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"So… a Great Swordsman, after all?"
This slash wasn't far off from the level of Silvers Rayleigh.
If Zoro was destined to become a three-sword style Great Swordsman, and Mihawk was the acknowledged single-sword style, world's strongest Great Swordsman, then "Golden Lion" Shiki was undoubtedly a two-sword style Great Swordsman.
The title of Great Swordsman was a designation that placed one above countless other swordsmen. In this world, few could claim such a title, and those who reached that level were not far from the world's strongest.
Shiki narrowed his eyes, gazing at Kuzan below. Under the oppressive aura of the admiral, Ian, though feeling the pressure, maintained a calm demeanor, a subtle smile playing on his lips. He swept his Zanpakuto horizontally.
A deep black wave of sword energy erupted, colliding with Shiki's golden sword energy. A sharp, resonating clang echoed through the air before the two forces exploded.
Ian's Blue sword energy, visibly larger and more condensed, pierced through Shiki's golden attack, a small portion continuing its trajectory towards the Golden Lion.
This wasn't because Ian's swordsmanship surpassed Shiki's. In terms of pure skill, Ian, a relative newcomer to this level, couldn't match Shiki's decades of experience. However, Shiki had lost his legs and was now wielding his swords with his prosthetic limbs.
Even a Great Swordsman could still demonstrate formidable skill with such a handicap, but it paled in comparison to wielding swords with one's hands. Ian, on the other hand, relied on his vast and potent spiritual pressure to achieve this level of power.
Fight! Fight! Great Swordsman or not, he wouldn't back down. A fiery fighting spirit burned in his eyes, a single thought consuming him.
"Again!"
Ian gripped his sword with both hands, unleashing a powerful downward slash.
The full force of his strike, amplified by the cutting power of his Devil Fruit, closed the gap between him and a true Great Swordsman. Moreover, Shiki's reliance on his prosthetic legs, while not hindering his mastery, did slightly diminish the force of his attacks. He was no longer at his peak.
Ian's black sword energy condensed, forming a brilliant aura around the blade, threatening to tear the sky asunder.
"This guy…"
Shiki, his initial scorn replaced by a newfound respect, now regarded Ian as a true opponent. With a roar, he raised his prosthetic leg, bringing his sword down in a powerful counter-attack.
Their blades clashed mid-air. While Shiki possessed the superior mastery of a Great Swordsman, Ian compensated with raw power, amplified by his Zanpakuto and Devil Fruit, pushing his abilities to their absolute limit.
BOOM!!
WHAM!! The world seemed to dim as all light converged at the point of impact.
Two forces capable of rending the Sky collided, unleashing a cataclysmic shockwave. BOOM!!
Centered on the point of impact, a ripple of destruction spread outwards, tearing the clouds and creating a chasm that stretched for kilometers. Ian's Marine coat tore horizontally across his back. The clash ended in a stalemate.
Shiki stared at Ian in astonishment. He sensed no profound mastery of swordsmanship, yet the sheer force of Ian's attacks was undeniable.
The intensity of those strikes rivaled even Shiki's peak, dual-wielding attacks.
Meanwhile, Ian's torn coat rapidly mended itself under the influence of his spiritual pressure, catching Shiki off guard.
He assumed it was a property of Ian's Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, which allowed him to manifest weapons and clothing, similar to Marco the Phoenix.
"The level of a Great Swordsman… I still can't fully withstand it."
In the original story, even after Rayleigh clashed with Kizaru, the Admiral, despite manifesting his Ama no Murakumo sword, had suffered a minor cut on his face.
He had experienced a similar outcome against Mihawk and Rayleigh, so he wasn't entirely surprised.
Sizzle!! Shiki crossed his prosthetic legs, bracing against the lingering black sword energy, a grimace twisting his features. But as one of the legendary pirates who stood alongside Roger and Whitebeard, retreat was not an option.
With a roar, Shiki unleashed a flurry of golden sword energy, like a shower of light descending from the heavens, engulfing Ian in a blinding barrage.
As a legendary pirate, despite his lost legs, Shiki's swordsmanship remained at the level of a Great Swordsman. "Lion's Thousand Slashes!"
Facing the onslaught of golden attacks, Ian remained calm, a subtle smile playing on his lips. He gripped his sword with both hands, unleashing a counter-attack. SWISH!!!
A net of intersecting black sword energy erupted, colliding with Shiki's golden slashes. Gold and black clashed, like a collision of sun and void, the sky echoing with the continuous roar of their battle.
Ian's attack enveloped and neutralized Shiki's slashes, a small portion continuing its trajectory towards the Golden Lion. Shiki, with a burst of speed, arced through the air, narrowly avoiding the attack. This brief exchange had confirmed his suspicions.
He couldn't defeat Ian with swordsmanship alone. He had to utilize the mobility granted by his Float-Float Fruit. Speed would be his key to victory.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!!! Utilizing his Devil Fruit, Shiki darted through the air, his movements a blur of golden light, circling Ian and unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks.
Ian remained unfazed, activating Sonido to match Shiki's speed, effortlessly parrying each strike. RUMBLE!!
Sword clashes echoed through the sky. After deflecting Shiki's attacks, Ian, his composure unwavering, felt his initial excitement wane, replaced by a sense of indifference. "Is that all? Do you have anything stronger?"
