Chapter 62: Rocks: This Azure Dragon… Is Ares?
The Golden Lion's question was met with a thunderous, soul-shaking roar.
"ROAAARR!!!"
The dragon's roar shattered the heavens, its deafening sound waves exploding outward in a devastating shockwave.
The fierce gale whipped Golden Lion's hair and clothes wildly.
As Ares' blood-red eyes locked onto him, a chill crept down Golden Lion's spine a deep, primal fear he could not suppress.
"This dragon… it's as if he's completely lost his mind. But is he really… Ares?"
The colossal, ferocious blue dragon before him radiated a strange sense of familiarity so familiar that it left Golden Lion deeply confused.
At that moment, Ares, having lost all reason, felt an intense heat welling within him, surging up from his core to his throat.
He opened his jaw, lined with rows of razor-sharp teeth.
A brilliant, burning orange sphere began to gather, radiating beams of concentrated light.
"DRAGON BREATH!!!"
When the energy sphere swelled to its limit, it suddenly erupted into a massive column of flame.
The blaze tore across the sky!
The pure blue sky was instantly dyed crimson, a spectacle of overwhelming grandeur.
The searing heat waves twisted the air, warping the very fabric of sight.
Golden Lion Shiki's face glistened with sweat, yet his expression burned with wild defiance and boundless fighting spirit.
"Whether you're Ares or not, I, Golden Lion, will fight you with everything I've got."
"Bring it on!!"
"I am the ruler of the skies Golden Lion!!"
Facing the oncoming inferno, Shiki's gaze sharpened, fully focused, treating this firestorm like a true life-or-death battle.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
A flash of cold steel a brilliant golden slash tore through the sky, splitting the blazing fire column in half.
With the power of the Float-Float Fruit, Shiki soared through the sky like a fierce eagle, gliding freely and swiftly.
In a blink, he appeared beside the azure dragon.
Both blades crossed in front of him, black-purple Armament Haki flaring around them like burning flames.
Golden Lion burst into laughter.
"Jihahahaha…!"
Power exploded from within his body as he swung his swords downward with ferocity.
Yet even without conscious thought, Ares' battle instincts had become terrifyingly sharp from years of grueling training and rapid growth.
In the face of Shiki's furious slash, Ares instinctively activated his Blood Armament!
In an instant
The majestic blue dragon scales and his yellow underbelly suddenly turned blood-red, dense white steam rising from his body.
CLANG!!!
The moment Shiki's Armament-infused blade struck Ares' hardened scales, the sound of metal grating against metal screeched through the sky!
Sparks flew in every direction.
Golden Lion's expression instantly twisted in shock.
"Ares?!"
…
"Ares?!"
Back on the ground, Rocks' face was frozen in disbelief as he stared at Streusen.
"You're saying… the azure dragon in the sky is Ares?!"
His heart trembled violently.
Whitebeard's expression also darkened with fury, his tiger-like eyes wide and intense, suffocating pressure pouring off him.
He glared at Streusen and demanded in a low, thunderous voice:
"Did Linlin… do something to Ares?!"
His massive hand tightened around the hilt of Murakumogiri, veins bulging across his skin.
Rage boiled within his chest.
He had warned Linlin just a month ago he'd made it crystal clear.
And now she didn't listen.
Staring into Whitebeard's murderous glare, Streusen turned ghostly pale, cold sweat pouring down his back.
He trembled as he stammered,
"N-No… absolutely not!"
He mustered all the courage he had to answer.
If Whitebeard lost control, Streusen feared he'd be tossed into the sea on the spot.
Whitebeard shot him a deathly glare and coldly snorted,
"Hmph! It'd better be that way."
"If something did happen… I'll split Linlin in half myself!"
He then raised his gaze to the sky, the firelight reflecting in his eyes, his face filled with genuine excitement.
"Ares actually got his hands on a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit he really is lucky."
"This Devil Fruit… actually suits him perfectly."
Linlin's plan had completely backfired.
Instead of gaining the fruit for herself, she'd handed Ares an incomparably powerful gift.
Whitebeard was truly happy for Ares from the bottom of his heart.
He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted at the sky,
"Oi!! Shiki!!!"
"That dragon is Ares! Don't hurt him!!"
Rocks also gazed skyward, his voice filled with emotion.
"In just over a month… Ares already has the power of a division commander."
It truly exceeded his expectations.
His growth rate was terrifying.
Just over a month
From a green rookie to a powerhouse on par with his top officers.
And Ares was only fourteen or fifteen
Yet he now possessed a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit.
As for Ares' future…
Even Rocks could no longer predict just how terrifying this boy would become.
Up in the sky
When Golden Lion heard Whitebeard's shout, his face twitched.
"Hurt Ares?!"
"Forget hurting him surviving him is a blessing!!"
"This brat's body and his Armament Haki are just too insane… he's ridiculously tough!!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The crisp clang of metal echoed repeatedly as Shiki's slashes struck Ares' hardened dragon body, leaving behind only faint white marks.
Golden Lion's heart trembled.
"This kid's Haki, combined with this Devil Fruit his defense is practically invincible!!"
Facing such monstrous defense Shiki was at a loss for what to do!
A massive dragon tail swept toward him, its pressure so immense that it felt as if the world itself was collapsing.
Shiki was forced to rapidly ascend to evade the attack.
Even so
The fierce wind grazed his face like tiny knives, leaving shallow stinging cuts.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
…
No sooner had he dodged the tail sweep when several powerful slashes barreled toward him at high speed.
He frantically swung his blades to block and deflect them.
The cigar clenched between his teeth was now nothing but decoration, almost entirely extinguished by the violent winds.
"This kid… even without his senses, his battle instincts are off the charts!!"
The relentless onslaught rained down like a violent storm.
Just as he dodged the slashes
A searing pillar of flame tore through the sky!
Shiki nearly coughed up blood.
There wasn't even a second to catch his breath he couldn't keep up!
His heart was screaming in frustration.
"Lion's Might Sky Roll!!"
He flicked his sword upward, the air itself seeming to form several massive, translucent, majestic lions.
The lions charged fearlessly toward Ares' blazing dragon breath!
BOOM!!!
The lions collided with the flames, triggering a deafening explosion, sending fiery shards raining down from the sky in a breathtaking display.
But on the island below
The rain of fire sent countless people screaming in terror.
This was no mere battle it was a full-blown catastrophe!
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the island
When Kaido heard the news, it was as if his soul had been yanked out by the Grim Reapers themselves.
He stood frozen in place, utterly dazed.
No one could possibly understand just how shattered he felt inside.
Or just how thoroughly his world had collapsed.
It was as if lightning had struck his mind, splitting him apart.
There could be no worse news than this.
Ares had eaten the Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit that should have been his!
Kaido's spirit seemed to leave his body.
He slumped to the ground with a heavy thud.
"Can I… can I still beat Ares…?"
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