Hearing Daren's words, Shiki's lips curled into a mocking grin, ready to fire back with a sneer.
But in the very next second, his brows furrowed.
The eyes of those four Marine brats... had changed.
Kuzan was the first to act, raising his hand and launching several snow-white ice pillars straight at Shiki.
A blast of frigid air surged forward. A flash of red flickered in Shiki's pupils as his Observation Haki instantly pinpointed the pillars' trajectory.
"Jihahahaha! That trick's useless against me!"
With a tilt of his body, the ice pillars whistled past his clothes, missing by a hair.
But then, the smirk on his face abruptly froze.
With a sharp command from Kuzan, the pillars that had brushed by exploded into a storm of glittering ice crystals.
The shards rapidly dissolved into an overwhelming cold mist that spread like wildfire. The air around them visibly froze, layering over Shiki's body and clothes, creeping outward without pause.
A biting chill pierced through his skin, infiltrating every pore, slowing the flow of his blood.
Shiki scowled, and a swirling surge of Armament Haki burst from within him, rapidly dispelling the freezing air invading his muscles.
At that moment, a beam of golden light suddenly shot into the sky.
The dim horizon was flooded with a blinding brilliance, as if night had turned to day in an instant.
High above, Borsalino spread his arms, fingers poised in an orchid shape, his body bathed entirely in golden light!
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
With his voice still hanging in the air, countless blazing light bullets, radiating scorching destructive power, rained down like a torrent from the heavens.
Shiki raised an eyebrow and soared like a flying lion, weaving through the storm of light bullets at breakneck speed.
Then, dozens of fixed heavy cannons on the ground suddenly shifted, swiveling their barrels toward his flight path and unleashing a furious barrage.
Above, a downpour of light bullets. Ahead, a wall of cannon fire. Every escape route was completely sealed off.
Shiki gritted his teeth, his body halting mid-air. With a fierce swing of his twin swords, he unleashed a volley of sharp, golden slashes.
"Shishi: Senjindani!"
Dozens of sword beams shot out with a roar, tearing everything in their path to pieces. The devastating cutting force carved out a vacuum, crashing into the barrage of bullets and cannon shells, igniting massive explosions.
Flames surged into the sky. The residual force of the slashes swept across the battlefield, silently slicing through the ground and nearby structures.
"Jihahahahaha!! I thought you had something new up your sleeves, but it's just the same old tricks!"
Shiki's figure flickered in and out of the smoke and flames, grinning wildly.
"If this is all you've got, there won't be a second round!!"
The words had barely left his mouth when—
A figure wreathed in magma burst through the black smoke, appearing in front of Shiki with staggering speed.
Boiling red magma surged from his right arm, expanding in an instant like a volcano on the brink of eruption!
Seeing Sakazuki, a sly glint flashed in Shiki's feral eyes.
These four Marine brats were no pushovers. If he didn't take them down quickly, once that bastard Sengoku showed up, he wouldn't stand a chance.
Black and red lightning crackled around Shiki's body once more, wrapping tightly around his dual blades.
"Jihahahahaha!! You've got a death wish!"
He brought one blade crashing down!
A strike wreathed in Conqueror's Haki!
Sakazuki, facing the full brunt of the slash, felt as if the world before him was fracturing and collapsing inch by inch. Space itself seemed to twist and shatter like a broken mirror.
No doubt—if he took that hit head-on, he'd be seriously injured... maybe even killed!
But even as the Meito came crashing down, Sakazuki's expression beneath the brim of his cap didn't change at all.
His gaze remained ice-cold, as if he didn't even see the incoming strike.
Shiki's pupils shrank.
A wave of unease surged in his heart.
Then came a bizarre sight.
The instant the Meito sliced through the air, it was as if an invisible barrier appeared in the void. The air visibly warped as if being torn apart.
An eerie, indescribable force suddenly clamped down on his blade. Shiki felt the strength of his swing cut in half in an instant!
Faint blue arcs of electricity sparked along Oto's blade.
In the corner of his vision, he spotted the Marine Commodore on the ground.
The man stood with arms raised, lightning sparking between his fingers. Blood trickled from his nostrils and mouth as he clenched his teeth tight.
He had clearly pushed his Devil Fruit powers to the limit...
Even overdrawing his physical strength!
Super Overload: Magnetic Control!!
At last, the blade struck!
Blood gushed as the sword, wrapped in black-red lightning, pierced into Sakazuki's chest, cutting through magma and flesh, slicing straight to the bone.
Sakazuki's face turned pale in a flash.
But in his cold eyes, a wild gleam flared to life. A savage grin curled at the corners of his mouth.
The punch he had been holding back—erupted with thunderous speed...
Like a volcanic explosion!
A roar of magma burst forth, aimed straight at Shiki's head!
His pupils shrank to pinpoints.
From the sheer force behind the strike, he could feel the shadow of death looming.
But more than that—through his Observation Haki, he sensed something terrifying. The aura of the Marine brat in front of him had broken through some kind of limit... stepping into an entirely new realm!
The power of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi erupted. Shiki's body yanked backward in an instant.
The fist of magma from the Magu Magu no Mi grazed his chest, narrowly missing his neck by inches! The searing magma burned through his skin and flesh, leaving a scorched, mangled wound across his torso.
"AAARRRGH! Damn you, magma brat!!" Newest update provided by NoveIꜰire.net
Shiki howled in agony, his eyes bloodshot and wild. With a twist of his arm, he reversed his grip on his sword—his other Meito, Kogarashi, crackled to life with black-red lightning, ready to cleave Sakazuki in two.
Sakazuki's roar was cold and devilish.
At that moment, a streak of golden light split the air.
Borsalino suddenly appeared behind Shiki, both hands gripping the Ama no Murakumo, slashing straight at his lower back!
Their sword swings mirrored each other, nearly identical in speed and timing.
"Still think I was too slow this time?"
Borsalino grinned, his voice faint and mocking.