Chapter 403 - 242

Chapter 242: Heavenly Calamity Descends, The Final Battle Between Old and New Legends on Sky Island!The battlefield at the edge of the Sky Island had long been completely reshaped by the continuous shockwaves.The ground looked as if it had been repeatedly plowed by an invisible giant plow, with shattered rock strata and frozen soil mixing into a chaotic ruin."—Clang!!"The Spiked Club, wrapped in deep blue frost and black-red lightning, was once again firmly blocked by that seemingly simple Cane Sword.What emanated from the Cane Sword was not just power, but an omnipresent "weight" that pressed down!The air seemed to solidify into mercury, pressing against Yamato's body from all directions, making every breath she took incredibly heavy.Yamato gritted her teeth, fine beads of sweat trickling down her forehead.The Admiral standing before her, eyes closed in concentration, possessed strength far beyond imagination.Her mountain-splitting Conquerors Haki Coatingand her Chilling Breath that could freeze waves were like a stone sinking into the sea before the opponent's controlled "Gravity Field," unable to raise a single ripple capable of shaking the battle."Hey, little girl."Fujitora suddenly spoke, his deep voice cutting through the torrent of energy,"Is your Observation Haki only focused on me?""It seems your comrades have fallen into true desperation.""What?!"Yamato's slender eyebrows immediately furrowed.In a life-and-death struggle against an Admiral, she couldn't afford any distraction, and she truly had no time to spare for others.Now awakened by his words, she subconsciously extended her senses towards the center of the island.Then, she abruptly turned her head!What she saw made her instantly feel as if she had fallen into an ice cavern, her mind going blank.In the distance, over half of the floating island plates had transformed into countless towering, roaring Stone Lions, galloping and converging in the sky, forming an earth-shattering scene of apocalypse.And at the highest point, guarded by that "Lion Pack," Golden Lion Shiki's cape whipped wildly, his body wrapped in the black-red lightning that dominated everything, like a god or demon controlling the world.That terrifying, world-dominating pressure, even from such a distance, still caused her heart to stop.Fujitora did not take the opportunity to attack, but held his Cane Sword horizontally in front of him.On the blade, his solemn, almost ferocious face was suddenly reflected.A massive purple aura surged around him, and rings of incredibly solid gravity rapidly spread out from beneath his feet,They then lifted off the ground, ascending into the sky like reverse meteors, aiming directly for the airspace where the Golden Lion was located!That abnormal energy fluctuation instantly startled Yamato awake."Stop! What are you doing?!"She shouted sharply, the knuckles of the hand gripping the Spiked Club turning white from excessive force."It's nothing."Fujitora's voice returned to calm, but carried an undeniable resolution,"Just fulfilling the duty of a Marine Admiral. Will you continue to obstruct me?"A look of intense struggle and conflict flashed across Yamato's face.After several long breaths of silence, the confusion in her eyes vanished, replaced by rock-solid determination."Luffy is over there with the Golden Lion!"She slammed the Spiked Club heavily onto the ground, and frost spread out from beneath her feet,"My mission... is to stop you right here!!""Alas..."A long, heavy sigh escaped Fujitora's mouth.He slowly raised his Cane Sword, the tip pointing towards the sky. Deeper, richer purple gravity waves, mixed with crackling black Haki lightning, coiled around the blade like dancing pythons.The air let out a groan of distress, and the rock layers beneath his feet began to crack and sink."In that case... I apologize, little girl."Fujitora's voice rumbled like muffled thunder,"The remaining remnants of the legends of the old era must be completely terminated and publicly judged by the Marines! This is... the Order of Justice!"The moment his voice fell—"Gravity Blade: Hell Journey!""Secret Technique: Door of the Heavenly Rock Cave!"Neither side hesitated further; their strongest moves condensed and erupted instantly!The extreme Gravity Field violently collided with Yamato's Protective Ice, and terrifying shockwaves exploded in a ring, stripping an entire layer off the already shattered edge of the Sky Island!A new round of battle was imminent!...Meanwhile, at the core of the battlefield.Golden Lion Shiki's gaze pierced through the pervasive dust and the rampant Haki aftershocks, fixed firmly on Luffy, who sat at the ship's bow, like a hawk locking onto its prey.The wind pressure billowed the boy's black greatcoat, yet failed to shake his "slender" frame.Shiki clearly saw the surging, monstrous rage, which seemed ready to incinerate everything, within those scarlet pupils that had now turned into burning furnaces.However, what slightly surprised him was that the rage was tightly bound by an even stronger will, preventing it from immediately erupting.Luffy merely clenched his fists until his knuckles were white, like a silent volcano about to burst through the crust.The next second, Shiki's gaze subconsciously moved upward, sweeping over the seemingly ordinary straw hat on Luffy's head.Time, at this moment, seemed to be violently severed by an invisible hand.The Golden Lion's pupils suddenly contracted into two pinpricks; the blood in his body seemed to rush instantly to his head, only to freeze in the next instant.Past images, carrying bone-deep agony and boundless hatred, violently tore through the barrier of time and engulfed him.Roger's hearty laughter;The coldness and dizziness of the ship's rudder embedding itself in his skull during the Battle of Edd War;The resolve and excruciating pain when he was forced to sever his own legs in Impel Down... the source of everything, all his obsession, all his madness, was tied to that man's name!"Ro...ger...!!!"The sky-high fury transformed into tangible black-red Haki, erupting like an out-of-control volcano from his scarred body!The two famous swords in his hands, "oto" and "mugure," seemed to sense their master's monstrous hatred, trembling violently and emitting a bloodthirsty hum.Black-red lightning, denser and more ferocious than before, tightly coiled around them, causing the space where the blades were pointed to twist and blur."If it weren't for him... if it weren't for him!!!"Shiki's golden hair danced wildly, and the ship's rudder on his forehead reflected a cold light under the Haki's glow. He took a step forward, and the entire Sky Island tilted and groaned in response."Since you wear the same straw hat as him... then, in his stead, be utterly buried here!!!"Killing intent solidified. He raised his twin swords, and a devastating slash was about to pour out, intending to utterly sever everything before him, along with that intolerable past!Right at this critical moment!!