123 Scorching Horizon
Whilst everyone stopped to pay attention to Malia's transformation, Shaya took that moment of distraction to dart towards the enemies who were attempting to disrupt Benji's playing.
"Blood Domain!"
Before they realised Shaya's presence, all the enemies were enclosed in a giant sphere of blood.
Although they were confident in their ability to defeat the combined efforts of the Marines and Big Mom Pirates, doing so whilst protecting Benji was proving troublesome. Sabo and Silk let out a sigh of relief when they saw the arrival of the scarlet winged archer.
The enemies trapped in the Blood Domain let out screams of pain as they felt their blood turn chaotic. It was almost as if it were attempting to escape their bodies.
Everything seemed to happen in an instant. From Malia's transformation to Shaya's attack, it took no longer than 3 seconds.
As soon as Smoker noticed that his men had been trapped in the Blood Domain he transformed into a smokey blur firing in their direction.
Shaya didn't waste time with useless words, she knew time was of the essence.
"Bloody Cyclone!"
Smoker didn't make it half way when all of a sudden the scarlet sphere enclosing the marine/pirate collaboration transformed into a sky high scarlet cyclone.
The creator of the cyclone paid no attention to the incoming Naval Captain. Her indifferent voice spread into the ears of everyone present.
"Blood Arrow!"
The giant cyclone was then compressed into a dark red arrow. In the area where Sabo and Silk were defending Benji from a small army, the small army had vanished without a trace leaving only the cross legged musician and his 2 protectors.
Smoker looked coldly at the flying archer as he shot towards her.
"Where are my men?!"
Shaya lightly replied as she glanced at the infuriated Marine Captain.
"Dead."
As she said that, she reached out grabbing the dark red arrow which turned black under her touch.
She had just nocked the scarlet arrow preparing to take aim when Smoker arrived thrusting the tip of his Jutte at her face.
"Shigan Jutte!"
His jutte moved like a bullet travelling towards the space between her eyebrows. Shaya acted as if she didn't see his attack, slowly raising her bow as if to fire.
As the Jutte pierced her head, Smoker saw her body shimmer and vanish into the wind.
[That damn Vanishing Step!]
When he felt her presence again he sensed that she was 10 meters behind him with her nocked arrow aimed at his head.
As she released, the arrow turned into a black blur as it zipped through the sky towards threatening to pierce a hole in anything in its path.
Smoker didn't dare take this arrow head on.
"Soru!"
As he barely evaded the arrow, there was sweat dripping down the back of his neck. He felt the power behind that arrow and it was absolutely nothing to scoff at. If he tried to block that, even though he felt he would be successful, he knew he would have to pay a serious price.
He was just about to continue with his assault when he heard the pained scream of someone behind him. As he turned around, he saw Vernon with an arrow sized hole in his left shoulder.
[That arrow was never meant for me…]
Seeing the injured Vernon, Malia knew it was her chance.
"Cross Wave!"
She slashed out with a knife in each hand creating an X shaped knife beam.
Even though he was badly injured, it wasn't fatal. Being an assassin for over a decade and having been through his fair share of sticky situations, Vernon was still able to dodge the incoming attack, despite being caught off guard.
He shifted his body allowing for the cross shaped knife wave to fly passed him.
"Ahhhh!"
Malia looked down at the black robed assassin who now had a cross shaped wound on his chest.
"You saw my transformation and forgot about my other abilities to manipulate shadows…"
Vernon glanced back at his shadow then at the wound on his chest.
[Not only can she hide in the shadows of others, but she can also damage their physical body by attacking their shadows…
Between her shadow abilities and the increase in strength that comes with her mythical Zoan transformation she would've become a giant boost to the League in the future. If I had know the full extent of her abilities earlier I never would've given in to the request of Katakuri!
No point crying over spilt milk. All I can do now is kill her ridding the league of any unnecessary threats…]
Thinking to there, Vernon drew a short straight sword he had hidden under his robe.
As he unsheathed his sword his aura changed. Unlike most swordsmen whose auras turn sharp and fierce when they draw their swords, his became virtually non-existent.
