Although Kaido had heard of Fujitora's name—after all, how could he not know about a Marine Admiral?—this was their first time meeting, and he had never exchanged blows with Fujitora before.

He had long heard rumors that this man's attacks were earth-shattering, but seeing was believing. Just a simple gesture, and a meteorite came crashing down from the sky?

"Fujitora! What are you doing?" Gion asked angrily.

"Shouldn't we start with a greeting?" Fujitora replied with a slight smile.

"Is that how you say hello?" Gion was clearly annoyed. With a stomp, she leaped away from the area.

Fortunately, the meteorite summoned by Fujitora wasn't too large, so its destruction wouldn't spread too far.

Shiki frowned. Since Fujitora had arrived, his expression had been less than pleasant. But while the meteorite was indeed impressive, as Fujitora himself said, it was merely a greeting. To top-level fighters, it wasn't much of a threat.

Just as Shiki was about to act, Kaido suddenly burst into laughter. Then, taking a deep breath in his human form, he opened his mouth toward the descending meteorite and spat—no, not phlegm, but a blast of searing heat!

The intense heat struck the meteorite, causing it to explode like a celestial firework, scattering flaming debris across the island.

Fujitora seemed a little displeased, but he didn't dwell on it. The island was full of pirates anyway—if one died, that was just one less to deal with.

Kaido had casually destroyed the meteorite with a breath attack, and Shiki let out a sigh of relief. He was just about to speak when suddenly, Gion reappeared, targeting his waist with another powerful kick.

Shiki was irritated and immediately coated his body in Armament Haki to counter her strike. Fujitora, however, wasn't the type to stand back and watch. The cane sword in his hand swiftly left its sheath.

"Gravity Blade: Fierce Tiger!" Fujitora declared as he attacked without hesitation.

A powerful gravitational force pressed down on Shiki, pushing him backward. It was only then that Shiki realized, the meteorite earlier wasn't just a simple greeting. It was a diversion, meant to make Gion 'reasonably' change position and coordinate with Fujitora for a pincer attack!

With Gion's kick from behind and Fujitora's gravitational force pushing him back, Shiki found himself in a precarious situation.

However, Shiki was no ordinary pirate, he had been famous for decades. In this critical moment, he chose not to confront Gion head-on. Instead, he forcefully broke free from the gravitational hold and soared into the sky.

Gion's heavy kick missed him by a hair's breadth and, instead, landed squarely on Kaido's chest.

Kaido relied on his absurd durability rather than active defense. He had been watching the fight like a spectator, but the unexpected kick made his chest throb with pain. His footing faltered, and his massive figure was sent flying.

At the same time, Borsalino made his move. With blinding speed, he transformed into golden light and appeared beside Kaido mid-air, like a relay baton being passed.

"Light-Speed Kick," Borsalino murmured.

Kaido had no time to react before a devastating kick landed on his head, sending him crashing from the sky into the ground, creating yet another massive crater.

"God's Judgment!"

Enel's response was just as swift. The moment Kaido crashed, a towering pillar of lightning struck down from the sky, engulfing the crater in a violent explosion. Blazing flames erupted instantly.

Unnoticed by many, Crocodile had also appeared. Pressing both hands to the ground, he activated his Devil Fruit ability. The terrain rapidly turned to sand, and the crater began to fill, burying Kaido beneath a landslide of golden grains.

"Desert Spada: Sand Pit Burial," Crocodile whispered.

For a moment, Shiki was left stunned.

Damn it, I just dodged a kick…

Kaido had just been hit by four top-tier attacks in succession. Now, buried beneath the quicksand, it was unclear whether he was even alive. The sight left Shiki in shock.

If he had been the one to take those four attacks, even if he didn't die, he'd be gravely injured. But Kaido… that guy was a beast. He was ridiculously tough—surely he'd be fine, right?

With that thought, Shiki felt an odd sense of relief. Thank god I dodged that kick. If I hadn't, I'd be the one buried right now.

The battle wasn't over yet. As Kaido was being buried, Gion landed on the ground. Her previous kick had been unexpected, but Kaido wasn't her primary target.

The moment she landed, her body underwent a transformation. A pair of rabbit ears sprouted, her hands became covered in fur, and a fluffy rabbit tail emerged from her lower back.

Her eyes turned red, her aura surged, and with a powerful push from her feet, she shot toward Shiki once more.

"You think I'm gonna let you bully me like a rabbit fighting a lion?" Shiki cursed.

He swiftly swung his two famous swords, sending out flying slashes. But Gion's fighting style was ferocious—rather than retreat, her eyes gleamed with battle intent as she met the attacks head-on.

"Moon Rabbit —Twin Flow Dance!" Gion whispered.

Her punch, carrying a frigid force reminiscent of the moon, shattered Shiki's two flying slashes in an instant. Without slowing down, she used Moonwalk to propel herself forward at high speed, closing in on Shiki again.

A fierce light flashed in Shiki's eyes. He was about to counterattack when, suddenly, his body stiffened.

The powerful force of gravity had enveloped him once more, halting his movements.

For top-tier fighters, even a moment's hesitation could be fatal!

Shiki didn't doubt Gion's strength, he immediately abandoned his attack and switched to defense, crossing his swords in front of his chest.

In the next second, Gion reached him and struck his crossed blades with a heavy punch. The impact sent a shockwave through his arms, pushing him back.

And then—

"Rebuke."

Fujitora's voice rang out softly.

The gravitational force that had just pressed down on Shiki suddenly reversed, creating a backlash.

Shiki's body was lifted upward, and Gion's punch, which had initially been blocked, slipped past his guard and landed directly on his chest!

Shiki spat out a mouthful of blood as he was sent flying. In midair, he gritted his teeth, gathered his strength, and roared:

"Lion's Majesty—Sea Roar!!!"

The moment he spoke, the once-stabilized island trembled violently. Then, an enormous column of seawater erupted from beneath, breaking through the land and creating a massive hole in the center of the island.

The seawater swirled into the sky, taking the shape of a monstrous sea lion.

The towering beast bared its fangs and claws, roaring as it charged toward Fujitora and Gion.

Both Fujitora and Gion, being Devil Fruit users, immediately chose to dodge rather than risk being caught. Shiki took advantage of the moment to recover, his eyes gleaming fiercely as he prepared to unleash his full power.

Meanwhile, the center of the battlefield was undergoing an even greater transformation.

Hancock, having just kicked away one of Big Mom's punches, landed gracefully and looked down in surprise. Why is the ground shaking so violently? Are we sinking into the sea?

"Fire Fist!"

Ace's voice rang out as he launched a blazing punch at Big Mom, leaving a scorched path in its wake.

Big Mom, still unsteady from Hancock's attack, intended to take the hit head-on. Given her durability, it shouldn't be a problem.

But at that moment, the ground beneath them suddenly split open, and jagged rock formations shot up, blocking the Fire Fist's trajectory and creating an explosion midair.

Ace froze, looking at the trembling ground beneath him. What the hell is going on?

Not far away, Claudius, who had been watching the battle, was also stunned.

Then, his expression changed drastically.

The entire island had transformed—its land had taken the shape of a massive lion's head.

With a single bite, the monstrous lion swallowed everything in its path.

"Shiki, you bastard!" Claudius cursed.

(To be continued.)

***

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