The two had been fighting for several minutes, and in that short time, they had already clashed hundreds of times. Golden Lion's swordsmanship was fierce, wild, and full of danger.
Even then it never truly pressed Ayr, not because it wasn't powerful, but because Golden Lion was holding back, clearly not going all out. It was more like a test than a battle to the death. Even so, it gave Ayr the perfect opportunity to sharpen his edge. Each strike, and each movement in the deadly dance slowly refined his swordsmanship under pressure.
"You're improving while fighting me?" Golden Lion muttered with faint amusement, eyes narrowed.
He wasn't mistaken, as a great swordsman, his senses were razor-sharp, and he could tell Ayr's blade was growing more decisive with every clash. That kind of growth in the heat of battle… it was something even a seasoned veteran like him couldn't do, and yet this boy was doing it, right in front of him.
"Almost," Ayr replied, suddenly leaping backward to create distance between them.
He had seen enough. In this clash with Golden Lion, Ayr had come to understand several new things about the blade, some subtle shifts in rhythm, others deeper insights into timing and weight, or even hidden layers of intent behind a master's technique.
All of it was valuable, but he had reached his limit. Until he took the time to digest what he'd learned, there was little point in continuing, his current level was still far from that of a great swordsman. Compared to Golden Lion, he was merely a swordsman-in-training, able to glimpse, but not yet grasp, the deeper truths of the blade.
No matter how long he kept swinging his sword, the gap in mastery wouldn't close in a day.
So instead of stubbornly pushing forward, Ayr smiled faintly and said, "Let's try the power I inherited from the Nine Tails."
He was referring to the [Tailed Beast Bomb], a devastating technique, classified as S-rank ninjutsu in the ninja world. Originally, a user needed at least four tails' worth of chakra to form and release one, but due to the system's unique mechanics, Ayr had gained the ability to use it the moment he unlocked the Nine Tails. He had never unleashed it before. This would be his first time, and there was no better test than one of the strongest pirates alive.
He sheathed his blade slowly.
Golden Lion raised an eyebrow. "Giving up already, Ayr?"
"I'm not," Ayr said calmly.
Then he stretched out his Jaw, a small purple-black sphere began to form above his mouth, pulsing with ominous power. The moment it appeared, an invisible weight dropped over the ship, the atmosphere thickened, and the entire Rocks Pirate crew felt the crushing pressure at once.
The sphere swelled steadily, and Ayr's aura began to rise with it. His presence became overwhelming.
"What is that!?"
"That pressure… it's suffocating!"
"Everyone, back up, now! Get away before that thing explodes!"
Even though the [Tailed Beast Bomb] hadn't been launched yet, the aura it released sent people scrambling for safety. Every instinct screamed that if they were anywhere near that blast, they wouldn't walk away intact.
"Gu la la la… now that's a heavy-hitter," Whitebeard laughed, clearly impressed. "If that's a Devil Fruit power, it's a damn good one."
"A kid this young, holding that kind of strength?" Charlotte Linlin crossed her arms, eyes narrowing. "He's stronger than anyone else his age on this ship."
The Rocks Pirates were filled with monsters, veterans and prodigies alike, but when it came to raw power among the younger generation, no one could match what Ayr was showing.
"Interesting… I can feel pressure from that thing even from here," Ochoku muttered, a grin spreading across his face.
Even Rocks, silent until now, allowed himself a rare smile. "Hmph. Seems we picked up something special today."
To someone like Rocks, Ayr's current strength was still nothing special. But the potential was undeniable, for someone so young to wield such devastating power meant his future was dangerous, in a way that pleased Rocks greatly. His ship was full of powerful men, but few had such terrifying potential.
"This must be your strongest ability, right, Ayr?" Golden Lion asked, raising both blades, his expression serious now.
"You're exactly right, Mr. Shiki."
Ayr's current arsenal consisted of [Conqueror's Haki], the [Sage Body], [Nine Tails Cloak], and now the [Tailed Beast Bomb]. Among them, Conqueror's Haki, the Sage Body, and the chakra of one tail served as amplifiers, boosting his speed, stamina, and physical strength. But the [Tailed Beast Bomb] was different, it wasn't a support. It was more like his ultimate trump card.
And today was the first time he would unleash it in real combat.
Even Ayr didn't know exactly how powerful it would be.
The purple-black sphere finished forming, just over a meter wide, glowing with crackling energy. Then, with a slight push of his palm, he released it.
The [Tailed Beast Bomb] roared forward like a meteor. It didn't just fly, it tore through the air, space itself seeming to bend and split around its path. The force was overwhelming, and Golden Lion's vision was consumed by that churning mass of power.
It wasn't as large as the ones Ayr had seen in the anime, which would grow to dozens of meters in size, but that made sense, he had only unlocked one tail of the Nine Tails' power. And even so, the sheer force packed into this condensed sphere was monstrous. It was the ultimate technique of the Tailed Beast for a reason.
For the first time in the fight, the great swordsman felt real pressure.