Shaya who was flying in the distance frowned when she saw that. Even with her observation haki and her Hawkeyes she was sure that if she wasn't looking directly at him, she wouldn't be able to notice his presence at all.
[So this is the famous Total Eclipse? According to the rumours, the infamous King of Killers was able to use this technique to walk into Mary Geoise without being noticed, even the Gorosei weren't able to feel his presence until after he had killed his target. Of the 4 Paths, this is the technique that they're most proud of!]
The 4 paths refer to the 4 techniques that are taught to all elite killers in the League:
1. Transient Shade – The user is able to create a clone left in the place of the true body whilst the true body rapidly moves into a new position.
2. Total Eclipse – A technique to hide the aura of the user.
3. Vanishing Tempo – The user thrusts their weapon at the head, heart and throat at a speed so fast it makes it look like they have 3 arms.
4. Overdrive – It burns the users life force temporarily granting them a boost in power 3x greater than normal, but leaves the user either severely injured, paralysed or in more than a few cases, dead.
Just as the robed assassin prepared to attack the sound of a heart wrenching scream rang throughout the street.
"Nooo, Daifuku!"
When Katakuri noticed his now one armed brother on one knee mere meters away from the Draconian body of Roman his eyes went blood shot. He tried to force his way through but how could Ori just allow him passed.
"It was you who came after us, if you weren't prepared for losses you never should have started this war!"
The Big Mom Commander had already lost 2 brothers and several of his men to the Heavenly Demon's, he refused to lose anyone else.
"Get, Out, Of, My, WAY!"
As the sound of his voice boomed throughout the island, his conqueror's haki surged forth uncontrollably.
Every attack was infused with the presence of a king. For the first time since their battle began, Ori was truly feeling as if he was knocking on deaths door, if he made the slightest mistake it'd be his life.
"I guess I can't afford to hold back anymore…
Heavenly Demon Mode!"
Ori's black dreadlock's turned white and his eyes went pitch black. When the members of the crowd saw Ori's transformation and felt his aura they honestly believed he was a creature born from hell.
"This must be why he's called the Heavenly Demon!"
On the other side of the street Roman slowly walked towards the one armed Yonko executive.
"I should thank you. If it wasn't for you I don't know how long it would've taken to reach the Halberd Master boundary.
As thanks I'll end this with the technique I just created when breaking through!"
Daifuku refused to just give up. He shakily got to his feet as he glared at the demonic looking dragon man before him.
"If you think you've won already, you're an idiot!"
He rubbed his belly once more summoning the giant halberd wielding genie.
"Fiend Shredding!"
The oversized genie slashed out in Roman's direction. This attack was Daifuku giving everything he had left in the tank. It was as if he was trying to chop the island in 2 with this attack.
Roman's expression was still indifferent. He raised the pitch black halberd in his left hand across his body and covered it with a blazing golden aura. Now that he had reached the Halberd Master boundary he felt as if he had become one with the Halberd.
[There is no me without the Halberd; There is no Halberd without me!]
"Scorching Horizon!"
As he slashed out the viewers felt as if both he and the halberd in his hand had transformed into a blazing sun! The weaker members in the crowd felt their eyes burn from just the sight of him.
As the 2 halberd's neared the collision that everyone expected never arrived. The genie's halberd had melted before even making contact.
A golden crescent shaped halberd light shot out of Roman's polearm incinerating everything in its path. Nothing even made contact with the attack, everything that came within 5 meters of the crescent shaped golden beam turned to ash.
After the incineration of the genie, Daifuku immediately coated his body in a layer of haki to attempt to resist the attack.
"NOOOO!"
His attempts proved futile. before the attack even reached, Daifuku felt his skin literally burning off his flesh.
Seeing the ash remains of the Yonko Executive scatter in the wind, everyone stopped what they were doing and took a deep breath as they looked at the young dragon scaled first mate of the Heavenly Demon Pirates in all his glory.
Roman glanced in Ori's direction. Seeing that he was successfully holding his own against the thoroughly enraged Big Mom Pirates Commander he knew he had no reason to worry. He looked over at Malia and Vernon, who were both staring at him in complete shock and in the case of the assassin, a trace of horror.
"On to the next one!"
