Boom…!!
A figure crashed through the tavern wall, launching an attack at the golden light falling from the sky.
"Shihahaha! Bazel, join my crew!"
Shiki slashed out a flying slash to push the man back, spreading his arms wide.
"With your power, I can conquer this world! Neither Roger nor the World Government stand a chance against me!!"
"Following a brat like Kaido has no future. Only I can fully utilize your strength!"
"Stop dreaming, Shiki."
A palm strike dispersed the dust, revealing Bazel in his Venom Body, slowly advancing toward his enemy.
"Who the hell do you think I am?!"
His right leg muscles tensed as he stepped forward.
In the next instant!
Bazel suddenly appeared right in front of Shiki.
His arms were wreathed in an ominous purple poison mist.
"It's time to settle our last score."
Venom Body: Venom Eruption Strike!
His fist slammed into the famed sword Shiki used to block. Before Shiki could counter with a slash, the poison mist coiled around Bazel's arms suddenly erupted!
"Tch."
Shiki quickly retreated from the burst of poisonous gas, but his left arm was still contaminated.
"What a troublesome ability."
He bit down on his famed sword, Kogarashi, and formed a hand blade with his right hand, lightly slicing his left arm.
Then, his muscles bulged, forcing out the infected blood.
"Then I'll show you what true power really is."
"Shishi Odoshi: Chimaki!"
The ground bulged and churned. A second later, several gigantic earthen lions, larger than buildings, burst forth.
The complete form of Yamata no Orochi suddenly appeared. Bazel controlled the serpent's mouths to open.
First, he used poison flames and poison mist to seal off Shiki's escape routes, then summoned Phantom Serpent Spirits.
"Awaken, Yamata's Phantom."
The moment the murmur sounded, the originally semi-transparent Phantom Serpent Spirits became increasingly see-through.
The spiritual serpent heads stared intently. Three of the ten Phantom Serpent Spirits split off and drilling the bodies of the charging earthen lions.
Yamata's Phantom: Serpent Spirit Usurpation!
Shiki, who was dodging flames and poison mist in the distance, was slightly shocked.
"Your Devil Fruit power can steal my control over the earthen lions?!"
Yamata's Phantom: Serpent Spirit Usurpation. This was a new ability Bazel had recently developed during Kaido's 'extra lessons'.
When he first developed the Yamata's Phantom ability, Bazel had sensed it was still in its infancy.
He originally thought he'd need to Awaken his fruit to delve deeper into this power.
Unexpectedly, after consuming the lantern fish's essence and attending several 'tutoring sessions', this ability had advanced further than anticipated.
Simply put, Bazel could command the awakened serpent spirits to drill into non-living targets.
Once inside, Bazel could seize control of that target.
These so-called non-living targets referred to things like earth, stone, and other objects without signs of life.
The Yamata no Orochi rapidly shrank, transforming back into Bazel's Venom Body form. He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.
The earthen lions, now turned translucent pale purple, suddenly turned around and roared fiercely at their original master.
"Hey hey, that's not a funny joke, you bastard!!"
Shiki rapidly slashed several times, destroying the traitorous earthen lions. Three nearly invisible transparent threads flew back to Bazel's side at a speed difficult to perceive with the naked eye.
"Your Devil Fruit power is useless now, Shiki."
Bazel shifted his right foot back, adopting a charging attack stance.
"Don't screw with me! I am the Golden Lion Shiki!"
Shishi Odoshi: Chimaki!
The ground transformed into earthen lions once more, this time, six of them.
"Let's see just how many you can control!? Kill him!"
Bazel didn't even look at the charging earthen lions. The Phantom Serpent Spirits around him flew out again.
Serpent Spirit Usurpation!
"Let's go!"
Boom…!
The ground shattered under immense force, spiderweb cracks spreading deep into the Grove 13 district.
"Fire Flow Body!"
Buzz~~
The poison within the scales quickly receded. His feet stepped on the ground, causing fiery explosions. A powerful force surged from his soles.
Bazel, who was already fast, now turned into a streak of light.
Hiken!
The super-speed powered punch broke through the defense of Shiki's twin swords, successfully striking Shiki's chest.
Jet-black Armament Haki collided. Sensing his own Armament Haki was far superior to his enemy's, Shiki was just about to mock him.
"Fly away, Shiki!!"
"Second Form: Blazing Sun Impact!"
