At the very moment of that world-shaking collision—
"Gehahaha... Got it!"
Golden Lion Shiki dove down with maniacal laughter.
He paid no attention to the duel between Garp and Rocks.
Their level was far too high—rashly intervening would only result in getting caught in the crossfire.
From start to finish, he had only one target:
The Celestial Tribute!
Activating his Float-Float Fruit ability, Shiki pressed both hands against the gunwale of the transport ship carrying the Celestial Tribute.
The sensation transmitted through his palms sent waves of ecstasy through him—teakwood, gold trim, and the intoxicating aura of wealth emanating from the ship's hold!
"Rise up... for me!"
Hum—
The entire massive vessel trembled violently!
The treasure-laden ship began lifting off the sea surface.
An inch, a foot, a yard... the distance between the ship's bottom and the sea grew steadily larger.
"No... This is bad!! The transport ship is being stolen!"
"Stop him! Quickly stop Golden Lion!"
The naval officers' shouts were filled with despair.
They fired frantically, shells raining down on Shiki like hail, but all attacks were deflected by the "floating barrier" created by his Float-Float Fruit ability.
Even more terrifying, as the transport ship ascended, it began moving beyond the navy's encirclement.
Once it reached sufficient altitude, all naval artillery would lose their elevation angles, leaving them helpless to watch the treasure being stolen.
"This is terrible!" Sengoku and Garp both changed expressions simultaneously.
If the Celestial Tribute were stolen, this battle would be a complete failure.
Not only would they fail to eradicate the Rocks Pirates, the navy would also face the endless wrath and accountability of the Celestial Dragons.
Sengoku wanted to disengage, but—
"Gurarara... Losing focus now will get you killed!"
Whitebeard's Cloud Cutter swept horizontally, his Tremor-Tremor Power surging like raging tides to block all of Sengoku's escape routes.
The golden Buddha had no choice but to respond with full force, completely unable to break away.
Garp was in even worse shape.
Rocks' blade clung to him like maggots in bones, each strike precisely aimed at his vital points, forcing him to maintain complete concentration.
The slightest distraction would mean certain decapitation!
The only ones on the battlefield with any freedom of movement were Zephyr and Tsuru, who were confronting Raiver Sky.
The two exchanged a glance and instantly reached wordless understanding.
Zephyr took a step forward, his blackened Iron Fist shooting toward Raiver like a cannonball, the fist wind tearing through the atmosphere with a shriek:
"Brat... get out of my way!"
At the same moment, Tsuru's figure transformed into an afterimage, combining Shave and Moon Walk to shoot toward the ascending transport ship at near-instantaneous speed over short distances.
She only needed to use her Wash-Wash Fruit to cleanse the transport ship, using its "purification" power to erase the Float-Float Fruit effects Golden Lion had applied, causing the vessel to crash back into the sea.
But—
"Hmph."
A cold light flashed in Raiver Sky's eyes as he raised his left hand toward the departing Tsuru, suddenly clenching his five fingers:
"All Creation of Attraction—!"
Simultaneously raising his right hand toward the charging Zephyr, he slightly spread his fingers:
"Almighty Push!"
Zephyr was once again repelled by the invisible barrier of repulsive force!
Meanwhile, Tsuru a hundred meters away suddenly felt a tightness around her waist, being violently dragged toward Raiver Sky's position by a terrifying pulling force!
"What?!"
Tsuru's pupils constricted sharply as she instantly switched her Wash-Wash Fruit ability to defense, forming a protective shield of transparent water around her body to resist the gravitational pull.
At this moment, Raiver Sky raised his right hand, "Black Dragon." The blade was pitch black as ink, with Armament Haki coiling around it like dark flames burning.
"Flying Slash · Dragon Devour!"
A blade light—no, countless blade lights—shot forth.
The black blade lights intertwined, coiled, and merged in the air, ultimately transforming into a vividly lifelike black ferocious dragon.
Its target—
Tsuru's back!
"Tsuru—!!!"
Zephyr's eyes widened in fury!
He frantically activated "Razor" (a combination technique of Shave and Moon Walk), attempting to intercept the blade light at the fastest speed possible.
But Raiver Sky swung his blade backhandedly:
"Lion's Might: Thousand Rending Valleys!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Dozens of massive slashes materialized out of thin air, each extending up to twenty meters. Sword Qi crisscrossed, completely sealing off all of Zephyr's forward paths.
"Damn it... Damn it!!!"
Zephyr roared, his Iron Fists striking out like a violent storm, shattering the incoming slashes one by one.
Meanwhile—
Tsuru, firmly gripped by the All Creation of Attraction, experienced a sudden change in her pupils.
The lethal chill from behind triggered her Observation Haki into a frenzy of warnings.
"Wash-Wash Fruit · Ablution!" Tsuru murmured softly.
Hum—
A ripple of water emanated from within her, washing over her entire body in layers like ripples.
The intangible gravitational restraint was washed away and dissipated the instant the water ripple swept over it!
"What?!"
Raiver Sky frowned, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
The All Creation of Attraction could only be broken by a powerful burst of Haki.
But "erased"?
This was a first.
The effects of the Wash-Wash Fruit ability were even more bizarre than described in the intelligence.
This was no longer mere "washing of substances"; it had touched upon a conceptual "purification" at the level of rules!
"How is this any different from purification?" Raiver Sky inwardly complained.
The moment she broke free from the gravitational pull, Tsuru's eyes turned cold. She pressed her hands together in front of her chest, channeling the full power of the Wash-Wash Fruit ability!
"Purification Wall!"
Swoosh—
A massive, half-meter-thick transparent water curtain materialized out of nowhere.
The water curtain stood between her and the rapidly approaching black dragon.
Thud!!!
The black dragon plunged headfirst into the water curtain.
The Sword Qi-condensed dragon slowed abruptly within the water curtain.
But the transparent water curtain trembled violently, its surface covered in countless spiderweb-like cracks, yet it never shattered.
The cracks appeared and then rapidly "healed," as if the water curtain possessed a life of its own, self-repairing.
"Incredible defense..."
Raiver Sky's eyes sharpened.
He could sense the Black Dragon's power rapidly diminishing as it was weakened layer by layer within the water curtain.
Seventy percent, sixty percent, fifty percent...
When the Black Dragon was weakened to forty percent of its power, it finally broke through the water curtain!
At the same time, Tsuru whipped her right leg out like a whip!
"Tempest Kick · Severing Stream!"
A crescent-shaped slash, wrapped in Armament Haki, shot through the air, precisely colliding with the Black Dragon—
Boom—!!!
An explosion erupted above the sea.
Under the cleansing force of the Tempest Kick, the Black Dragon rapidly melted and evaporated like snow under the blazing sun, eventually dissipating into scattered black specks.
But Tsuru didn't fare well either.
The shockwave from the explosion sent her flying backward. She grunted, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth, her body plummeting uncontrollably toward the sea.
"Staff Officer Tsuru!"
"Quick, save her!"
Panicked shouts arose from the marine ranks.
"Roar—!!!"
On the other side, Zephyr, engulfed by the "Lion's Might: Thousand Rending Valleys."
Amid the storm of golden slashes, he stood firm like an angry Vajra, his black Iron Fists striking out like a raging tempest.
But with every slash he shattered, another bloody wound appeared on his body.
Ten breaths later, the storm of slashes finally dissipated.
The final slash was shattered by his fist, transforming into a sky full of black light particles.
Zephyr, drenched in blood, knelt on the deck of the warship, breathing heavily, then looked up at Raiver Sky in the air.
He never expected to be pushed to such a state by a junior.