Chapter 404 - 243

Chapter 243: Breaking the Shackles!Luffy felt a slight tingling on his scalp under the Golden Lion's scorching gaze.He raised his hand, used his pinky to pick his ear, and spoke with an air of detached frankness,"Honestly, I really want to punch you away too. You look really annoying.""But I can't. Right now... your opponent isn't me!""Huh—?!"The Golden Lion's pupils contracted, and his arrogant face showed clear astonishment and confusion.In the flash of lightning where his concentration wavered!His battle-hardened Observation Haki suddenly sounded an unprecedentedly sharp alarm!Countless fragmented images were forcibly jammed into his mind:A streak of blue-white lightning, a cold face, a heel growing infinitely larger in his vision... the future was rewritten by extreme speed!However, the gap between the warning and reality was so short that the word "reaction" felt like a luxury.Pwoom—!!!A foot wrapped in violent blue-white electrical arcs, as if crossing the barrier of space and time, slammed fiercely onto Golden Lion Shiki's face without warning or obstruction!"Gah—!"The grunt of sharp pain and shock was drowned out by the thunderous light that erupted immediately after.The blue-white lightning, upon impact, transformed into a ferocious, roaring Thunder Dragon, using pure destructive kinetic energy to blast the legendary great pirate straight away like a cannonball!Sanji's figure flashed and vanished in the center of the lightning. The next second, the human-shaped ball of lightning exploded with a "bang."It transformed into countless pulsating blue-white electrical arcs, scattering in all directions like a heavenly maiden scattering flowers.Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!Hundreds and thousands of figures, each incredibly solid and wrapped in dazzling thunder light, flashed out from every angle and every gap where the electrical arcs dissipated!Their movements were uniform, their aura originated from the same source, and their cold gazes locked onto the same target.Hundreds of "Sanjis" charged simultaneously, like an enraged swarm of thunder bees, intent on completely overwhelming the enemy!"How is this possible?!"The Golden Lion forcibly twisted his body, abruptly halting his retreat.He raised a hand to wipe away the blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. In his solitary and arrogant golden eyes, genuine astonishment and solemnity, reserved for an unknown powerful enemy, finally surged forth."This speed... these clones?! Observation Hakiactually can't distinguish them at all!""Heh heh..." A cold, slightly hoarse sneer came simultaneously from the front, back, left, right, above, and below, overlapping like the whisper of thunder,"Does this speed of mine... even register with you, old man?"Before the words finished, the nearest blue lightning shadow had already lunged forward, its raised lightning-wrapped foot kicking fiercely towards his temple!"A mere trick!"A sharp glint flashed in the Golden Lion's eyes. He swung a sword wrapped in Haki, instantly cutting the lightning shadow into dissipating electrical sparks.But his brow furrowed tightly.His gaze swept over the hundreds of lightning shadow clones continuing to surge in like a tide, his senses fully extended."So that's it..."The Golden Lion cracked a malicious grin, mixed with excitement and cruelty,"It's not an illusion, nor is it a simple afterimage... it's a 'Thunder Speed Clone,' briefly possessing substance, created by pushing lightning and Hakito the extreme in conjunction with ultimate speed?""I didn't expect a young brat like you to actually touch the threshold of that realm!"The contempt in his eyes vanished completely, replaced by the focus reserved for prey worthy of execution."However! This level alone is far from enough!!"Amidst the malicious laughter, the Golden Lion's floating figure suddenly shifted from extreme motion to extreme stillness. This abrupt stop defied physical laws but unleashed even more terrifying power.The oto and mugure in his hands burst forth with golden radiance brighter than the sun. He crossed his two swords and violently swung them toward the fan-shaped area in front of him!"Shishi Senkikiri—!!!"Hundreds of incomparably fierce golden sword beams connected end-to-end, layering upon one another, instantly weaving a destructive golden giant net that covered the entire airspace!Wherever the sword net passed, space let out a wail of being sliced, and the atmosphere was completely evacuated, creating a brief, deathly vacuum.Swish swish swish swish—!!!The hundreds of incoming blue