, the boss is at a disadvantage," Kaen noted.
"Boss, catch the sword!" Cantel threw his own blade toward Shiki.
Rosinante naturally moved to intercept, but Shiki flicked his fingers, sending shards of stone flying at Rosinante to prevent him from blocking Cantell's blade.
Simultaneously, Cantell's blade flew as if alive, landing in Shiki's hands, followed by another blade from the ground.
"Jihahaha! Little brat, you've forced me to wield swords with both hands! I must commend you… but don't think this will be a game like before!" Shiki laughed boisterously.
Rosinante's expression shifted. Shiki, now wielding dual swords with unmatched presence, exuded an overwhelming aura.
"Danger… a major attack is coming!" Rosinante muttered, eyes fixed on Shiki.
"Lion Thousand Cuts!" Shiki shouted, moving both hands and feet in a flurry.
Slash after slash rained down, a devastating torrent aimed at Rosinante.
Now he understood the name: Thousand Cuts. Thousands of slashes erupted at once, covering him from all sides.
"Truly a perverted attack!" Rosinante's expression darkened.
Shiki was a master swordsman. Even a single slash carried tremendous power; thousands like this made Rosinante's scalp tingle.
He instantly surged to maximum speed, his body flickering like a streak of light, evading one slash after another.
"Lion Might: Imperial Sweep!" Shiki roared.
"No way…" Rosinante's eyes widened in disbelief.
The endless slashes twisted and merged, coalescing into a massive, living Sword lion.
ROAR! The enormous Sword lion roared at Rosinante, its voice shaking the heavens.
"Whoa, this is insane! I've never seen anything like this!" Rosinante exclaimed.
Before he could react further, the Sword lion surged at him with inhuman speed, appearing almost instantly in front of him!