Chapter 105: Chapter 105: A Flying Sword Slash Against the Strong
When Yoriichi Tsugikuni was struck from midair by Shiki and smashed into the ground, the impact created a thunderous shockwave. Shanks and Buggy, who had just fled the tavern, heard the deafening noise behind them and instinctively turned to look.
A thick plume of dust was rising in the distance.
Lifting their heads, the two saw Kuzan and Shiki facing off dozens of meters above ground.
"Shanks, let's go, now!" Buggy urged in a panic. "While the Golden Lion is fighting the Navy, this is our best chance to slip away!"
"If he finds us, he'll kill us for sure!"
He gave the distant figures a terrified glance, grabbed Shanks' sleeve, and was ready to bolt.
But Shanks hesitated. He looked over at the battlefield where the Marines were clashing with Shiki's men, and a flicker of conflict crossed his face.
"Buggy… those Marines," he murmured.
"They're only fighting Shiki because of us. Are we really just going to walk away?"
From where they stood, they had a clear view of the battlefield. Shiki's powers had torn the tavern's walls and roof to shreds, leaving nothing to block their line of sight.
Shanks could see the Marines being cut down one after another by Shiki's subordinates. His conscience screamed at him to help them.
"What?! Shanks, what are you even thinking? Are you crazy?!"
"They're Marines! It's their job to fight pirates!"
"They were going to capture us anyway. Fighting Golden Lion Shiki is their responsibility too!"
"We're pirates. We can't get involved in something like this!"
"Let's go! These Marines won't last long. Shiki will slaughter them."
"I don't know what kind of nerve they've got, drawing their swords on Golden Lion Shiki! That's suicide!"
Unlike Shanks, Buggy had no such inner struggle. To him, survival came first—always.
He grabbed Shanks by the arm and tried to drag him away.
At that moment, a series of sharp metallic clangs rang out from the sky.
Kuzan, now with his lower body transformed into mist and his upper body still solid, was engaged in a swordfight against Shiki with his ice blade.
As a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, Kuzan could still fight effectively midair.
But even so, he was being steadily forced back under Shiki's relentless attacks. Within just a few exchanges, multiple cuts had already appeared across his chest and cheeks.
"Hahahaha! Kid, your Devil Fruit is pretty rare, I'll give you that," Shiki mocked with a wild grin.
"But you're way too green!"
"If this is all you've got, then you'd better prepare to die!"
Hovering midair using the Float-Float Fruit, Shiki had just driven Kuzan back again. He now pointed both of his swords at the young Marine, laughing boldly.
In his hands were his famed blades—Oto and Kogarashi—and his golden mane billowed behind him like the wild mane of a lion. He was the very image of a tyrannical warlord, unchained and menacing.
A short distance away, Kuzan gripped his ice sword with both hands, panting heavily.
Just a few clashes had already drained a massive amount of stamina. Shiki's strikes were brutally powerful, and blocking each one pushed Kuzan to his limit.
Moreover, a pirate of Shiki's caliber was no stranger to fighting Logia users. Kuzan could feel it—Shiki was deliberately controlling the distance between them.
If they were fighting on the ground, Kuzan could use the terrain as a conductor for his abilities. But in the air, the lack of solid medium made it nearly impossible to transmit his freezing power.
While speaking, Shiki raised his twin swords overhead. Violent Haki surged along his arms and blades.
"Marine, if you want to blame someone, blame your luck for crossing paths with me!"
He grinned as he prepared to slash down on the mist-shrouded Kuzan.
"Vmmmmm!!!"
Just then, a terrifying screeching sound erupted from below.
From the dust cloud Yoriichi had kicked up upon crashing, a slash nearly five meters long and over a meter wide, wreathed in crackling black lightning, tore through the haze and rocketed into the sky.
"!!"
"Huh?!"
Hearing the roar from below, Shiki glanced down in surprise. The moment he saw the black lightning slash, a look of shock flashed across his face.
The next instant, it was upon him.
He quickly crossed his blades to block it.
"Boom!!!"
The clash of Haki sent shockwaves blasting outward in all directions. The rubble and debris floating around due to Shiki's Devil Fruit exploded into fragments.
Even Kuzan was hit by the aftermath and immediately retreated. His body turned entirely to mist, allowing the shrapnel to pass harmlessly through him.
A bird flying overhead was struck by a piece of debris midflight. In a flash of red mist, it vanished from the sky.
Back on the ground, the dust finally cleared.
There stood Yoriichi, blade in hand, gazing up at Shiki in the sky.
The flying slash had come from him.
Aside from some dust and a few rips in his officer's uniform, Yoriichi appeared completely uninjured.
Despite falling from a height of dozens of meters, it hadn't affected him at all.
High above, after fully blocking Yoriichi's slash, Shiki's pupils contracted slightly. He narrowed his eyes and muttered in surprise.
"Conqueror's Haki… infused."
"It's not as strong as those guys, but the power's not bad. That slash wasn't just for show."
"There's someone like you among the Marines?"
Golden Lion Shiki stared down at Yoriichi, then suddenly swung both swords toward the ground.
"Wave Slash!" he roared.
With a mighty swing, two invisible slashes hurtled downward.
A moment later, they carved into the earth, splitting it apart in an X-shaped pattern that stretched hundreds of meters.
Dust filled the air once again.
Yoriichi's figure vanished.
Shiki watched carefully, his Observation Haki spreading out in every direction.
When he failed to detect Yoriichi's presence, a satisfied grin spread across his face.
But that grin lasted less than a second—before freezing in place.
The battlefield had gone silent.
Standing atop the ruins of the tavern was a red-haired young Marine, sword in hand, calmly staring up at Shiki.
All around him were the corpses of pirates.
In just a blink, every one of Shiki's men had been cut down by Yoriichi.
Not one of them had even managed to lift a blade in retaliation.
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