Sora clasped his hands, and the space around him collapsed inward. A tremendous force surged outward.
"Pseudo-Shinra Tensei!"
The lion heads and slashes charging at him scattered instantly.
Stepping through the dust, Sora gripped Zankuu and rushed toward Shiki.
"Shave: Forward Slash!"
With a whoosh, he appeared above Shiki, slashing downward with ferocious force.
Clang!
Feeling his Haki hold firm at the clash, Sora laughed maniacally. "Hahahahaha!"
"Old man, just keep training with me!"
"Hahahaha…"
He hammered Shiki with relentless strikes, forcing the legend into a defensive stance.
"What's wrong, old man? Already tapped out?" Sora roared savagely. "If this is all you've got, then die!"
Veins bulged on his arm as he swung a devastating slash.
Clang!
A golden figure shot backward.
Shiki tried to stabilize himself, but the force overwhelmed him. Seizing the moment, he accelerated toward his main island.
Sora watched Shiki fly far, a flicker of doubt crossing his face.
Is the old man running?
No way.
A titan like him wouldn't flee from a junior.
Shaking his head, Sora locked onto Shiki and activated his ability.
"Teleport!"
He materialized behind Shiki, slashing at his back.
Clang!
Shiki's eyes flashed red with Observation Haki, preemptively blocking with his sword.
Though he couldn't match Sora's speed, his top-tier Observation Haki and decades of battle experience gave him unmatched reflexes—short of future sight, but elite nonetheless.
Using the clash's force, Shiki sped toward the main island's edge, landing beside its seawater barrier.
"Oh…" Sora grinned, standing still. "Using seawater to counter me, huh?"
He yanked his wine gourd free, sipping casually. "Old man, show me your tricks quick!"
"Then we can… really train my Haki."
Hic!
He belched a cloud of rum fumes at Shiki, a flush creeping onto his face. Shaking the gourd, he muttered, "Not enough booze."
"Jihahahaha! Don't get cocky, kid! Think you've got me beat?" Shiki roared.
With a laugh, he kicked a slash at the island's edge. "Lion's Slash!"
The seawater barrier quivered like jelly, a chunk slicing off with a splat.
Spreading his fingers, Shiki made the chunk explode into countless droplets, scattering like fireworks.
The sky filled with a dense curtain of seawater mist, as thick as a winter morning's fog.
This was his counter to Sora's teleportation. In this seawater haze, Shiki doubted Sora could escape.
He glared at Sora, brimming with arrogance. "Jihahahaha! Take this, kid!"
"A gift just for you, ability user!"
Clenching his fist, the mist converged rapidly toward Sora.
Sora stared at Shiki like he was an idiot. All this prep for… this?
It was pointless. Sora had no intention of moving.
Since the old man loved theatrics, Sora decided to put on a show of his own.
No need to rob a soon-to-be-buried geezer of his final joys, right?
As the mist condensed, droplets formed on Sora's body.
He feigned panic, eyes wide with mock terror.
Then, the droplets linked, submerging him in a seawater prison.
Clutching his throat, he held his breath, bubbles streaming from his mouth, looking utterly distressed.
"Jihahahaha!" Shiki's laughter echoed, watching Sora trapped. The frustration of being outmaneuvered vanished.
He stood, laughing, savoring the moment.
"Hm?" Sora waited for a follow-up slash, but none came.
Glancing at Shiki, he saw the old man cackling, unmoving.
Old man's laughing his ass off, huh? No finishing slash to end my act?
Sora wanted to quip, This performance ain't easy, you know!
Shiki hadn't been this cunning against Luffy. Why was he suddenly so sharp against Sora?
Giving up the charade, Sora swam through the water, cycling through strokes—freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, doggy paddle, even a lazy turtle float.
Shiki watched Sora's aquatic acrobatics, realizing he'd been played. His "gift" must've looked idiotic to Sora.
This kid wasn't fazed by seawater.
This ability's too broken!
In his decades, Shiki knew only a few Devil Fruit users who could shrug off the sea's curse. He could manipulate water to avoid its effects, but swimming in it like Sora? Impossible.
Unbeknownst to him, Sora wasn't a Fruit user at all.
Shiki's veins throbbed. "Too cocky. Far too cocky!"
"This brat doesn't take me seriously!"
Furious, he swung his legs. "Die, kid!"
"Lion: Thousand-Cut Valley!"
Golden slashes surged toward Sora's watery prison.
Sora halted, eyeing the enraged Shiki. "See the gap now? Train with me!"
Ignoring the slashes, he unleashed his spatial domain.
Bang!
A massive force repelled the water and slashes.
Teleporting behind Shiki, Sora drew Zankuu and slashed at his back.
Clang!
Shiki, helpless against teleportation, spun and blocked.
The impact sent him crashing downward, smashing into a massive mountain peak with a boom.
(End of Chapter)