Outside the mountain peak, Sora waited, but Shiki didn't emerge.
He shouted at the peak, "Hey, old man! Don't tell me you're playing turtle now!"
He could sense Shiki's aura—steady, barely weakened, just slightly winded.
Was the old guy really too worn to keep up with a young blood?
Suddenly, a surge of Conqueror's Haki, far stronger than Sora's, erupted from within the mountain.
"What the—?!" Sora's brows knitted, stunned.
How's this old man unleashing Conqueror's Haki now?
The mountain split apart, a colossal crescent-shaped golden slash tearing through, aimed at Sora.
Sora countered with a matching slash.
Clang!
The slashes intertwined, spiraling skyward and vanishing.
Shiki's golden mane whipped wildly as he rose slowly from the mountain's fissure into the sky.
With his ascent, an even mightier wave of Conqueror's Haki swept the heavens.
On the sole remaining giant island above, everyone except Dr. Indigo collapsed, eyes rolling back, knocked out cold.
Sora, at the epicenter, felt it most intensely. "This is the world's peak? Terrifying!"
Bracing against Shiki's Haki, he unleashed his own Conqueror's Haki.
Crack!
A sound like shattering space echoed from the clash.
Purple lightning crackled around them.
Despite the mental strain, Sora looked up at Shiki, his pupils shrinking.
The old man's going all out—pulled the rudder out!
No wonder he's got Conqueror's Haki again. A final blaze!
Floating in the air, Shiki lit a cigar, puffing leisurely.
Removing the rudder had cleared his mind remarkably.
He tore a strip from his clothes, wrapping it haphazardly around his bleeding head to slow the inevitable.
Gone was his earlier rage and arrogance. His aura now radiated calm.
Is he broken? Sora wondered, eyeing Shiki with suspicion.
A gentle Shiki? That's new.
Shiki gazed at Sora below, like a sculptor admiring a flawless jade. His eyes brimmed with appreciation.
He only respected the strong.
Suppressed by Sora, he'd accepted his end was near.
No hesitation remained—only the resolve to fight with everything.
Even knowing the rudder's removal started his death clock.
He couldn't let this silver-haired kid underestimate him.
Who was he?
He was Golden Lion Shiki!
Grinning, he let out his signature laugh, this time free of venom. "Jihahahaha! Kid, I acknowledge you. I, Golden Lion Shiki, call you a true strongman."
Sora stared, baffled. Did yanking the rudder fry his brain?
Hand on Zankuu's hilt, ready to draw, he shouted, "Old man, you nuts or what? If you won't come, I will!"
"Jihahahaha! Bring it, kid! Taste the sea's true elite!" Shiki roared.
Gripping his swords in both hands, he swung a casual slash at Sora. "Lion's Slash!"
A crescent-shaped golden slash, richer and denser, hurtled toward Sora.
Sora stomped the ground, launching forward with a whoosh, meeting the slash head-on. "Shave: Draw Slash!"
Bang!
His blade clashed with the golden slash.
The force shoved him back, skidding dozens of meters before stopping.
With a flex of his arm, he redirected the slash skyward.
Sora gaped at Shiki. So strong.
This was leagues beyond before.
Shiki's earlier slashes were formidable, but Sora's had matched them.
Now, he sensed that if he'd countered with a flying slash instead of his blade, his would've shattered instantly.
The power gap was stark.
Sensing Sora's shock, Shiki laughed heartily. "Jihahahaha! Wanna kill me, kid? Come on then!"
He'd long noticed Sora relied on his beastly physique and unmatched Observation Haki.
Against a swordsmanship master like him, those were secondary.
Sora's combat experience was also painfully green.
Though growing rapidly in their fight, Sora, fresh to the seas, was outclassed against Shiki's current state.
Sora sheathed Zankuu, then drew swiftly. "Draw Slash!"
A massive silver-gray slash sped toward Shiki.
He wanted to test the gap.
Shiki chuckled, shattering Sora's slash with a single swing. "Too scattered, not condensed enough."
Pausing, he continued, "Be cleverer, not just brute force. Such crude slashes are fragile against the strong, like your Haki—shattered on impact. Control your breath, compress the slash, then release it as a flying slash."
He swung at Sora. "Lion's Slash!"
A crescent golden slash flew forth.
Sora, using Shiki's advice, unleashed a matching silver-gray crescent slash.
This time, his slash held against Shiki's for a moment before breaking.
Gripping Zankuu, Sora understood Shiki's state.
Since removing the rudder, Shiki knew death was certain.
Then, some wild notion took hold.
He wanted his legacy to endure.
Perhaps seeing Sora's potential and pirate spirit, he aimed to nurture a new sea titan before his end.
So, he taught Sora his mightiest slash.
At his peak, Shiki's "Lion's Slash" could cleave seas for hundreds of kilometers.
Such power.
Sora could never have matched that range before.
These elite swordsmanship techniques couldn't be learned at Isshin Dojo—only forged in battles with titans.
As Shiki said, Sora's slashes were brute force, monster strength unleashed.
Effective against fodder, but useless against true elites.
His slashes couldn't even pierce their Armament Haki.
Knowing Shiki's intent, Sora said nothing.
Teleporting beside Shiki, he slashed.
Shiki laughed. "Kid, your speed's insane, but your reactions are slow."
His eyes flashed red with Observation Haki, preemptively parrying.
With a deft twist, he struck Zankuu's spine, briefly locking Sora's stance.
In elite combat, a split-second could end it.
But Shiki didn't press, instead shouting, "Kid, Observation Haki isn't about range. Master it inch by inch, let your blade follow your heart. Only then are you truly strong."
Sora glared from a distance, snarling, "Old man, you hooked on teaching or what?"
(End of Chapter)