"You're… quite conceited, aren't you, boy…" Shiki scoffed, a cold glint in his eyes. "You should be more concerned with your own survival."
Swordsmen were known for their focus on offense, often forsaking defense entirely. Or rather, their offense was their defense, cutting down any threat before it could reach them.
Duels between swordsmen were often decided in an instant, a single decisive strike. Even if there was a disparity in skill, the weaker opponent wasn't necessarily doomed to defeat. Both their blades held the potential to be fatal.
When one swordsman was completely outmatched, forced into a defensive position, the outcome was all but certain.
"It seems I've seen all your swordsmanship has to offer. Let's end this."
Ian shook his head slightly, disappointed by Shiki's decline in strength. However, it was also partly due to their aerial battle. With no objects for Shiki's Float-Float Fruit to manipulate, his power was significantly diminished, not even reaching Admiral level. That was why Ian had to pursue him.
"Know despair!"
"Golden Lion Shiki… if that's all you've got…" Ian's fighting spirit faded, his gaze turning cold and indifferent, like a Devil pronouncing a death sentence.
"Jihahahaha!"
Shiki erupted in laughter, as if he had heard the funniest joke.
"..." Ian's expression became serene, all emotion drained from his face, replaced by a strange power emanating from his body.
This eerie energy pulsed outwards, radiating a chilling aura that filled Shiki with a sense of unease.
Releasing his Resurrección, his Murciélago form, Ian unleashed his full spiritual pressure, a vast and oppressive force that gathered in the sky above. Black raindrops fell, pelting Shiki and fueling his growing anxiety.
Ian hovered before Shiki, his words hanging in the air before he activated Sonido, launching himself towards the Golden Lion with another devastating slash.
A wave of deep black sword energy, brilliant and profound, erupted from his blade, sweeping towards Shiki like a celestial river cleaving through the sky. Its speed was breathtaking, reaching Shiki in an instant.
The attack spanned over a dozen meters, and that was with Ian consciously suppressing its power. Unleashed, it would have been even larger.
"No!!" A wave of terror washed over Shiki, a feeling reminiscent of facing Roger. Too late to dodge, he crossed his prosthetic legs, hoping to block the attack.
Ian's sword energy effortlessly shattered Shiki's defense, continuing its trajectory without a hint of resistance.
Shiki's eyes widened in horror. He hadn't anticipated Ian's ability to so easily crush his attack. The power of Ian's swordsmanship was beyond anything he had encountered.
He couldn't defend. Too late to dodge, he activated Busoshoku Haki.
With a roar, Shiki coated his body in the black aura of Busoshoku Haki, extending it to his swords.
Ian's attack collided with Shiki's crossed prosthetic legs and his swords, the clashing forces creating a grating, metallic screech despite their intangible nature. The sword energy had solidified, like a brilliant white meteor cleaving through the heavens.
Sizzle! Shiki gritted his teeth, struggling to contain the attack, but his Haki-coated blades began to crack under the immense pressure.
The force of Ian's attack had far exceeded his expectations. A look of terror flashed across his face as the sword energy sliced through his blades, snapping the legendary swords in two.
The broken blades, severed cleanly in half, floated beneath Shiki.
Disbelief clouded his eyes. Even now, he couldn't comprehend the sheer power of Ian's attack, a force that had completely overwhelmed him.
He had once single-handedly invaded Marine Headquarters, facing Garp and Sengoku at their peak, reducing half of Marineford to rubble before finally being defeated.
"Don't think swordsmanship is all I have!"
After the clash, Shiki's body transformed into a stream of light, propelled backwards by the force of the impact. He roared at Ian, activating his Float-Float Fruit.
He stopped just above the ocean's surface. The thought of a legendary pirate drowning was too absurd. A terrifying aura erupted from his body, a combination of his swordsmanship's intent and Conqueror's Haki.
Aura was an intangible force.
But powerful individuals, especially those at the level of a Great Swordsman, possessed a degree of control over it. Reaching Shiki's level, however, was a rare feat. His aura now rivaled Ian's spiritual pressure.
Crash!!
The ocean surged upwards, manipulated by Shiki's Float-Float Fruit, forming a colossal lion hundreds of meters tall. It enveloped Ian, roaring before crashing down upon him with the force of a tidal wave, mirroring Whitebeard's devastating earthquake-inducing powers during the Marineford War.
"Lion's Majesty: Seaquake!"
This attack was far more powerful than the water spout he had used to toy with Luffy and his crew, a force of nature capable of leveling mountains and shaking the earth. It surged towards Ian from all directions.
Three colossal sea lions, each over a hundred meters tall, converged on Ian, their roars echoing through the air. Their sheer size made escape impossible.
Shiki grinned savagely. "Taste true terror, you bastard!"
His ability to manipulate seawater wasn't surprising. Kuzan could freeze the ocean, and Whitebeard could create seismic waves. After all, they weren't submerged in the water themselves. He imagined Ian, crushed and drowned by the colossal sea lions, his life extinguished.
However, Ian's face remained impassive, his demonic mask betraying no emotion other than cold indifference.
Activating his Rumble-Rumble Fruit, his hands crackled with electricity, a sound like a thousand chirping birds, before he unleashed his attack towards Shiki.
"Lightning Release: Kirin!"
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