Legacy of the Six Paths Senjutsu

Boom!!!

The Tailed Beast Bomb shot forward at full force, colliding head-on with Golden Lion's twin swords.

A second later, an impact akin to a bijūdama explosion erupted, sending a terrifying shockwave that engulfed Golden Lion.

The monstrous force made the massive Rocks Pirates ship tremble violently, as if struck by an earthquake. The sheer pressure from the blast sent shockwaves through the air, sending weaker crew members flying backward like scattered leaves in a storm.

The overwhelming force etched itself into the memory of every onlooker. As the dust settled, the results became clear—Golden Lion's clothes were tattered, his body bore fresh wounds, and the deck beneath him had a massive, jagged hole spanning several meters.

It looked like one wrong step would send him plummeting into the lower decks.

Shock Among the Crew

"T-this... this is insane!!!"

"What kind of ability does this monster have?! It injured Captain Shiki!"

"Hey, hey! No way! Captain Shiki's dual-sword style was overpowered by that?"

"Our ship is made from the legendary Adam Tree—the hardest wood in the world. Even a direct hit from a battleship's cannon wouldn't cause this much damage! Yet this guy just… tore through it?!"

"Good thing I wasn't the one fighting Ayr. A direct hit from that thing would have left nothing but dust!"

Many of the Rocks Pirates crew members felt their backs drenched in cold sweat. Even though they had only observed the battle, the sheer power of the Tailed Beast Bomb left them shaken.

What shocked them even more was the fact that Golden Lion, one of the ship's strongest fighters, had taken visible damage.

"Jihahahaha… impressive."

Whitebeard, standing at the sidelines, let out a laugh, his massive arms crossed over his chest. He had already sensed the ominous energy before the Tailed Beast Bomb was launched, but even he hadn't expected it to injure a swordsman of Golden Lion's caliber.

Even among the strongest pirates in the world, few could claim they had ever landed a decisive blow on Golden Lion.

"This kid's abilities are more terrifying than I thought."

Charlotte Linlin licked her lips with greedy excitement as she gazed at Ayr. "If only he were my subordinate..."

"To think someone could actually hurt Shiki. We've got a real monster on our hands," said Silver Axe, resting his gigantic weapon on his shoulder.

But not everyone was impressed.

"Hmph. He's still just a kid." John muttered, unimpressed.

Ochoku scoffed. "Don't be so short-sighted, John. Think about it—when we were his age, we were still running for our lives out at sea. But this brat? He's already exchanging blows with Shiki and coming out on top. That's not normal."

Even though Ayr's power still wasn't on par with the main forces of the Rocks Pirates, everyone could tell—his potential was something else entirely.

Ayr's Reflection on His Power

Ayr stood calmly, analyzing the devastation he had caused. He nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad."

At the moment, he had only unlocked the first tail of Kurama's power, and his Tailed Beast Bomb was far from reaching its true destructive potential.

Even so, the amount of destruction it had caused was already beyond expectations.

If I can do this with just one tail… what happens when I unlock more of Kurama's power?

He smirked to himself. If he gathered more Devil Fruits and further unlocked Kurama's full strength, then in the future…

A single Tailed Beast Bomb could wipe an entire country off the map.

Golden Lion Acknowledges Ayr

"Jihahahaha… I guess I underestimated you. Your power is far beyond what I imagined," Golden Lion admitted with a grin, though he winced as his wounds still ached.

Truth be told, from the very beginning, Golden Lion had never taken Ayr seriously.

After all, why would he?

Ayr was a rookie with a bounty of just 100 million Berries, while he was one of the top pirates of the era. Even if Ayr had potential, the gap between them should have been overwhelming.

That's why, when Ayr had launched the Tailed Beast Bomb, Golden Lion hadn't bothered to use his full strength. He had underestimated him… and paid the price.

The wounds on his body were proof of that mistake.

"Looks like I need to take this a little more seriously," Golden Lion muttered, gripping his swords tightly as his battle aura flared.

He was about to launch a full-fledged assault—

But then…

Rocks Intervenes

"That's enough, Shiki."

A deep voice echoed across the ship, instantly suppressing the chaotic atmosphere.

Golden Lion halted. The overwhelming battle aura he had been building up disappeared instantly, and he raised an eyebrow at Rocks D. Xebec.

Truthfully, he was just getting fired up.

But Rocks' authority was absolute. Even Golden Lion didn't dare go against his orders.

"Tch. Just when I was getting interested." Golden Lion clicked his tongue in disappointment but obediently sheathed both of his swords.

"Well, it's not like I don't have plenty of time to test him later."

With Golden Lion standing down, Rocks stepped toward Ayr with a grin.

"Your name is Ayr, right?"

Ayr met his gaze without flinching. "Yeah."

"From today onwards, you're an official crew member."

Ayr Becomes an Official Crew Member

"Oh?" Ayr raised an eyebrow before smirking.

"Thanks, Captain Rocks."

Becoming a full-fledged crew member was a major step up. More importantly, it meant he would receive a bigger share of the loot.

And for Ayr, money was something he needed now more than ever.

After all, he had a plan—

Once he saved up enough Berries, he would go to the New World's underground markets and auctions to purchase powerful Devil Fruits.

His ambition didn't stop at just one tail of Kurama.

The Crew's Reaction

"He got promoted straight to an official crew member? Looks like Captain Rocks really values this guy."

"Duh. Did you not see what just happened? He took on Captain Shiki and actually hurt him!"

"Damn it! I've been on this ship for years and I'm still an intern. This bastard joins and becomes an official crew member right away?!"

"With his potential, he might become one of the strongest officers in the future."

"No, I think he might even become one of the main pillars of the crew, just like Captain Shiki!"

The chatter among the crew didn't bother Ayr.

Meanwhile, Rocks patted Ayr on the shoulder and smirked.

"Rocks Pirates will be the place where you rise to glory. I expect great things from you."

Ayr smirked.

"Don't worry, Captain. I'll make sure I don't disappoint you."

Because in this era of monsters… he would rise to the very top.

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