As Bazel's roaring voice pierced the heavens, An Explosive flames suddenly erupted from behind his elbows, the tremendous thrust doubling the fist's power!
The sound of breaking bones echoed. Shiki's expression changed drastically. After coughing up a mouthful of blood, he was sent flying by Bazel's punch.
He crashed through countless buildings, flying toward the distant dock.
"It feels great."
Bazel glanced at the tourists who had been poisoned by his poison of the battle. He transformed into the Yamata no Orochi again, the eight serpent heads madly absorbing the surrounding poison mist.
As for the poison inside those who were poisoned, Bazel didn't have time to help them detoxify one by one.
Being able to reclaim the poison mist from the environment was already going above and beyond.
"Burp~"
"Tastes good. Hey, you lot, stop gawking! Move those people away. The fight isn't over yet!"
"Y-Yes, Eight Headed Monarch!!!"
Some timid pirates didn't dare refuse, as they had already recognized who the two combatants were.
Eight Headed Monarch and the Golden Lion!
The former was the rising supernova of the Beasts Pirates, while the latter was a veteran Great Pirate who had dominated the seas for over a decade!
"What a terrifying guy! He's actually trading blows with that great pirate, the Golden Lion!"
"It seems the seas are about to get lively again. With a powerhouse like this in the Beasts Pirates, they're definitely going to become a major pirate crew in the future!"
"No kidding. I'll go ask later if they're still recruiting. Joining the Beasts Pirates might be a good choice!"
"…"
"Shihahahaha!!"
Boom…!!
Conqueror's Haki erupted, its domineering aura indiscriminately assaulting the entire block.
"I really did underestimate you, Bazel!"
"But that just makes it more interesting. I won't hold back from now on. Don't blame me if you die."
Shiki slowly flew closer. Before he even arrived, countless slashes had already shot forth.
"Shishi: Senjindani!"
"Only those who survive are worthy of being called geniuses, brat. If you have the talent, then struggle to survive under my sword!"
"Yamata's Phantom!"
The six earthen lions controlled by the serpent spirits either blocked in front or charged forward, all to create an opening for Bazel to attack.
"Useless!"
A red light flashed violently in Shiki's eyes. He suddenly swung his sword backward.
The blade collided with a Haki-coated arm.
He lifted his foot for a direct kick.
Blocking the enemy's knee strike again, his left wrist twisted.
"I am a master swordsman who wields two swords..."
Shhkk…!
The blade struck!
Bazel's pupils shrank to pinpoints as he looked at Shiki in disbelief.
'The speed of that slash just now was faster than my own charging speed!?'
"My movement speed might not match yours, but my sword-swinging speed is faster than yours."
"Viper."
The blood dripping from Kogarashi seemed to gain a will of its own, transforming into blood arrows that shot towards Bazel.
"You can steal the things I create, right? Then try stealing this."
Shiki's eyes reflected countless blood arrows, thin as toothpicks. He smirked scornfully:
"Let's see how many you can steal. After all, I can make as much of this stuff as I want."
Using flying slashes to clear a path, Shiki charged once more towards Bazel's landing point.
The blades of his two famed swords suddenly became wreathed in black lightning.
"Witness my sword, brat."
"Zanpa!"
Bazel dug his feet into the ground, forcibly halting his retreat.
He controlled the six Phantom Serpent Spirits to drill into the ground.
Then he crouched, slamming both palms hard against the ground.
"Awaken, earth!!"
Huge rocks bulged upward, blocking the path of the Haki-infused flying slashes and blood arrows.
The massive rocks were easily sliced apart!
But Bazel was no longer behind them.
Rumble…
Thunder suddenly roared in the sky.
"Looks like even the sky is helping me, Shiki."
The blood spraying from the wound on his chest was rapidly decreasing. The formidable vitality granted by his Mythical Zoan-type fruit was quickly repairing the injury.
Bazel stood atop the raised earth, looking up at the sky.
"What, you want to surrender?"
"Surrender? How could I possibly surrender so easily..."
Bazel grabbed the remaining four serpent spirits with his right hand and suddenly hurled them towards the sky.
"Awaken, thunder!"
"This is...!?"
Shiki's originally confident, mocking expression suddenly froze. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
"Hey hey, this isn't funny anymore!"
Roar…!!
A gigantic thunder serpent burst through the clouds, flying to a position directly overhead, gazing down at the enemy alongside its master.
"Shiki, let's begin the second round."
"Earth Dragon, Thunder Serpent, kill him."
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