Sanders stood in the passage, curling his lip.
He had originally thought that Shiryu would try to join him. He had even been thinking of ways to reject the offer.
But now, it seemed like there was no need—Shiryu had no such intentions at all.
It was purely Sanders' wishful thinking.
You couldn't blame Sanders for thinking this way. After all, in the future, Shiryu would betray Impel Down and join Blackbeard.
What Sanders didn't consider was that, at this point in time, his own reputation wasn't that great. His strength wasn't considered top-tier in the eyes of most people.
Also, Shiryu hadn't yet been imprisoned by Magellan, so his desire to betray was far from strong.
"Shiryu, why aren't you torturing pirates in the interrogation room? You came all the way here just to die?" Sanders mocked without hesitation.
Shiryu was momentarily stunned but then responded, "Don't think that just because you ate a strong Devil Fruit, you can act so arrogant."
"I've changed my mind. I'm going to slit your throat with this blade!"
As he spoke, Armament Haki wrapped around Shiryu's sword. With a casual slash, a powerful flying slash attack sped toward Sanders.
Lightning flashed in Sanders' eyes. Thanks to his Observation Haki, he had already sensed the slash and predicted its trajectory. His body turned into lightning and vanished from where he stood.
Boom!
The slash created a massive crack in the ground, and the deafening sound echoed throughout the third level. Dust filled the air.
"50 Million Volts—Thunder Strike!"
Sanders raised his hand, launching a bolt of lightning in retaliation.
The blue lightning, carrying a destructive aura, struck Shiryu at lightning speed.
Shiryu's eyes narrowed, and he slashed with his Armament Haki-coated sword, cutting through the lightning and sending it crashing into the walls on both sides.
"If that's all you've got, you won't be escaping today," Shiryu sneered. He kicked off the ground, leaping swiftly toward Sanders, swinging his sword "Thunderstorm" without hesitation.
Facing Shiryu's swift and powerful attacks, Sanders remained calm, a slight smirk forming on his lips. Armament Haki wrapped around his hand, and his left hand, brimming with lightning, extended outward.
"Electromagnetic Force—Repel!"
Even though there was still some distance between Sanders' hand and Shiryu's sword, Shiryu felt as though his blade had struck something solid. He couldn't move his sword forward by even an inch.
Electromagnetic Force—Repel worked by altering the magnetic field with electric currents, allowing control over metal objects.
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit had two main directions for development. One was lightning itself—lightning-fast speed, destructive attacks, and paralysis effects.
The other was electromagnetic force.
Enel had used electromagnetic waves to extend the range of his Observation Haki, which was part of this.
However, Sanders had developed this ability beyond just enhancing his Observation Haki. One application was the ability to control metal. By manipulating the magnetic field with electric currents, he could create attraction and repulsion effects.
This ability was similar to the Magnet-Magnet Fruit, though less convenient as it required a conversion process.
At this moment, metals that had come into contact with Sanders' electricity were easier for him to control.
While the Magnet-Magnet Fruit was superior in terms of controlling magnetic forces, Sanders' Rumble-Rumble Fruit was still effective enough for his needs.
Since Shiryu had used his sword to cut through Sanders' lightning earlier, the electricity had naturally entered Shiryu's sword.
Armament Haki could strengthen defense but didn't entirely block out Sanders' electricity.
"What kind of power is this?" Shiryu was visibly shocked.
He could clearly feel that Sanders' hand was repelling his sword.
Yet, by his observation, there was no force between Sanders' hand and the blade—it wasn't an externalized form of Armament Haki!
Since when did the Rumble-Rumble Fruit have such abilities?
"The power of science," Sanders replied as his right hand clenched into a fist, gathering a blindingly bright surge of lightning.
"200 Million Volts—Thunder Fist!"
Unlike Enel, whose maximum attack was 200 million volts, Sanders wasn't limited to that level. The upper limit of his power went far beyond.
With a roar, Sanders unleashed the destructive power of his Thunder Fist, aiming straight for Shiryu's chest.
Shiryu's face changed drastically as he attempted to pull his sword back to block, only to feel the sword being pulled toward Sanders' hand by an attractive force.
At the very moment Shiryu tried to retract his blade, Sanders switched from "Electromagnetic Force—Repel" to "Electromagnetic Force—Attract!"
The powerful magnetic attraction stalled Shiryu's movement.
However, Shiryu reacted quickly. His Armament Haki-coated fist shot forward to meet the Thunder Fist.
Boom!
With the deafening clash, a powerful shockwave spread out in all directions, raising dust and debris.
Shiryu, having hastily blocked the blow, was sent flying instantly. The immense force knocked his sword free from the electromagnetic pull.
The Thunder Fist's power did not diminish as it transformed into a lightning column, continuing to chase after the airborne Shiryu.
Crack!
Sweat beaded on Shiryu's forehead as he quickly covered his entire body with Armament Haki.
There was no way his physical body could withstand such tremendous power. The destructive energy carried by the attack gave him the instinctive feeling that one touch would mean death.
Boom!
The destructive force landed squarely on Shiryu. Even though his body was covered with Armament Haki, it couldn't fully resist the power.
Shiryu was forced to continuously reinforce his Haki, desperately covering his body in layers of protection.
Under the relentless force of the lightning column, Shiryu was blasted back, his body dragging along the ground for over ten meters before slamming into a wall.
Part of the wall collapsed, burying Shiryu under rubble.
Thick smoke billowed from the debris.
Sanders casually walked toward where Shiryu had fallen.
As the dust settled, Shiryu slowly crawled out from the wreckage, his left arm hanging limp and his body charred black. His once-pristine uniform was now full of burnt holes, and his previously clean face was covered in soot.
He looked at the young man before him in horror.
"How is he this strong?!!"
--------------
T/N:
Access 30 chapters in advance on my Patreon: p@treon.com/OneFic