Facing the charging lion heads, Sora was stumped. Slashes were useless against them, and he lacked hand-to-hand skills.
He couldn't fathom how Luffy had defeated Shiki in the original story.
Shiki's Observation and Armament Haki were top-tier. Though diminished in quantity, their quality was unmatched.
Even so, Luffy shouldn't have stood a chance.
Especially when Shiki switched to hand-wielding his swords, ascending to the pinnacle of great swordsmen.
Sora shook his head, addressing Shiki calmly. "I wanted to settle this with swordplay, but since you're so eager to die, I'll oblige."
Shiki's eyes glinted with mockery. "What, you got some game-changing Devil Fruit up your sleeve?"
A crazed spark flickered in Sora's gaze. He'd decided to wring every ounce of value from Shiki before finishing him.
Opponents who could push him to his limits were rare on these seas.
Sora clasped his hands, his chuunibyou spirit igniting. "One bag of rice to carry upstairs, one bag of rice to the second floor…"
"Pseudo-Shinra Tensei!"
Boom!
The lion heads slammed into Sora, merging under Shiki's control into a spherical prison, sealing him inside.
Shiki eyed the orb, sensing the power building within. Without hesitation, he thrust his right hand downward.
The orb plummeted toward the sea.
"Whatever your power is, struggle in the ocean!"
But the plummeting orb halted midair, swelling rapidly before exploding with a bang.
Amid the shower of rubble, Sora stood unscathed.
"I told you, it's useless!" he shouted.
Shiki, ever arrogant, laughed. "Jihahahaha! Kid, your tricks are worthless!"
His eyes flashed with malice as he clenched his fist.
The scattering debris froze, then reversed, hurtling toward Sora at breakneck speed.
Sora's lips twitched at the converging stones. "How the hell did Luffy beat this guy?"
He expanded his spatial domain. As the stones entered, they shrank dramatically.
Soon, his domain resembled a black hole, absorbing the debris entirely.
Within, the stones reformed into a compact orb, floating beside him.
It hadn't shrunk—his domain had stretched space, making it appear smaller from outside.
Shiki's eyes widened. The moment the stones entered Sora's domain, he'd lost control. Now they were tiny.
He burst into laughter. "Jihahahaha! Fascinating, truly fascinating! A monster like you on these seas? Jihahahaha!"
Sora ignored Shiki's manic outburst. His figure vanished, teleporting above Shiki. With a flick of his hand, he launched the orb downward like a marble.
The orb started slow, then accelerated, trailing a fiery red exhaust in his domain. As it fell, it swelled back to island size.
"Try my million-fold meteor bullet, old man!"
Shiki sensed Sora's teleportation the instant it happened. "That fast?"
"No—not speed. Teleportation."
His face showed shock for the first time.
For top-tier fighters, speed wasn't the deciding factor—reaction time was. With elite Observation Haki, they could anticipate moves, making reflexes king.
But only if speeds were comparable. No reaction, however fast, could match true teleportation.
Shiki flicked his foot upward, unleashing two massive golden slashes.
They collided with the island-sized orb as it exited Sora's domain.
Pfft!
The orb split into four, plummeting toward the sea like a sliced watermelon.
Boom!
The chunks smashed into the ocean, unleashing towering waves that roared outward, submerging Prosius Island entirely.
Sora glanced at the distant flotilla. Far enough to be safe, he refocused.
The flotilla was now too far to see Sora or Shiki. Only the relentless clash of blades echoed from the horizon, signaling the battle's ferocity.
A deafening roar erupted behind them. The villagers turned to see a white tsunami, like a city wall, surging toward them.
They wished for wings to flee this cursed sea.
"Faster! Go faster!" they shouted.
Despite the distance, they felt no safety.
"This isn't human!" they gasped. In their minds, only gods could wield such power.
Sora teleported behind Shiki, slashing instantly.
He was set on close combat to hone his Haki swiftly.
Clang!
Shiki's eyes flashed red with Observation Haki, his foot rising to block Sora's blade preemptively.
Sora gave him no room to retreat, swinging Zankuu in a flurry.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
"You're using me as a whetstone, you brat?" Shiki growled, fury etched on his face.
With a thought, the floating islands above—except the largest—surged toward them.
Boom!
The islands collided below, forming a massive landmass.
Shiki fought while retreating, luring Sora onto the island.
In the air, his Fruit's potential was limited.
Freeing his hands, he clapped them together. "Lion's Might: Earth Coil!"
The ground churned, spawning countless lion heads that charged Sora.
Shiki kicked Sora back with a powerful slash, using the recoil to gain distance.
His feet danced. "Lion: Thousand-Cut Valley!"
A storm of slashes rained toward Sora.
Sora scanned his surroundings, a savage aura erupting from him.
He turned, glaring at Shiki like a predator, and roared, "I told you, old man, it's useless!"
(End of Chapter)