lightning shadows, facing this indiscriminate, area-covering legendary slash,were shattered and obliterated like soap bubbles in the sun, turning into scattered electrical arc points, instantly swept clean!The sky cleared.However, the Golden Lion's expression did not relax; instead, he abruptly looked up!Up there, a destructive energy, condensed to the extreme and potent enough to sting his skin, was rapidly converging!Rumble rumble rumble—!!!High in the sky, countless scattered blue-white electrical arcs did not vanish; instead, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, they frantically gathered and compressed toward a single point!Sanji's true body appeared in the center of that dazzling, unwatchable sphere of lightning. He was upside down, his single leg straight like a battle axe,His entire leg was wrapped and interwoven with condensed, substantial blue-white lightning and ink-black Armament Haki!The lightning condensed into a gigantic blade phantom, dozens of meters long, spanning the sky and composed of pure electricity!Black fissures that tore space leaped along the edge of the phantom, emitting a sharp shriek like a thousand strange birds crying out together!Sanji's cold voice penetrated the roar and clearly reached the Golden Lion's ears:"Diable Jambe: Lightning King Execution Block!!"The moment the words fell, the lightning blade, along with Sanji who had become a blue-white meteor, slashed down toward the airspace where the Golden Lion was located!"Excellent timing!!!"Fanatical fighting intent erupted in the Golden Lion's eyes. Facing this "Lightning Execution" descending from the heavens, he neither dodged nor retreated, but instead let out a fierce roar.He crossed his two swords above his head, unleashing Haoshoku and Armament Haki without reservation, wrapping the swords to form an incredibly solid black-gold cross barrier!Bang!!!!!!!!A spherical wave of destruction, mixing black, gold, blue, and white, silently and rapidly spread out from the point of collision.Wherever it passed, the clouds evaporated!!"Buzz—Clang—!!!"The utterly ferocious blue-white lightning, like a breaching Heavenly River, surged frantically into the Golden Lion's arms and torso through the intersection of the two swords!The two legendary great swords in his hands, otoand mugure, actually emitted a sound of overwhelming strain, vibrating like the death cries of the dying!"Gahhhhh—!!!"The Golden Lion's eyes were wide open and bloodshot, and the blood spurting from his mouth was instantly vaporized by the high-voltage current.His invincible defensive stance lasted less than half a second before completely collapsing under the tremendous force of the lightning and the penetration of Armament Haki!Boom—!!!He was transformed into a straight column of light mixed with lightning and blood mist, piercing downward like a spear thrown by a deity, striking the already scarred earth below!An earth-shattering impact followed, and smoke and debris mixed with thunder and fire shot into the sky, forming a small mushroom cloud.Above the sky, the lightning slowly dissipated... "Cough... G-gah—!!"Debris and smoke were pushed away by an invisible force, and the Golden Lion's bloodied body slowly floated up from the depths of the massive crater."You truly are... a relentless brat!!"His malicious laughter echoed across the desolate battle ruins, carrying the fury of an old-era overlord repeatedly provoked.Before his voice faded—Zzzzz... Crackle!A sudden change occurred!Countless crimson-gold electrical arcs, like raging dragons escaping their cage, violently burst forth, tearing through the smoke and surging straight toward the dim sky!"Hmm—?!"The malicious grin on the Golden Lion's face instantly froze, his pupils rapidly contracting as he locked his gaze onto the ground below.The smoke was dispersed by the thunder, and a figure slowly straightened its back in the center of the crimson-gold lightning storm.He was covered in blood and injuries, but his right eye shone terrifyingly, as if molten lava was boiling within it."This scale of Haoshoku... Gya ha ha ha!! Is this another arrogant brat dreaming of becoming King?!"After the initial shock, the Golden Lion burst into a more unrestrained laugh, but the veins on the hand gripping oto and mugure were already bulging."What else would it be..."The low, hoarse voice seemed to come from the depths of hell.Roronoa Zoro slowly raised his head. The dark green Oni Aura around him surged and solidified like a living thing, resonating with the three humming great swords in his hands.wado ichimonji, Shusui, and sandai