One Piece: King Of The World

When Apoo obtained the Eternal Pose to Laugh Tale, Enel had already restored his elemental form.

Seeing this, Enel raised an eyebrow and smirked before activating his Observation Haki. The bait had been set, and now, he wanted to see what kind of fish would take the bite.

The moment he activated Observation Haki, Enel's expression showed slight surprise, but he didn't dwell on it. In the blink of an eye, his figure turned into a flash of lightning and vanished.

Originally, after seeing Enel recover, Apoo panicked, trying to figure out how to deal with him and escape with the Eternal Pose.

But unexpectedly, in just an instant, Enel withdrew on his own?

"How bizarre," Apoo muttered.

However, as soon as he spoke, the ground beneath him suddenly shifted. The soil twisted around his legs and, in moments, completely engulfed him, leaving only his two arms struggling, clutching the treasure chest that held the Eternal Pose.

At the same time, Golden Lion Shiki's figure abruptly emerged from underground.

No one had expected that Shiki, who was assumed to be attacking from the sky would appear from underground instead. Could the Float-Float Fruit even be used like this?

Upon rising, Shiki glanced at the spot where Enel had been. The ground showed signs of disturbance, but Enel had moved too fast, preventing Shiki from launching a sneak attack.

"Tch… Thunder-Thunder Fruit? What a troublesome guy." Shiki clicked his tongue in annoyance before turning his gaze to Scratchmen Apoo, now trapped by his ability.

To Shiki, the Worst Generation were all just small fry—not worth his attention.

By this point, Apoo was already buried up to his neck, his breathing labored, and his struggling growing weaker.

A sinister grin curled on Shiki's lips as he suddenly clenched his fist, tightening his grip further.

With an audible crack, the soil constricted violently, and a muffled, gruesome sound followed—something being crushed within the compressed earth.

Then, streaks of bright red seeped from the compacted dirt. Apoo's arms—now limp—dangled lifelessly, still holding the treasure chest.

Ruthless and efficient, Shiki had killed a Worst Generation pirate in mere seconds.

Apoo never even had the chance to resist. Under Shiki's power, he was crushed into nothing but a bloody pulp, his remains mixing with the soil.

Heaven and hell were separated by only a moment. Just seconds ago, Apoo was giddy over obtaining the Eternal Pose, yet before he could even utter his final words, he was dead.

While crushing Apoo, Shiki reached out for the treasure chest.

But just as he was about to take it, a faint crackle echoed in his ears.

Electric arcs?

Alarm bells rang in Shiki's mind. As expected, in the next second, Enel's figure materialized beside him, his golden staff swinging toward him.

"Thunder Alchemy—Snake Bind!" Enel whispered.

Electricity surged through the golden staff, and it seemed to come alive, transforming into a golden serpent lunging to bind and restrain Shiki.

"Do you take me for a fool?" Shiki sneered.

Without much movement, the ground responded to his will. A block of earth rose instantly, entangling itself with Enel's golden serpent-staff. At the same time, Shiki reached out for the treasure chest again.

But Enel was faster.

As if predicting Shiki's move, because he actually had Enel's hand flicked into the treasure chest, snatching the Eternal Pose before Shiki could react.

Shiki's fingers grasped nothing but an empty chest.

"Bastard!" Shiki roared, immediately drawing one of the swords at his waist and slashing fiercely toward Enel's midsection.

However, Enel didn't even attempt to block. Now that he had secured his objective, he turned into lightning and blinked away, leaving Shiki's attack slicing through empty air.

Before arriving here, Enel had only one mission: to secure the Eternal Pose.

He couldn't allow the Eternal Pose to fall into the hands of the truly powerful.

After all, it was meant to be bait.

If the wrong kind of fish swallowed it and escaped with it, how could the plan proceed?

For instance, if Charlotte Linlin had appeared, Enel wouldn't have stopped her from grabbing it—because Big Mom was not someone who could easily flee. But Shiki? That was a different story.

With his Float-Float Fruit, even if others were distracted fighting, Shiki could remotely control the Eternal Pose to fly away and deliver it to his subordinates.

That was unacceptable.

Just as Enel landed back on the ground, his instincts flared, and he immediately took a step backward.

In the very next second, the ground split apart, and a razor-sharp wind blade erupted from below, piercing the sky.

Then, Shiryu of the Rain emerged from the broken ground.

"Boss Shiki, looks like your plan has completely failed," Shiryu remarked.

"That guy's Observation Haki is strong, he can even see the future. Failing against someone like that is normal. Don't let him escape!" Shiki muttered.

Technically, Enel could flee anytime.

But if he did, how would they bait the bigger fish?

"This is such a pain," Enel thought, sighing inwardly.

Shiryu wasted no time. His sword, Thunderstorm, was coated in Armament Haki, slashing straight for Enel's chest.

Thunder flickered across Enel's body as he prepared to dodge—his future sight showing him Shiryu's next move.

"Naïve," Enel smirked.

But in that moment, his vision shifted—he had foreseen yet another attack.

It wasn't just one slash.

Shiki's original attack suddenly split into thousands of flying slashes, cutting through the air and covering the battlefield.

"Lion's Song—Red Fang."

Shiki whispered, his lips curling into a cruel smile.

Shiryu also smirked, about to follow up with another strike. But before he could act.

A powerful slash suddenly flew in from the distance.

Shiryu frowned and instinctively turned. Raising Thunderstorm, he barely blocked the incoming attack. But the sheer force pushed him backward, forcing him to take two hasty steps to stabilize himself.

"Who?!" Shiryu demanded.

A voice calmly responded.

"Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind… these six elements define perception—each bound by desire, suffering, and the world's thirty-six afflictions."

Emerging from the dense forest, Zoro stepped forward.

Shiryu squinted, feeling that the man looked familiar but unable to recall his identity.

Zoro didn't bother to introduce himself.

He raised his black blade, Enma, took a deep breath, and declared:

"One-Sword Style—."

As the words fell, he exploded forward with unimaginable speed, his movement leaving behind multiple afterimages.

Shiryu barely had time to react. His sword, Thunderstorm, was hastily reinforced with Armament Haki—but Zoro's blade had already struck.

"Six Roots Cleansed!!!"

Zoro roared, his voice deep and resolute.

A devastating force surged through Shiryu's sword.

The ground beneath him shattered instantly.

His hands trembled as the pressure fractured his grip, blood dripping from his fingers.

And then—

Zoro's blade sent Shiryu flying.

(To be continued.)

***

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