By now, El's Sage Body progress had reached a point of near saturation.
To improve it further, he could no longer rely on fighting weaklings.
Only by crossing blades with opponents equal to or stronger than himself could he continue to grow.
And Golden Lion Shiki…
seemed like the perfect sparring partner—
a powerful, free source of experience.
Even better, there was no real danger to his life.
But more than that, El wanted to test his own limits—
to see just how far his current strength could reach.
A deep rumble shook the air.
"Rumble…!!!"
From the colossal Rocks ship, a massive boarding bridge was lowered, connecting to El's small vessel.
Without hesitation, El stepped onto it and walked toward the legendary pirate ship.
Surrounded by infamous figures he'd only seen in the "original story,"
El couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion.
Joining the Rocks Pirates,
and fighting alongside these monsters of the sea—
this really was the right choice.
"Ready, brat?
No… I should say—ready, El?"
Golden Lion stood at the bow, arms crossed, a confident grin tugging at his lips.
"Come on," El replied, his tone calm but eyes sharp.
He drew the sword from his waist, gripping it firmly with both hands.
Ever since setting sail a year ago, El had walked the path of the sword.
By that time, he had already mastered the art of hearing the breath of all things,
and had learned the essence of Cutting Iron.
Now, his swordsmanship had reached the point where he could unleash flying slashes at will.
He was, without question, a swordsman,
though still one step away from becoming a Great Swordsman.
And the man standing before him—Golden Lion Shiki—
was precisely that: a true Great Swordsman.
The gap was immense.
But El believed that through this clash,
he could gain invaluable insight.
After all—he was a genius of the blade.
"Jihahahaha… You've got guts. I like that."
Shiki's grin widened. He admired El's unflinching resolve.
With a metallic hum,
"Ching!"
Shiki drew his O Wazamono-grade sword, Kogarashi, from his waist.
The blade sliced through the air, humming as if eager for blood.
El's eyes narrowed.
"A black blade?"
The edge shimmered with a deep, dark hue—
not from active Armament Haki,
but from countless battles,
permanently staining the sword in unyielding Haki.
A true Black Blade.
"Well then," Shiki said casually, lifting the sword in one hand,
"you make the first move, El."
He didn't even use his trademark dual-blade style—
it would've been overkill.
El took a deep breath.
A thick aura of Armament Haki spread across his arms and sword, glinting in the light.
Even if it was only a spar,
he couldn't afford to take this lightly.
"Step!!!"
El's legs coiled like springs,
and with an explosive leap,
he shot forward at blinding speed.
"CLANG!!!"
The two blades collided—
a metallic cry echoed through the deck,
followed by a burst of sparks and rippling shockwaves.
The air itself trembled.
El gritted his teeth.
He's even stronger than I thought!
He had gone all in—
combining his refined swordsmanship and hardened Haki.
Yet even so,
Shiki's blade felt like an immovable mountain—
solid, unshakable.
So this is the difference between a swordsman and a Great Swordsman…
El could accept it.
After all, he had been sailing for only a year.
Shiki had been fighting for decades.
"Oh? Not bad at all," Shiki said, nodding slightly.
He could feel the raw power flowing through El's strikes.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Their swords met again and again in a flurry of motion.
Blades flashed, sparks flew,
and each impact sent ripples of force exploding outward.
Within moments, they had exchanged dozens of blows.
Even holding back, Shiki found himself impressed.
El was holding his ground—not evenly, but not collapsing either.
Throughout the fight, El's focus sharpened.
He analyzed every swing,
searching for the smallest opening in Shiki's form.
Hundreds of clashes passed—
but Shiki's blade remained flawless.
A Great Swordsman's mastery was truly something else.
But—
"Impossible" didn't mean "never."
"Swoosh!"
El suddenly shifted his stance—
dodging Shiki's slash using Observation Haki,
then thrusting his blade forward in a precise, unexpected strike.
Caught off guard by El's sudden change in rhythm,
Shiki failed to react in time.
"Shhhk!"
El's sword grazed his chest,
leaving a shallow but clean cut.
A thin line of blood ran down, staining Shiki's coat.
The entire deck fell silent.
"What… what just happened!?"
"That brat actually cut Captain Shiki!?"
"You've got to be kidding me! Even the Navy's top dogs barely draw blood from him!"
"He was holding back, sure—but still… this kid's a freak!"
"Who was it that said he wouldn't last five moves? Look now—he's not only holding out, he's wounded Shiki!"
Shock rippled through the Rocks Pirates.
Golden Lion Shiki—
one of the world's few true Great Swordsmen,
a man whose skill with the blade was nearly unmatched—
had been cut.
Even with him going easy,
to find a gap in such near-perfect swordsmanship
was something only another true prodigy could do.
And El had done it.
He had found it—
and struck true.
Tapping into the Power of the Nine-Tails (Requesting Flowers)
"Oh? What an interesting kid,"
Whitebeard said with a low chuckle, his eyes gleaming.
As Shiki's long-time comrade,
he knew better than anyone just how strong the Golden Lion was.
For someone as young as El
to actually draw his blood—
that was no small feat.
"My instincts were right,"
Charlotte Linlin said with a smirk.
"This one's a monster."
But instead of anger,
Shiki only laughed.
"Not bad, El. You've earned my respect."
Even he hadn't expected it.
Yes, he'd been holding back—
but for a mere one-year pirate
to slip through his guard at all
was downright astonishing.
He was a true Great Swordsman,
not one who had just broken through,
but one whose swordsmanship had long since reached perfection—
and yet, El had still managed to scar him.