—Boom!!!A thunderous roar, profoundly deep yet causing the soul to tremble, crushed down from the extremely high heavens.The sound initially seemed distant, but rapidly approached at an illogical speed, instantly filling the entire world.Golden Lion, Luffy, and all survivors on the battlefield involuntarily looked up.They saw the edge of the thick sea of clouds being mercilessly torn open and stained red, and a colossal, soul-shattering black shadow, dragging a fiery trail several kilometers long, slowly and irresistibly revealed its monstrous full form!The roar generated by its friction with the atmosphere drowned out all other sounds in the world. Terrifying heat waves arrived before the entity itself, causing the air currents across the entire sky to boil and churn!The sky-covering shadow rapidly expanded, like the slowly opening eyelid of the God of Death, instantly dominating the heavens.It enveloped a small portion of the main island, along with the legends and the new era confronting each other on the battlefield, all beneath its despair-inducing silhouette of destruction.That was clearly... a Heavenly Calamity-level Meteorite!..."Is that Fujitora's ability..."Luffy muttered softly to himself, his gaze sweeping across the edge of the Sky Island like lightning.The purple Gravity Field and the Ice Haki were fiercely locked in combat, staining that airspace with strange and dangerous colors.His gaze lingered for less than half a second before quickly moving away.Although Yamato's aura was suppressed, it remained tenacious. It was impossible for Fujitorato defeat her quickly, and perhaps... the outcome was still uncertain.His gaze then swept over the two silent ruins further away.The rock mountain where Sanji was suppressed, and the rift valley where Zoro fell.Luffy's chest rose and fell slightly as he heavily exhaled the surging violence and anxiety along with foul air.In a voice only he could hear, he whispered to the ruins:"If you guys don't wake up soon... I really... won't be able to hold back!"...Meanwhile, the ground battlefield was completely seized by despair."Me... Meteorite—!!"The remaining pirates stared blankly at the sky, as if choked by an invisible hand.The fiery shadow covering the sun constantly magnified on their irises, and the lethal pressure solidified the air into iron blocks."Th-this can't be real...""What kind of joke is this... How can humans possibly fight something like that...""Can we... still live?"Trembling murmurs spread through the deadly silence.Some collapsed to their knees, some dropped their weapons without noticing, and most were simply paralyzed, their minds washed blank by pure terror."What did we do wrong?!"A pirate, his face covered in blood and dirt, suddenly broke down and screamed, tears mixing with blood streaming down his face."We only robbed a few towns and killed a few groups of people...""Yesterday we were drinking and feasting! Why today do we have to encounter an Emperor's Battleand get a Meteorite smashed in our faces?!""Are they not even giving us a way to live?!"In the face of a true Heavenly Calamity, past cruelty and greed seemed so ridiculous and insignificant.How could human strength contend with this destruction falling from the heavens?There seemed to be only one answer left.No resistance, only annihilation... However, the scene in mid-air was completely different from the desperate purgatory on the ground.The Golden Lion merely glanced sideways at the descending behemoth, squeezing a cold, disdainful snort from his nostrils.As for Luffy, he didn't even fully raise his head, just flicking a glance with the corner of his eye, as if what was falling from the sky wasn't a World-Ending Meteorite, but an insignificant pinecone."Tch!"The Golden Lion clicked his tongue in displeasure.He had originally intended to use the momentum of this Heavenly Calamity to force Luffy to show some real skill, but he hadn't expected the kid to be even calmer than himself, acting completely unconcerned."Forget it... annoying things, just clean them up."Shiki's eyes sharpened, and he abruptly swung his arms!Swish, swish, swish—!!!In an instant, dozens of dazzling golden sword beams burst forth from his twin swords!They rapidly crisscrossed, branched out, and expanded in the air, finally transforming into an immense crescent-shaped network of slashes covering a small portion of the sky!Wherever the sword beams passed, the air was silently sliced open, leaving long-lasting vacuum trails, and they fiercely struck the Meteorite at speeds exceeding vision!"Lion: Valley Slicer!!"RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE—!!!That enormous Meteorite was easily sliced into and disintegrated by this net of destruction woven by a Legendary Swordsman, as if it were soft cake!The next second, under the gaze of countless pirates who had suddenly shifted from despair to ecstasy and disbelief, the massive Meteoriteviolently disintegrated, turning into innumerable fragments that burned with fire but still possessed terrifying kinetic energy.Like a destructive downpour, they cascaded towards the ground below!Although still lethal, compared to the impact of the entire Meteorite, it had been downgraded from "world-ending" to "calamity."The Golden Lion didn't even spare a second glance for the rain of fragments he had created.His gaze, from beginning to end, remained firmly locked on the tall, straw hat-wearing youth below.