kitetsu—a faint green flame ignited on their blades!Zzzzzz—!The sky-piercing crimson-gold Haoshoku lightning seemed to find its home, frantically converging and wrapping around the swords in his hands!Thunder and ghost fire intertwined, granting the blade a chaotic might reminiscent of the time before creation."I... made a vow long ago!!"Zoro stomped, shattering the remaining rock layer beneath his foot, and his figure instantly vanished from the spot.A straight "line" of mixed crimson-gold and dark green, tearing through the atmosphere at a speed beyond the limit of sight, stabbed directly toward the Golden Lion in the sky!"Gya ha ha ha!! Interesting, too interesting!!"The Golden Lion laughed wildly, his golden hair whipping madly despite the lack of wind.What erupted even before his laughter was a deeper, more violent black-red lightning!"Boasting shamelessly beneath my sky!""Slash Wave: Lion's Fang Heavenfall!"The two swords slashed down, crossed!Two golden sword energies, expanded enough to slice through clouds, roared out and spiraled together in the air. The torrent of sword energy violently condensed into a brilliant male lion with bared fangs and flying mane!It opened its massive, world-devouring mouth, howling with a tremor that shook space itself, and bit down toward the counter-attacking "line"!Facing this strike that seemed capable of swallowing an island, Zoro's charging trajectory did not deviate in the slightest.Under extreme pressure, his aura instead settled into a terrifying calmness.His three swords, following an esoteric trajectory, converged into a single line."Betting everything... on this one strike..."The whisper was drowned out by the wind and thunder.The next instant, a sharp glint burst forth from his eyes!"King of Hell Three Sword Style: 103 Emotions — Dragon Damnation!"An extremely condensed, sky-piercing emerald green beam erupted from Zoro's blade!In that beam, crimson-gold lightning plated it with destructive sharpness, and dark green ghost fire injected the resolve to sever fate!—Zeng!!!There was no standoff, only an ultimate crisp clang!The emerald green beam pierced the center of the roaring Golden Lion's brow with zero resistance, like a hot knife cutting through grease!The lion phantom instantly froze, then burst forth with an indescribably brilliant, fierce light from within.Boom!!!!Like a hundred volcanoes erupting simultaneously in the sky, the Golden Lion transformed into a destructive sun and violently exploded!The shockwave became a visible, colossal ring, sweeping away the clouds within a radius of several thousand meters!At the core of the explosion, two figures, and two bolts of lightning—distinct in color yet equally dominant—finally collided fiercely!—Clang!!!!!oto and mugure locked tightly against Zoro's three great swords!The black-red and crimson-gold Haoshokulightning, like two frantically tearing dragons, erupted from the clash point of the swords, forming a towering, two-colored thunder pillar that illuminated the sky and earth in a dreadful white glare!Zoro's arm muscles trembled violently under the terrifying pressure. Blood splattered from his cracked web of fingers, only to be instantly vaporized.Yet, his gaze was cold and tranquil like ten thousand years of ice, with only fighting spirit and killing intent—enough to incinerate the legend before him—burning in the depths of his pupils!The wild laughter on the Golden Lion's face completely vanished at this moment.Through the exploding lightning, he clearly saw that the aura of the young swordsman before him was transforming and sublimating at an unbelievable speed!That was not a simple power increase, but... the barrier of the realm was making a sound of shattering under his death-defying blade!"This brat...!"The warning signs in his heart rang wildly like a death knell!Boom—!!!Zoro let out a battle cry from his throat, and the Advanced Armament Haki power wrapped around his three swords suddenly surged another notch!The Golden Lion's blocking swords were pushed back, inch by inch, by an irresistible force!"Gahhhhh—!!"Golden Lion Shiki was violently slashed and sent flying by this sky-piercing attack!He turned into a black silhouette, consecutively smashing through several massive floating mountains standing like a forest in the distance!Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!The continuous roar of collapsing mountains followed, and smoke rose like a tsunami, engulfing the trajectory of his defeat.Above the sky, only the afterglow of the crimson-gold and dark green interwoven slash lingered for a long time...