The entire island had transformed into a massive lion's head, floating atop the water, as if Shiki had wiped out every single powerful figure present in one move.

Claudius, who had been watching from a distance, slowly closed his gaping mouth and muttered, "As expected of a top-tier fighter."

However, the island's transformation was still unstable. Just moments after the lion's mouth closed shut, a deafening dragon's roar resounded through the heavens and earth. Then, the eyes of the lion's head were suddenly blasted apart as Kaido's massive dragon form erupted from within.

Yet, he didn't fully emerge. Only his dragon head and front claws managed to break free, while the rest of his body remained trapped within the lion's jaws.

Kaido roared furiously, thrashing his upper body in the air. Twisting his head around, he unleashed a powerful blast of heat, shattering the lion's head completely. With one final struggle, his colossal dragon form finally tore itself free.

"Shiki!!!" Kaido bellowed in rage.

That damn bastard! All because Shiki had "dodged" at the last second, Kaido—who had been nothing more than a bystander—ended up getting caught in the crossfire. First, he took a surprise kick, then he was relentlessly pummeled by several top fighters, buried under quicksand, and had barely managed to crawl out before being trapped again.

There was no need to guess—Shiki was definitely behind this mess.

Among everyone present, no one else had the ability to cause such large-scale devastation.

Kaido was utterly pissed off. We agreed to join forces! So why do you keep screwing me over? What did I ever do to you?!

As soon as Kaido's furious roar echoed, a beam of lightning and a golden laser shot out from the debris of the shattered lion's head, both slamming directly into his massive dragon body, sending him spiraling through the air.

Then, Enel and Borsalino emerged from the rubble, both looking disheveled and worse for wear.

The next moment, an enormous fist burst through another part of the lion's head. From within, a similarly battered Charlotte Linlin stumbled out, spitting dirt from her mouth.

"Shiki, you damn bastard! What the hell are you doing?!" Linlin cursed.

Just as she finished yelling, a sudden sense of danger washed over her.

Without hesitation, she leaped away from her spot.

The very next second, flames erupted beneath where she had been standing. Ace clawed his way out from the ground, covered in dirt and dust. The once-handsome young man now looked more like a savage.

Cough, cough! Ace spat out some mud, then shouted in frustration, "What the hell happened?! Why did the island suddenly turn into a giant sphere?!"

"Jihahahahahaha! Die! Let all of you die!!!"

Shiki hovered in the air, laughing maniacally.

At that moment, he had an epiphany—right now, nearly all of the world's top fighters were gathered here. If he killed them all, then even if he failed to obtain a Log Pose to Laugh Tale, who the hell would be left to stop him from ruling the world?!

With that thought, Shiki no longer held back. Hovering high above, he stretched out his hand and then clenched his fist tightly, his intent clear. He was trying to solidify the island, trapping all those who hadn't yet managed to escape within the colossal mass of rock.

However, before Shiki could finish his move, the lion's head suddenly exploded apart with overwhelming force!

Like fireworks bursting into the sky, the entire island was obliterated. Water from the lake surged into the air as Fujitora and the other top fighters broke free from the destruction, each finding a foothold amidst the wreckage that hadn't yet sunk into the water.

Gion, looking thoroughly irritated, dusted off the debris from her hair and shouted angrily, "Shiki, are you insane?! The Log Pose to Laugh Tale was on that island!"

"Jihahahahaha! Gion, who the hell do you think I am?! I'm the Golden Lion!!!" Shiki roared. "That bastard Roger managed to find the island, so why the hell wouldn't I?! I wasted years chasing after that Island, but I don't give a damn anymore! Now, all of you can just die!!!"

Laughing wildly, Shiki soared higher into the air. Then, stretching his arms wide, he unleashed an invisible wave of energy.

In the next instant—

The entire world seemed to flip upside down.

The seas surrounding Delta Island churned violently.

Claudius, still watching from a distance, was stunned. Shiki… he's going to destroy the entire island? No, he's trying to wipe out the entire sea?!

Just as he had predicted, a massive tsunami suddenly rose from the once-calm ocean, centered around Delta Island. The towering waves morphed into the shapes of roaring lions, surging forward to consume everything in their path.

At the same time, Delta Island itself began to change once more. The ground trembled, tilted, and started folding in on itself, as if forming another colossal lion's maw, except this time, it was more than ten times larger than before!

A tsunami raged overhead, while the earth below contorted into a massive, closing mouth.

The entire landscape had transformed.

High above, Kaido hovered in his dragon form, watching the monstrous waves consume the sky. He was furious.

That bastard Shiki flipped the table and is trying to take us all down with him?!

"Who the hell do you think I am?!"

Kaido roared furiously, unleashing another scorching blast of heat. The intense flames tore through the incoming tsunami, blasting a massive hole through the towering wave. Steam and mist filled the sky as Kaido surged upward, attempting to escape.

Meanwhile, Claudius, standing on the rapidly tilting island, spat to the side and muttered, "Tch, screw this."

In the next moment, his figure vanished into an invisible gust of wind.

All across the battlefield, the world's strongest fighters were pushing their abilities to the limit, struggling to survive as the island collapsed and the sea raged around them.

Charlotte Linlin swung her fist at the incoming tsunami, unleashing a wave of Soul Pocus. The lion-shaped waves froze in place before transforming into Homies under her command. She sighed in relief.

Elsewhere, Zoro clung to Kuina with one hand and grasped a nearby tree with the other, hanging in midair as he gazed at the closing earth beneath him. Even he couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear.

"Zoro… it looks like we're going to die together," Kuina murmured.

"Shut up!" Zoro snapped. With a swift motion, he hurled Kuina into the air, then clenched the black blade Shusui between his teeth. His other hand unsheathed Wado Ichimonji and Sandai Kitetsu, completing his Three-Sword Style stance.

"Three Thousand Worlds!!!"

Zoro roared, unleashing a massive slash toward the island. His blade cut deep into the land, creating a massive fissure. But under the influence of Shiki's ability, the ground quickly sealed itself again.

"Damn it… what kind of monsters are these?!" Zoro gritted his teeth.

Just then—

Two even more powerful slashes tore through the island.

These slashes, carrying the pure essence of the sword, sliced the closing landmass into four separate pieces!

The ones responsible? Red-Haired Shanks and Dracule Mihawk!

The island, now divided into four, collapsed into the sea, slightly alleviating the crisis. But Shiki's ability was still in effect, and the tsunami was about to crash down.

Smoker watched the scene in despair—until a faint blue energy wave swept across the battlefield.

In an instant, everything changed.

The raging tsunami froze solid. The collapsing island turned stark white with frost.

The entire sea transformed into an icy continent.

"Ice Age."

Kuzan's calm voice echoed through the chaos.

(To be continued.)

***

For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on P/treon to read 30+ advanced chapters: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves 

(Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)