One piece: The Greatest Swordsman of the Rocks Era!

As the massive dragon shot down from the sky, the dust-covered Golden Lion, still fuming after being sent flying by Ares, soared upward once more with rage burning on his face.

He roared up at the dragon,

"Hey, hey!!!"

"Monster!! Watch as I, Golden Lion, slice you into thin pieces and roast you over an open fire!!"

Furious, his arms and twin swords ignited with black-purple flames, surging like burning fire.

It was the manifestation of Armament Haki refined to an overwhelming level!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

"Slash Wave Thousand Cuts Valley!!!"

What does a Great Swordsman's strike mean at this level?

A typical Great Swordsman can cleave apart mountains. But someone like the Golden Lion his slash could cut through the sea itself!

Two dazzling golden slashes tore across the sky, one behind the other, slicing straight toward Ares.

In that darkened world, the brilliance of the slashes illuminated the sky, casting a golden veil across everything.

Confidence gleamed in the Golden Lion's eyes, and his lips curled into a slight smirk.

Such terrifying strikes there were few in this world who could withstand them.

"Monster, just wait to be torn apart by my slashes!!"

Countless people stared into the sky, their hearts pounding.

This was a battle that could shake the heavens and the earth it left everyone watching in breathless awe.

But at this moment, deep within Ares' mind, a fierce internal struggle was unfolding.

The vast world of his consciousness was in chaos countless fragments of jumbled memories collided wildly.

Even stranger, ever since he ate the Devil Fruit, something inside his soul began to shift towards a transformation no ordinary human could comprehend.

The human brain is the most mysterious and complex organ in existence.

Yet even now, Ares' body moved instinctively.

The moment the Golden Lion unleashed his slashes, Ares' heightened senses honed to their extreme detected danger.

His body immediately retaliated!

That enormous dragon tail swept out with a violent gust!

Dozens of meters long, heavy and mighty, that colossal tail carried strength that could shatter the earth.

Ares was already a power-type monster now in his Azure Dragon form, his strength had multiplied several times over!

As the dragon tail swept through the air, the sheer momentum shook the heavens!

Within the swirling currents of violent air, a dazzling azure slash suddenly burst forth.

The blazing blue light shone so intensely it dyed the thunderclouds above a brilliant blue-white.

That single slash left the entire world in stunned silence!

"Impossible?!!"

The Golden Lion's confident expression instantly collapsed, replaced by sheer disbelief.

"How can he unleash such a terrifying slash with just his dragon tail?!!"

His heart trembled violently.

Such a massive tail had delivered a slash on par with that of a Great Swordsman!

Who is this dragon?!!

A terrible thought crept into the Golden Lion's mind Ares.

But the moment that thought surfaced, his heartbeat pounded furiously in his chest.

If this colossal dragon really was Ares…

That would be unthinkable.

Unimaginable.

In the sky, an epic clash unfolded one destined to be seared into the memories of all who witnessed it.

BOOM!!!

It was like the Big Bang the explosion echoed through the heavens, rattling everyone's eardrums and plunging their minds into blank silence!

Many clasped their hands over their ears in pain, their bodies trembling under the unbearable sound.

In the sky, the magnificent collision of slashes bloomed like the aurora, a light so blinding that countless people instinctively shut their eyes or squinted against its radiance.

It was so bright it could not be looked at directly.

Even Whitebeard's face twisted in shock, his heart brimming with genuine admiration.

"Such violent, savage slashes and from a dragon's tail, no less… simply unbelievable!!"

To unleash such a ferocious slash with that colossal body that's far more difficult than wielding a blade.

His eyes blazed with intense fighting spirit, and he muttered excitedly,

"When did such a powerful monster appear in this world?!"

The overwhelming aura surged around Whitebeard like a razor-sharp sword piercing the sky.

His battle spirit surged.

The blood in his body began to boil, heating up with excitement.

If stealing treasure was to protect his homeland from war…

If his dream was to find a family…

If his happiest moments were banquets and sake…

Then the thing that truly set his soul ablaze was battle against the strong!

Even Rocks' face turned grave.

Such a monster now had the power to threaten him.

"And its target is Linlin… Linlin must know who this is!"

"Just how did Linlin provoke such a monster?"

Someone with this level of strength couldn't possibly be unknown.

And yet there had been no word across the seas of a monster with a Mythical Zoan Azure Dragon form.

Everything about this was far too strange… far too sudden!

It must be unraveled immediately.

Rocks swiftly commanded John,

"You and Wang Zhi, gather everyone on the island and keep them safe!"

"Newgate, come with me to find Linlin!"

He urgently needed to uncover the truth behind all of this.

Rocks, along with the Golden Lion, quickly rushed toward Charlotte Linlin's location.

In the sky, Ares temporarily blocked by the Golden Lion locked his glowing crimson eyes onto Shiki with a feral, beast-like intensity.

He was like a savage beast ready to tear its prey to shreds.

His every move now was driven purely by instinct as if he had lost all reason.

And indeed, that was the truth.

Some say that Devil Fruits house the souls of ancient demons or perhaps some unknown will of the fruit itself.

There's a tale that circulates across the seas: when one eats two Devil Fruits, their body is instantly torn apart utterly obliterated.

Yet the legend of a "demon" dwelling within Devil Fruit users has persisted throughout the Grand Line.

Now because of the Devil Fruit two souls inside Ares' body began to fuse and react.

For years, the impact of this soul had subtly influenced Ares' mind, occasionally flooding his head with strange visions.

When Garp punched him in the skull last time, the blow partially reconnected some of his fragmented memories.

And this time, even more memories resurfaced overwhelming him with a wave of mental shock!

His head throbbed with unbearable pain!

New images poured into his mind of a boy wearing a straw hat, slender and young, setting sail on a grand adventure.

Memories that seemed to stretch all the way to Enies Lobby.

Yet, even more memories came from another world entirely a place called Blue Star.

Ares' mind was now a chaotic jumble a tangled mess of these fragmented memories and his own.

And at this very moment

The blinding sword lights in the sky, locked in a fierce standoff, suddenly exploded.

A terrifying shockwave spread in all directions, visible to the naked eye, like a circular tidal wave of power.

The dark, oppressive thunderclouds above were instantly shattered by the impact.

The heavens cleared in an instant.

Under the sunlight, Ares' shimmering blue dragon scales reflected golden light, amplifying his overwhelming aura and divine presence.

At this moment

The Golden Lion flew in close, staring at the ferocious, terrifying dragon before him with suspicion written all over his face.

Finally, he asked the question gnawing at his heart.

"Are you… Ares?"

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